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PubMed vs The Lens: catalog facts
PubMedThe Lens
Free

Free to use, run by a US government agency.

Freemium

Free to search, with paid subscriptions offered for some features.

Web Web
  • Over 40 million biomedical citations in one place
  • Advanced search, clinical queries and MeSH browsing
  • Patents and scholarly works in one search
  • Built-in charts and analysis of results
  • Mostly citations and abstracts; full text depends on PubMed Central or publishers
  • Limited to biomedical and life-sciences subjects
  • Analysis of very large result sets can time out
  • Some features require a subscription
Web application Web application
Closed source Closed source
License not stated License not stated
No account needed No account needed
Needs internet Needs internet

Checked October 1, 2026

Checked September 26, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.