Account tiers

How you get here

A free account is required to use ResearchOS, and you create it by signing in once with OAuth (Google, GitHub, ORCID, or LinkedIn). The account is your identity, not your storage. Your research still lives in a folder on your own machine, never uploaded to a server we control, and the app keeps working offline after the first sign-in. When you open ResearchOS signed in but without a data folder connected, you land on the /account home rather than the folder-connect wall, and the provider sign-in happens first.

The two tiers

Both tiers require the same free sign-in, and in both your data stays on your own disk. The difference is how much you collaborate. Understanding what each one is will save you from picking the wrong one and wondering why a feature is missing.

Free account (solo + sharing)

The default. You sign in with Google, GitHub, ORCID, or LinkedIn, and your data still lives on your disk. Signing in creates a cloud identity with an @handle and a researcher profile (name, institution, ORCID, and other typed links) that other researchers can find. The full Workbench, notes, methods, sequences, calculators, and purchases all work offline, and the account also unlocks two sharing surfaces.

• Receive shared work. When another researcher sends you a note, method, sequence, or file, you get a copy in your own folder and open it for free, even if they are not in your folder. The transfer is end-to-end encrypted, so the relay holds only ciphertext and neither ResearchOS nor the relay can read what was sent. Sending a copy of your own work to someone outside your folder is a paid feature (Solo and up), because the sender covers the cost of the relay handoff.
• Researcher directory. You become findable by name and institution so collaborators can find you without an out-of-band email exchange.

There is no cloud storage involved in the Free account tier. The sharing relay is a one-time encrypted handoff, not a persistent store. Your data folder doesn't leave your machine.

Lab (team collaboration)

All the sharing features of the Free account, plus the ability to send your own work across folders and real-time co-editing inside a lab. Notes, experiments, and notebooks sync live between lab members. The PI gets a Lab Overview with cross-member views of workload, the purchase-approval queue, and a running feed of lab activity.

Each member's files still live on their own disk. The cloud layer only relays edits in real time. When you are offline, the app keeps working against the local copy and syncs when you reconnect.

When you create a Lab account you become the Lab Head for that lab. Members join by following your invite link, or by finding your lab in the lab directory and requesting to join (you approve the request). The Lab tile is only shown when the Lab tier is available (it is currently live for free PI lab accounts).

A side-by-side comparison

How to create a Free account

1. On the start screen, sign in with Google, GitHub, ORCID, or LinkedIn. This creates a cloud identity with an @handle and a researcher profile other researchers can find in the directory. The sign-in happens once, and ResearchOS remembers it so you don't have to sign in again on this device. After that the app works offline.
2. Connect your data folder using the browser's folder picker. Your folder stays on your machine, never uploaded to a server we control. The OAuth credential is stored only in your browser, not in your folder. See Connecting your folder if you are new to this step.
3. Pick a username. You land on your Workbench. The sharing features are now active.

How to create a Lab

1. On the start screen, choose Lab, then Create a new lab.
2. Sign in with Google, GitHub, ORCID, or LinkedIn.
3. Give your lab a name. This becomes the display name in the lab directory.
4. Connect your data folder. You are now the Lab Head for this lab.
5. Invite your team. The lab settings screen gives you an invite link to share. Anyone who follows it and signs in is added as a member pending your approval.

How to join an existing lab

There are two ways to join a lab someone else created.

Via an invite link

Your Lab Head shares a link with you (by email, Slack, or any other channel they prefer). Follow the link, sign in if you have not already, connect your data folder, and pick a username. The Lab Head sees your join request in their Lab Overview and approves it. Once approved, your real-time collaboration features are active.

Via the lab directory

1. On the start screen, choose Lab, then Find and join a lab.
2. Browse or search the lab directory. Each lab entry shows the Lab Head's name, institution, and the date the lab was created.
3. Click Request to join on the lab you want. This sends a notification to the Lab Head.
4. The Lab Head approves or declines. You will see the outcome the next time you open the app.

Cost and the free tier

The local app is free. The Lab plan is pay-for-what-you-use, a flat per-lab base fee plus your lab's actual cloud usage, billed to the PI.

• Free accounts: free, no cloud storage used, no billing ever.
• Lab accounts: a flat per-lab base fee plus your lab's metered cloud usage, billed only to the PI. A settable monthly cap keeps it predictable, and the local app keeps working if you hit the cap.

Moving into a lab later

None of your data is locked to a tier. If you start as a solo Free account and later want to collaborate in real time, the Lab Head can send you an invite link at any point, or you can find their lab in the directory and request to join. Your folder, projects, notes, and methods carry over without any migration step.