Molecules APC and Open Access: What MDPI Charges and How It Compares to Other Chemistry Journals
Molecules APC is CHF 2,700 in 2026. See the MDPI gold-OA fee, discount paths, speed, and how Molecules compares with ACS Omega and RSC Advances.
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Molecules publishing costs and open access options
APC is one cost. Funder mandates, institutional agreements, and access route timing all shape what you actually pay.
What shapes what you pay
- Gold OA at Molecules costs ~$2,100 CHF. Check whether your institution has a read-and-publish agreement that waives this.
- Funder mandates (NIH, Wellcome, UKRI) may require immediate OA — verify compliance before choosing a subscription route.
- Accepted authors typically have 48-72 hours to choose their access route before proofs begin.
When OA is worth the cost
- When your funder or institution requires it — non-compliance can affect future funding.
- When your topic benefits from broad immediate access beyond institutional subscribers.
- Molecules's IF 4.6 means OA papers here have real citation upside.
Quick answer: Molecules currently charges CHF 2,700 for accepted papers. The journal is fully gold open access, so every accepted paper pays the APC unless a waiver or discount applies. There is no free subscription route. The practical question is whether a broad, fast, chemistry-centered MDPI venue is worth CHF 2,700 for this manuscript. For the hub, see the Molecules journal page.
Molecules APC at a glance
Item | Current position |
|---|---|
Journal model | Gold open access |
Current APC | CHF 2,700 |
Free subscription route | No |
Invoiced when | After acceptance |
Local VAT or sales tax | Added if applicable |
IOAP / affiliated-society discounts | Yes |
Lower-income-country support | Yes |
2024 impact factor | 4.2 |
5-year JIF | 5.0 |
CiteScore | 8.6 |
SJR | 0.865 |
Annual publications | 5,000+ |
Median first decision | 16 days |
Acceptance to publication | 2.6 days |
If the real question is whether the chemistry package is complete enough before you commit to the fee, use a Molecules submission readiness check. If the risk is missing controls, weak characterization, or overclaiming, use a Molecules chemistry-completeness check.
What MDPI currently says
The current MDPI APC page for Molecules is direct:
- all Molecules papers publish in full open access
- the APC is CHF 2,700
- the invoice is issued after acceptance
- MDPI accepts payment in multiple currencies
- local VAT or sales tax may apply
- discounts are available through IOAP and affiliated-society arrangements
That is the useful current-source footing. The page does not need guesswork.
The less obvious point is that the APC buys entry into a high-volume chemistry platform, not into a scarce chemistry slot. That distinction matters because the fee can still be reasonable for fast, broad dissemination even when the journal is not the strongest prestige signal in the field.
What authors actually choose between
Route | What authors should assume |
|---|---|
Standard accepted paper | CHF 2,700 |
Paper with IOAP discount | Lower author bill |
Paper with lower-income-country support | Discounted or waived |
Free paywalled publication | Not available |
Faster OA publication in a chemistry megajournal lane | Yes |
That is why Molecules is a cleaner APC decision than a hybrid chemistry journal. There is no subscription fallback. You are choosing the journal model and the fee together.
Metrics context behind the APC
Metric | Current figure | Why it matters with the APC |
|---|---|---|
Impact Factor | 4.2 | Respectable Q2 chemistry signal, but not a prestige-tier number |
5-year JIF | 5.0 | Longer-tail citations are slightly stronger than the 2-year window |
CiteScore | 8.6 | Scopus-side visibility is solid |
SJR | 0.865 | Prestige-weighted signal is decent but not elite |
Annual publications | 5,000+ | Visibility comes with real dilution because the journal is very large |
Median first decision | 16 days | Speed is a real part of what authors buy |
Acceptance to publication | 2.6 days | Production is very fast after acceptance |
The APC makes the most sense when those strengths match the paper: quick handling, broad chemistry visibility, and immediate OA.
Long-run impact factor trend
Year | Impact factor |
|---|---|
2017 | ~3.1 |
2018 | ~3.1 |
2019 | ~3.3 |
2020 | ~4.4 |
2021 | ~4.9 |
2022 | ~4.6 |
2023 | ~4.2 |
2024 | 4.2 |
The year-over-year story is flat, not improving. Molecules was 4.2 in 2023 and stayed 4.2 in 2024 after slipping from roughly 4.6 in 2022. That matters because the fee should be read as payment for a stable, broad, fast chemistry venue, not a rising prestige story.
Readiness check
Run the scan while the topic is in front of you.
See score, top issues, and journal-fit signals before you submit.
How Molecules compares with nearby chemistry OA options
Journal | APC structure | Metric profile | Practical fit |
|---|---|---|---|
Molecules | CHF 2,700, fully OA | IF 4.2, CiteScore 8.6 | Broad chemistry work where speed matters |
ACS Omega | Similar APC band | Similar citation band, stronger ACS brand | Better when ACS label matters more than speed |
RSC Advances | Often cheaper | Similar chemistry breadth | Better when RSC fit and cost matter most |
Slightly higher MDPI APC | Broader molecular-science lane | Better when the paper is more biology-facing than chemistry-facing | |
ChemistrySelect | Lower APC / lower signal | Weaker citation profile | Better when budget is the main constraint |
The real comparison is usually Molecules versus ACS Omega or RSC Advances, not Molecules versus top-tier ACS or Wiley flagships. That is the lane where the APC decision becomes realistic.
That comparison also explains why the APC can feel either sensible or expensive. If the manuscript mainly needs quick open-access chemistry placement, CHF 2,700 is defensible. If the real goal is stronger chemistry-brand signaling, the same fee can feel high because the journal is not giving you the editorial scarcity that authors often associate with higher-status ACS or Wiley chemistry titles.
What we see in pre-submission review work with Molecules manuscripts
In our pre-submission review work, the APC itself is rarely the reason a Molecules paper fails.
Complete characterization is the real gate. Molecules will move quickly, but it is not forgiving about missing NMR, MS, purity, controls, or overextended biological claims in a chemistry paper.
The fast workflow only helps complete papers. Authors sometimes treat MDPI speed as permission to submit early. In practice, that usually turns a fast workflow into a fast rejection or a longer revision cycle.
The right decision sequence is fit, then fee. If the paper is genuinely chemistry-led and complete, CHF 2,700 can be reasonable. If not, the journal model will not rescue it.
Submit if / Think twice if
Submit and accept the APC if:
- the manuscript is genuinely chemistry-centered
- the characterization and controls are complete now
- fast open-access publication is materially useful
- the fee is acceptable relative to ACS Omega or RSC Advances alternatives
Think twice if:
- the best audience is ACS, RSC, or Wiley chemistry rather than MDPI chemistry
- the manuscript still needs core chemistry evidence
- you are paying out of pocket and a cheaper chemistry venue would do the same job
- the paper is really more biology or materials than chemistry itself
Practical verdict
The Molecules APC answer is straightforward:
- CHF 2,700
- fully OA
- no free route
- worth it mainly when you want fast, broad, chemistry-centered MDPI publication
If that matches the manuscript, the price is reasonable by current chemistry-OA standards. If it does not, the APC will feel more expensive than it looks.
Frequently asked questions
Molecules currently charges CHF 2,700 for papers accepted after peer review. It is a fully open-access MDPI journal, so every accepted paper requires the APC unless a waiver or discount applies.
No. Molecules is fully gold open access. There is no subscription route and no free paywalled publication option.
Yes. MDPI says discounts are available through the Institutional Open Access Program and affiliated-society arrangements, and waiver or discount support is available for eligible lower-income-country authors.
Current MDPI-facing figures around Molecules show about 16 days to first decision and about 2.6 days from acceptance to publication, so speed is a meaningful part of the value proposition.
It is easiest to justify when the manuscript is genuinely chemistry-led, fast open-access publication matters, and the fee is acceptable relative to nearby chemistry alternatives such as ACS Omega or RSC Advances.
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