ChemDraw is a widely used commercial software for drawing chemical structures and creating molecular diagrams. However, there are several free and open-source alternatives that provide similar functionality for creating chemical drawings and structures. Here are some options:
- ChemSketch:
While not fully open-source, ACD/Labs offers a free version of their
chemical drawing software called ChemSketch. It provides a range of tools
for drawing structures, reactions, and annotations.
- ChemDoodle:
ChemDoodle is a commercial chemical drawing software, but it also offers a
free web-based version called "ChemDoodle Web Components" that
can be integrated into websites and applications for chemical structure
drawing.
- Marvin
JS: Marvin JS is a chemical editor provided by ChemAxon. While it's
not fully open-source, they offer a free version that can be embedded into
web applications for chemical structure drawing.
- BKChem:
BKChem is an open-source chemical drawing program that provides basic
functionality for creating molecular structures and reactions. It's
available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- JChemPaint:
JChemPaint is an open-source chemical structure drawing and visualization
program that is part of the larger JChemSuite developed by the Chemistry
Development Kit (CDK) project.
- Avogadro:
Avogadro is a versatile open-source molecular modeling software that
includes tools for drawing and visualizing chemical structures. It's
available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- Chem4Word:
Chem4Word is a free plugin for Microsoft Word that allows you to create
and edit chemical structures directly within Word documents.
- DrawIt:
DrawIt is a simple online chemical structure editor that allows you to
draw and export chemical structures.
- Indigo
Renderer: Indigo Renderer is primarily a renderer for visualizing
molecules and surfaces, but it also has drawing capabilities for creating
simple chemical structures.
- ChemFig
(LaTeX Package): If you're familiar with LaTeX, ChemFig is a package
that allows you to draw chemical structures directly in LaTeX documents.
While these alternatives might not offer all the advanced
features of ChemDraw, they can be very useful for basic chemical drawing and
visualization tasks. It's worth trying a few different options to see which one
suits your needs and workflow the best.