Side by side
eLabFTW vs RSpace
Both stand on electronic lab notebook software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+3
eLabFTW offers broad lab notebook, inventory and collaboration tools, with a free self-hosted version. The main practical consideration is arranging server administration or choosing a paid hosting plan.
Visit eLabFTW Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+3
RSpace combines notebook documentation with inventory, chemistry tools, metadata forms, and a RESTful API. Buyers should weigh deployment and support needs against plan pricing and the stated limits on migration.
Visit RSpaceThe facts
| eLabFTW | RSpace | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Runs on | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | See the plans | Team (Academia): $6,000 a year |
| Plans published | 8 | 6 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | elabftw.net | researchspace.com |
| On electronic lab notebook software | #1 of 23 | #2 of 23 |
eLabFTW: what it does well
- Free self-hosted software has no paywalled features.
- One instance can host several teams.
- Exports include PDF, ZIP, CSV, JSON and ELN.
- REST API supports external reads and writes.
- LDAP, SAML2 and two-factor authentication are listed.
What to know first
- Self-hosting requires server installation and maintenance.
- A systems administrator is required for self-hosting.
- PRO Support costs €3,000 a year.
- Paid hosting plans range from 3200.00 to €8,700 a year.
RSpace: what it does well
- Real-time collaboration includes granular sharing, comments, and annotations.
- Chemical drawing and automatic stoichiometry support reaction planning.
- Inventory management accompanies ELN documentation.
- Exports include PDF, Word, HTML, XML, JSON, and RO-Crate.
- Enterprise offers on-premises or private AWS deployment.
What to know first
- Self-installation requires your own engineers.
- Global IDs, signatures, and full audit history cannot migrate between servers.
- Named connectors on the integrations page are marked “Soon!”.
- Enterprise plans cost $34,000 USD per year.
Alternatives to eLabFTW Alternatives to RSpace The whole list