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Research · head to head

LabArchives vs Paperpile

LabArchives logo

LabArchives

Research

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Paperpile logo

Paperpile

Research

Reference management essentials

From
$4.15/month
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.; Paperpile no monthly billing option; annual billing only
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LabArchives and Paperpile actually diverge.

Attributes where LabArchives and Paperpile differ
AttributeLabArchivesPaperpile
Starting priceFree$4.15/month
Pricing modelPer user per yearsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

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 Paperpile

Nothing recorded that LabArchives does not also cover.

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 Paperpile
  • A core facility that needs instrument booking and a shared record of who ran what and whennot Paperpile
  • A small biotech building patent-defensible evidence of invention with witnessed, timestamped entriesnot Paperpile
  • A teaching department running undergraduate laboratory courses where instructors need to see and grade notebook worknot Paperpile

Paperpile

  • Organizing research papers and managing academic citationsnot LabArchives
  • Creating citations in multiple styles and BibTeX for writingnot LabArchives
  • Collaborating on research through shared reference librariesnot LabArchives
  • Integrating citations into Google Docs and Microsoft Wordnot 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.

Paperpile

  • No monthly billing option; annual billing only
  • Regular plan lacks full-text PDF search and annotations
  • Safari and Firefox browser extensions currently in beta
  • Chrome signup initially required

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

Paperpile

$4.15/month
  • Regular$4.15/month
    • Basic reference management
    • PDF storage and citation generation
    • Integrations with Word, Google Docs, and academic databases
  • Expert$5.75/month
    • All Regular features
    • Full-text PDF search
    • Notes and annotations

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 Paperpile if

Nothing in the data separates Paperpile from LabArchives on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Paperpile review

Questions people ask

Is LabArchives or Paperpile better?
Neither clearly leads. LabArchives starts at Free and Paperpile at $4.15/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LabArchives or Paperpile?
LabArchives has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for LabArchives and $4.15/month for Paperpile.
Does LabArchives or Paperpile run on more platforms?
LabArchives runs on Web, iOS, Android. Paperpile runs on Web.
Can I use LabArchives for free?
Yes. LabArchives has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Paperpile starts at $4.15/month.
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 Paperpile is typically brought in for.
What can LabArchives do that Paperpile cannot?
LabArchives covers Versioned entries, Witnessing and signing, Inventory, Scheduler.

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.

Paperpile: How much does Paperpile cost?

Paperpile costs $4.15 per month for the Regular plan or $5.75 per month for the Expert plan, both billed annually.

Source
LabArchives: Who owns LabArchives?

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

Paperpile: Is there a free trial available for Paperpile?

Yes, Paperpile offers a 30-day free trial for both plans.

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.

Paperpile: Does Paperpile offer academic or group discounts?

Yes, students, faculty, and researchers receive 50% off, and group discounts up to 20% off Expert plans are available when purchasing multiple seats.

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.

Paperpile: What billing options does Paperpile offer?

Paperpile accepts credit cards and PayPal, with additional payment options by location. Purchase orders are accepted for Enterprise customers.

Source
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