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Research · head to head

Genedata vs LabArchives

Genedata logo

Genedata

Research

Enterprise R&D data platforms for biologics, screening and bioprocess, owned by Danaher

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
LabArchives logo

LabArchives

Research

Electronic lab notebook with witnessing, version history and long-term institutional retention

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only LabArchives has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Genedata there is no entry level and no published price at any tier, so a mid-sized biotech cannot even establish whether Genedata is in its range without a lengthy sales engagement.; LabArchives the corporate rate is roughly 75 per cent above the academic rate for the same product, so a university spinout crossing into commercial status faces a step change in cost at exactly the point its budget is tightest.
  • They diverge on capability: Genedata covers Screener, LabArchives covers Versioned entries.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Genedata and LabArchives actually diverge.

Attributes where Genedata and LabArchives differ
AttributeGenedataLabArchives
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotePer user per year
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, On-premise, Private cloudWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Research).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Genedata

  • Screener
  • Biologics
  • Bioprocess
  • Expressionist
  • Selector
  • Profiler
  • Instrument integration
  • GxP-capable deployments

Only in LabArchives

  • Versioned entries
  • Witnessing and signing
  • Inventory
  • Scheduler
  • Education edition
  • Single sign-on
  • Structured data entry
  • DOI and repository publishing

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Genedata

  • A pharmaceutical screening group processing thousands of plates a week where manual QC and curve fitting no longer scalenot LabArchives
  • A biologics discovery team linking antibody sequence, expression and assay data across a campaign instead of in spreadsheetsnot LabArchives
  • A process development group standardising bioprocess run data across sites for modelling and scale-upnot LabArchives
  • A CRO delivering high-throughput screening results to sponsors that require documented, reproducible analysis pipelinesnot LabArchives

LabArchives

  • A university group that must keep research records after a PhD student leaves, rather than losing them with a laptopnot Genedata
  • A core facility that needs instrument booking and a shared record of who ran what and whennot Genedata
  • A small biotech building patent-defensible evidence of invention with witnessed, timestamped entriesnot Genedata
  • A teaching department running undergraduate laboratory courses where instructors need to see and grade notebook worknot Genedata

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Genedata

  • There is no entry level and no published price at any tier, so a mid-sized biotech cannot even establish whether Genedata is in its range without a lengthy sales engagement.
  • Platforms are licensed individually and most organisations need two or three, so the real contract is a sum of separate licences plus the integration work between them.
  • Deployment is a services programme rather than an installation, running months and requiring scientific configuration by the vendor, which means value arrives long after the first invoice.
  • Danaher ownership since 2023 gives the roadmap a natural pull toward Danaher instrument and bioprocessing lines, which is an advantage on that hardware and a question to ask if your instrument estate is from competitors.
  • Validated deployments for regulated use add scope, cost and an ongoing revalidation obligation on your side after each vendor release, and that recurring internal effort is rarely counted in the business case.

LabArchives

  • The corporate rate is roughly 75 per cent above the academic rate for the same product, so a university spinout crossing into commercial status faces a step change in cost at exactly the point its budget is tightest.
  • Inventory and Scheduler are separate per-user line items, so a lab that assumed one price per person for a working system ends up paying two or three.
  • It is now a Dotmatics product inside a large scientific software portfolio, which puts roadmap priority with enterprise pharmaceutical buyers rather than with the academic labs that made it popular.
  • The interface is functional rather than pleasant, and adoption typically fails not on features but on researchers quietly continuing to keep notes elsewhere; you need a mandate, not a rollout email.
  • Instrument integration is thin compared with dedicated laboratory information management systems, so automated capture from analytical equipment usually still means manual upload or custom scripting.

Pricing, plan by plan

Genedata

On request
  • Genedata platform licence$undefined/year
    • Each platform, such as Screener or Biologics, licensed separately
    • Annual enterprise subscription scoped on users, sites and data volume
    • Implementation and scientific configuration services quoted as a separate programme

LabArchives

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Limited storage
    • Core notebook and versioning
    • Intended for evaluation and individual use
  • Professional (Academic)$330/year
    • Full ELN with witnessing and signing
    • Academic rate per user per year
    • Corporate rate is $575 per user per year
  • ELN plus Inventory bundle$360/year
    • Notebook plus sample and reagent inventory
    • Academic rate; corporate rate is $675 per user per year
  • Inventory standalone$99/year
    • Sample tracking without the notebook
    • Academic rate; corporate rate is $199 per user per year

Which should you pick?

Choose Genedata if

  • You need screener.
  • You work on Web, On-premise, Private cloud.
  • You also want biologics.
Genedata review

Choose LabArchives if

  • You need versioned entries.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want witnessing and signing.
LabArchives review

Questions people ask

Is Genedata or LabArchives better?
Neither clearly leads. Genedata starts at On request and LabArchives at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Genedata or LabArchives?
LabArchives has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Genedata and Free for LabArchives.
Does Genedata or LabArchives run on more platforms?
Genedata runs on Web, On-premise, Private cloud. LabArchives runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use LabArchives for free?
Yes. LabArchives has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Genedata starts at On request.
What is Genedata best used for?
Genedata is most often used for a pharmaceutical screening group processing thousands of plates a week where manual qc and curve fitting no longer scale, a biologics discovery team linking antibody sequence, expression and assay data across a campaign instead of in spreadsheets, a process development group standardising bioprocess run data across sites for modelling and scale-up, a cro delivering high-throughput screening results to sponsors that require documented, reproducible analysis pipelines. Of those, a pharmaceutical screening group processing thousands of plates a week where manual qc and curve fitting no longer scale and a biologics discovery team linking antibody sequence, expression and assay data across a campaign instead of in spreadsheets are not what LabArchives is typically brought in for.
What can Genedata do that LabArchives cannot?
Genedata covers Screener, Biologics, Bioprocess, Expressionist. LabArchives covers Versioned entries, Witnessing and signing, Inventory, Scheduler.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Genedata: Who owns Genedata?

Danaher acquired the company in 2023. It remains headquartered in Basel and continues under the Genedata name.

LabArchives: Does LabArchives satisfy patent evidence requirements?

Its versioning, timestamping and witnessed signatures are designed for that purpose, and it is widely accepted for it, but the legal weight depends on your institution's process being followed, not on the software alone.

Genedata: Is there a small-team or starter option?

No. Everything is an enterprise contract scoped by users, sites and data volume, with services attached.

LabArchives: Who owns LabArchives?

Dotmatics. The product is branded LabArchives by Dotmatics and shares that company's corporate footprint.

Genedata: Do I buy one product or the whole suite?

Each platform is licensed separately. Most customers license two or three and integrate between them.

LabArchives: Is there really a free tier?

Yes, with limited storage. It is suitable for trialling or a single researcher, not for a group that needs retention guarantees.

Genedata: Can it be used in a GxP environment?

Yes, with a validated deployment contracted as additional scope. Ongoing revalidation after releases remains your responsibility.

LabArchives: Can we export everything if we leave?

Yes, notebooks export in bulk, but exported archives lose much of the interactive structure, so treat the export as an archive rather than as a migration path into another ELN.

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