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File Storage · head to head

Box vs LabArchives

Box logo

Box

File Storage

Cloud content management for the enterprise

From
Free
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

  • Each has a real cost: Box pricing not disclosed for Personal Pro, Business Plus, Enterprise, and Enterprise Plus tiers; 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.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Box and LabArchives actually diverge.

Attributes where Box and LabArchives differ
AttributeBoxLabArchives
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer user per year
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryFile StorageResearch

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Box

Nothing recorded that LabArchives does not also cover.

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.

Box

  • Enterprise cloud file storage and collaborationnot LabArchives
  • Document management with AI capabilitiesnot LabArchives
  • API integration for business automationnot LabArchives

LabArchives

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

Where each one falls short

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

Box

  • Pricing not disclosed for Personal Pro, Business Plus, Enterprise, and Enterprise Plus tiers
  • Enterprise Advanced requires quote and minimum purchase commitments
  • File upload limits vary from 250 MB to 500 GB across tiers
  • Business plan requires minimum 3 users

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

Box

Free
  • IndividualFree
    • 10 GB storage
    • 250 MB file upload limit
    • 1 file version
  • Business$5/month
    • Unlimited storage
    • 5 GB file upload
    • 25 file versions
  • Enterprise$null/month
    • Unlimited storage
    • 50 GB file upload
    • 1,000 AI Units per month
  • Enterprise Plus$null/month
    • Unlimited storage
    • 150 GB file upload
    • 2,000 AI Units per month

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 Box if

  • You want to start without paying.
Box 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 Box or LabArchives better?
Neither clearly leads. Box starts at Free and LabArchives at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Box or LabArchives?
Box starts at Free and LabArchives at Free.
Does Box or LabArchives run on more platforms?
Box runs on Web. LabArchives runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Box for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Box best used for?
Box is most often used for enterprise cloud file storage and collaboration, document management with ai capabilities, api integration for business automation. Of those, enterprise cloud file storage and collaboration and document management with ai capabilities are not what LabArchives is typically brought in for.
What can Box do that LabArchives cannot?
LabArchives covers Versioned entries, Witnessing and signing, Inventory, Scheduler.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Box: What is the starting price for Box Business plan?

Business plan starts at $5 per user per month with unlimited storage, 5 GB file uploads, and Box AI included.

Source
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.

Box: Does the free plan support file sharing?

Yes, Individual free plan includes 10 GB storage, 250 MB file uploads, and 5 Box Sign signature requests per month.

Source
LabArchives: Who owns LabArchives?

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

Box: What are the file upload limits by tier?

File upload limits are 250 MB (Individual), 5 GB (Business), 50 GB (Enterprise), 150 GB (Enterprise Plus), and 500 GB (Enterprise Advanced).

Source
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.

Box: How is AI priced in Box?

Business plan includes Box AI at no extra cost; Enterprise tiers include 1,000-20,000 AI Units per month depending on plan level.

Source
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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