No. 9 of 24 ·Electronic Lab Notebook Software

LabKey ELN

Web · Self-hosted · API

Freedom report

One barScore 5.4

Free tierNo free tier on record
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely1 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

LabKey ELN is ranked #9 of 24 in electronic lab notebook software on Freedom251. It runs on API, Self-hosted, Web. A free trial is offered.

Compared on electronic lab notebook software

Free plan: Yes
Audit trail: Yes
Electronic signatures: Yes
Approval workflows: Yes
API access: Yes
Export formats: PDF

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The record

Purpose: LabKey ELN helps scientists document experiments and share research, with notebooks connected to samples, assay data, and other registered data.
Notebook authoring: Notebook entries support templates, rich text, data links, inline attachments, comments, project tags, and notebook status.
Review and sign-off: Teams can request reviews with automatic notifications, comment on entries, and sign off notebooks.
Record preservation: On sign-off, encrypted snapshots of notebook text and linked data preserve the original state.
Connected research data: The ELN can link notebook entries to bioregistry entities, samples, assays, workflows, and other notebooks.
Intended users: LabKey describes the ELN as designed for scientific R&D organizations and research teams.
Integrations: The integrations page lists client APIs for R, Java, JavaScript, and Python, along with Excel, Jupyter Notebook, and Skyline integrations for specified LabKey products.
Security: LabKey states that it holds a SOC 2 Type II attestation and supports role-based permissions, single sign-on, two-factor authentication, audit logs, and electronic signatures.
Compliance: LabKey says its security and compliance features support handling PHI under HIPAA and electronic records under 21 CFR Part 11.
Evaluation: LabKey recommends requesting a live demo and says its team can set evaluators up with a free cloud-based trial.
Community Edition support: LabKey states that it does not provide development or technical support for the Community Edition.
Company history: LabKey says it has provided scientific data management solutions to research organizations worldwide for over 20 years.
Authoring: Authoring features include templates, a rich text editor, inline attachments, commenting, search, project tags, and notebook status.
Signed records: On sign-off, LabKey takes an encrypted snapshot of notebook text and linked data to preserve the original state.

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Electronic Lab Notebook Software in 2026#9 of 24

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Sources

labkey.com/solutions/eln-software/· checked 3 Oct 2026
labkey.com/products-services/integrations/· checked 3 Oct 2026
labkey.com/products-services/security-compliance/· checked 3 Oct 2026
labkey.com/download-community-edition/· checked 3 Oct 2026
labkey.com/about/· checked 3 Oct 2026