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Free electronic lab notebooks compared

In short: no single free option fits everyone. If your institution has IT support and needs data on its own servers, use open-source eLabFTW. If you just want to keep records on your own, the LabArchives free plan and SciNote's free version both work, and both vendors also sell team or institutional plans. Free options are usually not enough for regulated compliance work. Notion or a paper notebook are fine if you already use them, but they do not understand experiment structure. If you want to run steps at the bench, see the source of every parameter, record every run, and work with the AI you already use, start with Vara's free tier. Check whether your institution requires a specific record system first.

Side-by-side

OptionWhat you get freeWatch forFits
eLabFTWSoftware is fully free and open source (AGPLv3); its site says no features are paywalledYou run and maintain the server; paid hosting is available from its developerInstitutions with IT support that need data on their own servers
SciNote free versionCloud free version for individual usersTeam use needs a trial or a paid plan; prices are not publishedPeople trying it alone who may later use SciNote in a team or regulated setting
LabArchives free plan2 owned notebooks, 1GB storage, 25MB per file, no time limitLimited notebooks and storage; Inventory is a separate productLight personal records, or labs whose institution may adopt LabArchives
Paper notebookNo device or account neededHard to search, hard to reuse parameters, no backup if lostLabs that require paper records, or very few experiments
Notion free planFree plan for individuals; students and educators get the 1-member Plus plan free with a school emailGeneral-purpose docs with no experiment structure; free plan has a 5MB upload limit and 7-day page historyPeople who already use Notion for notes and have simple record needs
Vara free tier3 experiments; free bench calculators with no loginCloud only, no self-hosting; no e-signatures or compliance featuresIndividual researchers and small labs who want to run steps at the bench and record each run

Details are from each vendor's official website, checked in October 2026. Free plans may change.

How to choose

  • Self-hosted, open source, institution-wide: eLabFTW. See Vara vs eLabFTW.
  • Institution may license it, compliant record keeping later: LabArchives. See Vara vs LabArchives.
  • Regulated environment, inventory management: SciNote. See Vara vs SciNote.
  • Already using Notion for notes: keep it; the differences are in Vara vs Notion.
  • Turn a protocol or paper into steps you can follow, run them at the bench, and record each run: Vara.

FAQ

Is there a completely free electronic lab notebook?+
eLabFTW's software is fully free and open source, but you need your own server and someone to deploy and maintain it; its developer's hosted service is paid. SciNote has a free version for individual users, LabArchives has a free plan with no time limit, and Vara's free tier manages 3 experiments. Each has limits on volume, storage, or team use.
Which free option should a grad student use?+
Ask your institution first: if it already licenses an ELN or has rules for records, follow them. If not, a LabArchives free plan or SciNote's free version works for keeping records. If you want a protocol or paper turned into steps you can follow, with a source on every parameter and a record of every run, use Vara.
Are free options enough for 21 CFR Part 11 compliance?+
Usually not. Compliance needs electronic signatures, audit trails, and validation documents, and the institution has to validate the system itself. LabArchives states that it is 21 CFR Part 11 compliant, and SciNote states that its industry plans meet 21 CFR Part 11; eLabFTW provides an audit log, signatures, and trusted timestamps, but says compliance depends on how it is configured and validated. Vara has none of these features.
What can I do on Vara's free tier?+
You can manage 3 experiments: turn a plan, protocol, or paper's methods into parameterized steps with the source of each parameter shown, run the steps and record each run, and connect Claude, ChatGPT, and others through remote MCP. Paid plans are Pro at $6 per month and Pro+ at $19 per month. The bench calculators (dilution, solution prep, PCR mix, centrifuge speed, and more) are free with no login.

Get started with Vara

Run your first experiment in 5 minutes, or see how to connect Vara to Claude or ChatGPT.