Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Where can I get AB-BLAST?
  2. Is AB-BLAST free for academic use?
  3. Is only a crippled version of AB-BLAST provided to academics?
  4. Where can I get WU-BLAST?
  5. Is AB-BLAST compatible with my computer system?
  6. Can I still use my previously licensed copy of WU-BLAST?
  7. Does my WU-BLAST license permit me to use AB-BLAST?
  8. Can you answer my question about how to use WU-BLAST?
  1. Where can I get AB-BLAST?

    Visit https://blast.advbiocomp.com/licensing for licensing instructions.

  2. Is AB-BLAST free for academic use?

    AB-BLAST is available at no cost for personal, non-commerical use. See https://blast.advbiocomp.com/licensing for the Personal Use license option and evaluate whether it's the right license for your needs.

  3. Is only a crippled version of AB-BLAST provided to academics?

    No, the AB-BLAST software provided to personal, academic, and non-profit users is identical to the software provided to commercial licensees. Only one version of AB-BLAST, supporting a high degree of parallelism, is distributed to all licensees.

  4. Where can I get WU-BLAST?

    WU-BLAST is no longer available. AB-BLAST is the present and future BLAST.

    An obsolete WU-BLAST version 2.0a19 from 1998 is available here, but this old version is buggy, slow, limited in capacity, scales poorly, lacks many features added over the last 20+ years, and is not compatible with RepeatMasker.

  5. Is AB-BLAST compatible with my computer system?

    AB-BLAST runs on POSIX-compliant platforms only. The current list includes Linux 2.6+ and macOS 10.15+. A more descriptive listing of the supported platforms is available here. Microsoft Windows is not supported.

    If you currently use WU-BLAST 2.0, upgrading to AB-BLAST should be straight forward. We work closely with the developers of RepeatMasker to maintain compatibility with this important tool.

  6. Can I still use my previously licensed copy of WU-BLAST?

    You may continue using your copy of WU-BLAST, but only in accordance with the terms of your license or your institution's license.

    The acquisition of rights to WU-BLAST by Advanced Biocomputing, LLC, has no bearing on previous licenses or license contracts. Academic/nonprofit licenses to WU-BLAST are perpetual, but all commercial licenses of WU-BLAST expired and must be renegotiated to maintain the right-to-use.

    Please note: WU-BLAST remains copyrighted and any redistribution without the express prior written approval of the copyright holder is strictly prohibited.

  7. Does my WU-BLAST license permit me to use AB-BLAST?

    No, a WU-BLAST license only covers the use of WU-BLAST by the licensee. To use AB-BLAST, you will need to obtain an AB-BLAST license.

  8. Can you answer my question about how to use WU-BLAST?

    No, we're sorry, but WU-BLAST is no longer supported. Support for BLAST is confined to AB-BLAST and helping users who wish to transition from WU-BLAST to AB-BLAST.