Eight distributions
Normal, Student's t, gamma, Weibull, log-normal, exponential, Bernoulli and Poisson with PDF, CDF, inverse CDF and moments.
Technology
Built for science, compiled for speed.
A purpose-built desktop platform: a native statistical engine, a unified file layer with cloud sync, and a pipeline from raw data to publication-ready figures. Everything runs on your machine.
70+statistical functions, native
25+chart types, one data model
mstypical test latency
0servers between you and a result
Statistical engine
A native engine, numerically careful
Written in Rust and compiled ahead of time. No browser statistics library, no cloud round-trip, and the same answer on every machine.
Descriptive statistics
Mean, median, variance, skewness, kurtosis, IQR, arbitrary quantiles and trimmed statistics, computed with Welford's algorithm and compensated summation.
Parametric tests
z-tests, one-sample, two-sample, Welch and paired t-tests, chi-square goodness of fit and independence, one- and two-way ANOVA.
Non-parametric tests
Mann–Whitney U, Wilcoxon signed-rank, Kruskal–Wallis and Friedman for data that does not meet parametric assumptions.
Assumption checks
Shapiro–Wilk, Anderson–Darling, Kolmogorov–Smirnov and Jarque–Bera normality; Levene, Bartlett and Mood's median for variances, with a recommended test.
Correlation and effect sizes
Pearson, Spearman and Kendall with confidence intervals; Cohen's d, Hedges' g, Glass's delta, Cliff's delta, eta-, omega- and partial eta-squared, Cohen's f.
Power and multiple comparisons
Power and minimum detectable effect for one- and two-sample designs; Benjamini–Hochberg, Benjamini–Yekutieli, Holm and Bonferroni adjustment.
Multivariate and mixtures
PCA, k-means and Gaussian mixture models, with log-normal and multi-peak fitting for distributions that are not one population.
Survival and time series
Kaplan–Meier with confidence bands and Cox proportional hazards; ARIMA, ACF and PACF, Ljung–Box.
Curve fitting
Levenberg–Marquardt non-linear least squares with automatic peak detection and characterisation.
Meta-analysis
Forest plots with fixed and random effects; I², Cochran's Q and τ² heterogeneity.
Outliers and transforms
Grubbs, Dixon's Q, generalised ESD, modified z-score and IQR methods; Box–Cox and Yeo–Johnson with automatic lambda selection.
Workflow
From raw data to publication, in one application
Step 01
Import
Open CSV or Excel, or paste. A multi-tier parser copes with merged cells, formulas, hidden columns and multi-sheet workbooks.
importStep 02
Explore
Column types are detected, descriptive statistics and previews appear before you choose an analysis. No manual casting.
exploreStep 03
Analyze
70+ statistical functions in the native engine. Hypothesis tests, normality checks, correlations, survival: results in milliseconds.
analyzeStep 04
Visualize
25+ chart types with real-time editing, from histograms and raincloud plots to survival curves, forest plots and PCA biplots.
visualizeStep 05
Refine
Gaussian fitting, significance brackets and journal templates. Apply a Nature or Cell style and the chart reformats instantly.
refineStep 06
Export
SVG, PDF or PNG up to 1200 DPI, or a .labt file that keeps the full chart state for later editing.
export
File platform
Your research, organised
An Explorer-style file manager built for scientific work, with cloud sync, team sharing and offline access.
Three storage types
Personal cloud storage, team-shared folders and pinned offline files in one interface with tabs and split view.
Offline sync
Pin files or whole folders. Background sync with conflict detection when you reconnect.
Team workspaces
Storage isolated per team with role-based access. Upload, organise and collaborate on data files.
Search and tags
Tag files with experimental metadata and search filenames and tags fuzzily.
Drag and drop
Move between personal, team and offline storage by dragging. Drop files from the desktop to import.
Versions and trash
Autosave with retention, soft delete with restore. Uploads are tracked in the file index the moment they start.
Why native matters
Your data never leaves your machine unless you send it
- Compiled code. The statistical engine is Rust compiled ahead of time, not interpreted JavaScript.
- Parallel. Large datasets are processed across CPU cores.
- Numerically stable. Welford's online moments, Kahan summation, log-sum-exp: the floating-point traps naive implementations fall into are handled.
- No cloud dependency for analysis. Works in airplane mode and behind firewalls.
- Scales from ten rows to ten million without changing tools.
Stack
Tauri 2 and Rust for the desktop shell and engine; React 19 and TypeScript for the interface; Plotly for interactive rendering; Hasura GraphQL over PostgreSQL with row-level security for records; Zitadel for OAuth 2.0 / OpenID Connect; S3-compatible object storage for files; LiveKit for calling; a local JSON-RPC server and MCP adapter for automation.
RustTauri 2React 19PlotlyGraphQLPostgreSQLS3MCP
A different approach. Browser-based tools lean on JavaScript statistics libraries. LabTools runs every computation through a purpose-built native engine compiled into the desktop application, so analyses run faster, handle larger datasets, and give numerically identical results regardless of operating system.
How LabTools compares
LabTools and the tools labs already use
An honest comparison with GraphPad Prism, Origin, Excel, R and Python, JMP, SPSS and electronic lab notebooks: what each one does better, what LabTools adds, and when to pick which. Many labs use more than one.
| Tool | What it is | Licence | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| LabTools | Research app: analysis, plots, lab records, collaboration | Free (early access) | Windows, macOS (Apple Silicon), Linux, web, iPhone (beta) |
| GraphPad Prism | Statistics and graphing for biology and medicine (Dotmatics) | Commercial, paid licence | Windows, macOS |
| OriginPro | Scientific graphing and data analysis (OriginLab) | Commercial, paid licence | Windows |
| Microsoft Excel | General spreadsheet (Microsoft 365) | Commercial, usually via an institutional licence | Windows, macOS, web, mobile |
| R and Python | Programming languages with scientific libraries | Free, open source | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| JMP | Visual statistics software (JMP Statistical Discovery, from SAS) | Commercial, paid licence | Windows, macOS |
| IBM SPSS Statistics | Menu-driven statistics package (IBM) | Commercial, paid licence | Windows, macOS |
| Benchling, LabArchives and other ELNs | Electronic lab notebooks and lab-data platforms | Commercial; often licensed by the institution | Web (browser), with mobile apps for some |
LabTools vs GraphPad Prism
Where GraphPad Prism is stronger
- The long-standing standard for biostatistics figures; reviewers and lab members already know it.
- Guided analysis choices and a very mature nonlinear regression and curve-fitting library.
- Years of validation and countless citations in published papers.
What LabTools adds
- Free, with every feature unlocked.
- Runs on Linux and in the browser as well as Windows and macOS, on one account.
- The analysis lives inside the experiment record, next to the protocols, notebook, raw files and collaborators.
- Plots feed multi-panel figures and the manuscript, so a change in the data flows through.
- Team workspaces, cross-lab collaborations, chat and calls are built in.
Choose GraphPad Prism if your lab is standardised on Prism files, or you depend on a specific Prism analysis or its curve-fitting library.
Choose LabTools if you want Prism-style publication plots and the common tests for free, plus a shared home for each experiment and the manuscript built from it.
LabTools vs OriginPro
Where OriginPro is stronger
- Very deep plot customisation, 3D graphs and large plot galleries.
- Strong peak analysis, signal processing and spectroscopy tools, popular in physics, chemistry and materials science.
- Long-established scripting (LabTalk, plus Python) and app add-ons.
What LabTools adds
- Free, and runs on macOS, Linux, the web and iPhone, not only Windows.
- Built around the experiment and the lab: records, protocols, notebook, team storage and collaborators.
- AFM force-curve analysis (Young's modulus, breakthrough forces) on Asylum, JPK and Bruker files.
Choose OriginPro if you need Origin's depth for spectra, peak fitting, signal processing or highly customised engineering plots.
Choose LabTools if you want publication figures, the standard biostatistics and the lab's records and collaborators in one free app.
LabTools vs Microsoft Excel
Where Microsoft Excel is stronger
- Everyone already has it and knows it; ideal for quick data entry and tables.
- Flexible formulas for any ad-hoc calculation.
What LabTools adds
- Statistical tests with assumption checks, effect sizes and multiple-comparison correction, not just formulas.
- Publication-ready charts (raincloud, survival, volcano, forest, PCA and more) without manual formatting.
- Results that stay linked to the data and the experiment, which spreadsheets make hard to reproduce.
- LabTools imports your Excel files directly, so you can keep using Excel for entry.
Choose Microsoft Excel if you only need data entry, simple sums or a quick table.
Choose LabTools if the data is heading for a statistical test, a figure or a paper.
LabTools vs R and Python
Where R and Python is stronger
- Unlimited methods: almost any statistical model or plot exists as a package.
- Fully scriptable and reproducible, and the standard for large or custom analyses.
What LabTools adds
- No programming needed for the everyday tests and figures, so everyone in the lab can do them.
- Lab records, protocols, notebooks, team storage and collaboration, which a language does not provide.
- Still scriptable when you want it: a command-line tool, code cells and an MCP server for AI agents such as Claude.
Choose R and Python if you need a method LabTools does not have, a large pipeline, or full control in code.
Choose LabTools if you want the common analyses and figures point-and-click, with the experiment and the team around them; keep R or Python for the specialised parts.
LabTools vs JMP
Where JMP is stronger
- Excellent design of experiments (DOE) and interactive, exploratory statistics.
- Broad, validated statistical coverage used heavily in industry and quality work.
What LabTools adds
- Free, and runs on Linux, the web and iPhone too.
- Publication-style figures, multi-panel figures and the manuscript in the same app.
- Experiment records, protocols, notebook and collaboration for a research group.
Choose JMP if you need design of experiments or JMP's depth in exploratory and industrial statistics.
Choose LabTools if you run academic lab experiments and want the analysis, figures, records and collaborators in one free app.
LabTools vs IBM SPSS Statistics
Where IBM SPSS Statistics is stronger
- Very broad classical statistics, widely taught in social, behavioural and clinical sciences.
- Strong handling of survey and questionnaire data.
What LabTools adds
- Free, with publication-ready charts built for lab and life-science data.
- Lab records, protocols, notebook, team storage and collaboration.
- Figures and the manuscript assembled from the same data.
Choose IBM SPSS Statistics if your field or course is built on SPSS, or you analyse surveys and questionnaires.
Choose LabTools if you run bench experiments and want the analysis next to the experiment record and the paper.
LabTools vs Benchling, LabArchives and other ELNs
Where Benchling, LabArchives and other ELNs is stronger
- Mature notebooks with institutional features such as signing, audit and compliance workflows.
- Benchling adds molecular-biology tools (sequences, plasmids, registries) and inventory.
- Often already provided and supported by your university or company.
What LabTools adds
- Real data analysis: a native statistics engine and 25+ publication-ready plot types, not just a place to attach results.
- Figure assembly and a manuscript editor fed by the same plots.
- A desktop app that works offline, plus web and iPhone.
Choose Benchling, LabArchives and other ELNs if you need a compliance-grade notebook, molecular-biology design tools, or your institution requires a specific ELN.
Choose LabTools if you want the notebook, the analysis, the figures and the manuscript in one place for your group.
When LabTools is not the right choice
- LabTools is in early access: downloads need a password, and it has far less history and fewer citations than Prism, Origin or R.
- It does not do design of experiments, and specialised methods are fewer than in R, Python, JMP or SPSS.
- There are no molecular-biology design tools (sequences, plasmids) like Benchling's, and no compliance-grade e-signatures.
- The macOS app needs an Apple Silicon Mac; there is no Android app, and the iPhone app is in beta.
- Cloud storage is capped at 50 MB per account for now; files kept on your own computer are not counted.
Is there a free alternative to GraphPad Prism?
Yes. LabTools is free and covers the analyses most labs use Prism for: t-tests, ANOVA, non-parametric tests, correlation, survival, dose–response and other curve fits, with 25+ publication-ready plot types. Prism remains stronger for its guided analyses, its mature curve-fitting library and its long track record; LabTools adds experiment records, collaboration and manuscript assembly, and runs on Linux, the web and iPhone too.
What is the best software for analysing lab data without programming?
For bench experiments the common choices are GraphPad Prism, Origin, JMP and LabTools. Prism, Origin and JMP are established commercial packages. LabTools is a free app that does the everyday tests and publication figures point-and-click and keeps them inside the experiment record with the protocols, notebook and collaborators. For methods none of them offer, R or Python is the usual next step.
Should my lab use LabTools or an electronic lab notebook like Benchling or LabArchives?
They overlap on notebooks and records. ELNs such as Benchling and LabArchives are stronger on compliance features and, for Benchling, molecular-biology tools, and are often licensed by the institution. LabTools adds real data analysis, publication figures and manuscript assembly next to the records. Some labs use an institutional ELN for compliance and LabTools for analysis and figures.
Get started
Run your first analysis in minutes
Download LabTools, drop in a CSV, and see the engine on your own data.