A Lab Information Management System aka LIMS is software used in laboratory and/or hospital settings for managing medical records, client data, inventory, etc.
Some hospitals and clinics either hire developers to create a bespoke LIMS or subscribe to using premium services that offer the necessary features straight out of the box with room for customization.
Read Also: Top 11 Free Linux DICOM Viewers for Doctors
While either of the aforementioned access ways to a LIMS is advised for reasons like feature upgrades, security, UI/UX, and support, there are a handful of free and open source alternatives that offer a good enough experience as the paid ones and we have compiled a list for you in no particular order.
1. Senaite
Senaite is a robust web-based LIMS/LIS built upon the Plone CMS infrastructure in Python. It is in active development with a lot of customization room for developers e.g. its excellent implementation of RESTful JSON API and Modularity.
It features a beautiful, responsive GUI with a customizable and colourful dashboard. Senaite can also run on Linux servers and it is easy to learn to use.
Senaite – Enterprise Laboratory Information Management System
2. Open LIMS
Open LIMS was registered in 2010 and has not been updated since 2016 but since its download count continues to increase, the developers must have done some things right.
It was developed using PHP and PostgreSQL to run on Linux servers and in any modern web browser and it features a friendly GUI. You can extend its features using free extensions for different types of projects.
Open-LIMS – Open-Source Laboratory Information Management System
3. Baobab LIMS
Baobab LIMS is web-based, community-driven, completely customizable, and user-friendly. It was built by African and European researchers for the purpose of managing biospecimens.
Like Senaite, its code is written in Python with its code based on Plone CMS. It has comprehensive documentation and a community always ready to help users find their way around it.
Baobab LIMS – Open Source LIMS for Biobanking
4. MetaLIMS
MetaLIMS is an easy-to-setup web-based LIMS that focuses on genome processing and metadata collection. It is built using PHP and MySQL and it features a responsive GUI.
MetaLIMS makes it easy for users, whether tech savvy or not, to create new fields for storing data appropriately. It has comprehensive documentation and can be used with AWS Lightsail among other services.
MetaLIMS – Open Source LIMS for Small Metagenomic Labs
5. Bika LIMS
Bika LIMS tags itself the “best professionally supported OS LIMS by far” and given its large user base, it is difficult to doubt its reliability. It is the oldest and most popular open source LIMS with several derivatives under its belt such as Bika Water, Bika Cannabis LIMS, Bika Health, and Bika Interlab.
Bika health is web-based with a responsive UI for use on mobile and tablet devices and a focus on tools needed for lab inventory, cataloguing, reporting, etc.
Bika LIMS – Open Source LIMS
6. C4G Basic Laboratory Information System
C4G BLIS was developed by the joint effort of Computing for Good (C4G) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Ministries of Health of several countries in Africa, and the Georgia Institute of Technology.
It is mainly used for tracking patients, lab results, and specimens and all research work on the system can be found via the links on its website.
7. ERPNext – Lab Management Module
ERPNext is an Enterprise Resource software that gives users complete control of their businesses and it features several modules. The ERPNext Lab Management Module is what we are interested in.
ERPNext Lab Management Module is built in Python, MySQL, and NodeJS and it features a responsive GUI. It also features integrated modules for inventory management, patient billing, consultations, appointments, etc.
ERPNext is a free and open-source integrated Enterprise Resource Planning software
8. eLabFTW
eLabFTW is a web-based LIMS with a focus on inventory management, security, and flexibility. It is built using PHP and MySQL and it features a responsive GUI for use on mobile and tablet devices.
Also, unlike other titles in this list, eLabFTW offers users a SAML2 authentication, a scheduler, a file manager, and molecules drawing.
eLabFTW – Open Source Electronic Lab Notebook
9. Clover
Clover is a PHP5 LIMS designed for the purpose of providing a means for easily making biological documentations as well as managing and search lab resources.
Built by a plant biologist for biology laboratories, especially plant labs, Clover excels at managing order requests, creating reports, cataloguing, etc.
Clover – Open Source LIMS for Biology Labs
10. GNU LIMS/Occhiolino
GNU LIMS, also known as Occhiolino, is listed last but is definitely not the least. It is a modern, scalable, and flexible LIMS with automatic interfacing with lab analyzers, real-time lab test processing, and full integration with GNU Health built to serve in the biomedical sciences.
It features functionality for accounting, managing stock, working with digital signatures, reporting, invoicing, auditing, managing workflows, etc. It also supports multiple languages, plugins to extend its feature list, and is powered by the open source community.
GNU LIMS – Open Source LIMS for Healthcare
That ends our list of LIMS suggestions. All the listed software are both free and open source with comprehensive documentation and a supportive community for beginner users.
If you know other reliable LIMS software feel free to drop your suggestions in the comments section below.
