Compare software

The Lens vs PubMed: catalog facts
The Lens	PubMed
Freemium Free to search, with paid subscriptions offered for some features.	Free Free to use, run by a US government agency.
Web	Web
Patents and scholarly works in one search Built-in charts and analysis of results	Over 40 million biomedical citations in one place Advanced search, clinical queries and MeSH browsing
Analysis of very large result sets can time out Some features require a subscription	Mostly citations and abstracts; full text depends on PubMed Central or publishers Limited to biomedical and life-sciences subjects
Web application	Web application
Closed source	Closed source
License not stated	License not stated
No account needed	No account needed
Needs internet	Needs internet
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 26, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026

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