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Research · head to head

LabArchives vs SurveyMonkey

LabArchives logo

LabArchives

Research

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SurveyMonkey logo

SurveyMonkey

Research

Turn feedback into action

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; SurveyMonkey team plans require minimum 3 users as baseline
  • They diverge on capability: LabArchives covers Versioned entries, SurveyMonkey covers Survey builder.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LabArchives and SurveyMonkey actually diverge.

Attributes where LabArchives and SurveyMonkey differ
AttributeLabArchivesSurveyMonkey
Pricing modelPer user per yearsubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
FoundedUnknown1999

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 SurveyMonkey

  • Survey builder
  • Question bank
  • Survey logic
  • Multi-language surveys
  • Mobile surveys
  • Real-time results
  • Data analysis tools
  • Custom branding

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

SurveyMonkey

  • Market research and customer surveysnot LabArchives
  • Employee feedback and engagement trackingnot LabArchives
  • Data collection and analysisnot LabArchives
  • Customer satisfaction and NPS measurementsnot 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.

SurveyMonkey

  • Team plans require minimum 3 users as baseline
  • Annual response limits enforced: 50,000 responses/year on Team Advantage, 100,000 on Team Premier
  • Additional responses beyond annual limits charged at AED 0.50 per response
  • Enterprise plan requires custom pricing and minimum 5 users
  • Advanced features like multilingual surveys and phone support require Team Premier tier

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

SurveyMonkey

Free
  • Team Advantage$99/month
    • 50,000 responses per year
    • Unlimited surveys and questions
    • 3 user minimum
  • Team Premier$240/month
    • 100,000 responses per year
    • All Team Advantage features
    • White label branding

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 SurveyMonkey if

  • You need survey builder.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want question bank.
SurveyMonkey review

Questions people ask

Is LabArchives or SurveyMonkey better?
Neither clearly leads. LabArchives starts at Free and SurveyMonkey at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LabArchives or SurveyMonkey?
LabArchives starts at Free and SurveyMonkey at Free.
Does LabArchives or SurveyMonkey run on more platforms?
LabArchives runs on Web, iOS, Android. SurveyMonkey runs on Web.
Can I use LabArchives for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 SurveyMonkey is typically brought in for.
What can LabArchives do that SurveyMonkey cannot?
LabArchives covers Versioned entries, Witnessing and signing, Inventory, Scheduler. SurveyMonkey covers Survey builder, Question bank, Survey logic, Multi-language surveys.

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.

SurveyMonkey: How much does SurveyMonkey cost?

SurveyMonkey offers team plans starting at AED 99 per user per month for Team Advantage and AED 240 per user per month for Team Premier. Both plans require a minimum of 3 users. Billing can be monthly or annual.

Source
LabArchives: Who owns LabArchives?

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

SurveyMonkey: What are SurveyMonkey's overage fees?

SurveyMonkey charges AED 0.50 per additional response on paid plans beyond the annual limit included in each tier.

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.

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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