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Research · head to head

Labguru vs Terra

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
Terra logo

Terra

Research

Open biomedical research platform for genomic analysis, priced only by the cloud you consume

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Terra has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Terra the absence of a licence fee hides the real cost driver: an idle notebook virtual machine left running overnight, or a workspace bucket full of intermediate workflow outputs, quietly consumes grant money with no vendor invoice to prompt a review.
  • They diverge on capability: Labguru covers Combined ELN and LIMS, Terra covers No platform licence fee.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Labguru and Terra actually diverge.

Attributes where Labguru and Terra differ
AttributeLabguruTerra
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, On-premiseWeb, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure

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 Labguru

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

Only in Terra

  • No platform licence fee
  • Cloud pass-through billing
  • WDL workflow execution
  • Notebook environments
  • Controlled-access data
  • Workspace sharing
  • Compliance posture
  • Multi-cloud

What people use each for

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

Labguru

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

Terra

  • A genomics lab running whole-genome alignment and variant calling pipelines without provisioning or maintaining a local clusternot Labguru
  • A consortium sharing controlled-access human data across institutions where the data cannot be copied to each sitenot Labguru
  • A health system analysing patient genomic data under a HIPAA business associate agreementnot Labguru
  • A federal or federally funded project needing FedRAMP Moderate authorisation for its analysis environmentnot Labguru

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Terra

  • The absence of a licence fee hides the real cost driver: an idle notebook virtual machine left running overnight, or a workspace bucket full of intermediate workflow outputs, quietly consumes grant money with no vendor invoice to prompt a review.
  • Cost governance is entirely the customer responsibility, and grant-funded groups without a cloud engineer routinely overspend before anyone reads the Google or Azure bill in enough detail to find the cause.
  • It assumes genuine bioinformatics competence: writing or adapting WDL workflows, managing data tables and debugging failed tasks are all on you, so a wet lab without computational staff cannot use it productively.
  • Feature parity between the Google Cloud and Azure deployments is not identical, so a decision on cloud provider constrains which capabilities and datasets you can reach and is expensive to reverse later.
  • It is a research platform rather than a regulated clinical system: it is not a validated GxP environment and does not carry the qualification package a diagnostic or submission workflow would require, so clinical use needs additional infrastructure and validation you provide yourself.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Terra

Free
  • Terra platformFree
    • No charge for the platform, administration, security controls or frontline support
    • Workspaces, workflow execution and notebook environments included
    • Available on Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure
  • Cloud consumption$undefined/month
    • Google Cloud or Azure charges passed through at cost with no markup
    • Running notebook virtual machines around 0.22 USD per hour, roughly 0.027 USD per hour when paused
    • Storage billed continuously on workspace buckets and intermediate workflow outputs

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Terra if

  • You need no platform licence fee.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure.
  • You also want cloud pass-through billing.
Terra review

Questions people ask

Is Labguru or Terra better?
Neither clearly leads. Labguru starts at On request and Terra at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Labguru or Terra?
Terra has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Labguru and Free for Terra.
Does Labguru or Terra run on more platforms?
Labguru runs on Web, iOS, Android, On-premise. Terra runs on Web, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure.
Can I use Terra for free?
Yes. Terra has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Labguru starts at On request.
What is Labguru best used for?
Labguru is most often used for a biotech that wants experiment records and sample inventory in one system instead of paying for an eln and a lims separately, a chemistry group needing structure registration attached to the experiment rather than in a standalone database, a contract research organisation that must show sample traceability from receipt to reported result during a client audit, an academic institute standardising dozens of small labs off shared spreadsheets and paper notebooks onto one searchable record. Of those, a biotech that wants experiment records and sample inventory in one system instead of paying for an eln and a lims separately and a chemistry group needing structure registration attached to the experiment rather than in a standalone database are not what Terra is typically brought in for.
What can Labguru do that Terra cannot?
Labguru covers Combined ELN and LIMS, Validated cloud hosting, Inventory and stock, Chemistry module. Terra covers No platform licence fee, Cloud pass-through billing, WDL workflow execution, Notebook environments.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Terra: Is Terra really free?

The platform is. There is no licence fee. Everything you pay is Google Cloud or Azure compute, storage and egress, passed through at cost.

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.

Terra: What actually drives the bill?

Running virtual machines and stored data. Pausing notebooks drops a virtual machine from about 0.22 to about 0.027 dollars an hour, and deleting intermediate workflow outputs is the other main saving.

Labguru: Does it support GxP work?

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

Terra: Can I use it with protected health information?

Yes. Terra signs HIPAA business associate agreements and GDPR data processing agreements, and the Azure deployment holds FedRAMP Moderate authorisation.

Labguru: Is pricing published?

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

Terra: Is it validated for clinical or GxP use?

No. It is a research platform. Regulated clinical or submission workflows need validation and controls you build yourself.

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