ChemDraw alternatives in 2026
ChemDraw Prime costs $700 a year and Professional $1,355 a year, per user, on Windows and macOS. If that is more than you need, these are the editors worth a look, with what each is good at and where it falls short.
Three things matter most when you switch: whether it opens your existing CDX and CDXML files, whether it draws to your journal's style, and whether it runs on the computers you have.
| Feature | Athanor | ChemDoodle | Marvin | Ketcher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free; paid plans add AI credits and storage | $199 a year, or $999 lifetime | $29 a month academic, $99 a month professional | Free, open source (Apache-2.0) |
| Runs on | Browser, Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux | Browser; MarvinSketch on desktop | Browser, embedded in other pages |
| ChemDraw CDX and CDXML | Opens and saves both | Reads and writes both | Imports and exports common chemical formats | Not listed |
| Journal styles | 21, including ACS Document 1996 | Style sheets including ACS Document 1996 and Nature | Preset journal styles | Not listed |
| Mechanisms | Curly arrows, animated step by step | Electron-pushing arrows drawn for you | Not listed | Not listed |
| 3D | 3D models and orbitals | ChemDoodle 3D, included with the license | Not listed | A 3D viewer (Miew) |
| Prediction | Products, retrosynthesis routes and properties | Descriptors and properties | pKa, logP and logS | Molecular weight and structure parameters |
| NMR | ¹H and ¹³C, predicted | ¹H and ¹³C simulation | ¹H and ¹³C prediction | Not listed |
| Source | Athanor docs, plans | chemdoodle.com features, iChemLabs store | Certara: Marvin, Marvin Cloud | Ketcher repository |
Read on each vendor’s own pages on November 12, 2026. “Not listed” means the vendor does not mention it, not that it is proven absent.
1. arbastro
Athanor
- Price
- Free; paid plans add more AI credits and storage
- Runs on
- Browser, Windows
- ChemDraw files
- Opens and saves ChemDraw CDX and CDXML, Molfile, SDF and SMILES
Good at: A full editor for free, commercial work included, with 21 journal styles, live R/S and E/Z, animated mechanisms, 3D and orbitals. Product prediction and retrosynthesis need only a free account.
Keep in mind: No native Mac app: on a Mac it runs in the browser. Not open source, though its .athanor file format is open.
2. iChemLabs
ChemDoodle
- Price
- $199 a year, or $999 lifetime
- Runs on
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- ChemDraw files
- Reads and writes CDX and CDXML
Good at: 3D, atomic and molecular orbital graphics, 1H and 13C NMR simulation, and name to structure, on every desktop system.
Keep in mind: Paid only, after a 14-day trial; the academic discount applies to site licenses, not single users.
3. Chemaxon, part of Certara
Marvin
- Price
- $29 a month academic, $99 a month professional
- Runs on
- Browser (Marvin Cloud), desktop (MarvinSketch)
- ChemDraw files
- Imports CDX and CDXML; exports CDX
Good at: NMR, pKa, logP and logS prediction, name to structure, and Office integration.
Keep in mind: The free individual academic license ended on July 31, 2026, and Marvin JS reaches end of sale at the end of 2026.
4. EPAM Systems
Ketcher
- Price
- Free and open source (Apache-2.0)
- Runs on
- Browser, and embeddable in your own page
- ChemDraw files
- Molfile, RXN, InChI and CML; CDX support is not documented
Good at: An open-source structure and reaction editor that developers can embed as an iframe or a React component.
Keep in mind: A drawing component rather than a full publishing tool: no journal document styles or mechanism tools. 3D is a viewer (Miew).
5. ACD/Labs, now Revvity
ChemSketch Freeware
- Price
- Discontinued: ACD/Labs posted the notice on August 3, 2026
- Runs on
- Windows
- ChemDraw files
- Existing installs still open their files
Good at: Was the classic free Windows editor for students.
Keep in mind: No longer offered or updated. See the ChemSketch alternative page for moving your work.
Prices as of October 2026, from each vendor’s own page. Marvin’s free individual academic licenses ended on July 31, 2026 (Certara, May 21, 2026), and Marvin JS is sold until December 31, 2026 (Certara, September 16, 2025). ChemSketch Freeware is marked discontinued on ACD/Labs’ page, published August 3, 2026. Check with the vendor before you buy.
Leaving a discontinued editor? See ChemSketch alternative and Marvin JS alternative.