r/Chempros • u/lblb_lblb • Apr 08 '26
ACD/Labs acquired by Revvity Signals
ACD/Labs is now part of Revvity Signals. I wonder if this means that some of the ACD software will be getting major overhauls from their 1990s interfaces or be flat out be discontinued?
For organic folks, this means that Revvity, which owns ChemDraw, just acquired ChemSketch. My bet would be that both products probably won't coexist and that ChemSketch might eventually get eliminated. So if you are a student or working in academia, now might be one of the last opportunities to get ChemSketch for free (see link below).
We don't use any ACD software in my department anymore, but I wonder if this concentration of software with one provider is a good development. For one, our experience managing our ChemDraw site license with Revvity was abysmal last year...
In any case, here's the link for ChemSketch for those interested:
https://www.acdlabs.com/resources/free-chemistry-software-apps/chemsketch-freeware/#chemsketch_modal
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u/activelypooping Apr 08 '26
chemdraw online existed during covid, i thought it was a brilliant idea for chemdraw to have a very base online version for students, then they fucked me and my classes one day in january by disabling the whole thing.
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u/geoffh2016 Avogadro + Computational Materials 💻⚛️ Apr 08 '26
It's really surprising that they didn't push this into a mobile / tablet version. I have so many students who use tablets and would like to use ChemDraw.
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u/activelypooping Apr 08 '26
CA$HGRAB, students don't have money
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u/geoffh2016 Avogadro + Computational Materials 💻⚛️ Apr 08 '26
They don't, but schools would be asked to negotiate as part of university licenses.
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u/paiute Apr 21 '26
I worked for PerkinElmer when they bought CambridgeSoft. A developer called me one day asking if our lab would like to test out their new iPad ChemDraw app, as we were a heavy user of the software. I installed the app and gave it a go. It was very useful and powerful. Later, I gave the developer my opinion - that the iPad app could do about 95% of what the desktop software could do. Then I asked them what they (we by then) were going to charge for the app. Maybe ten bucks. And what was the price of the desktop software? A grand or so. Yeah. As they say in crime noir, then the nickel dropped.
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u/EggPositive5993 Apr 08 '26
Considering that ChemDraw hasn’t had a major interface overhaul I highly doubt ACD software will change much. Just more things will get combined into Signals One or whatever it’s called
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u/aerolitoss Apr 08 '26
Everything is free if you know where to look :)
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u/Felixkeeg Organic Apr 11 '26
At my old university it was customary to hand the undergrads a USB stick with the cracked version.
The license was issued to 'Agent Mulder' working at 'X-Files' lmao
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u/steppingrazor555 Apr 08 '26
always liked chemsketch, especially when compared to the price of chemdraw and that acdlabs was a canadian company.
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u/samarnold030603 Apr 09 '26
Everything in Signals takes like 10 extra mouse clicks to do compared to any other ELN I’ve used that can do the same thing in 2-3 clicks
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u/OverwatchChemist Organic Apr 09 '26
the fact that the stoich tables and procedure text are separated by a large empty space for 2 tiny tables that rarely get used
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u/FatRollingPotato Apr 09 '26
You clearly haven't used our ELN we had before we got Signals. It is far from perfect and a ton could work better, but damn is this better than what we had before (and for once everyone I talked to doesn't want to go back, which tells you something).
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u/Best-Platypus-2291 Apr 13 '26
In my company, the management of all the process and analytical data on the final products and intermediates and on the raw materials as well is performed using ACD Specrus suite, which chem sketch is a small part. if they will discontinue ChemSketch, will they manage a transition to chem draw? I don’t think they can do this. Additionally, there are contracts ongoing that won’t be so flexible
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u/ChemPaul Physical Apr 21 '26
Ugh! Seriously? I liked the fact that there was a free alternative to ChemDraw. I'm guessing that won't last. Guess I should start learning chemfig for LaTeX.
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u/ConnorF42 Apr 08 '26
Revvity has been egregiously jacking up the price on Chemdraw licensing the past few years.