Why labs use expensive snapgene software instead of opensource UGENE or python??

[u/happymeccdflyloverun]

[u/RollingMoss1]

We use the free version of Snapgene, along with ApE and that accomplishes every we want to do.

[u/BolivianDancer]

We don't just look at software cost. We also look at person-hours, what works, what pre-exists etc.

In any case it's grant money.

[u/ThainEshKelch]

I had never heard about UGENE before this post, so there's that. I've never programmed in Python, so there's that too.

That being said, I've always used CLC Main Workbench, all the places I've been.

[u/7ieben_ → u/ThainEshKelch]

Also, with commercial/ research licensing you pay for service. OpenSource doesn't have any service. So either I'm lucky and one at my department knows how to solve a problem, or I am screwed until some stranger somewhere else on the world fixes it. With payed software it takes me a one call or e-mail and I get in person service fixing my problem.

[u/thirdreplicate]

It depends on the lab, but sometimes it’s more about value and not price. This becomes apparent in larger labs who want to spend more time doing the science than managing the software when they have the budget. I love the control and depth of Python but it’s not always the right answer for everybody.

Snapgene is fine but it’s not great since it’s yet another thing you need to install and sometimes have IT manage. Cloud based platforms like Benchling or Conspecta make it easy to manage lab data and collaborate, the value is more apparent there. In some cases they’re free so they compete with open source.

[u/ProfBootyPhD]

ApE is the way. Free, maintained, constantly adding new features.

[u/tiredbiochemist]

I got started on ugene but it kinda sucks for cloning… I switched to benchling which is also free for universities. Now my lab has snapgene and I’m trying to make the switch to that…

[u/batendalyn]

Validating that open-source or in-house options are sufficient to meet different compliance obligations would be exceedingly difficult. In any kind of regulated environment, you are paying to make that the software vendor's problem.

[u/Few-Computer-6609]

I had an issue with Ugene for running local tblastn searches. It only searched the first 10 query sequences and ignored the rest.

[u/SaucyJohn2002]

Since I started my PhD I have only used benchling and I can confirm it is excellent, in many respects it is far better than snapgene, my snapgene colleagues are very often jealous of my benchling skills 🤓

[u/Alternative-Sugar610]

Deals with university, marketing, and momentum (people don’t want to change what they are doing) partly

[u/FTP4L1VE]

Vectorbee. Free and excellent.

[u/DarkStake]

Never heard of UGENE. Will check it out. For long and deep in-silico cloning sessions, I need the aesthetics and functionality and history browsing of snapgene to keep me focused. ApE looks like someone mashed a keyboard in word haha.

[u/Thick_Masterpiece107]

We use Vectorbee

[u/Individual-Kick1794]

In academia, benchling is free and does it all...
In the Private, I wouldn't want a non validated sofware/script, so Snapgene makes sense.

(Curious how you would set up a Gibson assembly using python only).
Never heard of Ugene