Benchling Notebook vs IDBS E-WorkBook
Benchling Notebook
benchling.comIDBS E-WorkBook
idbs.comSide by side
| Figure | Benchling Notebook | IDBS E-WorkBook |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 0 |
| Spec score · Scientific Research and Laboratory Software | 8.1 (#3) | 7.9 (#5) |
| Spec score · Electronic Lab Notebook Software | 8.0 (#8) | 7.8 (#12) |
| Compliance | Benchling says its notebook supports 21 CFR Part 11 requirements with audit-ready electronic records and signatures. | IDBS states that its E-WorkBook offering is 21 CFR Part 11 and GxP compliant. |
| Founded | 2012 | 1989 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States | Woking, UK |
| Integrations | Benchling lists ecosystem integrations including AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Jupyter, Snowflake, and Titian Mosaic, along with instrument integrations through Benchling Automation. | IDBS says instruments and equipment can connect through pre-built connectors, configurable interfaces and programming interfaces. |
| Intended users | Benchling describes its customers as organizations ranging from startups to global enterprises in biopharma, agriculture, materials, and other biology-driven fields. | IDBS describes E-WorkBook as having a long history with top pharmaceutical companies and other large companies in adjacent sectors. |
| Security | Benchling says data is encrypted at rest with AES 256-bit encryption and in transit with TLS 1.2 or higher. | IDBS Cloud is built with Amazon Web Services, and IDBS says its cloud security information covers security, performance and robustness. |
Plans
In their own words
Benchling Notebook
Benchling Notebook is a cloud-based electronic lab notebook for capturing, accessing, and sharing scientific work. It keeps experiments, metadata, collaboration, and analysis together, with search, templates, and schemas for organizing records. Teams can share and co-edit entries using tags, comments, task assignments, and role-based permissions. Entries can link results to samples and experimental data, while the product describes LIMS integration for connecting samples and results. Benchling says the notebook supports 21 CFR Part 11 requirements through audit-ready electronic records and signatures. Listed ecosystem integrations include AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Jupyter, Snowflake, and Titian Mosaic, with instrument connections through Benchling Automation. Developer tools include REST APIs, a Python SDK, webhooks, an application framework, and a Postgres SQL data warehouse. Benchling states that data is encrypted at rest with AES 256-bit encryption and in transit with TLS 1.2 or higher, and that it maintains SOC 2 Type 2 attestation and ISO 27001:2022 certification. The free academic plan includes Notebook and Molecular Biology; industry pricing is customized.
IDBS E-WorkBook
IDBS E-WorkBook combines electronic lab notebook, laboratory execution system and LIMS capabilities for research and development. Its ELN captures experimental data and supports searching structured and unstructured content, tagging, comments, dashboards and collaboration on experiments and projects. Version control, audit trails and multi-step digital signatures support compliance workflows; IDBS states that the offering is 21 CFR Part 11 and GxP compliant. The Chemistry module supports compound and reaction drawing, reagent lookup, amount calculations, product registration and compound or substructure searches. Instrument Reader can capture measurements from networked lab equipment directly into the notebook, while inventory tracking records equipment and raw material use across experiments. The product supports cloud and on-premise deployments, with browser access and APIs for connecting systems and instruments. E-WorkBook Request is a managed SaaS environment with a guaranteed 99% uptime and a REST API. IDBS says its cloud is built on Amazon Web Services and identifies ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 management systems, as well as SOC 1, SOC 2 and SOC 3 data-center certifications. Pricing is available on request.