So, as many of you already know, the licensing for Vector NTI will be terminated at the end of 2020, and we will no longer be able to use the software after that. I am aware of few alternative options, like SnapGene and Serial Cloner, but I wanted to see which ones are considered the best alternatives before trying random things here and there. The majority of our lab computers are Windows, but it would be great if the alternative option is also fully multi-OS compatible. I see that there were few posts asking about alternatives but they were years old, so I just wanted to see the up-to-date opinion in the field. Thanks
Benchling, GenomeCompiler, UGENE are the one I am using and they all are free.
Hi all,
I have decided to use SnapGene.
It can open Vector NTI-generated files without prior file transformation.
And I honestly think it's more user friendly and intuitive.
SnapGene is commercial. It is very user-friendly, but if you are looking for free alternatives, I highly recommend Ali Taheri suggestions. My personal favorite is GenomeCompiler, it is the easiest to use.
Genome Compiler is a very user-friendly freeware, has guides for easier transition from big ones, like SnapGene, or LaserGene, and supports online sharing as well. Can be either used online or downloaded locally. This is propably the first alternative that I would recommend. The closest to SnapGene, very easy to adapt and combination of offline and online use. Has most of the SnapGene features and in some cases even more.
http://www.genomecompiler.com/
Another one, is the 100% online Benchling. It is a complete cloud-based suite that contains a variety of tools, including one that can replace SnapGene completely (it has ALL SnapGene features and even more), and also labbook record. Downsides; its user interface is different from other ones, so it might be difficult to adapt in the beginning. Also its main advantage, 100% online, might also be a disadvantage, eg online uploading of sensitive research data, 100% dependency on their servers etc.
https://www.benchling.com/
The last one, is the UGENE. It is old, but with plugins, has gained more and more functionality over the years. It has most features of SnapGene and even more (alignments, structures etc), but we have file incompatibility, which means we need to convert .dna (SnapGene) files to the universal .gb, .gbk (GenBank extension) with the free SnapGene Viewer or with SnapGene, and then edit the files (conversion keeps all features intact, we don't lose anything). This software is more old-school, but with this, it also comes with the respective advantages (100% offline, 100% safety of sensitive data, 100% independency on any servers etc). It can be either downloaded and installed or even downloaded as portable.
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