SciNote overview
Verdict. The broadest compliance evidence base in our set: Part 11 on a dedicated regulated-environments page, ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II through a trust portal, plus a dedicated ISO 17025 page — though that last one explains how the software helps a lab comply, not that the software is certified. Add a genuine on-premise option and the strongest support signal we found. The limits are feature depth for biology and no verified public price.
Last verified
At a glance
| Vendor | SciNote LLC (Gilson Inc.), Middleton, Wisconsin, United States |
|---|---|
| Deployment | cloud, on-premise |
| Lab size | small, mid |
| Pricing | Quote only. No exact public Premium price verified. The Premium offering is quote-based, with a 14-day trial and a reduced free personal option alongside it. The vendor states free onboarding and ongoing support for labs transitioning from another system. SciNote retains an open-source heritage while operating this commercial model. |
| Modules | experiment-templates, protocols, inventory, sample-management, instrument-integration, chemical-drawing, e-signature, lims-integration, reporting, collaboration, api |
Compliance evidence
| Standard | Evidence | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 21-cfr-part-11 | Documented | Dedicated regulated-environments page covering signatures, audit trails and timestamps. source |
| iso-27001 | Documented | Certification shown in the trust portal. source |
| soc-2 | Documented | SOC 2 Type II achieved, with a prior Type I also noted. source |
| gdpr | Documented | GDPR and privacy documentation published. source |
| iso-17025 | Documented | Dedicated page, but read it carefully: it explains which features help a laboratory achieve compliance. It is not an ISO 17025 certification of the software, and no software can be. source |
| eu-annex-11 | Vendor claim | Tutorial material states compliance with Part 11 and Annex 11, but no dedicated Annex 11 dossier was found. |
| gamp-5 | Unknown | |
| hipaa | Unknown |
Assessment by dimension
Editorial reading of documented evidence, not a hands-on test. See how we assess.
- Overall fit Strong
Positioned for academic, industrial and regulated labs at once, and the compliance and deployment evidence supports all three.
- Compliance Strong
Part 11, ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, GDPR and a dedicated ISO 17025 page: the broadest evidence base in our set.
- Deployment execution Strong
Cloud and a local on-premise install both documented, which few ELN vendors still offer publicly.
- Pricing transparency Limited
No exact public Premium price verified, so budgeting requires a quote despite the free personal option.
- Usability Mixed
4.2 out of 5 across 303 reviews, a solid sample, but navigation and advanced-feature friction recur.
- Support Strong
Support is a strongly positive recurring theme across 303 reviews, the clearest support signal we found.
What SciNote is
SciNote positions itself as an “All-In-One Lab Digitalization Solution” built around an electronic lab notebook. SciNote LLC began in 2015, is based in Middleton, Wisconsin, and is owned by Gilson Inc. — we could not establish the exact date Gilson took control, so we state none. The ownership is visible in the product: instrument integration includes Gilson Connect.
The vendor addresses academic, industrial and regulated labs in the same breath, and unusually the evidence supports all three claims rather than one. The plan structure covers individual and team use, with no single fixed public team-size target, which is why we record small and mid rather than claiming enterprise reach the vendor does not assert.
SciNote also carries an open-source heritage alongside its commercial Premium model. If that lineage is part of why you are looking, confirm which components are open today and under which licence — reputation ages faster than licences.
Capabilities we could document
Documented: experiment and protocol templates, protocol and SOP management, inventory, sample tracking, instrument integration including Gilson Connect, chemical structure drawing through a ChemAxon Marvin integration, electronic signatures for regulated environments, a report generator, internal and external collaboration, and a public API.
Three findings are more nuanced, and worth naming precisely rather than rounding up:
- Biological entity registry — not found. No dedicated structured registry for DNA, proteins or plasmids. For molecular biology groups this is the gap that matters most.
- Plate management — partially documented. Microplate and pipetting workflows exist, but we could not establish a broad dedicated plate-management module.
- Analytics — not a full suite. The report generator is documented; a deep analytics engine is not.
- LIMS — through the API. LIMS integration is documented via the API and external systems, but no separate first-party LIMS module was established in the sources we captured.
There is also no standalone quality management module, though QA, IQ and OQ and other compliance workflows exist.
Deployment and implementation
Cloud and a local on-premise install are both documented. Along with SciSure, that puts SciNote in the small group of ELNs where the software can run inside your own infrastructure — which for some regulated or defence-adjacent labs is the entire decision. We found no distinct hybrid offer. Several regions are available for the cloud option; the exact contract-dependent matrix is not published.
No generic implementation timeframe is published, and we do not estimate one.
Pricing
No exact public Premium price was verified. The model is quote-based, with a 14-day Premium trial and a reduced free personal option alongside it. The vendor states that onboarding and ongoing support are free for labs transitioning from another system — a meaningful offer if you are migrating off paper or another ELN, and one worth having in writing.
Cost does appear as a recurring negative theme in independent reviews, alongside comments about specialised functions requiring add-ons. Since no price is published, we cannot tell you whether those reviewers were comparing against a cheaper notebook or a more capable platform.
Compliance
This is SciNote’s strongest suit, and it is worth being precise about why.
21 CFR Part 11 is documented on a dedicated regulated-environments page naming signatures, audit trails and timestamps. ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II both appear in a public trust portal — a portal rather than a marketing claim, which is the difference between evidence and assertion. GDPR documentation is published in the legal section.
ISO 17025 deserves its own paragraph. SciNote publishes a dedicated page on it, which is why we mark the standard documented. But the page explains which features help a laboratory achieve compliance — it is not a certification of the software, and no ELN can be ISO 17025 certified. Any vendor implying otherwise is overselling.
EU Annex 11 is a vendor claim: tutorial material states compliance with Part 11 and Annex 11 together, but no dedicated Annex 11 dossier was found. GAMP 5 and HIPAA are unknown.
Who it’s for, and who it isn’t
SciNote fits regulated labs that need compliance evidence they can put in front of an auditor, labs that require a local install, and teams that would rather have responsive support than maximal feature depth — support is the clearest positive signal we found anywhere in this comparison, across 303 reviews.
It does not fit molecular biology groups needing a structured entity registry, teams wanting a deep analytics suite, or buyers who need a published number before they will evaluate.
Alternatives to SciNote
- Benchling: If biology needs to be structured data — registered entities, plates, analytics — rather than well-organised records.
- SciSure: The other on-premise option here, with first-party LIMS and safety workflows but thinner compliance evidence.
- LabArchives: If published per-user pricing and a permanent free tier matter more than the breadth of compliance documentation.
- Labguru: If you want plate design, dashboards and a first-party LIMS in the same platform and can accept cloud-only.
FAQ
Is SciNote ISO 17025 certified?
No, and neither is any other ELN. SciNote publishes a dedicated page explaining which of its features help a laboratory achieve ISO 17025 compliance, which is why we record the standard as documented. The certification applies to your laboratory and its processes, never to a piece of software on its own.
How much does SciNote cost?
We found no exact public Premium price. The Premium offering is quote-based, with a 14-day trial, and a reduced free personal option exists alongside it. The vendor states that onboarding and ongoing support are free for labs transitioning from another system, which is worth confirming in writing when you request a quote.
Can SciNote run on our own servers?
Yes, a local install is documented alongside the vendor cloud, which puts SciNote in a small group of ELNs still offering this publicly. Several hosting regions are available for the cloud option, though the exact contract-dependent matrix is not published.
Is SciNote still open source?
SciNote retains an open-source heritage while operating a commercial Premium model, and the company is owned by Gilson Inc. If the open-source lineage matters to your decision, confirm exactly which components are open and under which licence today rather than relying on its reputation.
Who owns SciNote?
SciNote LLC is owned by Gilson Inc., stated on the vendor's own about page. We could not establish the exact date on which Gilson took control, so we do not state one. The relationship shows up in the product through the Gilson Connect instrument integration.
Sources
- SciNote — About us (accessed 2026-09-18)
- SciNote — Product (accessed 2026-09-18)
- SciNote in regulated environments (accessed 2026-09-18)
- SciNote trust portal (accessed 2026-09-18)
- SciNote — ISO standards and GxP, GMP or GLP regulations (accessed 2026-09-18)
- G2 — SciNote reviews (accessed 2026-09-18)