Image Lab Software by Bio-Rad Laboratories is the analysis package that comes with ChemiDoc and GelDoc imagers, and the standard edition is free. Phoretix 1D by TotalLab is independent western blot and 1D gel densitometry software that opens Bio-Rad images alongside every other vendor’s, runs on macOS, Linux and ARM as well as Windows, and adds 21 CFR Part 11 through AuditSafe on any of those platforms. This page sets out where each one fits, so you can keep the imager you have and decide on the software separately.

Who this comparison is for

Three groups of people search for this. Labs that bought a ChemiDoc and later added an Odyssey, an iBright or an Amersham imager and now run three analysis packages. Mac-based labs, or QC groups moving to Linux, that need Part 11 and have read the Image Lab user guide. And individual researchers who find the free tool adequate for imaging but want more control over background subtraction, per-lane band detection and normalization than the guided workflow gives them.

If you own one ChemiDoc, image everything on it, run Windows and do not need Part 11, Image Lab is free and integrated and you should probably stay with it. Read on if any of those four conditions is false.

What Image Lab does well

Image Lab is acquisition and analysis in one package, so images move straight from the instrument into a lane and band workflow with automated detection, a normalization tool for total protein and housekeeping methods, and report generation. Image Lab Touch on the instrument handles capture with autoexposure and secured user accounts, and images can then be analyzed on a standalone PC or Mac in Image Lab 6.1. For a single-vendor Windows lab that is a complete system, and it costs nothing beyond the imager.

Where labs go looking for an alternative

The requests we hear fall into four patterns.

Mixed imagers. Image Lab is written around ChemiDoc and GelDoc files. A lab with a second vendor’s imager ends up with a second analysis package, a second set of detection settings and two report formats. Phoretix 1D reads 8-bit, 16-bit and higher uncompressed TIFF, multi-page and multiplex TIFF, plus IMG, JPEG, PNG and BMP from any imager, so one protocol runs across the whole lab.

Part 11 off Windows. Bio-Rad’s Image Lab 6.1 user guide states that the Security Edition, the edition that helps enable 21 CFR Part 11 compliance, is available for Windows computers only and is not supported on Mac. Bio-Rad also notes the Part 11 package is compatible with all imaging systems except the ChemiDoc Touch. Phoretix 1D with AuditSafe runs on Windows 11, macOS and Linux.

Control over the analysis. Users who want per-lane and per-channel band detection parameters, six background methods (rolling ball, rubber band, lane edge, image rectangle, constant value, manual) that can differ by lane and channel, multiple lane boxes in a single image, and normalization to a reference band, the most intense band, total lane volume or a housekeeping channel.

Tech transfer. A method validated on a ChemiDoc at one site has to give the same number at a site that bought something else. Independent software is the only way to make the analysis step identical when the imagers are not.

Feature comparison: Phoretix 1D vs Image Lab

Image Lab facts from bio-rad.com and the Image Lab Software User Guide Version 6.1, checked 20 September 2026. Phoretix 1D facts from totallab.com. Confirm current Image Lab specifications with Bio-Rad.

Can Phoretix 1D open Bio-Rad .scn files?

Yes. Phoretix 1D imports Bio-Rad .scn files from ChemiDoc imagers directly, so there is no need to export a TIFF from Image Lab first. Drag the .scn file into Phoretix 1D, run lane and band detection, and the image is analyzed with the same protocol you use for every other imager in the lab.

21 CFR Part 11 on a Mac (or on Linux)

This is the cleanest difference between the two. Bio-Rad’s compliance path is Image Lab Security Edition, licensed separately and Windows only. TotalLab’s compliance path is AuditSafe, which sits over Phoretix 1D and provides audit trails, electronic signatures, granular user permissions and image authenticity verification for FDA 21 CFR Part 11 and EU Annex 11, with in-person IQ/OQ packages available. Licensing is per computer with unlimited users and works offline for air-gapped QC PCs.

GMP and 21 CFR Part 11 compliant gel analysis with Phoretix 1D

How to evaluate both on the same blot

Take one multiplex TIFF (or .scn) you have already analyzed in Image Lab. Open it in the Phoretix 1D trial. Compare four things: the lane boxes the software draws on a distorted lane, the band boundaries on a doublet, the background-corrected volume of the same band with the same method (rolling ball in both), and the normalized ratio. Then hand the same file to a colleague and ask them to repeat it in both packages without talking to you. The spread between your two results is the number that matters.

Our quantitative western blot checklist walks through linear range, saturation and loading-control checks so the comparison is fair to both tools.

Download the quantitative western blot checklist

Western blot densitometry: how band quantification works

“After having used many other software for gel image analysis, including Bio-Rad’s Image Lab and ImageJ, I started using Phoretix 1D out of necessity in a new role. I found it to be much more intuitive and streamlined than what I’ve used in the past. Background subtraction, band picking, and band analysis are all automated with optional manual adjustment if desired.”

Garry Smith, Proliant Health and Biologicals

Keep the ChemiDoc. Try the software.

Open one of your own .scn or TIFF files in a free Phoretix 1D trial and compare the normalized result with what Image Lab gave you. If you need Part 11 on a Mac or Linux workstation, ask us for an AuditSafe demonstration at the same time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Image Lab software free?

The standard edition of Image Lab Software is a free download for Windows and Mac. The Security Edition for 21 CFR Part 11 is licensed separately and runs on Windows only.

Can I analyze ChemiDoc images without Image Lab?

Yes. Export a 16-bit TIFF from Image Lab, or open the .scn file directly in Phoretix 1D, and analyze it with the same automated protocol you use for images from any other imager.

Does Image Lab run on a Mac?

The standard edition does. Bio-Rad’s user guide states the Security Edition is not supported on Mac operating systems.

Is there a 21 CFR Part 11 version of Phoretix 1D for Mac?

Phoretix 1D combined with AuditSafe provides audit trails, electronic signatures, user permissions and image authenticity verification.

Do I need to replace my ChemiDoc to use Phoretix 1D?

No. Phoretix 1D is device agnostic and is compatible with gel documentation equipment from Bio-Rad, Cytiva, Azure Biosystems, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Syngene, Vilber and Pop-Bio among others. Keep the imager, change the software.

How much does Phoretix 1D cost compared with Image Lab?

Image Lab standard edition is free with the imager. Phoretix 1D is licensed per computer with no limit on users, with unlimited technical support and updates included; multi-license and site-wide pricing is available. Contact TotalLab for a quotation.

References

1. Bio-Rad Laboratories. Image Lab Software. https://www.bio-rad.com/en-us/product/image-lab-software?ID=KRE6P5E8Z Accessed 20 Sep 2026. (Source for: Windows and Mac OS; automated lane and band detection; normalization; report generation; standard edition free; Security Edition for Part 11.)
2. Bio-Rad Laboratories. Image Lab Software User Guide Version 6.1, document 110000076953. https://www.bio-rad.com/sites/default/files/webroot/web/pdf/lsr/literature/110000076953.pdf (Source for: “Security Edition is available for Windows computers only”; “The security edition is not supported on Mac operating systems”; Security Edition requires a license.)
3. Bio-Rad Laboratories. Image Lab Touch Software. https://www.bio-rad.com/en-us/product/image-lab-touch-software?ID=PJW3UUTU86LJ Accessed 20 Sep 2026. (Source for: on-instrument capture; secured user accounts; autoexposure; analysis on a standalone PC or Mac in Image Lab 6.1.)
4. Bio-Rad Laboratories. Image Lab Software Suite. https://www.bio-rad.com/en-us/category/image-lab-software-suite?ID=5291f579-0715-48f4-b3de-766b92222582 (Source for: Part 11 adherence compatible with all imaging systems except the ChemiDoc Touch System.)
5. TotalLab. Phoretix 1D product page. https://totallab.com/software/1d-gel-western-blot-analysis-software/ (Source for: formats, platforms, imager compatibility, detection, background, normalization, licensing, AuditSafe, testimonial.)
6. TotalLab. .scn import announcement, July 2026.