Head-to-head · Electronic Lab Notebook Software
eLabFTW vs LabArchives
eLabFTW leads on 0 checks, LabArchives on 0, and 6 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.
Our verdict
- Highest scoreeLabFTW · 9.0/10
- Free planboth
eLabFTW scores higher on our rubric for electronic lab notebook software: 9.0 against 8.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #4.
eLabFTW is the better fit for open-source teams needing compliance features. LabArchives is the better fit for academic and corporate research teams.
- eLabFTW fits best
Open-source teams needing compliance features
- LabArchives fits best
Academic and corporate research teams
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Side by side
| Feature | eLabFTW 9.0/10 Visit ↗ | LabArchives 8.8/10 Visit ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Editor score | 9.0 | 8.8 |
| Ranking | #3 in Electronic Lab Notebook Software | #4 in Electronic Lab Notebook Software |
| Best for | Open-source teams needing compliance features | Academic and corporate research teams |
| Pricing model | Free plan + paid | Free plan + paid |
| Starting price | — | $330/user/yr |
| Free plan | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Deployment | Cloud, Self-hosted, Desktop | Cloud |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux | Web |
| Support | Email, Community, Docs | Email, Phone, Tickets, Docs |
| Compliance | SSO/SAML, 2FA | SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, SSO/SAML |
| Built for | Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Features eLabFTW 5/5 · LabArchives 5/5 | ||
| Audit trail | ✓ | ✓ |
| Electronic signatures | ✓ | ✓ |
| Approval workflows | ✓ | ✓ |
| Offline access | ✓ | ✓ |
| API access | ✓ | ✓ |
| Specs | ||
| Search scope | Full_text_and_metadata | Not checked yet |
| Export formats | PDF, ZIP, CSV, JSON, ELN | PDF and read-only offline HTML in ZIP |
| Our review | ||
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| Our verdict | eLabFTW is an open-source electronic laboratory notebook for academic, industrial, and research laboratories. It combines experiment and protocol records with laboratory inventory, compound management, templates, workflow steps,… Read the review → |
LabArchives is a cloud-based electronic lab notebook for academic, nonprofit, commercial, government, and research organizations. Teams can record experimental data, methods, and findings in notebook pages and entries, attach files,… Read the review → |
Strengths and trade-offs
eLabFTW — where it wins
- Experiment records, inventory, templates, signatures, and audit logs
- Offline synchronization, REST API access, and broad export formats
- Self-hosting plus managed hosting and support options
Where it doesn't
- Managed hosting and support add separate costs
- Self-hosting requires GNU/Linux containers
- The feature set may exceed narrow documentation needs
LabArchives — where it wins
- Free plan with two owned notebooks and SnapGene and GraphPad Prism integrations
- Revision history, activity tracking, signing, witnessing, and permanent page locking
- Research integrations, offline HTML export, templates, widgets, and an enterprise API
Where it doesn't
- Free plan limits users to two owned notebooks and 1 GB of storage
- Free files are limited to 25 MB each
- Inventory, enterprise, and API capabilities require higher-tier offerings
- eLabFTW9.0/10 · Free plan
A compliance-ready, open-source ELN with flexible hosting and broad exports.
Visit eLabFTWFull verdict → - LabArchives8.8/10 · Free plan
A flexible ELN with a useful free tier, research integrations, and scalable paid plans.
Visit LabArchivesFull verdict →
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All electronic lab notebook software comparisons → · Full ranking →
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update