Jupyter Notebook vs JupyterLab

Jupyter Notebook9.2Visit JupyterLab9.1Visit

Higher score Jupyter Notebook #2 in Notebook Software 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Try Jupyter Notebook

vs

JupyterLab #3 in Notebook Software 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Visit JupyterLab

• Jupyter Notebook fits best

  General-purpose open notebook work

• JupyterLab fits best

  Power users wanting a notebook IDE

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Side by side

Feature	Jupyter Notebook 9.2/10 Visit ↗	JupyterLab 9.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	9.1
Ranking	#2 in Notebook Software	#3 in Notebook Software
Best for	General-purpose open notebook work	Power users wanting a notebook IDE
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Web, macOS, Linux
Support	Community, Docs	Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Jupyter Notebook 2/3 · JupyterLab 2/3
Real-time collaboration	✓	✓
Version history	✓	✓
GPU compute	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Execution model	Local	Hybrid
Supported languages	Python, R, Julia, Scala, and other community-maintained kernel languages	Python, R, C++, Julia, GNU Octave, Ruby, Scheme
Notebook formats	.ipynb JSON; export to HTML, Markdown, LaTeX/PDF, and reStructuredText	.ipynb; export to AsciiDoc, HTML, LaTeX, Markdown, PDF, reStructuredText, Python, and Reveal.js HTML
Our review
Pros	Free and open source with support for multiple programming languages Combines executable code, Markdown, equations, visualizations, and rich output Supports sharing, collaboration, checkpoints, and multiple export formats	Free and open source with notebooks, kernels, terminals, and debugger Supports multiple languages and extensive notebook export formats Combines file browsing, consoles, terminals, and resizable panels
Cons	Local execution requires installation and a configured runtime Language support depends on separate or community-maintained kernels GPU execution depends on the configured kernel or infrastructure	Real-time collaboration requires the jupyter_collaboration extension Local or server deployment is part of its operating model Broader IDE capabilities may exceed the needs of basic notebook users
Our verdict	Jupyter Notebook is an open-source, browser-based application for creating and sharing computational documents. It is designed for people who need to combine executable code with explanatory text, equations, visualizations, and rich output… Read the review →	JupyterLab is a free, open-source, web-based environment for creating and working with computational notebooks. It is designed for researchers, educators, developers, data scientists, and other users who need interactive computing, data… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Jupyter Notebook — where it wins

  • Free and open source with support for multiple programming languages
  • Combines executable code, Markdown, equations, visualizations, and rich output
  • Supports sharing, collaboration, checkpoints, and multiple export formats

  Where it doesn't

  • Local execution requires installation and a configured runtime
  • Language support depends on separate or community-maintained kernels
  • GPU execution depends on the configured kernel or infrastructure

• JupyterLab — where it wins

  • Free and open source with notebooks, kernels, terminals, and debugger
  • Supports multiple languages and extensive notebook export formats
  • Combines file browsing, consoles, terminals, and resizable panels

  Where it doesn't

  • Real-time collaboration requires the jupyter_collaboration extension
  • Local or server deployment is part of its operating model
  • Broader IDE capabilities may exceed the needs of basic notebook users

• Jupyter Notebook9.2/10 · Free plan

  A flexible, free notebook environment for code, narrative, visualizations, and data-science work.

  Try Jupyter NotebookFull verdict →
• JupyterLab9.1/10 · Free plan

  A free, open-source notebook IDE with kernels, terminals, debugging, and extensions.

  Visit JupyterLabFull verdict →