Uncategorised decision
TrackerPlant
A small technical team can build the core QR-based culture tracker (scanning, DB, export) using existing open-source ELN projects as a base, but reproducing a production polished hosted product with support, backups, and any unseen integrations would be more work; a narrow self-hosted workflow is realistic.
Visit website↗Not priced
No pricing page we fetched carried a figure, so there is nothing to compare against. The build side is still real.
$100one-off64 h to build
$0/mo6 h/mo upkeep
No published price to break even against.
Open-source builds that already do this
Every project below is open source and already does this job today. Fork one, self-host it, or take the parts you need - the build prompt further down assumes an empty file, and this is the shortcut past that. Licences differ; check the one on each card before you ship. All TrackerPlant alternatives, with the arithmetic →
What a replacement has to do
- Generate QR labels for samples, scan QR codes with a phone to view/update records, store records (protocols, media, explant types) in a database, and export data to CSV/Google Sheets.
What it still won’t have
- Hosted, production-hardened infrastructure and uptime SLAs
- Vendor support and managed backups
- Polished, documented UI flows and onboarding
- Any proprietary integrations or account-level team features the vendor may provide
What remains hard
- Product polish and ongoing maintenance
First-year cost
No published price
TrackerPlant does not publish a price we could read, so there is nothing to compare against. What building costs is below.
Money you would actually spend
Time you would spend
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What you would spend
What we assumed
The verdict above measures whether you could build it. This one is only about money.
Runnable build prompt
Build a minimal self-hosted TrackerPlant clone using Node.js (Express) backend, PostgreSQL, and a React frontend (Vite). Core features in scope: 1) REST API and Postgres schema for cultures, protocols, media, explant types, and audit logs; 2) endpoints to create records and return a printable QR code (use qrcode npm); 3) mobile-capable React page that scans QR codes (use jsQR or html5 QR library) and loads the record for viewing/updating; 4) CSV/Excel export endpoint and optional Google Sheets integration using OAuth and Sheets API; 5) basic auth (email/password) and per-record sharing links; 6) error handling, input validation, and automated tests (unit tests for API and end-to-end test for scan-to-update flow). Out of scope: advanced role-based permissions, enterprise compliance, offline-first mobile apps, and advanced reporting dashboards. Provide Docker Compose for local dev, a production Dockerfile, and CI workflow for tests and linting.
How we checked
How the score was reached
- Partly verdict base52
- An open-source build was found+5
- 2 cited sources+1
- Evidence score58
The base comes from the verdict. Everything under it is a check that either happened or did not, and each one is a fact frozen in this record rather than a judgement made at render time - so the same evidence always produces the same number.
How scoring works →Cited sources · 2
Every page the run actually retrieved.
- official productTrackerPlant - Track Plant Tissue Cultures
- open sourceeLabFTW (open-source ELN)
Integrity checks
What held up, and what did not.
