Open Beta · Free Instances · Limited Spots

A LIMS your lab can actually afford. Right now, that price is zero.

Charlie's LIMS tracks samples, results, and lab workflows in one place. I'm looking for a handful of labs to run it for real and tell me where it falls short. You get a free hosted instance and a permanent discount when it goes paid.

Apply for a spotSee it live
Cost during beta
$0 — no card
Setup
I do it for you
Hosting
Managed, in-browser
After beta
Locked-in pricing
The Product

Built for real lab work, not a slide deck.

React front end, Python FastAPI back end, MySQL underneath. The demo below is the actual application — click into it, poke around, and see whether it fits how your lab works before you talk to me at all.

lims.techsolutionnc.com
Charlie's LIMS dashboard showing laboratory sample tracking and test results
What It Does

Everything your spreadsheet is doing badly.

Most small labs run on a spreadsheet that started as a good idea in 2019 and now nobody dares touch. This replaces that — without a six-figure enterprise rollout.

01

Sample intake & tracking

Log samples as they arrive, give them IDs, and know where any one of them is without asking three people or opening a shared spreadsheet.

02

Test results

Record results against the sample they belong to, so the history stays attached to the record instead of living in someone’s inbox.

03

Workflow status

See what is received, in progress, and complete at a glance — the question that usually costs a lab the most time every day.

04

Search & filtering

Find samples by ID, status, date, or type. Fast enough to use while someone is on the phone asking about their submission.

05

Multiple users

Your whole team works from the same records at the same time. No more merge conflicts between four copies of Book1_FINAL_v3.xlsx.

06

Exports & reporting

Pull your data out whenever you want, in formats you can hand to a client or drop into whatever you already use for reporting.

The Beta Deal

Straight trade: you get the software, I get the truth.

I'm not looking for testimonials. I'm looking for labs who will use this daily and tell me exactly where it annoys them.

What you get
  • +Your own hosted instance — free for the entire beta
  • +Setup and data import handled by me, personally
  • +A direct line for bugs and requests, not a ticket queue
  • +Real influence over what gets built next
  • +Preferential pricing locked in permanently when it goes paid
  • +Your data exportable at any time, beta or not
What I ask
  • —Actually use it — a login that never gets touched helps neither of us
  • —Tell me when something is broken, slow, or confusing
  • —A short call every few weeks while you get settled
  • —Patience with the occasional rough edge
  • —Honesty over politeness, every time
After the beta

Beta labs never pay the public price.

When paid plans start, beta labs keep preferential pricing for as long as they stay — meaningfully below the public rate, not a token discount that expires in a year. You'll get at least 30 days notice before anything changes, and if you decide it isn't for you, you leave with all of your data. Helping me build this shouldn't cost you leverage later.

Claim a spot
Questions

The things labs ask before saying yes.

Something not covered here? Ask in the form below, or reach out directly.

Is it really free?
Yes. No card, no contract, no trial clock. Your instance is free for as long as the beta runs, and I am not going to surprise you with a bill at the end of it.
What happens when the beta ends?
You get at least 30 days notice before anything changes, and beta labs keep preferential pricing permanently — meaningfully below whatever the public rate ends up being. If you decide not to continue, you still export all of your data. Nothing gets held hostage.
What does "beta" actually mean here?
The software is real and running, not a mockup. But I am still actively building it, so expect the occasional rough edge and a feature or two that is thinner than you would like. In exchange you get a direct line to the person writing the code. Bugs you report tend to get fixed the same week.
Is it validated for regulated environments?
No — and I would rather tell you that up front. It is not currently validated for 21 CFR Part 11, CLIA, or ISO 17025 compliance. If your lab operates under those requirements, this beta is not the right fit yet. If compliance is on your roadmap rather than your present, I am still glad to talk.
Where does my data live, and who can see it?
Your lab gets its own isolated instance. I can access it to troubleshoot or help you with setup, and that is the only reason I ever would. Your data is never sold, shared, or used to train anything.
Can I bring the data I already have?
Usually, yes. Most labs coming off spreadsheets can be imported — send me a representative sample and I will tell you honestly whether it maps cleanly before you commit to anything.
Do I need to install or host anything?
No. It runs in the browser. I handle hosting, setup, updates, and backups — that is part of what you are testing.
How many spots are there?
Deliberately few. I am onboarding each lab personally and want to give every one of them real attention, so I would rather run a small beta well than a large one badly.
Apply

Tell me about your lab.

Two minutes. I read every one of these myself and reply within a couple of days — including when the answer is "not a fit yet," because your time matters as much as mine.

Built and supported out of Charlotte, NC by Charlie McKinney.

Optional, but it genuinely helps me pick the right labs for this round.

No payment details, no contract. I use your answers to decide fit and to set the instance up — nothing else.