Molecule World vs Molecule Lab
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Molecule World
Explore and analyze 3D molecular structures, connecting sequence data to their 3D forms. Visualize proteins, DNA, RNA, and small molecules with interactive tools for scientists, educators, and students.
- 3D molecular visualization
- Sequence and structure comparison
- Experimental and computational structure support
- Interactive 3D rendering
- Structure library management
- Molecular content creation tools (Pro)
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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.
Molecule Lab
Create and view 3D molecular models with an intuitive editor. Supports various elements, bond types, and conformations, with undo/redo functionality. Share your creations easily via messaging and email.
- Build molecules in 3D
- Supports oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, carbon, hydrogen
- Double and triple bond creation
- Branching and rotation conformations
- Undo, redo, and delete controls
- Save and edit molecules
- Share via text, email, and other services
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Molecule Lab is a simple yet powerful editor allowing users to build and visualize molecules in 3D. Our molecule editor can build more molecules than before, as it now supports three new elements—oxygen, nitrogen, and chlorine—in addition to carbon and hydrogen, double bonds, triple bonds, branches, and different rotation conformations. These incredible new features are enhanced by the flexibility of our molecule editor, which we further upgraded with undo, redo, and delete controls. Molecules can be saved and edited in the future. Additionally, we introduced the capability to share molecules via text message, email, and other third-party services for notetaking and document sharing. This seamless integration with different apps makes Molecule Lab more powerful for sharing and referencing molecules in the future. With all these exciting features, we are thrilled to debut a new look and feel for Molecule Lab. We hope the beautiful modern design will enrich each user’s experience with Molecule Lab.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Molecule World at 100% against Molecule Lab's 50%. Molecule World also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 24 months). Molecule Lab's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (25 vs 4). On price, ads and device support 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. Molecule World sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Molecule Lab asks for nothing beyond the download.
Molecule World holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Molecule Lab has 25 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Molecule World's written reviews are positive against 50% of Molecule Lab's.
Molecule World ships an update every 3 weeks, Molecule Lab every 24 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Molecule World | Molecule Lab |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better | 4.3 (25 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 25 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 24 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 13.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Digital World Biology LLC | Maxamix |
Customer experience
Molecule World
Molecule Lab
In-app purchases
Molecule World
- Molecule World Pro$29.99
Molecule Lab
No in-app purchases
Questions
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Is Molecule Lab free?
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