G2

Verified User in Biotechnology

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

11/12/2026

"Secure, Flexible No-Code Study Tracking with Strong Role Permissions and Audit Trails"

4.5/5

What do you like best about Knack?

Knack’s relational database structure and granular role permissions saved us from a really sensitive data mix-up with our contract research lab partner out in Austin last month. We were tracking a preclinical biomolecule stability study, and all the study parameters, sample batch logs, vendor contact notes and raw assay summaries used to live across separate Word files, shared spreadsheets and scattered email threads. That CRO partner needed to review only their assigned study arm’s data, but our old shared folder setup gave them visibility into our parallel proprietary lead compound work. Our science lead caught the overshare before anything was downloaded, but it put our compliance checklist on high alert. I built a custom study tracking app in Knack without any IT support, linking batch records, assay runs, milestone sign-offs and vendor deliverables together. I set role-based access so that external CRO users can only view records tied to their specific study ID, and every view, edit and submission gets logged in a permanent record history. This audit trail is non-negotiable for our preclinical work, and it fits perfectly with my role as Business Development & Operations Manager at Veridian BioLabs, where I constantly evaluate SaaS tools with compliance and secure research data at the top of my list.

I really appreciate how straightforward its form builder and automated workflow rules are, and this cleaned up a milestone bottleneck we hit with our raw biological reagent supplier back in the spring. We used to chase reagent COAs, shipment condition logs and lot release signatures manually. Every time a new batch of media or enzyme arrived, a lab technician would fill out a spreadsheet, email the COA to our quality reviewer, and we’d cross our fingers they didn’t miss a signature deadline. One late COA review held up our cell culture run for three days, pushing our timeline back for an investor update. Inside Knack, I built a reagent intake form that the lab team fills out at receiving. Once they submit the form and upload the COA, the workflow automatically routes a review task to our quality lead, sends a reminder if approval sits untouched for 24 hours, and locks the lot record until sign-off is complete. I can tweak the triggers, add new fields or adjust approval owners on my own, which is a lifesaver because we don’t have a dedicated IT resource to submit change requests to. This flexibility makes it easy for me to document real-world performance when I compare no-code platforms for our leadership.

The platform’s secure external portal functionality and REST API access smoothed out the hassle of coordinating progress updates with our preclinical consulting advisor a couple months ago. Before Knack, we compiled static PDF progress packets every week and sent them over email, which meant we constantly had version confusion. Sometimes the advisor commented on an old study summary while our lab team had already uploaded new assay results. Knack lets me spin up a dedicated portal for that consultant, restricted only to the projects they’re advising on. They can leave comments directly on the study records, upload their advisory notes, and all activity stays tied to the correct batch and milestone. While we haven’t leaned heavy into custom scripting yet, knowing the API is there gives us room to grow later if we need to pipe limited dataset exports into our analysis tools. It’s not a purpose-built LIMS platform, but it gives our lean biotech team a configurable way to tie vendor management, study tracking and compliance logging together. Fewer data leaks and missed reagent approvals frees me up to focus on business development outreach, lab project coordination, and keep testing cloud collaboration and CRM tools for our small research team. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Knack?

Knack’s automated workflow logic has some pretty noticeable limits around conditional cross-record triggers, and this created a costly delay with our Austin contract research lab partner last month. We built out linked tables for study protocols, sample batches and assay deliverables. My goal was to set up a rule that automatically flags a batch and pauses downstream assay scheduling the second a CRO logs an out-of-spec stability reading. Knack’s automation can’t reliably chain that cross-table condition cleanly. I wound up relying on manual status updates, and that CRO submitted an out-of-spec entry for our biomolecule study, but the linked assay schedule stayed active. Our lab team moved forward and prepared expensive cell culture samples against that compromised batch. We wasted a full set of specialty reagents and lost three days of study timeline before our quality reviewer spotted the mismatch. I had to add extra manual checklists and separate reminder alerts as a workaround, which defeats the whole point of leaning on automation. This kind of gap gets flagged heavily in my SaaS evaluations, especially since audit-ready, error-resistant workflows are critical for our preclinical research at Veridian BioLabs.

I also find the native reporting tool really restrictive when we need to pull consolidated vendor and study metrics, and this slowed us down when we were putting together quarterly performance data for our biological reagent supplier earlier this spring. Our leadership and our seed investors wanted a single report that grouped reagent lot rejection rates, late COA submissions, and milestone delays across all active study records. Knack can generate clean charts from one single table, but it struggles to join related data across multiple connected tables without messy workarounds. I couldn’t build that unified vendor scorecard directly inside the platform. I had to export separate CSV files from three different apps, clean up duplicate lot IDs, and merge everything manually in Excel. It ate up an entire evening, and I almost mismatched a few stability study batch numbers when lining up the datasets. The dashboard widgets work fine for quick, simple at-a-glance checks for our lab team, but it lacks the layered, multi-source reporting we need to clearly communicate vendor performance and study risk to stakeholders. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Knack solving and how is that benefiting you?

Knack’s relational data structure and granular role permissions fixed a serious data exposure risk we ran into with our Austin CRO partner last month. We were running a preclinical stability study for a new biomolecule, and before Knack, all study batch logs, assay data and vendor notes were scattered across shared spreadsheets and email attachments. That CRO team only needed access to their assigned study arm, but our old Google Drive folder permissions were too broad, and they nearly saw data from our separate, proprietary lead compound program. Our PI caught it before anything was shared externally, but it put our compliance process under scrutiny. I built a custom study tracking application in Knack without IT help, linking protocols, sample batches, assay results and vendor deliverables together. I locked permissions so external CRO portal users can only open records tied to their specific study ID, and every edit, view and download creates a permanent audit log. This level of traceability is essential for preclinical research, and it aligns perfectly with how I evaluate SaaS tools for Veridian BioLabs, where data security and audit readiness are always top priorities.

Its easy form builder and configurable workflow rules eliminated a recurring bottleneck with our biological reagent supplier back in the spring. We used to handle reagent receiving and COA approval manually. Lab staff would log incoming lots in a spreadsheet, attach certificates of analysis, then email the file over to our quality lead for review. It was easy for entries to slip through the cracks. One delayed COA sign-off held up our cell culture run for three full days, which pushed back our timeline ahead of an investor check-in. Now our lab team fills out a Knack intake form as soon as reagents arrive, uploads the COA, and the workflow automatically kicks off a quality review task. It sends a follow-up reminder if the approval sits idle for 24 hours, and the lot stays locked from use until the sign-off is complete. I can adjust fields, reassign approvers or tweak timing rules whenever our study process changes, and we don’t have anyone on staff dedicated to IT to make these changes for us. That flexibility is huge when I put together side-by-side platform comparisons for our leadership team.

The secure external portal and built-in comment functionality cleared up the constant version confusion we had with our preclinical consulting advisor a couple months ago. Previously, we packaged weekly study updates into static PDF packets and sent them by email. Inevitably, the advisor would leave feedback on an outdated summary while our lab had already uploaded newer assay datasets. Knack lets me spin up a dedicated portal account limited strictly to the one project they support. They can leave comments directly on the study record, upload their advisory notes, and all feedback stays attached to the correct batch and milestone. It’s not a full LIMS system purpose-built for lab testing, but it gives our lean team a flexible way to tie vendor management, study tracking and compliance logging into one place. Fewer accidental data overshares and fewer missed reagent approvals frees me up to focus on business development outreach, lab project coordination, and keep testing secure cloud collaboration and CRM tools for our research team. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.