Understanding Benchling Release Stages

Overview

At Benchling, we continuously develop new features and improvements to help you get the most out of our platform. To ensure these updates are stable and valuable, we release them in phases: Beta, Limited Availability (LA), and General Availability (GA). Each stage represents a different level of readiness, stability, and support.

Understanding these release stages can help you decide when and how to incorporate new features into your workflows.

Beta

What is Beta?

Beta features are early releases that allow users to explore and provide feedback while we continue refining the functionality. These features are not yet final and may undergo significant changes based on user input.

Open Beta vs. Closed Beta

• Open Beta – Available to a broader audience without restrictions
• Closed Beta – Access is limited to a select group of customers invited to participate. 

What You Can Expect:

• Early access to innovation – Beta features let you try new capabilities before they are widely available. Beta features are not broadly available and are typically offered to select customers who can provide feedback.
• Active iteration – Features may change based on feedback, and some functionality may not be fully developed.
• Potential instability – Beta features may contain bugs, incomplete workflows, or changes that could impact usability.
• Not fully supported – *info about support structure*
• Pricing & packaging may not be final – The pricing and licensing details for Beta features are still being determined and may change before the full release. 
• Future availability is not guaranteed – Beta and features are still being evaluated and may not always progress to General Availability (GA). While we aim to bring valuable features to full release, some may be deprioritized based on feedback, technical feasibility, or shifting priorities.

Limited Availability (LA)

What is Limited Availability?

Limited Availability (LA) features are more mature than Beta and approaching full release, but access is still restricted. This stage helps ensure stability and gather final feedback before wider rollout.

What You Can Expect:

• More stability – LA features are further along in development and have undergone additional testing compared to Beta.
• Ongoing updates – Refinements may still be made based on user feedback, but major changes will be communicated in advance.
• Selective access – These features are available to a limited group of users chosen based on their use case and ability to provide final feedback.
• Structured support – LA features receive standard Benchling support, though response times and resolutions may vary as the feature is still being finalized.
• Pricing & packaging may not be final – The pricing and licensing details for LA features are still being determined and may change before the full release. 
• Future availability is not guaranteed – Beta and Limited Availability (LA) features are still being evaluated and may not always progress to General Availability (GA). While we aim to bring valuable features to full release, some may be deprioritized based on feedback, technical feasibility, or shifting priorities.

*Could be interesting to link to current LAs* 

General Availability (GA)

What is General Availability?

Once a feature reaches General Availability (GA), it is fully released and available to all customers. GA features have been tested, refined, and are ready for use in production environments.

What You Can Expect:

• Reliable and production-ready – GA features are stable and fully integrated into the Benchling platform.
• Broad availability – GA features are fully released and available to eligible Benchling customers
• Ongoing improvements – While we may introduce enhancements, any major updates will follow our standard change management and communication processes.
• Full support – GA features are covered by Benchling’s standard support and documentation.

Comparing Release Stages