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Research · head to head

LabArchives vs Labguru

LabArchives logo

LabArchives

Research

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Labguru logo

Labguru

Research

Electronic lab notebook, LIMS and inventory in one system, now sold under the Cenevo group

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only LabArchives has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Labguru ownership changed twice in short order, to Battery Ventures in 2024 and then into the Cenevo brand with Titian Software in 2025, so the medium-term roadmap is a group strategy decision rather than a product one and buyers should ask directly what happens to the notebook.
  • They diverge on capability: LabArchives covers Versioned entries, Labguru covers Combined ELN and LIMS.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LabArchives and Labguru actually diverge.

Attributes where LabArchives and Labguru differ
AttributeLabArchivesLabguru
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelPer user per yearquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, On-premise

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 LabArchives

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

Only in Labguru

  • Combined ELN and LIMS
  • Validated cloud hosting
  • Inventory and stock
  • Chemistry module
  • Equipment management
  • Electronic batch records
  • Label Wizard
  • API and developer tools

What people use each for

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

LabArchives

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

Labguru

  • A biotech that wants experiment records and sample inventory in one system instead of paying for an ELN and a LIMS separatelynot LabArchives
  • A chemistry group needing structure registration attached to the experiment rather than in a standalone databasenot LabArchives
  • A contract research organisation that must show sample traceability from receipt to reported result during a client auditnot LabArchives
  • An academic institute standardising dozens of small labs off shared spreadsheets and paper notebooks onto one searchable recordnot LabArchives

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Labguru

  • Ownership changed twice in short order, to Battery Ventures in 2024 and then into the Cenevo brand with Titian Software in 2025, so the medium-term roadmap is a group strategy decision rather than a product one and buyers should ask directly what happens to the notebook.
  • The validated GxP hosting option is a separate commercial line, not a configuration setting, so a lab that discovers mid-project that it needs a validated instance faces a new contract and a new price rather than an upgrade.
  • Being both an ELN and a LIMS means it is shallower than dedicated tools in each role; high-throughput sample management and deep bioinformatics workflows both hit limits that a specialist would not.
  • No pricing is published at all, and modules such as chemistry, batch records and equipment are quoted on top, so the real annual figure only appears after a sales process.
  • Validation, SOPs and periodic revalidation after vendor releases are the customer obligation on a regulated instance, and cloud release cadence means that revalidation is a recurring internal cost that never appears on the vendor quote.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Labguru

On request
  • Labguru$undefined/year
    • Priced per user per year on quotation with volume tiers
    • ELN, LIMS and inventory in the base platform
    • Chemistry, batch records and equipment modules quoted separately

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Labguru if

  • You need combined eln and lims.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, On-premise.
  • You also want validated cloud hosting.
Labguru review

Questions people ask

Is LabArchives or Labguru better?
Neither clearly leads. LabArchives starts at Free and Labguru at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LabArchives or Labguru?
LabArchives has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for LabArchives and On request for Labguru.
Does LabArchives or Labguru run on more platforms?
LabArchives runs on Web, iOS, Android. Labguru runs on Web, iOS, Android, On-premise.
Can I use LabArchives for free?
Yes. LabArchives has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Labguru starts at On request.
What is LabArchives best used for?
LabArchives is most often used for a university group that must keep research records after a phd student leaves, rather than losing them with a laptop, a core facility that needs instrument booking and a shared record of who ran what and when, a small biotech building patent-defensible evidence of invention with witnessed, timestamped entries, a teaching department running undergraduate laboratory courses where instructors need to see and grade notebook work. Of those, a university group that must keep research records after a phd student leaves, rather than losing them with a laptop and a core facility that needs instrument booking and a shared record of who ran what and when are not what Labguru is typically brought in for.
What can LabArchives do that Labguru cannot?
LabArchives covers Versioned entries, Witnessing and signing, Inventory, Scheduler. Labguru covers Combined ELN and LIMS, Validated cloud hosting, Inventory and stock, Chemistry module.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Labguru: Who owns Labguru now?

Battery Ventures acquired it in April 2024. Since July 2025 it operates under the Cenevo brand following a merger with Titian Software.

LabArchives: Who owns LabArchives?

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

Labguru: Is it an ELN or a LIMS?

Both, in one product. That is the main reason labs choose it, and also why it is shallower than a specialist in each role.

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.

Labguru: Does it support GxP work?

Yes, through a separately contracted validated cloud instance. Validation for your intended use 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.

Labguru: Is pricing published?

No. It is quoted per user per year, with modules and validated hosting priced on top.

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