# MEL Science vs iSearch Science

The clearest difference is review sentiment: iSearch Science at 84% against MEL Science's 39%. MEL Science's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and rating (3.7 vs 3.2). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. iSearch Science sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. MEL Science asks for nothing beyond the download.

MEL Science holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MEL Science has 88 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 39% of MEL Science's written reviews are positive against 84% of iSearch Science's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

MEL Science ships an update every 6 weeks, iSearch Science every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MEL Science | iSearch Science |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.7 (88 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mel-science-a-science-lab-app/id988394506/reviews)** | [3.2 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/isearch-science/id1516874861/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **88** | 13 |
| Positive reviews | 39.1% of reviews | **84.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 130 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [MEL Science Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/988394505) | [Best Surgical Education, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1331613158) |

## What reviewers say

### MEL Science

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mel-science-a-science-lab-app/id988394506)

Explore the world of science through interactive experiments and engaging games. This app guides you through real science activities, making learning fun and hands-on. Discover molecular structures and conduct your own science projects.

**Highlights:** Conduct real science experiments, Interactive experiment guidance, Learn molecular structures, Science games and activities, Experiment assistant, Knowledge check tests

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Amazing app for learning science
- 👍 Great for interactive scientific weekends
- 🤩 Cool experiments and explanations
- 🚀 User-friendly application
- 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Fun for families

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🤔 Confusing app interface
- ❌ Instructions are incorrect or missing
- 📦 Kits are missing items or broken
- 👎 Experiments don't match app instructions

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes immediately on iPhone 7
- App crashed my phone
- Code scanner broken, doesn't scan QR codes
- Instructions don't match kit contents
- System is not intuitive

**Requested features**

- Allow viewing others' photos and replying to comments
- Consolidate features from other apps into one
- Allow earning extra boxes and real prizes with coins
- More experiments in Kitchen Science
- More detail on formulae behind experiments


### iSearch Science

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/isearch-science/id1516874861)

This intelligent research assistant mines the web for studies, automatically refining searches and classifying results by type. It uses AI to identify entities like drugs and diseases, and can summarize content or answer questions about research findings.

**Highlights:** Automated query refinement, Study classification by type, Entity identification (drugs, diseases), AI-powered summarization, Question answering on search results, PDF content analysis

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription - Basic | $7.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription-Advanced | $12.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription - Basic | $39.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription - Advanced | $44.99 | per year |
| Full Access to Mac + iOS | $49.99 | per year |
| Cross Platform + Healthcare | $74.99 | per year |
| iSearch Science,iSearch Biomed | $99.99 | per year |
| Purchase Healthcare API | $24.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MEL Science free?

MEL Science is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is iSearch Science free?

iSearch Science is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, MEL Science or iSearch Science?

MEL Science is rated higher. MEL Science averages 3.7 out of 5 from 88 ratings, while iSearch Science averages 3.2 from 13 ratings.

### Do MEL Science or iSearch Science have ads?

Neither MEL Science nor iSearch Science shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MEL Science or iSearch Science?

MEL Science ships an update every 6 weeks, and iSearch Science every 3 weeks. Most recently, MEL Science was updated on November 1, 2026 and iSearch Science on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*