Molecule World vs Molecules that changed the World
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Molecule World
Explore interactive 3D models of molecules, proteins, and DNA. This educational tool allows users to manipulate structures, experiment with visualization styles, and learn about chemical properties. Ideal for students and science enthusiasts of all ages.
- Interactive 3D molecule manipulation
- Experiment with drawing and coloring styles
- View and control molecular sequences (protein, DNA, RNA)
- Identify elements and investigate molecular properties
- Capture images of molecular structures
- Explore themed collections of molecules
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A modern 3D molecular workspace that makes exploring the connections between sequence, structure, and function accessible to a new generation of scientists, educators, and students. Molecule World 5.0 is built for how molecular structures are explored and designed today. View, compare, align, and explore experimental structures and computationally generated models together. Compare normal and mutant proteins, investigate structural differences, and connect sequence changes to their 3D consequences. Explore proteins, DNA, RNA, and small molecules on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Rotate, zoom, and pan through structures with high-quality interactive 3D visualization. Molecule World brings structure viewing, sequence analysis, molecular comparison, and educational tools together in one app. EXPERIMENTAL AND COMPUTATIONAL STRUCTURES Open structures from X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM, and NMR alongside computationally generated models. Search RCSB PDB, NCBI MMDB, and PubChem by ID or keyword and download structures directly into your library. SEQUENCE AND STRUCTURE The sequence viewer on iPad and Mac shows every chain as a row of residues colored to match the 3D view. Copies of a molecule line up in shared columns, while superimposed models read down the same columns. See sequence differences in context and investigate their structural consequences. POWERFUL VISUALIZATION Choose Spacefill, Ball & Stick, Tubes, Ribbon, Surface, or Wire Surface representations. Color by element, secondary structure, chain, sequence, assembly, conserved domain, residue type, charge, hydrophobicity, or B-factor. Show proteins, nucleic acids, or chemical components alone, or reduce chains to their backbone or Cα trace. A color key shows what is on screen, while the Info card reports what a structure is, how it was determined, and what it contains. YOUR LIBRARY Keep structures in folders, synced through iCloud Drive or stored on the device. Filter your library by atoms, chains, resolution, confidence values, file type, source database, models, or scenes. MOLECULE WORLD PRO Pro adds tools for creating and saving molecular content. Selections: select residues in the sequence, search by variant, range, or motif, select residue neighbors, then style, color, hide, and lock them. Scenes: save named views, including selections, styles, and camera position, inside the structure file. Step through scenes to guide an exploration or create a presentation. Model sets: superimpose structures and compare how closely they align. Compare experimental structures, predicted models, variants, or alternative conformations, and save the model set and its comparison data for sharing. Collections: package structures, models, scenes, and descriptions into a single file. Hide selected structures for exercises and optionally lock the collection for distribution. Pro also includes undo and redo and high-resolution image capture. It is a single in-app purchase with no subscription and can be shared with Family Sharing. TEACH SEQUENCE, STRUCTURE, AND FUNCTION Build collections around a biological question. Give students related structures, variants, or predicted models and let them investigate the differences themselves. Use scenes to guide an exploration, hide structures for unknown-structure exercises, and move between aligned sequence and 3D structure to connect sequence changes with their structural consequences. Everything created with Pro opens in the free Molecule World viewer on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Students and colleagues can explore collections, step through scenes and model sets, change views, and save images for assignments and presentations. BUILT FOR THE APPLE ECOSYSTEM Molecule World runs as a unified app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Optional iCloud support keeps your library available across devices. Molecule World is developed by Digital World Biology LLC, with support from National Science Foundation awards IIP 1315426 and DUE 2055036.
Molecules that changed the World
Explore the scientific facts and captivating stories behind molecules that have shaped our world. Discover how basic compounds like water and complex synthetics like aspirin influenced culture, civilization, and life itself.
- Scientific facts about influential molecules
- Stories of cultural and civilizational impact
- Covers basic and synthetic compounds
- Explains chemical background
- Details historical and cultural influence
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The "Molecules that changed the World" App is meant to convey the scientific facts and interesting stories of molecules that changed our culture, course of civilisation and in short, the world. Among the represented molecules are such basic compounds like water, carbon dioxide, ammonia, which not only influenced the way we think about resources, climate and food production but also affected the development of early life on Earth, and synthetic complex compounds such as nitroglycerin, polyethylene and aspirin. App is aiming at telling you more about the chemical background of such molecules and their influence onto the historical and cultural developments and the life as we know it. This app is a translation of the interactive 3D installation "Molecules that Changed the World" by Ljiljana Fruk and Bernd Lintermann, which was designed at ZKM/Institute for Visual Media to accompany the "Molecular Aesthetics" Symposium held at ZKM | Centre for Art and Media, Karlsruhe, Germany in 2011.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Molecule World at 100% against Molecules that changed the World's 50%. Molecule World also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.3). Molecules that changed the World's advantage is monetization model (free vs paid) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Molecule World holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Molecule World's written reviews are positive against 50% of Molecules that changed the World's.
Molecule World ships an update every 2 months, Molecules that changed the World every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Molecule World | Molecules that changed the World |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better | 3.3 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 79 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Digital World Biology LLC | ZKM | Zentrum fuer Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe |
Customer experience
Molecule World
Molecules that changed the World
In-app purchases
Molecule World
No in-app purchases
Molecules that changed the World
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Molecule World free?
Is Molecules that changed the World free?
Which has better reviews, Molecule World or Molecules that changed the World?
Do Molecule World or Molecules that changed the World have ads?
Which is updated more often, Molecule World or Molecules that changed the World?
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