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MolView

molview.com

From $0.75/mo Free plan WebAPISelf-hosted
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Spec score 8.7 #4 of 33 in Chemistry Simulation Software

What it is

MolView is a web application for sketching and viewing small molecules, with API access and molecular modeling support. Its canvas handles structural formulas, reaction arrows, electron-pushing arrows, configurable styles, and keyboard shortcuts. A 3D viewer updates automatically as you edit a molecule. Chemical searches accept common names, IUPAC names, SMILES, InChI, InChIKey, and molecular formulas. Depending on the plan, you can save and load sketcher or viewer content, create shareable links, export structural data or SVG files, use transparent backgrounds, and set image resolution. Developers can embed the sketcher web component in vanilla JavaScript or React and customize its toolbar and diagram style. The free plan needs no sign-up and supports searching, sketching, and viewing, but cannot save diagrams. Paid plans include Student at $9.00 per year, Publisher at $250.00 per year, Academic at $4919.00 per year, and Standard at $9919.00 per year.

Spec sheet

What it does
MolView is a browser-based chemical sketcher and 3D viewer focused on small molecules.Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Purpose
MolView is a web app for sketching and viewing small molecules.Read 8 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Audience
The maker presents MolView for students, teachers, authors, and developers.Read 8 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Integrations
The legacy service retrieves data from PubChem, RCSB Protein Data Bank, NIST Chemistry WebBook, Crystallography Open Database and NCI/CADD Chemical Identifier Resolver.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Privacy
The privacy policy says account personal information is stored in a database and anonymized usage data is collected through Google Analytics 4.Read 8 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Support
The help center page says it is under construction; the contact page lists [email protected] for questions and ideas.Read 8 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Founded
LinkedIn lists MolView as founded in 2012.Read 15 Oct 2026 · nl.linkedin.com
Company
MolView says it is developed and operated by Bergwerf Labs, based in the Netherlands.Read 8 Oct 2026 · molview.com
3D rendering
Rendering options include ball-and-stick, licorice and spacefill models, background choices, size controls, material parameters and lighting parameters.Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
API access limit
The API sketcher is available to subscribers, and production use for other users requires each user to subscribe or a production-domain license.Read 8 Oct 2026 · molview.com
API data handling
The API exposes save/load diagram objects plus import/export functions such as SMILES conversion.Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
API licensing limit
Production embedding for general visitors requires a domain license or individual MolView subscriptions; a client ID is requested from account settings.Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Availability disclaimer
The terms do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation and note that some features depend on external web services.Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Chemical data
Infocards provide identifiers and PubChem links, and structural data can be exported as SDF.Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Chemical search
Search accepts common names, IUPAC names, SMILES, InChI, InChIKey and molecular formulas.Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Cloud and sharing
Paid users can save and load sketcher/viewer content and create shareable links.Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Cloud saving
The app can save and load sketcher and viewer content and create shareable links.Read 8 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Company headquarters
LinkedIn lists Amsterdam, Netherlands as MolView's headquarters.Read 15 Oct 2026 · nl.linkedin.com
Company size
LinkedIn lists MolView at 2–10 employees.Read 15 Oct 2026 · nl.linkedin.com
Content rights
Users retain intellectual property in their created diagrams but grant MolView a permanent royalty-free operational license to host, display and process that content.Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Data and hosting
The privacy policy says its server is in the United States, its database runs on a ScalaHosting VPS, and account removal can be requested by email.Read 8 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Developer API
The embeddable sketcher Web Component works in vanilla JavaScript and React, with client-ID authentication and customizable toolbar and diagram styling.Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Developer integration
The embeddable sketcher web component can be used in vanilla JavaScript and React codebases and supports customization of its toolbar and diagram style.Read 8 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Diagram styling
Skeletal mode, fonts, colors and implicit carbon/hydrogen rendering can be configured.Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Documentation
The help center page says it is under construction, while the site links tutorials, a user manual and API references.Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Export
The feature list includes structural data export, SVG export, transparent backgrounds, and custom image resolution.Read 8 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Image export
Image export supports transparent backgrounds, custom resolution and SVG vector output.Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Independent trust signal
ScamAdviser judged molview.com likely legitimate, citing a valid SSL certificate and DNSFilter safety, but noted low Tranco traffic rank.Read 15 Oct 2026 · scamadviser.com
Legacy feature limits
The new app focuses on sketching and small molecules and does not include protein, crystal lattice, or spectroscopy viewing features listed for the old app.Read 8 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Legacy self-hosting
The public old-app repository documents deployment requiring PHP, cURL, mod_rewrite, npm, Inkscape, ImageMagick and Jmol.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Legal maker
MolView's terms identify Bergwerf Labs as the software developer and operator, based in the Netherlands.Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Licence status
GitHub says the old app was developed in 2012–2015 and that patches since 2023 are no longer released under an open-source licence.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Limit: legacy features
The new app lacks crystal lattices, protein structures, Jmol measurements, MEP surfaces/dipoles and spectroscopy that were present in the old app.Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Limit: missing features
The same AlternativeTo reviewer said MolView lacks some important features.Read 15 Oct 2026 · alternativeto.net
Limit: troubleshooting report
A Reddit user reported the site becoming stuck on its loading screen despite rebooting, reloading and opening new tabs, while it worked on another device.Read 15 Oct 2026 · reddit.com
Live 3D
The 3D viewer synchronizes automatically with the sketching canvas as molecules are edited.Read 8 Oct 2026 · molview.com
New-app scope change
The 2024 app narrowed focus to sketching and small molecules and removed protein, crystal-lattice, spectroscopy and Jmol visualization features from the new app.Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Notable news
A LinkedIn post says MolView won second place in the Dutch division of the 2024 Shenzhen International Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition with an AI-personalized chemistry-exercises proposition.Read 15 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
Praise: browser access
The teaching guide highlights that MolView works without installation across devices and browsers and supports sharing visualizations in teaching materials.Read 15 Oct 2026 · fchpt.stuba.sk
Praise: education
An academic teaching guide describes MolView as useful for explaining molecular structures, bonds and stereochemistry through visual representations.Read 15 Oct 2026 · fchpt.stuba.sk
Praise: usability and modelling
An AlternativeTo reviewer praised the chemical sketcher, its combined 2D/3D modelling, multi-format input, MOL downloads and PubChem access.Read 15 Oct 2026 · alternativeto.net
Privacy and hosting
MolView says its server is in the United States, uses Google Analytics 4, stores account data in a ScalaHosting VPS and shares purchaser details with Paddle.Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Rating on AlternativeTo
5 out of 5 from 1 reviewRead 15 Oct 2026 · alternativeto.net
Reaction editing
Users can draw reaction arrows, electron-pushing arrows and custom curved mechanism paths.Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Sketching
The sketcher supports structural formulas, reaction arrows, electron-pushing arrows, configurable styles, and keyboard shortcuts.Read 8 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Structural drawing
The sketcher supports atoms, multiple bond types, formal charges, lone pairs, radicals, chain/cycle templates and automatic cleanup.Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Viewer
The viewer synchronizes with sketch changes and offers CPU or web-service resolution, spin animation and split views for multiple molecules.Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com

Plans and prices

Free Free No sign-up · search, sketch and view small molecules · diagrams cannot be saved Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Student $9 a year $9/year including sales tax Students only · save/load files · reaction mechanisms · no custom styling · no SVG/SDF/XYZ export Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Academic $49 a year $49/year or $19/quarter including sales tax All features · molecular data exports · custom diagram/3D styling · unlimited publication-quality SVG · no commercial use Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Standard $99 a year $99/user/year or $19/user/month excluding sales tax Commercial use · all features · not for content creators/publishers · up to 10 SVG exports monthly Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Publisher $250 a year $250/user/year excluding sales tax Commercial use · all features · unlimited publication-quality SVG export Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Enterprise Priced on request Contact us Single sign-on · enterprise support and new features · developer API for Web Components Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com
Institution Priced on request Contact us Single sign-on · volume discount · smart homework systems Read 15 Oct 2026 · molview.com

Every MolView plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Automatic 3D synchronization while editing
  • Search by names, formulas, and chemical identifiers
  • Reaction and electron-pushing arrows supported
  • Shareable links and file saving on eligible plans
  • Embeddable JavaScript and React component

Limits

  • Free plan cannot save diagrams
  • API sketcher production use has licensing requirements
  • Protein, crystal lattice, and spectroscopy viewing are absent
  • Help center is under construction

Who it suits

MolView suits students, teachers, authors, and developers working with small-molecule diagrams. Developers needing an embeddable JavaScript or React sketcher may also find its integration relevant.

Verdict

MolView covers small-molecule sketching, viewing, searching, and selected export workflows in a web app. Check plan restrictions carefully if you need saving, advanced exports, API production use, or older protein and spectroscopy features.

Where Specifiction places it

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