COMPARISON
LimsRat vs. a spreadsheet
A shared spreadsheet is a perfectly reasonable way to start tracking samples. This page is about where it keeps working, and where it quietly stops.
| What matters | Spreadsheet | LimsRat |
|---|---|---|
| Two people editing at once | Last save silently wins | Flagged as a conflict, resolved by a person |
| Who changed what, and when | Only if you remember to check version history | Append-only audit log on every sample |
| Expiring samples or reagents | Manual, if anyone remembers to look | Automatic expiry banners |
| Logging from the bench | Type into a phone browser or walk to a laptop | Scan a QR code from a phone browser |
| Finding where a sample physically is | A text column, if it's kept up to date | A freezer/storage map |
| Workflow stage / status | A status column you filter by | Kanban board and workflow map |
| Owning your own data | Yes — it's a file | Yes — in your browser, or as plain JSON on your own disk if you connect a folder |
| Cost | Free (or bundled in an existing office plan) | Free up to 5 devices, $9/mo per lab for 10 devices plus bulk labels and reports |
Where a spreadsheet is still fine
If it's genuinely one person tracking a handful of samples with no concurrent editing, no compliance need for an audit trail, and no urgency around expiry dates — a spreadsheet is not broken, and there's no reason to switch it out from under yourself.
Bringing your existing sheet over
LimsRat's CSV import walks you through mapping your existing spreadsheet columns to its fields, so switching isn't a blank-slate restart — your current sample list comes with you.
Import your CSVMore: the full pitch for small labs, or the pricing.