What has Changed in SnapGene Over the Years?

SnapGene 9.0 (November 3, 2026)

• Primer Databases: save primers to a central database and use them to annotate any sequence file.
• CRISPR guide design: find CRISPR sites with a choice of PAM sequences and score guides for on-target efficiency and off-target specificity.
• Search improvements: clearer searching and results across project folders and the primer database.
• Flexible data views: side-by-side split view and rotating maps.

SnapGene 8.2 (September 24, 2025)

• File info table: compare key metadata for multiple selected files, with customizable and sortable columns.
• Enhanced tooltips: visual tooltips for enzymes, features and primers.
• Modernized Sanger Trace view: integrated into the main interface, with a new full-height mode.

SnapGene 8.1 (May 20, 2025)

• Streamlined Enzymes view: expandable rows, better filtering and floating Secondary Structure controls.
• Live Project search: results update as files are added, renamed, modified or deleted.
• New color options: residue property coloring, side toolbar colors and light/dark mode switching.
• Bulk actions on all open files: annotate and transform every open sequence, plus Focus on Region for large sequences.

SnapGene 8.0 (November 5, 2024)

• Bulk annotation: detect common features and add primers across multiple selected sequences at once.
• Modernized Map, Sequence, Features and Primers views: simplified layouts with filtering and sorting in the Features and Primers tables.
• Editable alignments to a reference: edit gap positions in Sanger traces and virtual constructs.
• Unsaved file handling: clearer visualization and management of unsaved changes in the folder panel.

SnapGene 7.2 (March 19, 2024)

• Primer homodimer structures: view self-dimerization structures with deltaG values.
• Draggable file tabs: drag tabs in and out of windows to create multiple tabbed windows.
• File interaction improvements: clearer current tab and file name, drag and drop import into folders, and better default chromatogram views.
• New gel ladders and common features: ladders from additional suppliers and more features in the detection database.

SnapGene 7.1 (November 28, 2023)

• File search enhancements: simpler filter controls and multiple searches in separate tabs.
• ssDNA secondary structure: visualize folding of single-stranded DNA, calculated with ViennaRNA.
• Primer hairpins: check primers for hairpins and other self-binding structures.

SnapGene 7.0 (June 6, 2023)

• Tabbed interface: switch between documents with tabs, or pop them out into separate windows.
• Project folders: use any folder on your file system as a Project, with a collapsible folder panel (replaces Collections).
• File search: find files by name, type, sequence content, feature annotations and more.
• Primer annotations: see insertions such as restriction enzyme sites and tags added to your primers.
• Preview detected features: choose which features to add when creating a new sequence.
• Dotmatics Bioregister search: search by name or ID or by similar sequence.

SnapGene 6.2.1 (January 9, 2023)

• Register in Dotmatics Bioregister: register sequences directly from SnapGene.

SnapGene 6.2 (December 5, 2022)

• Suboptimal RNA secondary structures: shown in an enhanced Structure view with synced selections.
• Golden Gate improvements: ligation fidelity matrix, adjustable overhangs and cutting the vector with any enzyme.
• Adjustable hybridization region: available across all PCR cloning simulations.
• Protein properties export: copy or export as text, CSV or TSV.
• Modernized icons: updated toolbar, application and file icons.

SnapGene 6.1 (July 4, 2022)

• Golden Gate Assembly tool: automatic primer and overhang design, optimized for reaction fidelity.
• RNA Secondary Structure view: shows the optimal fold for ssRNA, calculated with ViennaRNA.
• Dark mode: matches your operating system setting on all platforms.
• Export options: customize GenBank export in the new Export pane in Preferences.
• Apple silicon: native support for Apple Silicon Macs.

SnapGene 6.0 (November 28, 2021)

• Silent mutation tool: add or remove restriction sites in a CDS without changing the protein.
• Custom feature Types: extend the available Types and change default feature colors.
• Agarose gel files: save simulated gels as .gel files to edit later or share.
• More flexible cloning simulations: add, remove and re-order fragments, and flip the vector in Gibson, In-Fusion and NEBuilder HiFi cloning simulation tools.

SnapGene 5.3 (May 12, 2021)

• Features in multiple alignments: features can be displayed in multiple alignments.
• RNA sequence files: create, view and edit RNA in the new .rna format.
• Text History view: view and export History view as text as well as maps.
• Fill in annealed oligos: anneal two oligos and convert to double-stranded DNA in one step.
• Sequence blocks and wrapped traces: display residues in blocks of 3 or 10, and wrap chromatograms across lines.

SnapGene 5.2 (October 12, 2020)

• GC content display: color or line plot in Map view.
• Find similar DNA sequences: imperfect matches with gaps or mismatches.
• Supercoiled DNA migration: simulate uncut circular sequences on agarose gels.
• ssDNA sequences: create or import single-stranded DNA with annotation support.
• Sequencher file import.

SnapGene 5.1 (April 12, 2020)

• Better linear maps: overlapping enzyme sites and annotations to reduce map height.
• Split view: show two views of a sequence window at once.
• Enzyme visibility controls: show or hide individual enzymes.

SnapGene 5.0 (September 22, 2019)

• Pairwise alignment: local, global or semi-global alignment of DNA or protein pairs.
• Import from Ensembl: bring gene or transcript data directly into SnapGene.
• Directional TOPO cloning: new simulation interface.
• Codon frequencies calculator: frequency tables for translated features.
• Flexible alignment to a reference: drag out and visualize non-aligned ends.

SnapGene 4.3 (February 5, 2019)

• Contig assembly: assemble contigs de novo from overlapping sequences or Sanger traces.
• SAM/BAM support: import and export alignments to a reference sequence.
• More file formats: open Genome Compiler, Vector NTI .cep and GCG files directly.
• Primer addition dates: record and sort primers by date added.

SnapGene 4.2 (July 17, 2018)

• Multiple sequence alignment: DNA and protein alignment using Clustal Omega, MAFFT, MUSCLE or T-Coffee.
• Any reading frame: choose any of the six frames for full-sequence translation.
• Tabbed windows on macOS. (SnapGene 7.0 and later have Tabbed windows for macOS, Windows and Linux).
• LabArchives ELN file exchange.

SnapGene 4.1 (November 6, 2017)

• Limit file history trees: automatically or manually trim large history trees.

SnapGene 4.0 (July 20, 2017)

• Faster intron annotation: convert between lowercase regions and introns on translated features.