This software bundle includes programs designed for similarity search.
One significant advantage of BLAST is that it can be run locally as a full executable. That means it can be used to run local searches against private databases, downloaded copies of NCBI databases, and more. This makes it very convenient to use. The software can run on various operating systems, including Mac OS, Win32, LINUX, Solaris, IBM AIX, SGI, Compaq OSF, and HP- UX systems.
In conclusion, BLAST is a versatile tool that would be great for those in need of a similarity-search software for their sequence databases, be it protein or DNA. Its heuristic algorithm makes it extremely effective at detecting relationships among sequences, even when there's only a limited region of similarity. Moreover, one can use it to search both private local databases and downloaded copies of NCBI databases. Ultimately, if you need a powerful tool to help you find similarities among large sequence data sets, then you should consider the BLAST software.
Version 2.2.20: N/A