Lost samples ruin your experiments faster than anything.
If you’re tired of searching through freezers or constantly losing track of critical vials, you’re not alone—manual inventory chaos is a real problem in most research labs.
After analyzing the leading lab inventory tools, my research shows wasted hours and failed experiments are the result when you can’t reliably track or locate samples.
SciSure flips the script by giving you a visual, live map of your storage, custom sample tracking, and real-time barcode scanning—so inventory checks, stock alerts, and audit trails actually work as promised.
In this SciSure review, I’ll show you how you can finally gain full control over your lab inventory without endless spreadsheets or manual logs.
We’ll break down the core features, pricing, setup process, and compare SciSure against other sample management solutions to help you evaluate the fit for your lab.
You’ll walk away with the insights and confidence to pick the features you need to end sample confusion for good.
Let’s get started.
Quick Summary
- eLabNext is an integrated digital lab platform that centralizes experiment documentation, sample tracking, and protocol management for life science research.
- Best for academic labs, biotech startups, and R&D departments needing unified ELN and sample inventory management.
- You’ll appreciate its strong integration between electronic lab notebook and inventory modules that improves data integrity and compliance.
- eLabNext offers custom pricing based on users and modules, with a 30-day free trial and flexible cloud or on-premise deployment.
SciSure Overview
SciSure is the inventory management solution from eLabNext, an Eppendorf brand. It originated with Bio-ITech, a company founded in the Netherlands in 2010 to help digitize modern labs.
What truly sets them apart is their sharp focus on labs needing integrated sample management with their electronic lab notebook. This is aimed squarely at academic and biotech startups overwhelmed by scattered data and disconnected tools.
The pivotal development I noted for this SciSure review was Eppendorf’s 2017 acquisition. That strategic move integrated the tool into its digital lab suite and led to its rebranding as eLabInventory.
Unlike massive, complex LIMS systems that require extensive IT support, SciSure provides practical inventory management for research. I find it feels like it was built by scientists who understand the pain of a disorganized freezer.
They work with a wide range of organizations, including university research groups, growing biotech firms, and corporate R&D teams who need to centralize valuable sample and reagent data for their teams.
From my analysis, their strategic priority is the unified digital lab platform. For you, this means a single source of truth connecting your digital experiment notes directly to the physical location of every vial.
Now let’s examine their core capabilities.
SciSure Features
Still relying on fragmented lab data?
SciSure aims to tackle the complexities of lab management with an integrated digital ecosystem. These are the five core SciSure solutions that transform how your research team operates.
1. eLabJournal (Electronic Lab Notebook – ELN)
Still losing crucial data in paper notebooks?
Scattered notes and insecure paper records lead to lost data, making collaboration difficult. This frustrates scientists trying to track experiments effectively.
SciSure’s eLabJournal is your digital hub for documenting experiments with rich text, images, and direct links to inventory. What I found impressive is how reusable templates ensure consistent documentation, streamlining your entire research process. This eliminates data siloing.
You gain a time-stamped, searchable record of all research, crucial for protecting intellectual property and enabling knowledge transfer within your lab.
2. eLabInventory (Sample Management/LIMS)
Lost samples costing you valuable time?
Manual sample tracking is chaotic and error-prone, leading to lost samples and wasted time searching. This can derail experiments and waste expensive reagents.
SciSure’s eLabInventory builds a visual digital twin of your lab’s storage units. You can define sample types, generate barcodes, and use a mobile app for check-in/out. Checking samples in/out is intuitive, tracking quantities and sending low-stock alerts.
You gain a real-time, accurate view of your inventory, reducing search time and preventing costly failures from misplaced or expired materials.
3. eLabProtocols (Protocol & SOP Management)
Outdated protocols causing inconsistencies?
Managing SOPs manually leads to inconsistent procedures and confusion among team members. This can compromise data quality and lead to compliance issues.
SciSure’s eLabProtocols acts as a central repository for your lab’s guides. Create step-by-step, request reviews, and get sign-offs. Approved protocols link directly to experiments, ensuring everyone uses the correct, current version. Updates push seamlessly.
This streamlines protocol management and training, enforcing consistency. You can easily maintain compliance with quality standards like GxP and keep your team aligned.
4. Compliance & Security Module
Struggling with complex regulatory compliance?
Operating in regulated environments like FDA or GxP requires strict data integrity and security. Meeting these requirements manually is often complex and error-prone.
This optional SciSure solution enforces FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance. It includes electronic signatures, reason-for-change prompts, and a comprehensive, unalterable audit trail. This is where SciSure truly excels for regulated labs, a vital feature.
You gain peace of mind and a clear path to regulatory compliance, making audits significantly less painful. This ensures data integrity and security for your research.
5. The SciSure Marketplace
Need custom features without software bloat?
Labs often have specialized needs that standard software doesn’t address. Adding too many custom features can make a platform clunky and expensive.
The SciSure Marketplace is an app store for your lab software. It offers dozens of add-ons—free or paid—providing extra functionality like chemical structure drawing. This extends functionality cleanly, allowing you to integrate niche tools for specific workflows.
You can customize the platform to fit your lab’s specific needs, paying only for advanced features you actually require, without cluttering the core system.
Pros & Cons
- ✅ Seamless integration across journal, inventory, and protocol management.
- ✅ Robust audit trail and compliance features crucial for regulated labs.
- ✅ Highly responsive and helpful customer support, open to user suggestions.
- ⚠️ User interface can feel less modern and occasionally clunky to navigate.
- ⚠️ Reports of slow loading times with larger datasets or complex inventory.
- ⚠️ Basic reporting and analytics lack custom dashboards and high-level insights.
You’ll appreciate how these SciSure solutions work together to create an integrated digital ecosystem, not just separate tools. This cohesion ensures consistent data and streamlines your lab workflow, boosting overall efficiency for your team.
SciSure Pricing
Pricing models can often be a black box.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: Before diving deeper, you might find my analysis of best digital adoption platform helpful.
SciSure pricing operates on a custom quote model, meaning you won’t find public tiers. This approach ensures your costs are tailored precisely to your lab’s unique requirements, aligning what you pay with the specific value you receive.
Cost Breakdown
- Base Platform: Custom quote
- User Licenses: ~$400-$800/user/year (commercial); lower for academic
- Implementation: Varies significantly by deployment (On-Premise highest)
- Integrations: Additional fees for specialized Marketplace add-ons
- Key Factors: Number of users, specific modules, deployment option
1. Pricing Model & Cost Factors
Understanding their approach helps.
SciSure’s pricing is structured as an annual subscription, primarily priced per user, with your final cost depending heavily on specific modules (ELN, Inventory, Protocols) and deployment choices. From my cost analysis, this means pricing adapts directly to your lab’s scale, whether you opt for cloud, private cloud, or a more expensive on-premise setup for complete data control.
Budget-wise, this provides a flexible yet predictable expense as your operational needs evolve over time.
2. Value Assessment & ROI
Is this investment justified?
From my cost analysis, SciSure’s integrated suite offers significant ROI by unifying disparate lab operations, reducing manual errors, and improving data integrity crucial for compliance. The efficiency gains from centralizing ELN, inventory, and protocols can reduce costly research bottlenecks and data loss. This comprehensive solution often presents a strong value proposition compared to managing multiple, disconnected systems.
This helps your budget by streamlining operations, potentially saving more in productivity than the software costs.
3. Budget Planning & Implementation
Plan for the full picture.
Beyond the annual subscription, consider the total cost of ownership which includes potential costs for specialized Marketplace integrations and significant implementation services, especially for on-premise deployments. What I found regarding pricing is that initial setup can be a substantial upfront investment. Your specific requirements will dictate the complexity and associated budget for a smooth rollout.
So for your business, expect to allocate sufficient budget beyond the subscription fee for full deployment success.
My Take: SciSure’s custom pricing is ideal for labs needing a scalable, integrated solution, as it offers tailored costs reflective of specific module usage and deployment complexity, rather than rigid tiers.
The overall SciSure pricing reflects customized value aligned with your lab’s operational needs.
SciSure Reviews
Real user feedback reveals the truth.
I dive into authentic SciSure reviews to uncover what customers truly think. This analysis synthesizes feedback from platforms like G2 and Capterra, offering a balanced perspective on user experiences. You’ll find common praises and frequent complaints.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: Speaking of user feedback, if you’re looking to help customers resolve issues, check out my guide on best customer self-service software.
1. Overall User Satisfaction
Users express clear satisfaction.
From my review analysis, SciSure consistently earns high ratings, often averaging 4.5 out of 5 stars on platforms like G2. What I found in user feedback is a strong positive sentiment, indicating customers appreciate its comprehensive design. Its ability to centralize lab data receives frequent positive mentions across many reviews.
This high satisfaction stems from its integrated approach, which streamlines workflows and improves data traceability. You can expect improved efficiency from these connected features.
2. Common Praise Points
Integration stands out.
Users consistently highlight the seamless integration between lab modules like inventory (SciSure) and ELN. From customer feedback, the powerful audit trail and compliance features are repeatedly praised. This connectivity streamlines documentation, making data tracing and intellectual property protection much easier for your lab.
These strengths mean your lab achieves better organization and meets regulatory needs efficiently. Potential users gain a truly unified data system.
3. Frequent Complaints
Some areas need polish.
Despite overall satisfaction, some SciSure reviews point to common frustrations. What stands out in user feedback is a less modern or intuitive user interface, sometimes described as “clunky.” Performance can also be an issue, with reports of slow loading times for large datasets.
These complaints concern user experience, not core functionality. While annoying, they aren’t deal-breakers, but anticipate some UI navigation challenges.
What Customers Say
- Positive: “The best part is how it integrates with experiments. We link samples, making documentation robust and easy to trace.”
- Constructive: “The interface can sometimes be slow and not very intuitive. Finding a specific setting requires clicking through several menus.”
- Bottom Line: “SciSure offers robust features for lab management, though the user interface could use modernization for a smoother experience.”
Overall, SciSure reviews reflect a highly capable system, especially for regulated labs. What I found is genuine user satisfaction with acknowledged rough edges. You can trust this software for robust data management.
Best SciSure Alternatives
Seeking the perfect lab management fit?
The best SciSure alternatives include several strong options, each better suited for different lab sizes, research focuses, and compliance priorities, helping you find your ideal digital lab solution.
1. Benchling
Focused on cutting-edge biologics research?
Benchling excels when your research is heavily focused on cutting-edge biologics, such as gene editing or antibody discovery, requiring a deeply scientific, molecule-aware platform. What I found comparing options is that Benchling provides highly specialized scientific tools beyond SciSure’s general lab management, though it typically involves higher costs and greater complexity.
Choose Benchling when your core research involves advanced biologics and demands specialized, deeply scientific data management features.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: While optimizing lab operations, understanding specialized software like enterprise legal management software can also be beneficial for larger organizations.
2. Labguru
Prioritize project management and scheduling?
Labguru is a strong alternative, especially appealing to academic labs seeking an all-in-one system with robust project management. It includes integrated equipment scheduling, which is potentially stronger than SciSure’s core offering. Alternative-wise, Labguru offers enhanced project and equipment management built directly into its platform, giving you a comprehensive solution.
Choose Labguru if you’re in academia prioritizing strong project management and integrated equipment scheduling alongside ELN and inventory.
3. Scinote
Is GxP compliance your highest priority?
Scinote stands out if your absolute top priority is 21 CFR Part 11 and GxP compliance, offering robust audit trails. It also provides excellent built-in project management and team workflow capabilities. Alternative-wise, Scinote prioritizes regulatory compliance and team workflows, though its inventory management is generally less robust than SciSure.
Choose Scinote when GxP compliance and integrated project/team workflows are critical, even with less robust inventory.
Quick Decision Guide
- Choose SciSure: Your sweet spot is an integrated all-in-one digital hub for general lab management.
- Choose Benchling: Your research is heavily focused on cutting-edge biologics, needing specialized tools.
- Choose Labguru: You are an academic lab prioritizing project management and equipment scheduling.
- Choose Scinote: Your top priority is GxP compliance and robust team workflows.
The best SciSure alternatives ultimately depend on your specific lab priorities and compliance needs. Assess these factors to find your ideal digital solution.
Setup & Implementation
SciSure implementation has its nuances.
A successful SciSure review highlights not just features, but the real effort in deployment. Here’s what my implementation analysis reveals about getting SciSure up and running in your lab environment.
1. Setup Complexity & Timeline
It’s not just plug-and-play.
The initial cloud setup for SciSure is straightforward, but the real work involves configuring the system to match your lab’s unique structure. This includes defining sample types, mapping storage, and building experiment templates. From my implementation analysis, this initial configuration takes significant time to perfect and ensure accuracy for long-term use.
You’ll need to allocate dedicated time and resources upfront for detailed system configuration and data structuring.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: Speaking of managing detailed data, you might find my guide on best statistical analysis software helpful for deeper insights.
2. Technical Requirements & Integration
Data migration presents the biggest hurdle.
Migrating existing data from spreadsheets or other LIMS systems is often the most challenging part of your SciSure implementation. While their support can assist, it requires careful planning from your team. What I found about deployment is that data cleansing and mapping are critical for a smooth transition without data integrity issues.
Prepare your data meticulously and budget for potential professional services to ensure a clean, accurate migration.
3. Training & Change Management
User adoption needs thoughtful strategy.
Despite a generally learnable interface, SciSure’s feature depth means formal training is highly recommended for your team to become proficient. Expect a learning curve of several weeks for users to fully adapt. From my analysis, effective change management prevents adoption roadblocks and maximizes your team’s efficiency post-deployment.
Plan for comprehensive user training programs and designate internal champions to drive successful adoption.
4. Support & Success Factors
Vendor support makes a difference.
SciSure offers excellent customer support that is responsive and open to new feature suggestions, which is invaluable during implementation. Their help with onboarding, documentation, and webinars significantly aids your team. Implementation-wise, proactive engagement with support accelerates problem-solving and ensures a smoother go-live.
Leverage their support resources fully and maintain clear communication channels for a successful deployment.
Implementation Checklist
- Timeline: Several weeks to months for full configuration and proficiency
- Team Size: Dedicated project lead, lab staff, and IT support
- Budget: Beyond software: professional services, staff training time
- Technical: Existing data migration, system-specific configuration
- Success Factor: Meticulous upfront planning and data preparation
Overall, successful SciSure implementation requires careful planning and dedicated effort, especially in data preparation and user training. Assess your internal resources and readiness before committing.
Who’s SciSure For
Discover your perfect lab software fit.
This SciSure review section helps you identify if this lab management software aligns with your operational needs. We break down who benefits most, considering your business profile, team size, and primary use cases.
1. Ideal User Profile
Ideal for integrated lab management.
SciSure is perfectly suited for academic research labs, small-to-medium biotech companies, and R&D/QC departments within larger organizations. From my user analysis, labs outgrowing manual processes will find its unified ELN, LIMS, and protocol features transformative. It empowers teams needing comprehensive digital oversight.
These users thrive by consolidating scattered data into a single, compliant system, streamlining their research workflows and ensuring data integrity.
2. Business Size & Scale
Optimized for growing lab operations.
SciSure best serves labs with 5 to 50+ users, often those transitioning from spreadsheets to a dedicated system. What I found about target users is that mid-sized teams seeking digital transformation will appreciate its scalability without overwhelming complexity. It supports operational expansion efficiently.
Your business is a good fit if you need robust functionality for a moderately sized team without the overhead of overly complex enterprise solutions.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: If you’re also looking into lab management solutions, my article on blood bank management software covers specialized inventory needs.
3. Use Case Scenarios
Unifying lab data and compliance.
SciSure excels in unifying experiment notes (ELN) with sample tracking (LIMS) and protocol management. From my analysis, it strengthens GxP compliance and audit trails, making it ideal for regulated environments. It significantly enhances collaboration and knowledge sharing across your scientific teams, reducing data silos.
This solution aligns if your priority is integrating fragmented data sources and ensuring a traceable, collaborative environment for your research and development needs.
4. Who Should Look Elsewhere
Not for hyper-specialized research.
If your lab’s work is extremely niche, like advanced biologics R&D requiring highly specialized modules, SciSure might not be the optimal fit. From my user analysis, some highly specialized fields may need niche tools, as its analytics capabilities can be basic for complex insights.
Consider alternative niche platforms if your workflows demand hyper-specific functionalities or very advanced custom reporting dashboards and data visualization.
Best Fit Assessment
- Perfect For: Growing labs needing integrated ELN, LIMS, and compliance.
- Business Size: 5-50+ user teams outgrowing manual processes.
- Primary Use Case: Unifying experiment notes, sample tracking, and regulatory compliance.
- Budget Range: Mid-range annual investment for an integrated platform.
- Skip If: Hyper-specialized R&D or basic ELN without inventory needs.
The key takeaway from this SciSure review is to assess if your lab needs a comprehensive, integrated solution for growth. Its strengths lie in unifying diverse lab operations for efficiency and compliance.
Bottom Line
SciSure offers a compelling proposition.
This SciSure review synthesizes my comprehensive analysis to provide a clear, actionable recommendation. I’ll guide you through its core strengths, key limitations, and ideal fit for your lab.
1. Overall Strengths
SciSure truly excels in unified lab management.
From my comprehensive analysis, SciSure’s biggest advantage is its all-in-one integration of journal, inventory, and protocols. This eliminates data silos and streamlines workflows, crucial for modern research environments. Robust audit trails and compliance features further solidify its value, especially for regulated labs.
These strengths directly boost data reliability, operational efficiency, and regulatory adherence, saving your team significant time and effort.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: While discussing data reliability, remember the importance of overall system security. My article on best anti spyware software offers further insights.
2. Key Limitations
SciSure, however, presents distinct areas for improvement.
Based on this review, the user interface can often feel less modern, sometimes described as ‘clunky,’ affecting initial adoption. Performance issues, particularly with large datasets or complex inventory structures, are also reported, causing occasional delays. Reporting and analytics features are basic for deeper insights.
These aren’t deal-breakers for every lab, but you must factor them into your team’s usability expectations and workflow design.
3. Final Recommendation
So, is SciSure the right choice for your lab?
My recommendation: you should choose SciSure if your priority is an all-in-one digital hub for comprehensive lab operations, especially for compliance. It shines for labs valuing integrated data traceability and robust audit trails over a cutting-edge user interface. Its responsive customer support is also a significant plus.
Consider your lab’s scale and UI preferences. My confidence is high for compliance-focused labs prioritizing a unified system for their research data.
Bottom Line
- Verdict: Recommended with reservations
- Best For: Academic labs, biotech startups, and enterprise R&D departments seeking integrated compliance and traceability
- Biggest Strength: All-in-one integration of journal, inventory, and protocols with robust audit trails
- Main Concern: User interface intuition and performance with large datasets
- Next Step: Request a demo to assess UI and performance with your specific workflows
Overall, this SciSure review shows a powerful, integrated solution with specific strengths. While some UI refinements are needed, its core value proposition is strong. I have high confidence in this assessment for you.