List of electronic laboratory notebook software packages explained

An electronic lab notebook (also known as electronic laboratory notebook, or ELN) is a computer program designed to replace paper laboratory notebooks. Lab notebooks in general are used by scientists, engineers, and technicians to document research, experiments, and procedures performed in a laboratory. A lab notebook is often maintained to be a legal document and may be used in a court of law as evidence. Similar to an inventor's notebook, the lab notebook is also often referred to in patent prosecution and intellectual property litigation.

Electronic lab notebooks are a fairly new technology and offer many benefits to the user as well as organizations. For example: electronic lab notebooks are easier to search upon, simplify data copying and backups, and support collaboration amongst many users.[1] ELNs can have fine-grained access controls, and can be more secure than their paper counterparts.[2] They also allow the direct incorporation of data from instruments, replacing the practice of printing out data to be stapled into a paper notebook.[3] This is a list of ELN software packages. It is incomplete, as a recent review listed 96 active & 76 inactive (172 total) ELN products.[4] Notably, this review and other lists of ELN software often do not include widely used generic notetaking software like Onenote, Notion, Jupyter etc, due to their lack ELN nominal features like time-stamping and append-only editing. Some ELNs are web-based; others are used on premise and a few are available for both environments.

ELN Software

NameDeveloper(s)Initial releaseCountry of origin21 CFR Part 11 Compliance Information
CellPortCellPort Software, LLC2021United States21 CFR Part 11
Genemod[5] Genemod, Inc.2018United States21 CFR Part 11
Chemia ELNChemiasoft Pvt ltd2016India[21 CFR Part 11]
Logilab ELNAgaram Technologies2003India21 CFR Part 11 & Data Integrity
LabCollector[6] AgileBio2002France[7]
Labii[8] [9] Labii Inc.2016[10] United States[11]
ColabraColabra Inc.2021[12] United StatesPaid plans[13]
ScispotScispot.io Inc.2021[14] [15] Canada
CDD Vault ELN2018[16] [17] [18] United States
UncountableUncountable Inc.2018[19] [20] United States[21]
Signals NotebookRevvity2017[22] United States[23]
Pillar SciencePillar Science2017[24] Canada
Mbook[25] Mestrelab Research2015[26] Spain
SciNote ELNBy SciNote LLC[27] and BioSistemika LLC, based on a later published scientific study[28] 2015[29] United States[30]
LabstepLabstep2015[31] United Kingdom[32]
RND NOTE[33] Cyberline Co., Ltd.2015South Korea
Open Science Framework (OSF)Center for Open Science2013[34] United States
LabfolderLabforward GmbH2012Germany[35]
RSpaceResearchSpace2012[36] United States[37]
BenchlingBenchling, Inc.2012United States[38]
LabGuruBiodata Ltd[39] 2011United States[40]
Scilligence ELN[41] Scilligence2011United States
Arxspan ELN2011[42] [43] United States[44]
eLabJournaleLabNext 2010The Netherlands[45]
LabArchivesLabArchives LLC2009[46] United States[47]
Sapio Seamless ELNSapio Sciences LLC2007[48] United States
LabWareLabWare ELN2010[49] United States[50]
Sapio Seamless ELNSapio Sciences LLC2007[51] United States
LabVantage 8LabVantage Solutions, Inc.2007[52] United States[53]
OpreX Informatics ManagerYokogawa Electric2023[54] Japan
ChemExplorerLabio a.s.2023[55] Czech Republic

Open-source ELN software

ELN softwareLanguage baseLicense Hosted onOther info
JupyterPythonBSDPersonal computer or serverWeb application[56]
OpenWetWarePHPGPL v2MIT
elabFTWPHPGNU AGPLv3Personal computer or serverDeveloped at Curie Institute, Paris[57]
CFWPELN (Cloneable Free WP ELN)PHPGNU General Public LicensePersonal computer or serverUses WordPress, developed at University of Houston[58]
Java, PythonApache License 2.0Personal computer or serverDeveloped at ETH Zürich

Notes and References

  1. A Collaborative Electronic Notebook . Myers J, Mendoza E, Hoopes B . Proceedings of the IASTED International Conference on Internet and Multimedia Systems and Applications . 2001 .
  2. Myers J . 2003 . Proceedings of the 2003 International Symposium on Collaborative Technologies and Systems . Collaborative Electronic Notebooks as Electronic Records:Design Issues for the Secure Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN) . 2017-11-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111015000043/http://collaboratory.emsl.pnl.gov/resources/publications/papers/seceln(final1)1-22Nov.pdf . 2011-10-15 . dead .
  3. Perkel JM . Coding your way out of a problem . Nature Methods . 8 . 7 . 541–3 . June 2011 . 21716280 . 10.1038/nmeth.1631 . 13175560 . free .
  4. Higgins . Stuart G. . Nogiwa-Valdez . Akemi A. . Stevens . Molly M. . Considerations for implementing electronic laboratory notebooks in an academic research environment . Nature Protocols . Springer Science and Business Media LLC . 17 . 2 . 2022-01-14 . 1754-2189 . 10.1038/s41596-021-00645-8 . 179–189. 35031789 . 245965212 . free . 10044/1/91747 . free .
  5. Web site: Streamlined lab organization and collaborative editing . 2024-07-08 . Genemod . en.
  6. Web site: LabCollector - All-in-one Lab Notebook and Management Platform _ Free LIMS . 2023-08-24 . LabCollector . en.
  7. Web site: LabCollector LIMS & Regulatory Compliance . 2023-08-24 . LabCollector . en.
  8. Web site: Global Electronic Laboratory Notebooks (ELNs) Market Trajectory & Analytics 2021-2027, Featuring Abbott Informatics, Benchling, Labii Inc., SciNote LLC. and More. 2022-02-08. www.yahoo.com. en-US.
  9. Web site: 2021 Review of the Best Electronic Laboratory Notebooks Labs Explorer. 2022-02-08. www.labsexplorer.com. en.
  10. Web site: Labii will now offer ELN & LIMS to all MBC BioLabs startups. 2022-02-08. BioSpace. en-US.
  11. Web site: Labii Regulation. 2021-02-08. Labii Regulation.
  12. Web site: Colabra raises $1.5 million for its online and mobile scientific collaboration software. 2021-08-20. www.eurekalert.org. en-US.
  13. Web site: Pricing. 2022-01-03. www.colabra.app. en.
  14. Web site: Scispot.io launches a no-code digital operating platform for bioentrepreneurs to democratize life science. .
  15. Web site: Tech lets bioentrepreneurs run start-ups from coffee shops. Drug Discovery World.
  16. Web site: CDD Vault Update: CDD Vault is Now and ELN . Collaborative Drug Discovery Inc .
  17. https://www.collaborativedrug.com/benefits/eln/ CDD Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) - Collaborative Drug Discovery Inc. (CDD)
  18. Web site: Electronic Lab Notebooks: What They Are (And Why You Need One) . Collaborative Drug Discovery Inc .
  19. Web site: Uncountable Web Platform Reviews & Product Details. G2. en-US. 2020-08-02.
  20. Web site: Streamlining R&D for material formulation. MIT Startup Exchange. en-US. 2020-08-02.
  21. Web site: Technology - Uncountable. 2022-01-03. www.uncountable.com.
  22. Web site: New Cloud-Based PerkinElmer Signals™ Notebook Helps Scientists Accelerate Drug Discovery Research. PerkinElmer, Inc.. en. 2020-02-07.
  23. Web site: Revvity Signals Data Sheet. 2024-01-10. revvitysignals.com.
  24. Web site: Pillar Science Pricing, Alternatives & More 2022 - Capterra. 2022-01-03. www.capterra.com.
  25. Web site: 2021-05-26. Best electronic lab notebook review (ELN) for your lab 2021. 2022-01-03. en-US.
  26. Web site: 2015-03-31. WEBINAR: Mbook Introduction. 2021-05-20. Mestrelab Resources. en-US.
  27. Web site: Masa. SciNote ELN: Electronic Lab Notebook & Inventory Management. 2020-12-14. SciNote. en-US.
  28. Kanza S, Willoughby C, Gibbins N, Whitby R, Frey JG, Erjavec J, Zupančič K, Hren M, Kovač K . 6 . Electronic lab notebooks: can they replace paper? . Journal of Cheminformatics . 9 . 1 . 31 . May 2017 . 29086051 . 5443717 . 10.1186/s13321-017-0221-3 . free .
  29. Web site: Tea. About Us - SciNote electronic lab notebook - team presentation. 2020-12-14. SciNote. en-US.
  30. Web site: Masa. 2020-05-08. SciNote Solutions: SciNote in regulated GxP environments: GLP, GMP. 2022-01-03. SciNote. en-US.
  31. Web site: Labstep wants to fix the way science experiments are recorded and reproduced. TechCrunch. en-US. 2019-01-11.
  32. Web site: Labstep and FDA 21 CFR Part 11 Compliance. 2022-01-03. help.labstep.com. en.
  33. Web site: RndNote (ELN). LabsExplorer.
  34. Web site: Psychologists Launch a Bare-All Research Initiative - ScienceInsider. https://web.archive.org/web/20130511064814/http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/03/psychologists-launch-a-bare-all-.html. dead. 2013-05-11. 2013-05-11. 2020-02-07.
  35. Web site: Does Labfolder meet FDA CFR 21 Part II requirements? - Labfolder. 2022-01-03. Labforward GmbH. en.
  36. Web site: About. 2022-01-03. ResearchSpace. en-GB.
  37. Web site: 2019-07-15. FAQ. 2022-01-03. researchspace.helpdocs.io. en.
  38. Web site: Read Benchling's security documentation. 2024-01-10. help.benchling.com. en.
  39. Web site: BioData Launches Labguru, a Collaborative Research Management Web Application for Academic Labs - Technology for Researchers. https://web.archive.org/web/20120510070908/http://www.digital-science.com/biodata-launches-labguru/. dead. 2012-05-10. 2012-05-10. 2020-02-07.
  40. Web site: Labguru Security. 2024-01-10. labguru.com. en.
  41. Web site: Scilligence and TetraScience Announce Integration Plan to Automate Research Data. PR Newswire. en-US. 2020-03-10.
  42. Web site: Arxspan Notebook - ELN . Arxspan .
  43. Web site: Bruker Announces Acquisition of Scientific Software Provider Arxspan . Bruker .
  44. Web site: Arxspan - Prompt, Around The Clock Support. 2022-01-03. Arxspan. en-US.
  45. Web site: Compliance Archives. 2022-01-03. eLabNext. en-US.
  46. Web site: The paperless lab. TachibanaJul C . 2014-07-25. Science AAAS. en. 2020-02-07 .
  47. Web site: Security-Compliance. 2024-01-10. LabArchives. en-US.
  48. Web site: ChemAxon partners - Sapio Sciences.
  49. Web site: LabWare ELN. LabWare . 2010-03-01. en.
  50. Web site: How the Best LIMS Software Can Help Your Lab Compliance. 2023-01-09. LabWare. en-US.
  51. Web site: ChemAxon partners - Sapio Sciences.
  52. Web site: eNotebook - LabVantage Solutions. https://web.archive.org/web/20190303105137/http://www.labvantage.com/lims/features/electronic-notebook/. dead. 2019-03-03. 2019-03-03. 2020-02-07.
  53. Web site: Solutions. LabVantage. 2018-06-15. LIMS and FDA 21 CFR Part 11 Compliance. 2022-01-03. LabVantage. en-US.
  54. Web site: Yokogawa to Release OpreX Informatics Manager, Enabling Integrated Management of Experimental Data and Research Resources in the Cloud Yokogawa Electric Corporation . 2023-11-19 . www.yokogawa.com.
  55. Web site: Advantages of using an electronic laboratory notebook software Labio a.s.. 2024-01-05. www.chemexplorer.net.
  56. Web site: The IPython Notebook — IPython 2.3.0 documentation. https://web.archive.org/web/20150102130622/http://ipython.org/ipython-doc/stable/notebook/notebook.html. dead. 2015-01-02. 2015-01-02. 2018-06-28.
  57. Web site: Biostars. 2014-09-10. 2019-12-10.
  58. Web site: Implementation of an Electronic Lab Notebook to Integrate Research and Education in an Undergraduate Biotechnology Program. 2024-02-29.

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