ChemSketch Freeware is gone. Here is a free replacement.
ACD/Labs discontinued ChemSketch Freeware in August 2026. If you used it for structures, reactions or teaching handouts, Athanor does the same work for free, in the browser or on Windows, and opens the ChemDraw files your colleagues send.
Windows 10 and 11 Updates itself from the Store
Runs in your browser. No account needed to draw.
Free, including commercial work
No license to renew and no freeware edition that can be withdrawn. Drawing does not need an account.
Opens the files you have
CDX, CDXML, MOL, SDF, RXN and SMILES. Export as SVG, PNG or PDF for documents and slides.
Names, formulas and properties
Athanor names what you draw and shows its formula, mass and properties, each with its source.
Made for teaching too
Problem sets with 21 question types, animated mechanisms and 3D models, all free for a class.
What ChemSketch had that Athanor does not
ChemSketch ran fully offline with no account. Athanor’s web app needs a connection, and its Windows app works offline only after you sign in once.
Athanor and the alternatives, row by row
Swipe the table to see every tool
 Athanor | ChemDraw | ChemDoodle | Marvin | Octet Draw | Discontinued Aug 2026ChemSketch | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price & access | ||||||
| Price | Free | Prime $700/yrProfessional $1,355/yr | $199/yror $999 lifetime | $29/mo academic$99/mo commercial | Free | No longer sold |
| Free for commercial work | – | – | – | – | ||
| Full editor in the browser | Enterprise plan | Developer toolkit | – | – | ||
| Prediction | ||||||
| Products predicted as you draw | – | From arrow pushing | – | – | – | |
| Retrosynthesis route planning | – | Manual disconnections | – | – | – | |
| Property prediction | Basic | |||||
| AI assistant that draws and animates | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Teaching | ||||||
| Problem sets with automatic grading | 21 question types | – | – | – | – | – |
| Mechanism checking | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Moodle XML and QTI export | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Drawing & visualization | ||||||
| 2D structure drawing | ||||||
| 3D models | – | |||||
| Orbitals and MO diagrams | Orbital palette | – | – | – | ||
| Animated mechanisms | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Biopolymers (HELM, peptides, DNA) | – | – | – | – | ||
| Data & workflow | ||||||
| Compound library with cited safety data | PubChem add‑in | – | – | – | – | |
| Live collaboration | In testing | Enterprise plan | – | – | – | – |
| Opens ChemDraw files | ||||||
| Name to structure for any IUPAC name | Online | Offline | – | |||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Desktop app | Windows | Windows, Mac | Windows, Mac, Linux | Windows, Mac, Linux | Windows | |
| Mac and Linux | In the browser | Mac | – | |||
| Works offline | Desktop app | Desktop | ||||
| Open source | – | – | – | – | Apache‑2.0 | – |
| Where others do more | ||||||
| ¹H and ¹³C NMR prediction | Predicted, AI | – | ||||
| Fully offline, no account | – | – | ||||
| Office and ELN integration | – | LabArchives | Office, on Mac | – |
Prices as of October 2026, from each vendor’s own page. Check with the vendor before you buy.
Sources