Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Spiderwort

OPEN SOURCE PLATFORMS FOR BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Spiderwort launched in 2016; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   Fosshub▲79

   An open source for free and open source tools

   2015 · fosshub.com · its alternatives →

2. 2
   Kinase▲159

   A framework for building web scrapers for Chrome

   2017 · b12.io · its alternatives →

3. 3
   Plant Link▲71

   Give your plants a voice

   2015 · scotts.com · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Omniref▲144

   Stackoverflow for Github

   2014 · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Authorea▲94

   GitHub for scientific works

   2014 · authorea.com · its alternatives →

6. 6
   One Codex ▲67

   The Google For Genomic Data

   2014 · onecodex.com · its alternatives →

7. 7
   Seedlings▲66

   Curative plants for healthy living

   2015 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

8. 8
   SpiderOak▲66

   Zero Knowledge store, sync and share

   2014 · spideroak.com · its alternatives →

9. 9
   Beautiful Open▲132

   Beautiful sites for Open Source projects

   2014 · beautifulopen.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Ginkgotree▲73

    A Tumblr for making your own textbooks

    2014 · ginkgotree.com · its alternatives →

11. 11
    FarmLogs▲118

    Data Driven Farming

    2014 · bushelpowered.com · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Datazar 2.0▲118

    Advanced, cloud-based research collaboration

    2017 · datazar.com · its alternatives →

13. 13
    Scispot▲70

    No-code digital operating platform for life science SMEs

    2021 · scispot.com · its alternatives →

14. 14
    empirical.ly▲74

    Connecting startups and enterprises for open innovation

    2014 · empirical.ly · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Fossdroid▲85

    Free & open source Android applications

    2015 · fossdroid.com · its alternatives →

16. 16
    Scispot.io▲88

    No-code workflow automation platform for life science teams

    2021 · scispot.com · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Discourse▲43

    New open source discussion platform from Jeff Atwood.

    2014 · discourse.org · its alternatives →

18. 18
    Mini Mammoth▲87

    Powerful research companion from Mammoth

    2015 · mammothhq.com · its alternatives →

19. 19OA
    Octosphere, a tool to decentralise scientific publishing▲64

    Hey HN! I went to an ATProto meetup last week, and as a burnt-out semi-academic who hates academic publishing, I thought there might be a cool opportunity to build on Octopus (https://www.octopus.ac/), so I got a bit excited over the weekend and built Octosphere. Hopefully some of you find it interesting! Blog post here: https://andreasthinks.me/posts/octosphere/octosphere.html

    Feb 2026 · octosphere.social · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Emerald Cloud Laboratory▲66

    Web-based life sciences lab

    2014 · emeraldcloudlab.com · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Microcosm▲72

    A modern forum platform

    2014 · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Ubiome▲43

    Big data via microbiome

    2014 · its alternatives →

23. 23
    Leafsnap▲60

    Almost Treezam for MasterOfNone fans

    2015 · its alternatives →

24. 24IB
    I built a biological network visualization tool▲39

    I've been working on nodes.bio - an interactive tool for visualizing biological networks and systems thinking. The tool features interactive network visualization powered by Cytoscape.js, with real-time graph editing and manipulation capabilities. It supports JSON import/export and provides a responsive design that works seamlessly on the desktop (mobile-friendly version coming later). The tech stack combines modern frontend technologies with robust backend architecture. The frontend uses Next.js 14 with TypeScript and Cytoscape.js for the visualization engine. The backend is built with…

    2025 · nodes.bio · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →