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Research · head to head

LabArchives vs STARLIMS

LabArchives logo

LabArchives

Research

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
STARLIMS logo

STARLIMS

Research

Laboratory information management from Abbott for regulated and public health labs

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.; STARLIMS implementation is lengthy and outcome quality depends heavily on the partner doing the configuration
  • They diverge on capability: LabArchives covers Versioned entries, STARLIMS covers Sample and specimen management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LabArchives and STARLIMS actually diverge.

Attributes where LabArchives and STARLIMS differ
AttributeLabArchivesSTARLIMS
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelPer user per yearquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Windows, Cloud, 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 STARLIMS

  • Sample and specimen management
  • Quality management
  • Instrument integration
  • Public health reporting
  • Regulatory compliance
  • Web and mobile access

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

STARLIMS

  • Public health laboratories handling surveillance and outbreak investigationnot LabArchives
  • Clinical laboratories needing regulated specimen tracking and reportingnot LabArchives
  • Food safety and environmental testing laboratoriesnot LabArchives
  • Multi-site laboratory networks standardising methods and specificationsnot 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.

STARLIMS

  • Implementation is lengthy and outcome quality depends heavily on the partner doing the configuration
  • Pricing is quote-based with no public reference, making early budget setting difficult
  • The breadth across laboratory types means some verticals get less development attention than others
  • Interface modernisation has lagged behind newer cloud-native laboratory platforms
  • Over-specified for small laboratories, where a lighter LIMS delivers most of the value for a fraction of the effort

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

STARLIMS

On request
  • STARLIMS$undefined/year
    • Sample management
    • Quality management
    • Instrument integration

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 STARLIMS if

  • You need sample and specimen management.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Cloud, On-premise.
  • You also want quality management.
STARLIMS review

Questions people ask

Is LabArchives or STARLIMS better?
Neither clearly leads. LabArchives starts at Free and STARLIMS at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LabArchives or STARLIMS?
LabArchives has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for LabArchives and On request for STARLIMS.
Does LabArchives or STARLIMS run on more platforms?
LabArchives runs on Web, iOS, Android. STARLIMS runs on Web, Windows, Cloud, On-premise.
Can I use LabArchives for free?
Yes. LabArchives has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. STARLIMS 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 STARLIMS is typically brought in for.
What can LabArchives do that STARLIMS cannot?
LabArchives covers Versioned entries, Witnessing and signing, Inventory, Scheduler. STARLIMS covers Sample and specimen management, Quality management, Instrument integration, Public health reporting.

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.

STARLIMS: Who owns STARLIMS?

Abbott. That gives it institutional weight in laboratory procurement and a natural relationship with Abbott diagnostic instruments.

LabArchives: Who owns LabArchives?

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

STARLIMS: Where is it strongest?

Public health and clinical laboratories. Surveillance reporting, outbreak investigation and unpredictable specimen surges are different problems from pharmaceutical QC, and it handles them well.

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.

STARLIMS: What does it cost?

Not published. Enterprise licensing plus implementation, quoted on laboratory count, users and modules.

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.

STARLIMS: How does it compare to LabWare?

Both are enterprise LIMS with regulatory depth. LabWare is more dominant in pharmaceutical QC; STARLIMS has more presence in public health and clinical. Implementation partner quality matters more than the platform difference.

STARLIMS: What decides a successful implementation?

Configuration and validation quality, not platform features. Evaluations that compare feature lists rather than implementation approach are asking the wrong question.

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