| Feature | RasMol | Chime | Protein Explorer |
| Image Quality & Speed | Superb! | Identical to RasMol's + Surfaces | |
| Self-Directed Exploration |
Excellent - set the standard! |
Minimal | Better than RasMol! |
| Presentations | Poor | Powerful! | (To be implemented) |
| Platforms | Win Mac Unix | Win Mac | |
| Cost | All 3 Are Freeware! | ||
| Development | Little since '96 | Active since '96 | Active since '98 |