PyMOL

Info

PyMOL is a molecular visualization system originally created by Warren DeLano. Now developed and commercially distributed by Schrodinger, Inc. (New York). One of the most widely used molecular graphics tools in structural biology. Available as commercial (Schrodinger license) and open-source (community-maintained) versions.

Commercial vs. open source

Unlike ChimeraX (free for academic), Mol* (fully open), and Coot (GPLv3), PyMOL’s primary distribution is commercial through Schrodinger. An open-source version exists but lacks some features. This is a relevant access/governance point for the landscape.

People

Name	Role	Affiliation
Warren DeLano	Creator (deceased 2009)	DeLano Scientific (historical)
Schrodinger development team	Current maintainers	Schrodinger

Funding / Business Model

• Commercial licenses (individual, academic discounted, site licenses)
• Schrodinger is a publicly traded company (NASDAQ: SDGR)
• Open-source version maintained on GitHub (SourceForge historical)

Key Relationships

• Competes with ChimeraX and Mol* for visualization
• PHENIX integrates with both PyMOL and Coot for interactive model viewing
• Widely used in pharma for publication-quality figures
• Plugin ecosystem for custom analysis

Key Reference

DeLano, W.L. (2002) The PyMOL Molecular Graphics System. Schrodinger, LLC.