Looking for a Labguru Alternative?

Consider LabKey LIMS for a More Configurable Approach

Labguru gives you an electronic lab notebook, LIMS, and inventory system, with a vendor support team that helps configure it during onboarding. That works well if you want a guided setup and don’t expect your workflows to shift much after launch. If your protocols, instrument mix, or study structure change often, you’re probably looking for a Labguru alternative you can reconfigure yourself, without keeping track of support hours or scheduling a call with the vendor every time a workflow needs to change.

LabKey LIMS connects samples, instruments, workflow management and lab records all in one configurable system that teams can configure themselves. Update a sample type, adjust a workflow, or add a metadata field yourself, without waiting on a vendor ticket. If you’d rather have LabKey make the change, that’s included in your support.

 

	Labguru	LabKey LIMS
Overview	Cloud-based ELN, LIMS, and inventory platform built specifically for life science and pharma labs	Cloud-based data platform built by scientists connecting samples, instruments, workflows, ELN, and lab records
Best for	Labs that want vendor-managed configuration and primarily ELN-driven workflows that don’t change often	Labs with evolving protocols and significant instrument integration needs that want control over their own system
Built around	The ELN is the core of the system; sample tracking, LIMS, and informatics capabilities connect to it	The sample and its data are the core; the ELN connects to them, alongside workflows, instruments, and storage
Key strengths	ELN tightly linked to inventory and sample records Equipment scheduling and calibration tracking Pre-built templates for pharma, environmental, and academic labs Vendor-led onboarding and implementation support	Native sample tracking with real-time storage location, chain-of-custody history, and status monitoring from intake to archive Transformation scripts, APIs, and file watchers make it easier to import data from instruments, linked directly to the samples that produced it Built-in data visualization and customizable dashboards, no add-on required
Ease of use	Users frequently cite a steep learning curve, particularly when setting up workflows and configuring data structures	Intuitive to use; scientists and lab managers frequently run it themselves without IT involvement
Configuration model	Changes to workflows, sample types, and metadata typically go through Labguru’s support team	Your team makes changes directly; LabKey’s support team handles it if you’d rather not
Implementation	Implementation typically takes several months, as research environments require extensive customization through the vendor	With a responsive team, LabKey LIMS has been implemented with training in as few as 6 weeks
Bottom line	An ELN with features suited to labs that want vendor-guided configuration and have stable, predictable workflows	A configurable data platform built around the sample, for labs that need instrument data, workflows, and compliance records in one connected system they can manage

 

Why Lab Managers and IT Teams Choose LabKey LIMS

If your protocols change often, you run multiple studies, or you need every instrument feeding into one record without opening a support ticket, you need a platform built to keep pace with that.

LabKey LIMS offers:

• The ability to configure sample types, workflows, and metadata yourself, or let LabKey’s team make the change
• Native sample and inventory tracking built into the core LIMS, with real-time storage location and chain-of-custody history
• Automatic capture and transformation of instrument data on import, linked to the samples and experiments that produced it
• Step-by-step protocol enforcement, with deviations flagged and logged automatically

(See what’s shipped recently in the release notes.)

Take a tour to see how it could fit your lab, or book some time with us to get started on a Guided Trial, so you can test LabKey LIMS with your own data.