Best Electronic Lab Notebook Software in 2026
Updated
In short: LabArchives is ranked #1 of 24 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of eLabFTW and LabCollector ELN. The best-ranked option with a free plan is eLabFTW. The lowest first paid tier on this page is LabArchives at $8.25/mo.
For teams keeping lab records digitally, an electronic lab notebook can be assessed by how it supports documentation and review. Compare approval workflows, audit trails, and electronic signatures, then consider search scope and export formats for finding and moving records. API access and offline access may affect how a notebook fits your lab's processes. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing provide cost context. LabArchives, eLabFTW, and LabCollector ELN are among the entries shown, along with Benchling Notebook and SciNote. Weigh these stated capabilities against how your team records work, manages access, and needs to retrieve documentation.
24 electronic lab notebook software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Electronic Lab Notebook Software, one module each. A lit port is something its maker publishes; 9 of the 24 on this page have a public API.
- 01 LabArchives API yesOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 7.4$8.25/mo
- 02 eLabFTW API yesOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 7.3€250/mo
- 03 LabCollector ELN API yesOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 7.3€25/mo
- 04 Benchling Notebook API yesOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 7.2Free
- 05 SciNote API yesOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 7.2Free
- 06 LabKey ELN API yesOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 6.9
- 07 CDD Vault Electronic Lab Notebook API yesOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 6.8
- 08 Labfolder API yesOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 6.8
- 09 Signals Notebook API yesOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 6.6
- 10 NETVIBES API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.6
- 11 Chemotion ELN API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.4
- 12 IDBS E-WorkBook API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.2
- 13 Alchemy Electronic Lab Notebook API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.1
- 14 BIOVIA Workbook API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.1
- 15 Dotmatics Electronic Lab Notebook API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.1
- 16 ELabELN API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.1
- 17 LabID API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.1
- 18 LabWare ELN API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.1
- 19 Sapio ELN API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.1
- 20 IGOR API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.0
- 21 Indigo ELN API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.0
- 22 openBIS API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.0
- 23 Phoenix ELN API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.0
- 24 RSpace API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.0
Compare all 24 in a table
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Audit trail | Electronic signatures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LabArchives | 7.4 | Free plan | $8.25/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 2 | eLabFTW | 7.3 | Free plan | €250/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 3 | LabCollector ELN | 7.3 | Free plan | €25/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 4 | Benchling Notebook | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 5 | SciNote | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 6 | LabKey ELN | 6.9 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 7 | CDD Vault Electronic Lab Notebook | 6.8 | No | — | No | — | Yes | Yes |
| 8 | Labfolder | 6.8 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 9 | Signals Notebook | 6.6 | No | — | No | — | Yes | Yes |
| 10 | NETVIBES | 5.6 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 11 | Chemotion ELN | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | — | No | — |
| 12 | IDBS E-WorkBook | 5.2 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 13 | Alchemy Electronic Lab Notebook | 5.1 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 14 | BIOVIA Workbook | 5.1 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 15 | Dotmatics Electronic Lab Notebook | 5.1 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 16 | ELabELN | 5.1 | No | — | No | — | Yes | Yes |
| 17 | LabID | 5.1 | No | — | Yes | — | No | Yes |
| 18 | LabWare ELN | 5.1 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 19 | Sapio ELN | 5.1 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| 20 | IGOR | 5.0 | No | — | No | 30 /user/mo | Yes | Yes |
| 21 | Indigo ELN | 5.0 | No | — | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 22 | openBIS | 5.0 | No | — | — | — | Yes | — |
| 23 | Phoenix ELN | 5.0 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 24 | RSpace | 5.0 | No | — | No | — | Yes | Yes |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which electronic lab notebook software is ranked first on Inferse?
LabArchives is ranked #1 of 24 with a score of 7.4. eLabFTW is second and LabCollector ELN third.
How many of these have a free plan?
5 of the 24 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, LabArchives has the lowest first paid tier we found: $8.25/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it.