Chemotion ELN vs RSpace
Chemotion ELN
chemotion.netRSpace
researchspace.comSide by side
| Figure | Chemotion ELN | RSpace |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $500/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 6 |
| Spec score · Electronic Lab Notebook Software | 8.4 (#6) | 8.7 (#4) |
| Deployment | For routine use, groups, institutions, or universities can install Chemotion ELN on their own IT facilities using ChemCLI or a manual installation. | Enterprise customers can choose on-premises deployment or a private AWS instance in a location of their choice. |
| Integrations | The ELN supports OpenStats and a TLC Image Annotation Tool as third-party applications. | The site advertises more than 20 integrations spanning storage, repositories, data-management-plan tools, chemistry, biology, instruments and collaboration software. |
| Intended users | The project says the ELN was initially targeted at chemists and has attracted interest from other fields, particularly biochemistry. | The company describes its work as serving researchers, research data managers, librarians, stewards, research computing specialists, and policymakers. |
| Security | The documentation says Chemotion passwords are encrypted and describes password hashing for database authentication. | RSpace states that user data is encrypted at rest and over a network and that it supports 21 CFR Part 11 compliance and GLP. |
| Support | Users can contact the team through the Helpdesk, and the project offers a live demo and Q&A session every three months plus introductions or group workshops on request. | The contact page offers a support team and knowledge base, while Enterprise includes live chat and premium email support. |
Plans
RSpace
- RSpace Open SourceFree
- Team (Academia)$6,000 a year
- Team (Commercial)$12,000 a year
- Enterprise (Academia)$34,000 a year
- Enterprise (Commercial)$34,000 a year
- InfrastructurePriced on request
In their own words
Chemotion ELN
Chemotion ELN is a web-based electronic laboratory notebook for research data, with a focus on chemistry. It organizes projects into collections and supports records for samples, reactions, wellplates, research plans, QR codes, barcodes, and analytical data through ChemSpectra. Sample records can hold molecular structures, amounts, and properties such as purity, while reaction records capture conditions and products. Instrument data can be added by email, networked storage, or manual transfer, with documented examples including NMR, GC, and LC. Accounts belong to individual users, while shared and synchronized collections allow sharing elements and assigning roles. The system can transfer selected information to Chemotion Repository for sharing and archiving, and supports OpenStats and a TLC Image Annotation Tool. Groups, institutions, and universities can install it on their own IT facilities using the documented Docker-based approach. Free academic use is a project principle. A test version is available for demonstration and time-limited evaluation, but data may be lost and some functions are unavailable. Chemotion requires a network connection, has no standalone version, and recommends Chrome because some functions are limited in Firefox and Edge.
RSpace
RSpace is an open-source electronic research notebook and research data management platform for research workflows. Its web application supports real-time collaboration, granular sharing controls, comments and annotations, with full-text and metadata search. Chemistry teams can draw compounds and calculate stoichiometry for reaction planning, while RSpace Inventory tracks samples alongside notebook documentation. Forms provide structured fields and ontology integration for FAIR metadata. Records can be exported as HTML, XML, PDF, DOC, JSON and RO-Crate. A RESTful API supports custom integrations. RSpace states that data is encrypted at rest and over networks and supports 21 CFR Part 11 and GLP. Research Space identifies ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certification. Deployment can be self-installed, managed in a private AWS instance, or run on premises for Enterprise. Plans include a free open-source option, Team plans at $6,000 a year and $12,000 a year, and Enterprise at $34,000 a year.