---
title: ELNs Revealed! (2/4) The Who, What and Why of ELNs
description: The second instalment of the ELN article series discussing who uses ELNs, what ELN they pick for their professional area, and why they picked it!
---

[ADIGILEAP Blog](https://www.adigileap.com/en/blog)

# [ELNs Revealed! (2/4) The Who, What and Why of ELNs](https://www.adigileap.com/en/blog/eln-2)

 Written by [Nathan Stanley](https://www.adigileap.com/en/blog/author/nathan) | Oct 21, 2026, 2:42:00 PM

Welcome back!

[In our last article](https://www.adigileap.com/en/blog/eln-1), we covered what an ELN actually is (to recap: it's a lot more than a digital notebook!). Now we’ll tackle the next big questions: who uses ELNs, what type of ELN is it, and why did they pick it?

 

## Who uses ELNs?

Well, if you don’t find “anyone with a lab” to be a satisfactory answer, ELNs are **primarily** used by engineers, technicians and scientists to document research, experiments, and procedures; but they’re used across a much wider range of industries and settings [\[1\]](https://genemod.net/eln-software) like:

- **Pharmaceutical & Biotech R&D** 
    - The original ELN adopters. Pharma R&D labs drove early ELN adoption back in the 1990s to improve record-keeping and protect intellectual property [\[2\]](https://intuitionlabs.ai/articles/eln-vs-lims-vs-sdms-pharma-informatics). Today, ELNs accelerate drug discovery, reduce regulatory risk, and improve research efficiency [\[3\]](https://www.lablynx.com/resources/articles/6-industries-where-an-electronic-laboratory-notebook-eln-maximizes-efficiency-and-innovation/).
- **Academic Research** 
    - Research came a bit later (as mentioned in Part 1, the private sector was way ahead). Major universities have only recently started making use of ELNs [\[4\]](https://eln.wisc.edu/about/about-electronic-lab-notebooks/), but word is spreading - in June 2024 the National Institutes of Health declared that the **only approved form of lab notebook** for its intramural researchers would be the ELN [\[5\]](https://oir.nih.gov/system/files/media/file/2024-07/best_practices-keeping_eln-trainee_0.pdf).
- **Clinical & Diagnostic Labs** 
    - There’s an eye on everything these labs do, so they need airtight audit trails and compliance with regulations like GxP and the FDA’s 21 CFR Part 11.
- **Food, Environmental & Chemical Testing** 
    - Think quality control, safety testing, and environmental monitoring. Structured data capture and traceability are critical for these industries.
- **Contract Research Organisations (CROs)** 
    - CROs collaborate across multiple clients and studies, so ELNs are essential for keeping data organised and compliant [\[6\]](https://www.csolsinc.com/resources/benefits-of-an-eln-in-biopharma).
- **Manufacturing & QC Labs** 
    - ELNs support batch records, deviations, and process documentation [\[7\]](https://www.sapiosciences.com/blog/best-elns-for-gmp-and-pharmaceutical-manufacturing/), particularly in GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) environments.

| **Did you know?** 💡 More than half (57%) of companies surveyed by The Pistoia Alliance in 2021 said they use an ELN to enable better data management, inventory management, and scientist collaboration [\[8\]](https://www.labmanager.com/how-elns-can-help-to-drive-innovation-in-life-sciences-26660). |
| --- |

 

## What types of ELN are there?

ELNs fall into a few categories and they don’t all do the same thing. Depending on your use case there could be one or multiple ELNs that you’ll find useful, and with a recent review listing **96 active ELN products** (and 76 inactive ones!) [\[9\]](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41596-021-00645-8), the market is crowded.

### **By Data**

**Specific ELNs**

Built for one discipline / type of lab data. Examples would be chemistry-focused ELNs with molecule editors, or biology-focused platforms with sequence management.

**Cross-Disciplinary (Generic) ELNs**

Flexible, broad, and suitable for organisations with diverse lab data. The Swiss Army knives of the ELN world.

 

### **By Architecture**

**Cloud-Based (Software as a Service)**

The dominant model, making up around 70% of the market [\[10\]](https://www.idbs.com/what-is-an-eln/). Accessible from anywhere (if you have permission!), automatically updated, and typically lower upfront cost. Ideal for collaboration across sites and teams.

**On-Premise**

Installed on your own servers. Preferred by organisations with strict data sovereignty requirements or those in highly regulated environments who want full control.

**Hybrid**

The best of both worlds (or the worst, depending on who you ask). Some vendors offer flexible deployment options.

 

### **By Integration Scope**

**Standalone ELNs**

Focused solely on the notebook function. Simple, clean, and does one thing well.

**Integrated Lab Platforms**

Combines ELN, LIMS, and SDMS functionality into a single environment. Efficient!

**General-Purpose Tools Used as ELNs**

Some labs use tools like OneNote, Notion, or even Jupyter notebooks as makeshift ELNs. They lack ELN-specific features like time-stamping and limited editing, but for smaller or less regulated labs they’re a decent starting point.

 

| **Did you know?** 💡 Next-generation ELN platforms are embracing AI by integrating AI agents and LLM technology to automate experiment documentation, suggest protocols, and even assist with planning [\[11\]](https://clpmag.com/lab-essentials/information-technology/middleware-software/next-gen-lab-notebook-integrates-agentic-technology/) [\[12\]](https://www.benchling.com/blog/ai-tools-for-the-modern-lab). The ELN of tomorrow might (fingers crossed) write half your notebook for you! |
| --- |

 

## So, why do they choose an ELN?

Because they need an ELN of course!

But really, the "why" varies dramatically depending on who you are. Across everything we’ve read so far, a few universal themes emerge that we explored in our first article:

- **Data Integrity**
  
    - Everyone needs trusted and traceable records.
- **Searchability**
  
    - Ever had to find that one singular file on your company SharePoint? Finding a result from 18 months ago shouldn't require manually sifting through months of data.
- **Collaboration**
  
    - Science is a team sport, and ELNs make it easier to share, review, and build on each other's work.
- **Futureproofing**
  
    - Organisations are thinking about AI-ready data foundations that will shape the next generation of R&D [\[13\]](https://www.astrixinc.com/blog/the-future-ready-eln-a-strategic-guide-to-selecting-the-right-eln-system-for-life-sciences/).

As shown in the image above, pharma R&D would value broad compliance and integration [\[2\]](https://intuitionlabs.ai/articles/eln-vs-lims-vs-sdms-pharma-informatics) [\[7\]](https://www.sapiosciences.com/blog/best-elns-for-gmp-and-pharmaceutical-manufacturing/), academics would value ease of use and cost [\[5\]](https://oir.nih.gov/system/files/media/file/2024-07/best_practices-keeping_eln-trainee_0.pdf), CROs would value onboarding and scalability [\[6\]](https://www.csolsinc.com/resources/benefits-of-an-eln-in-biopharma), and manufacturing would value GMP compliance and deviation tracking [\[7\]](https://www.sapiosciences.com/blog/best-elns-for-gmp-and-pharmaceutical-manufacturing/). While they all might need an ELN, their different uses complicate selection quite a bit.

 

## Which one should you pick?

Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer here – the best I can say is *it depends*. *It depends* on your discipline, your regulatory environment, your existing systems, your team size, your budget, and most importantly – your willingness to change.

An ELN that works for a 500-person pharma R&D site might be completely wrong for a 10-person academic lab, and vice versa. **The key is understanding your own needs first, then finding the ELN that fits**.

If you happen to need a hand exploring an ELN solution for yourself, or have any other questions about improving your lab experience please [click here to book a meeting with us to discuss](https://adigileap.com/meetings/matthew1539?hsCtaAttrib=205124222286&uuid=3a2894a4-d872-4a93-a41d-920db46b5223)!

 

Until next time!

\- Nathan and the ADIGILEAP team.

\[1\] [https://genemod.net/eln-software](https://genemod.net/eln-software)

\[2\] [https://intuitionlabs.ai/articles/eln-vs-lims-vs-sdms-pharma-informatics](https://intuitionlabs.ai/articles/eln-vs-lims-vs-sdms-pharma-informatics)

\[3\] [https://www.lablynx.com/resources/articles/6-industries-where-an-electronic-laboratory-notebook-eln-maximizes-efficiency-and-innovation/](https://www.lablynx.com/resources/articles/6-industries-where-an-electronic-laboratory-notebook-eln-maximizes-efficiency-and-innovation/)

\[4\] [https://eln.wisc.edu/about/about-electronic-lab-notebooks/](https://eln.wisc.edu/about/about-electronic-lab-notebooks/)

\[5\] [https://oir.nih.gov/system/files/media/file/2024-07/best\_practices-keeping\_eln-trainee\_0.pdf](https://oir.nih.gov/system/files/media/file/2024-07/best_practices-keeping_eln-trainee_0.pdf)

\[6\] [https://www.csolsinc.com/resources/benefits-of-an-eln-in-biopharma](https://www.csolsinc.com/resources/benefits-of-an-eln-in-biopharma)

\[7\] [https://www.sapiosciences.com/blog/best-elns-for-gmp-and-pharmaceutical-manufacturing/](https://www.sapiosciences.com/blog/best-elns-for-gmp-and-pharmaceutical-manufacturing/)

\[8\] [https://www.labmanager.com/how-elns-can-help-to-drive-innovation-in-life-sciences-26660](https://www.labmanager.com/how-elns-can-help-to-drive-innovation-in-life-sciences-26660)

\[9\] [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41596-021-00645-8](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41596-021-00645-8)

\[10\] [https://www.idbs.com/what-is-an-eln/](https://www.idbs.com/what-is-an-eln/)

\[11\] [https://clpmag.com/lab-essentials/information-technology/middleware-software/next-gen-lab-notebook-integrates-agentic-technology/](https://clpmag.com/lab-essentials/information-technology/middleware-software/next-gen-lab-notebook-integrates-agentic-technology/)

\[12\] [https://www.benchling.com/blog/ai-tools-for-the-modern-lab](https://www.benchling.com/blog/ai-tools-for-the-modern-lab)

\[13\] [https://www.astrixinc.com/blog/the-future-ready-eln-a-strategic-guide-to-selecting-the-right-eln-system-for-life-sciences/](https://www.astrixinc.com/blog/the-future-ready-eln-a-strategic-guide-to-selecting-the-right-eln-system-for-life-sciences/)

[View full post](https://www.adigileap.com/en/blog/eln-2)

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Nathan Stanley"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2026-10-21T14:54:01.189Z",
  "datePublished" : "2026-10-21T14:42:00Z",
  "headline" : "ELNs Revealed! (2/4) The Who, What and Why of ELNs",
  "image" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "height" : 720,
    "url" : "https://48347182.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hubfs/48347182/Presentation6.png",
    "width" : 1280
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://www.adigileap.com/en/blog/eln-2",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "height" : 60,
      "url" : "/hs/hsstatic/content_shared_assets/static-1.4092/img/default-amp-logo.png",
      "width" : 60
    },
    "name" : "ADIGILEAP Blog"
  }
}
```