one-time $49 · no subscription

Lab inventory that runs inside your Google account.

Low-stock alerts, order requests, and a team feed — in a Google Sheet you own. No servers, no logins to manage, no monthly bill.

Get LabShelf — $49 See how it works

Pay once. Unlimited users. Free updates forever.

labshelf — inventory
Lab Inventory
Good afternoon
Inventory Orders Feed
Anti-β-actin, mouse mAb
reagent · Freezer -20 · box A3
Low stock
2 vials
10 mL serological pipettes
consumable · Bench 2 · drawer 1
In stock
4 boxes
Tris-HCl buffer, 1 M, pH 8.0
reagent · Shelf B · row 2
In stock
750 mL
Nitrile gloves, M
consumable · Wall rack
Low stock
1 box
DMSO, cell culture grade
reagent · Chem cabinet
In stock
3 bottles

"We used to keep a shared Google Sheet that three people had broken in three different ways. LabShelf took about 20 minutes to set up and the 'did anyone order more tips?' question has basically stopped."

Sarah · Lab Manager

"I was skeptical it would be worth $49 over a free template, but the order-request workflow alone saves us at least one confused email thread a week. My PI noticed before I told him about it."

Tom · Postdoc

"The fact that it lives in our own Drive was the deciding factor. We'd looked at Quartzy but couldn't justify the per-seat cost for a four-person lab. This is exactly the gap it fills."

Priya · PI
How it works

Ten minutes from download to running.

No build tools. No command line. No hosting account. If you can copy text and click Save, you can run LabShelf.

01

Download the zip

After checkout, you get a zip with three plain-text files — Code.txt, Index.txt, and a step-by-step README.txt — that double-click open in any text editor.

02

Paste into a Google Sheet

Open a blank Google Sheet, paste the two code files where the README points, then save. Every click is spelled out.

03

Share the URL

Publish it as a link. You get one URL. Add lab emails to the Users tab. They set a password and they're in.

Watch the 3-minute setup
What's in the box

Small on purpose. Useful on purpose.

Six features a lab actually uses every day. No ELN modules, no workflow engines, no "stakeholder dashboards."

Low-stock alerts

Know you're out of primary antibodies before the experiment does. Set a minimum per item; LabShelf flags it red.

Order requests

Anyone in the lab requests an item. The manager marks it ordered, then received. Everyone sees the status. No more "did anyone order the tips?"

Team feed

Post notes tagged Equipment, Safety, Reminder, or General. Replaces the group chat graveyard for things that actually matter.

Invite-only access

Email + password login. Lab members don't need Google accounts. Add an email to the Users tab; remove it to revoke access instantly.

Add to Home Screen

"Add to Home Screen" on iPhone or Android. Opens full-screen, looks like a native app. Perfect for tapping − / + at the bench.

Your data, your Drive

Everything lives in one Google Sheet you own. Export any time. Delete any time. We can't see your data — there's no server to see it from.

Three tabs. That's it.

Designed to feel calm — even at 4 PM on a deadline.

labshelf — orders
Order requests
Open Ordered Received
qPCR master mix, 2×, 5 mL
Open
Requested by maria@lab.example · urgent
Parafilm, 4-inch roll
Open
Requested by tom@lab.example · normal
Falcon 15 mL tubes · case
Open
Requested by ana@lab.example · normal

Every request timestamped, attributed, and status-tracked — so nobody asks twice.

labshelf — feed
Lab feed
All Safety Equipment
Safety · Maria · 2h

New SDS filed for the DMF stock — it's in the top drawer of the chem cabinet.

Equipment · Tom · 6h

Centrifuge rotor #3 is unbalanced. Logged a service request — don't use it until Friday.

Reminder · Ana · yesterday

Autoclave monthly service is this Friday. Schedule your runs accordingly.

Where equipment, safety, and reminder notes live — instead of the group chat.

Honest comparison

Between the free mess and the $700 SaaS.

Most labs live on Google Sheets until it breaks, then jump to a per-seat subscription they resent. LabShelf sits in the gap.

Google Sheets LabShelf Quartzy / Labguru
Price for a 5-person lab Free $49 once $60–85 / month
Low-stock alerts No Yes Yes
Mobile app feel Clunky Phone-ready, fast Native app
Order request workflow Manual Built in Built in
Where your data lives Your Drive Your Drive Their cloud
Login for lab members Shared sheet Email + password, no Google acct Account required
You own the code No Yes No
Monthly bills to chase 0 0 12
3-year cost (5 users) Free $49 ~$2,400

Quartzy Standard tier pricing referenced at time of writing. Labguru and SciNote quoted in a similar range for 5-seat labs.

One price

$49. Once. Forever.

Less than one box of pipette tips. No per-user, no renewal, no "Pro tier" upsell email in six months.

$49
$588/yr Quartzy
One-time payment. Lifetime updates.
  • ✓Unlimited lab members — no per-seat fee
  • ✓Inventory, orders, team feed — all three tabs
  • ✓Runs on Google's free tier — no hosting bill
  • ✓Full code included — tweak anything
  • ✓Free updates whenever a new version ships
Get LabShelf — $49

Secure checkout by Lemon Squeezy. Tax included for your country.

Not sure yet? Email us a question — we'll answer honestly before you buy.

FAQ

The questions you probably have.

Can I try it before paying?
Not yet — a read-only demo Sheet is coming. Meanwhile, the step-by-step README and the screenshots above are the full feature tour. If the page doesn't answer a question you have, write us before you buy and we'll answer honestly.
What if I leave the lab — does the license transfer?
The license is per-lab, not per-person — one install per purchase. If you install LabShelf under a shared lab Google account rather than a personal one, it travels with the lab through staff turnover. If you already installed under a personal account, any member can re-install from the same zip into a group account without a second purchase.
What's NOT in LabShelf?
Honest list of what this doesn't do: no barcode scanning, no freezer maps, no expiration auto-alerts, no GxP or 21 CFR Part 11 audit trail. If you need any of those, this isn't the right tool — and we'd rather tell you now than take your $49.
What if it breaks for me?
You have the code — you can inspect it, modify it, or host it anywhere. Email support and we'll fix genuine bugs. There's no refund: you're not renting access, you own the files.
Do my lab members need Google accounts?
No. Only you (the person setting it up) need a Google account. Your lab mates sign in with an email + password you approve. The app runs under your Google account; they just use it.
Where does my data actually live?
In a single Google Sheet in your Drive. We have no server. We cannot see your data, and we couldn't hand it over if we tried. You can export it, duplicate it, or delete it — it's yours the same way any of your Sheets are yours.
Is this hard to set up?
If you've ever copy-pasted into a Google Doc, you can do this. The included README is a step-by-step walkthrough, and the 3-minute video covers the whole thing start to finish. Most people finish in under 15 minutes; the slowest step is a one-time Google permission prompt.
What if Google changes how Sheets works one day?
The tools this is built on have been stable for over a decade and are core to Google Workspace — they're not going anywhere soon. But you also own the code, so if Google ever shipped a breaking change, you'd have the option to move the same logic somewhere else. That's a real escape hatch, not a marketing one.
Can I customize the code?
Yes. It's simple, readable code. Add a column. Change a colour. Plug in a barcode scanner. The README points you to where to start.
How is this different from a free spreadsheet template?
A template is still a spreadsheet — your lab mates are editing cells, breaking formulas, and fighting over the same row. LabShelf adds a proper interface on top: login, mobile-friendly buttons, an order-request workflow, a team feed, and a timestamp on every change. The data happens to live in a sheet, but nobody touches it directly.
Will this become a subscription later?
No. LabShelf is explicitly a one-time product. If a bigger, hosted version ever exists, it will be a different product under a different name. What you buy today keeps working, and keeps getting updates to the same codebase, forever.
One license per lab — what does that mean?
One setup per purchase. Your whole lab uses that one URL — no per-user limit. If you run two separate labs at two institutions, you'd buy two licenses. Bulk pricing for core facilities: drop a line.

Stop losing reagents in spreadsheets.

Two files to paste. Ten minutes. One payment. Your lab — finally on the same page.

Get LabShelf — $49

Tax included · Checkout by Lemon Squeezy