Chemotion ELN vs Signals Notebook
Chemotion ELN
chemotion.netSignals Notebook
revvitysignals.comSide by side
| Figure | Chemotion ELN | Signals Notebook |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · Electronic Lab Notebook Software | 8.4 (#6) | 7.9 (#10) |
| Integrations | The ELN supports OpenStats and a TLC Image Annotation Tool as third-party applications. | The product page names ChemDraw, Spotfire, Signals DLX instrument data capture, inventory management, and open APIs for LIMS, ERP, and other systems. |
| Intended users | The project says the ELN was initially targeted at chemists and has attracted interest from other fields, particularly biochemistry. | The product is presented for research teams in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, chemicals and materials, and food, flavor, and fragrance. |
| Purpose | Chemotion ELN is an open-source electronic laboratory notebook for research data management, initially aimed at chemists and also used by researchers in fields including biochemistry. | Signals Notebook is a cloud-based electronic lab notebook for capturing, organizing, and sharing R&D data across pharmaceutical, biotech, chemical, materials, and food science teams. |
| Security | The documentation says Chemotion passwords are encrypted and describes password hashing for database authentication. | Revvity describes Signals Notebook as SOC 2 certified, hosted on AWS, encrypted at rest and in transit, and supporting role-based permissions and multi-factor authentication. |
| 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 trial FAQ points users to in-product help resources including a Quick Start Guide, training videos, and a User Guide. |
Plans
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.
Signals Notebook
Signals Notebook is a cloud-based electronic laboratory notebook for capturing, organizing, and sharing research data. It is presented for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical, materials, and food, flavor, and fragrance teams. Experiment records support flexible templates, rich text, embedded media, folders, tags, full-text search, automatic versioning, and audit trails. Native ChemDraw integration handles stoichiometry and searches by CAS number, structure, or name, with PubChem safety information. Teams can share notebooks, comment, review and approve entries with electronic signatures, receive notifications, and apply granular permissions. Named connections include Spotfire, Signals DLX instrument capture, inventory management, and open APIs for LIMS, ERP, and other systems. The product describes 21 CFR Part 11 support, SOC 2 and ISO 27001 security programs, encryption, multifactor authentication, and automated backups. It runs in browsers on web, macOS, Windows, and API environments.