Electronic lab notebook
Labtera
A modern electronic lab notebook built around how research actually happens.
Structured experiments, versioned protocols, real data tables and analysis — stored in a single database file on your own computer.
Offline-first
Works with no network
Local data
One SQLite file you own
Versioned
Protocols and revisions
Open export
DOCX, HTML, Markdown
The notebook
Experiments with a structure that matches the work
Every entry is numbered, dated, attributed and linked to the protocol version it ran under. The sections are the ones a methods write-up already has, so filling them in is the write-up.
Experiment record
A record that is finished when the experiment is
The record is structured, not a blank page. That is what makes it searchable later, and what makes an export read like a report rather than a transcript.
- Objective, hypothesis, method, results, discussion and conclusion as first-class fields
- Materials with amounts and lot numbers, and timestamped observations
- Status and outcome, so a notebook can be read at a glance
- Links to the experiments a result depends on
Titration stirring time: 30 s vs 60 s
CompleteObjective
Determine whether reducing the inter-addition stirring time from 60 s to 30 s changes the measured titre of a standardised NaOH solution against KHP.
Results
6 titres per conditionMean titre at 60 s was 24.62 mL (SD 0.052); at 30 s, 24.58 mL (SD 0.047). Mean paired difference 0.04 mL, inside the 0.10 mL concordance tolerance.
Protocols
Protocols that change, and experiments that remember
When a protocol is revised, earlier experiments are not retroactively rewritten to match. They keep pointing at the version they used, which is the only way a result stays interpretable a year later.
- Versioned protocols with a full revision history
- Experiments stay attached to the version they actually ran
- Step-level diffs, so a change is visible rather than described
- Parameters, critical steps, timings and troubleshooting entries
- Duplicate a protocol or an experiment to reuse a setup
Acid–base titration
v5.1Current version · 3 versions · 14 experiments have run this protocol
Steps
procedure- 1Calibrate the burette against deionised water and record the meniscus zero.Critical5 min
- 2Prepare 0.100 M NaOH titrant and standardise against dried KHP.20 min
- 3Stir 30 s between additions, then read the endpoint to 0.05 mL.changed in v5.1
Version history
Data and analysis
Measurements, formulas and plots in the same place
Data does not have to leave the notebook to be analysed, which means the number in the conclusion and the number in the table cannot drift apart.
- Spreadsheet-style data tables with formulas and fills
- Units, statistics, curve fits and custom expressions
- Plots drawn from the table, updating with it
- A calculator with reusable equations shared across experiments
| Run | 60 s (mL) | 30 s (mL) | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24.65 | 24.60 | 0.05 |
| 2 | 24.58 | 24.55 | 0.03 |
| 3 | 24.70 | 24.62 | 0.08 |
| 4 | 24.60 | 24.57 | 0.03 |
| 5 | 24.55 | 24.53 | 0.02 |
| 6 | 24.64 | 24.61 | 0.03 |
| Mean | 24.62 | 24.58 | 0.04 |
Analysis
Welch t-testt
1.37
p
0.20
n
6 + 6
No detectable difference between conditions at the 0.10 mL tolerance.
Figures
Plots that belong to the experiment
A figure keeps its connection to the rows it was drawn from, so correcting a measurement corrects the plot.
- Charts built from notebook data, not pasted images
- Fits and derived values recorded with the figure
- Exported into the report at full quality
Titration curve
n = 6, mean of triplicateFinding things
Search across everything you have recorded
Search runs locally against your own database. Nothing is sent anywhere to make it work, and it works with the network off.
- One query across experiments, protocols, calculations and tags
- Results grouped by what they are, with the match in context
- A command palette on ⌘K from anywhere in the application
- A graph view of how records connect
4 results across 48 experiments, 12 protocols
- Experiment2264 months agoTitration stirring time: 30 s vs 60 sMean paired difference 0.04 mL, inside the concordance tolerance.
- ProtocolSOP-TITR v5.1todayAcid–base titrationStir 30 s between additions, then read the endpoint to 0.05 mL.
- Experiment2412 months agoKHP drying time and titre reproducibilityDesiccator hold beyond 60 min gave no further reduction in SD.
- Calculationcalc-186 months agoMolarity from mass and volumen = m / M · 1000 / V — reused by 9 experiments.
The process
One continuous record, from plan to export
An experiment is not a document you write afterwards. Labtera follows the work as it happens, so the record is finished when the experiment is.
Plan
Open a protocol, set its parameters, and start an experiment from the version you intend to run.
Run
Work through the steps with timers and critical-step warnings, recording deviations as they happen.
Capture
Type measurements straight into data tables. Attach files; they are copied into the notebook.
Analyse
Apply formulas, fits and statistics to the columns you just filled, and plot them.
Link
Connect the result to the experiments and protocols it depends on, and tag what it belongs to.
Export
Produce a report in DOCX, HTML or Markdown, with the figures and tables in place.
Plan
Open a protocol, set its parameters, and start an experiment from the version you intend to run.
Run
Work through the steps with timers and critical-step warnings, recording deviations as they happen.
Capture
Type measurements straight into data tables. Attach files; they are copied into the notebook.
Analyse
Apply formulas, fits and statistics to the columns you just filled, and plot them.
Link
Connect the result to the experiments and protocols it depends on, and tag what it belongs to.
Export
Produce a report in DOCX, HTML or Markdown, with the figures and tables in place.
Architecture
Your notebook is a file on your computer
Labtera is built in two halves, and the boundary between them is why offline-first is a structural property rather than a promise you are asked to take on trust.
The notebook
on your deviceThe entire interface, and everything you write. It has no networking capability at all — it requests no network permission from the operating system, and its content security policy names no external origin.
- Experiments, protocols, measurements, figures and modification history — one SQLite database file
- Attachments, copied into the notebook folder so the record is complete and portable
- Backups, kept alongside the notebook
- Your preferences and settings
Accounts and licensing
the only cloudA separate half that can make requests, and that has no access to the notebook database — no handle to it, and no way to obtain one. It contacts the network for three purposes:
- Signing in, if you choose to have an account
- Checking the licence you hold
- Sending a diagnostic report — only if you ask, and after you have read it
There is no analytics, no telemetry and no tracking in the application.
The boundary is enforced by a check that fails the build if the networked half ever acquires a database handle. The hosts the application may contact are compiled into the binary and cannot be changed at runtime — not by us, and not by anyone who edits a file on your machine.
Security & privacy
Boundaries you can check, not assurances
The useful version of a privacy claim is one that names a limit. These are the limits Labtera is built to, in the same terms its privacy policy states them.
Your research stays local
Experiments, protocols, measurements, figures and attachments are stored in the application’s own folder on your device. There is no notebook syncing and no cloud copy of your work.
Accounts are separate from the notebook
Signing in is optional and touches only your account. The half of the application that authenticates has no route to your notebook data.
Licensing is separate again
A licence check confirms what you hold. It carries no notebook content, and an installation identifier used to count activations is not a profile of your work.
No analytics or telemetry
The application contains no analytics, no telemetry and no tracking. A diagnostic report is sent only if you ask for it, and only after you have read what it contains.
Open, readable formats
The notebook is a single SQLite database and a folder of your original files. It does not become unreadable if you stop paying, stop signing in, or go offline.
The work is yours
You can export a complete report at any time in DOCX, HTML or Markdown, and copy the notebook folder wherever you like.
The full text is in the privacy policy.
Built for researchers who want their notebook to move as fast as they do.
Labtera is a desktop application for macOS and Windows. Your notebook is a file on your own computer, and it stays readable whether or not you are signed in.