Alternatives to Agilent OpenLab or ChemStation for GC Instruments

Gas chromatography (GC) laboratories that have historically relied on vendor-supplied chromatography data systems (CDS) such as Agilent OpenLab or Agilent ChemStation increasingly find themselves reassessing their software choices. This reassessment is rarely driven by dissatisfaction with GC performance itself, but rather by broader software lifecycle, cost, and operational considerations.

This article outlines the main categories of alternatives available for GC workflows, explains why laboratories consider moving away from vendor CDS platforms, and clarifies where independent CDS software can—and cannot—be an appropriate replacement.

Why laboratories look for alternatives to Agilent OpenLab or ChemStation?

Several recurring factors drive the evaluation of alternatives to vendor CDS platforms for GC:

Cost and licensing structure

Vendor CDS platforms are often bundled with instruments at purchase but can become expensive to maintain over time. Ongoing costs may include software assurance, mandatory upgrades tied to operating system changes, and license restructuring as labs expand or consolidate systems.

Lifecycle and obsolescence pressure

Vendor CDS products are typically aligned to the instrument manufacturer’s product roadmap. As instruments or operating systems age, laboratories may face forced migrations or limited support windows, even when the underlying GC hardware remains fully functional.

System complexity

Enterprise-oriented CDS platforms can introduce infrastructure requirements—databases, servers, identity management, validation overhead—that are disproportionate to the needs of small or mid-sized GC labs.

Support scope

Support models for large CDS platforms often focus on the software ecosystem rather than day-to-day chromatographic workflows. For some labs, this results in slower resolution of practical GC data handling or reporting questions.

Categories of GC data systems

When evaluating alternatives, it is important to distinguish between two fundamentally different CDS categories.

Vendor-supplied CDS

Vendor CDS platforms are developed by instrument manufacturers and are tightly integrated with their own GC hardware. Examples include OpenLab and ChemStation.

Typical characteristics:

• Deep integration with a specific vendor’s GC instruments

• Strong alignment with vendor firmware and accessories

• Often designed to scale into enterprise informatics environments

• Upgrade paths tied closely to the vendor’s product lifecycle

These systems are often the best choice when a lab operates a homogeneous fleet of instruments from a single manufacturer and requires enterprise-level data management.

Independent or third-party CDS

Independent CDS platforms are developed separately from GC manufacturers and are designed to support instruments from multiple vendors.

Typical characteristics:

• Multi-vendor GC instrument support

• File formats and data handling independent of a single manufacturer

• Greater flexibility in upgrade timing and operating system support

• Typically lighter infrastructure requirements

Independent CDS software is commonly used in contract labs, regulated QC environments, and facilities with mixed-vendor or long-lived GC installations.

Independent CDS options for GC workflows

Several independent CDS products exist in the market, each with different design philosophies and scopes. Some focus on modern client-server architectures, while others emphasize long-term stability and backward compatibility.

One example is Chromperfect, an independent chromatography data system focused exclusively on chromatography and long-term GC support.

Chromperfect is designed as a GC-centric CDS with the following characteristics:

• Support for GC instruments from multiple manufacturers, including both modern and legacy systems

• Long-term file compatibility, with the ability to read and reprocess data files created decades ago

• Controlled upgrade paths that allow laboratories to modernize software without invalidating historical data

• Operation without mandatory enterprise database or informatics layers for labs that do not require them

This approach is particularly relevant for laboratories that value continuity of data access and predictable software evolution over tight coupling to a single instrument vendor.

When replacing OpenLab or ChemStation makes sense — and when it does not

Alternatives to Agilent OpenLab or ChemStation, replacing a vendor CDS with an independent alternative can be appropriate in some scenarios, but not all.

Replacement may make sense when:

• The lab operates GC instruments from multiple manufacturers

• Long-term access to historical GC data is a priority

• Existing vendor CDS infrastructure is more complex than operationally necessary

• The lab wants to decouple software lifecycle decisions from instrument replacement cycles

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Replacement may not make sense when:

• The lab relies heavily on vendor-specific features tightly integrated with proprietary hardware

• An enterprise-wide informatics platform is required across multiple analytical techniques

• Corporate IT standards mandate a single vendor ecosystem for all analytical software

• Advanced features outside core GC data acquisition and processing are central to the workflow

  
  

Independent CDS platforms are not intended to replace enterprise informatics suites or laboratory information management systems. Their role is narrower: stable, reliable acquisition, processing, reporting, and long-term management of chromatographic data.

Practical considerations when evaluating alternatives

Before changing CDS platforms, laboratories should assess:

• Which GC instruments must be supported today and in the foreseeable future

• How historical data will be accessed, validated, and reprocessed

• Regulatory expectations around data integrity, audit trails, and software change control

• Internal IT capabilities and tolerance for infrastructure complexity

A successful transition is less about feature parity on paper and more about alignment with actual laboratory workflows.

Summary

Alternatives to OpenLab or ChemStation for GC instruments fall broadly into the category of independent chromatography data systems. These platforms exist to serve laboratories that value flexibility, long-term data accessibility, and independence from vendor-driven software lifecycles.

For GC-focused labs, particularly those with mixed or long-serving instruments, independent CDS solutions such as Chromperfect can provide a practical, controlled alternative—provided their scope aligns with the laboratory’s operational and regulatory needs.