eLabFTW

eLabFTW combines an electronic lab notebook with inventory, shared-resource booking, and team controls. It is a strong fit for research groups that need those pieces in one system and can arrange server administration or managed hosting. Its breadth is available without software paywalls, but running it yourself still takes technical ownership.

Overview

Experiments and protocols can be organized with tags and categories, then retrieved through full-text and metadata search. Teams share an instance while controlling visibility and editing at the entry level, with finer permissions through Team Groups. That makes the system adaptable to collaborative work where not every record should be equally accessible.

Beyond notebook records, eLabFTW tracks lab resources and quantities, links resources to experiments, and schedules shared equipment. Audit trails, electronic signatures, approval workflows, and offline access extend its usefulness for research recordkeeping. This breadth is most valuable to labs coordinating inventory and equipment alongside experiments; groups seeking only a simple notebook may not need the extra operational scope.

Key features

Import and export options include PDF, ZIP, CSV, JSON, and ELN formats, giving teams several ways to move research data. The REST API supports reading and writing eLabFTW data from external programs, and documentation links to a Python library. Documented integrations include PubChem, the Bloxberg blockchain, and Keeex for timestamping workflows.

LDAP, SAML2, and two-factor authentication are among the product's IT features. The project describes static code analysis, dependency and container vulnerability scanning, and practices aimed at preventing SQL injection and cross-site scripting. These controls will matter to organizations assessing deployment and access; the SecNumCloud plan adds a qualified French cloud provider, encryption at rest, eIDAS-qualified timestamping, and HDS and ISO certifications.

Pricing

The self-hosted software is free, distributed under AGPLv3, with no features behind a paywall. That is a notably broad software offer, but it is not a turnkey free service: server hosting and administration are required.

• Training Session: €470, paid once for a 90-minute webinar in French, German, or English, with a recording. It suits teams that want focused instruction without an ongoing support plan.
• PRO Support: €3,000 a year, with email and virtual meeting support, Level 2 and 3 support, a 90-minute user training webinar, and assisted upgrades. It fits organizations keeping their own deployment but wanting expert help.
• PRO Hosting 32: €3,200 a year for up to 32 active users and 320 GB+ storage, including PRO Support. It is the lowest-cost hosted option and best suited to smaller teams within that cap.
• PRO Hosting Plus: €4,985 a year for about 128 active users and 500 GB+ storage, with PRO Support. It raises the user and storage ceiling for growing groups.
• PRO Hosting Universe: €7,900 a year for about 1024 active users and 1 Tb+ storage, with PRO Support. It suits larger deployments that do not require the SecNumCloud hosting terms.
• PRO Hosting SecNumCloud: €8,700 a year for about 1024 active users and 1 Tb+ storage, hosted in Paris, France, with PRO Support. Its qualified French cloud provider, encryption at rest, eIDAS-qualified timestamping, and HDS and ISO certifications make it the relevant choice for organizations that require those hosting and assurance provisions.

The hosted plans trade the work of operating a server for annual fees and defined active-user and storage limits. Teams should match those caps to their likely use; the self-hosted option avoids software charges but leaves infrastructure and upkeep to them.

Platforms

eLabFTW is available through the web and API, and supports Linux, macOS, and Windows. Self-hosting is an option, but requires installation, configuration, and maintenance by a systems administrator; managed hosting is the practical alternative for teams without that capacity.

Who it's for

The product is intended for many kinds of labs and companies, including chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy, and deep-tech startups. Its combination of experiments, inventory, scheduling, permissions, and data exchange makes it particularly apt for groups coordinating shared resources and records. Organizations unable to staff server administration should budget for hosting rather than assume the free software removes deployment work.

Pros and cons

• Pros: No software features are paywalled, so self-hosting does not mean giving up functionality for a cheaper tier.
• Pros: Notebook records, inventory, and equipment booking sit together, useful for labs connecting experiments with the resources they consume.
• Pros: Entry controls and Team Groups permissions let multiple teams share an instance with differentiated access.
• Pros: API access and several export formats support programmatic exchange and data portability.
• Cons: Self-hosting requires a systems administrator to install, configure, and maintain the server.
• Cons: Hosted plans have active-user and storage ceilings, and their annual prices rise substantially for larger teams.
• Cons: A one-time training session costs 470.00 EUR, while ongoing PRO Support costs €3,000 a year, which may be hard to justify for smaller groups needing occasional help.

Alternatives

For a wider comparison, see Electronic Lab Notebook Software.

• LabArchives is worth considering for teams seeking a freemium notebook with mobile platforms and a free tier capped at two owned notebooks, 1 GB per user, and 25 MB files.
• LabCollector ELN may suit a small team wanting a lifetime free Startup Pack, though that tier is capped at three users, 1,000 data records, and one recipe/SOP.
• SciNote is an option for a single user who can work with one dedicated workspace and no guaranteed support on the free plan.
• Benchling Notebook is a fit for academic researchers seeking a free plan that includes Notebook and Molecular Biology.
• LabID is another free, self-hosted option for teams deploying on their own infrastructure.
• Labfolder is an alternative with pricing based on user count and available by quote.
• Chemotion ELN is another free option with self-hosted deployment.
• IDBS E-WorkBook is a paid alternative.

Verdict

Choose eLabFTW if your lab wants a broad, configurable research system with notebook, inventory, booking, and access controls, and can take responsibility for hosting or pay to have it managed. The lack of software paywalls is compelling; look elsewhere if your priority is avoiding server administration and the annual hosted plans do not fit your budget or capacity needs.