For users of the old Open Lab platform
Migrating from open-lab.online to the new Open Lab platform
You are currently on the new Open Lab platform for researchers. The previous platform was hosted at open-lab.online. The two platforms will run in parallel for several months, while the old platform gradually moves to download-only mode and is then phased out.
What you need to do as a researcher
- Create a new researcher account on research.open-lab.online.
- Start creating new studies and managing participants on the new platform while the old platform remains available.
- Export any studies and data from the old platform that you wish to keep, before it is phased out (no later than 1 August 2026).
- If you have an active subscription, follow the subscription migration instructions that will be sent by email before 1 April 2026.
Timeline and key dates
This timeline shows how the new and old platforms behave at each stage of the migration.
| Date | New platform | Old platform (open-lab.online) |
|---|---|---|
1 March 2026 Beta release | Beta version of the new Open Lab platform is publicly available at research.open-lab.online (researchers) and app.open-lab.online (participants). | Existing platform at open-lab.online continues to operate. New studies should preferably be created on the new platform. |
1 May 2026 Redirects for new uploads and sign-ups | New platform is fully functioning and ready for production use. | Uploads from the lab.js builder to Open Lab and new researcher sign-ups are redirected to the new platform. |
1 June 2026 No new studies or tasks | Fully functioning. | Creating new studies or tasks is no longer possible, but participation in existing studies is still allowed. |
1 July 2026 Download-only mode | Fully functioning. | Only downloading existing data is possible. No new participation or study/task creation. |
1 August 2026 Transition completion | New platform is fully functioning, all subscriptions operating on the new infrastructure. | Access to the old platform is reduced or switched off depending on remaining active users. The main page at open-lab.online points to the new research and app subdomains. |
If you have a paid subscription on the old platform
If you currently have a paid subscription on the old Open Lab platform at open-lab.online, we want your transition to the new platform to be smooth and predictable. To thank you for your support, we provide the following for all existing paying customers:
- You get free access on the new platform for the same amount of time you still have left on your current subscription.
- After that, you get one more renewal on the new platform at your old price (72 € for old Professional, 180 € for old Laboratory).
- Only after this extra renewal do we switch you to the standard pricing of the new platform.
The mapping is as follows:
- Old Professional plan (72 €/year) → new Basic academic plan: remaining time mirrored for free, then one more renewal at 72 €, then regular new Basic price (currently 100 €/year with academic discount).
- Old Laboratory plan (180 €/year) → new Pro academic plan (with updated caps): remaining time mirrored for free, then one more renewal at 180 €, then regular new Pro price (currently 250 €/year with discount).
- The new Team plan is available on request for labs that need a multi-user setup.
For example, if you have 6 months left on a Professional plan at 72 €/year on the old platform, you get 6 months of the new Basic plan for free after you sign up here, then one more year on Basic at 72 €, and only afterward does your account move to the standard new Basic price. The same logic applies to quarterly and monthly subscriptions, adjusted per billing period.
When we stop using the old platform for new studies and tasks, all users (paying and non-paying) will still have 3 months of export-only access to download their existing data before the old platform is fully shut down.
If you already created your account on the new platform using the same email address as on the old platform and would like to speed things up, please send a short message to info@open-lab.online so that we can quickly set up your corresponding subscription and free period on the new platform.
If you have questions about your specific subscription, please contact info@open-lab.online.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same Open Lab as before?
Yes. This website is the new Open Lab platform for researchers. The old platform was hosted at open-lab.online. We are gradually moving everyone here during 2026.
I had an account on open-lab.online. Do I need a new one?
Yes. Researcher accounts cannot be migrated automatically. Please create a new account at research.open-lab.online and start setting up your studies here while the old and new platforms run in parallel.
What happens to my existing studies and data on open-lab.online?
Your existing studies and data remain accessible on the old platform during the migration period. However, the ability to create new studies, collect new data, and allow new participation will be removed step by step. Please export any data you wish to keep before 1 August 2026.
Can I keep using the old platform?
The old platform at open-lab.online will operate in parallel with reduced functionality until at least 1 August 2026. Afterwards, access may be reduced or switched off depending on remaining active users, while the main page will still point to the new platform.
How do I migrate my subscription?
If you have an active subscription on the current platform, you will be able to continue using your subscription on the new platform. Detailed instructions on migrating subscriptions will be provided before 1 April 2026 via email to paying users.
What should I do as a researcher right now?
- Create a new account at research.open-lab.online.
- Start creating new studies and managing participants on the new platform.
- Export all studies and data from the old platform that you wish to keep, well before 1 August 2026.
Will participants be affected?
Participants will gradually be directed to the new participant app at app.open-lab.online. During the transition, some ongoing studies may still run on the old platform, but newly created studies should be hosted on the new platform.
Who can I contact if I have questions?
If you have questions or run into issues during migration, please contact info@open-lab.online.
We will clearly communicate any changes to this timeline in advance. Please reach out if you need help planning your migration.