What’s new

See exactly where the money — or the equity — goes, right on the homepage.

A new visual on the landing page shows the real default payout split, before you ever create an account.

What it is. The homepage now shows a simple bar breaking down where a task's payout goes, for both cash and equity: the majority to whoever actually does the work, a share to the project manager who runs it, and a small platform share to CoLabEx.

Why it matters. We've always believed the split should be visible and never a surprise. Now you don't have to sign up to see it — it's right there before you decide whether CoLabEx is for you.

Who it’s for. Anyone weighing whether to bring a project, or their own work, to CoLabEx.

See it on the homepage

A quick, honest note: we started keeping our own anonymous visit stats.

No ads, nothing sold, nothing third-party — just enough for us to see which pages actually get used.

What it is. We now keep simple, first-party visit statistics — which pages get viewed, roughly how long a visit lasts, and whether it's someone new or returning. It's tied to a random id in your browser, never to your name, even if you're signed in.

Why it matters. We're building this platform to actually be used, and that means learning what people find valuable and what falls flat. We'd rather tell you plainly than bury it — see the updated Privacy Policy for the full detail.

Who it’s for. Everyone using CoLabEx.

Read the Privacy Policy

Pick how much you see on screen.

A new Tech level setting — Beginner to Expert — plus a compact density option for anyone who wants to fit more on the page.

What it is. Settings now has a Tech level choice — Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, or Expert — describing how much shows up on your screen at once, separate from your Home screen choice. Appearance also gained a Density option: Comfortable (today's spacing) or Compact, for tighter layouts.

Why it matters. Not everyone wants the same amount of detail on screen. Now you can choose what fits how you actually work, and change it any time.

Who it’s for. Everyone.

Open Settings

Control who on your team sees which project.

Company owners and managers can now grant a specific person access to a specific project — instead of everyone seeing everything.

What it is. If you run a company on CoLabEx, you can now grant a team member read (or read/write) access to a specific project from the new Project access tab. Owners and managers still see every project automatically — this is for giving a plain team member exactly the access they need, no more.

Why it matters. Not everyone on your team needs to see every project's budget and details. Now you decide who sees what, one project at a time.

Who it’s for. Company owners and managers.

Open your company

Describe your idea. Get a real plan back.

A new planning wizard asks a few questions, then drafts real milestones, tasks, and subtasks for you to review and create.

What it is. The new planning wizard on a project's page asks what you're trying to build, follows up with a few clarifying questions, then drafts a full plan — milestones, tasks, and even subtasks — organized the way a project actually breaks down. Nothing is created until you review the draft, uncheck anything you don't want, set a real value for each task, and say go.

Why it matters. Turning a raw idea into an organized project is one of the hardest parts of getting started, especially without a project-management background. This does the first pass for you, in your own words, so you start from a real structure instead of a blank page.

Who it’s for. Project managers starting a new initiative or restructuring an existing one.

Open a project

See a suggested value while you're still creating a task.

Enter an hour estimate on a new task and CoLabEx shows what it'd be worth, right there — one click to use it.

What it is. When creating a task, entering an hour estimate now shows a live suggested value based on the project's remaining budget and every other open task's own estimate — with a one-click button to use it. It's the same suggestion the project-wide budget preview already offered, just available earlier, while you're still filling in the form.

Why it matters. You shouldn't have to create a task first, then go find the budget tool, then come back and edit the value. Now the suggestion is right where you need it.

Who it’s for. Project managers creating tasks.

Add a task

A shared whiteboard for every project.

Sticky notes and quick text labels on a freeform board — updates appear live for everyone with it open.

What it is. Every project now has its own whiteboard: a big, scrollable space where anyone on the project can drop a sticky note or a plain text label, drag it around, and edit it right there. It's for the messy, early stage — jotting down ideas, roughing out a process — before anything becomes a real task or doc. Changes show up live for everyone with the board open.

Why it matters. Not every idea deserves a task yet. Sometimes you just need a place to think out loud with your team before things get formal.

Who it’s for. Anyone working on a project, especially early on.

Open a project

A smarter way to split a budget across tasks.

Give a task an estimated hour range, and let CoLabEx suggest how to split your budget across your open tasks.

What it is. When creating a task, you can now give it a low/high hour range instead of one firm number — handy when you're not fully sure yet how big it really is. As more of your team's completed work gets logged, CoLabEx starts showing you a real pattern: "based on similar tasks here, real hours tend to run about X% over or under what was estimated." And on the project page, a project manager can preview a suggested budget split across every open task, based on those estimated hours — always just a suggestion you apply yourself, one task at a time, never automatic.

Why it matters. Pricing out a big batch of work by guessing at each task individually is hard, especially early on. This gives you a real, computed starting point built from your own project's own history — you stay in control of every number, but you're not starting from nothing.

Who it’s for. Project managers planning out a budget.

Open your projects

Ran into something unexpected? Propose your own subtask.

If you flag an issue while working on a task, you can now propose turning it into its own subtask — the project manager reviews it before anyone sees it.

What it is. If you're assigned to a task and flag an issue on it, you can now propose turning that issue into a real subtask with its own suggested value — not just the project manager's call anymore. It stays hidden until the project manager reviews and approves it, so nothing appears on the task board unapproved.

Why it matters. Sometimes real, unplanned work turns up mid-task, and the person doing the work is often the first to spot it. This gives them a real way to raise it, without skipping the review step that keeps a project's budget honest.

Who it’s for. Anyone assigned to a task, and the project managers reviewing what comes in.

Open your tasks

Design your own dashboard widget.

Your own text, your own colors, and a list pulled from a web address you connect.

What it is. Add a Custom widget to your Dashboard and make it yours: write your own text with live numbers dropped in (like how many tasks are open), style it with a safe set of CSS, and — if you want — connect a web address that returns a list and show its items. On a task, a project manager can now also turn a reported issue into a subtask in one step; the issue resolves itself when the subtask is approved.

Why it matters. Everyone tracks something a little different. Now your dashboard can show the thing you actually care about, in a way that suits you, without waiting for us to build it.

Who it’s for. Anyone with a dashboard, and project managers handling blockers.

Open your Dashboard

Bigger quizzes, a proficiency level — and an undo for imports.

Every course quiz now has at least 25 questions and shows your level; imported a task list by mistake? One click undoes it.

What it is. Every course quiz now has at least 25 questions, so your score is a more meaningful measure of what you know. When you pass, your score shows as a level — Foundational, Working, Proficient or Expert. The 14 nursing skill lessons (blood pressure, IV therapy, wound care and more) now have quizzes too; they are knowledge checks, so they give you a score but not a badge. Separately, if you import a task list from a spreadsheet and it comes in wrong, an Undo button removes the imported tasks nobody has started on and keeps any that have been worked on.

Why it matters. A short quiz can be passed by luck; 25 questions is much harder to guess your way through, and a named level tells you and others where you stand. And nobody should be afraid to try an import because they can't take it back.

Who it’s for. Learners and anyone moving a task list into CoLabEx.

Open the Education Center

Lock your account tighter — and take your data with you.

Turn on two-factor sign-in, download a copy of everything you have here, or delete your account yourself.

What it is. Two-factor sign-in adds a 6-digit code from an app on your phone (Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, Authy and others) to your password, so a stolen or guessed password is not enough. It is free and uses no text messages; you also get ten one-time recovery codes in case you lose your phone. In Settings you can now also download a copy of your data as one file, see your own recent security activity, and delete your account yourself. Project managers get an audit trail on each project showing who approved what.

Why it matters. Your account holds your work, your history and, for some people, records of what they are owed. It should be very hard for anyone else to get into, and it should always be yours to take with you or to close.

Who it’s for. Everyone. Admins, company owners and project managers most of all.

Open Settings

Locked out? Now there's a way back in.

Reset a forgotten password, confirm your email, and add backup emails so a school address never strands you.

What it is. You can now reset a forgotten password with an emailed link, confirm your email when you sign up, and add backup email addresses in Settings. A confirmed backup can be used to sign in and to reset your password — and you can make it your main email when you graduate. Too many wrong passwords briefly pauses sign-in to keep guessers out.

Why it matters. Accounts should be easy to get into for you and hard for anyone else. Your school email will stop working someday; with a backup email you keep your account, your work and your learning history without starting over.

Who it’s for. Everyone — especially students who sign up with a school address.

Manage your email addresses

Already have a task list? Bring it with you.

Import your tasks from a spreadsheet or another tool in a few clicks — no retyping.

What it is. Upload a CSV file (most project tools and every spreadsheet can make one), check that we matched your columns correctly, preview exactly what will happen, then import. Names, descriptions, due dates, priorities and time estimates all come across.

Why it matters. Nobody wants to rebuild a whole project by hand just to try something new. The preview means there are no surprises, and anything we can't bring across — like who a task was assigned to — is kept as a note on the task instead of being lost.

Who it’s for. Anyone moving a project over from a spreadsheet, Asana, Jira, monday.com or a similar tool.

Studying complex med-surg? Here's a free study track.

Free readings from open textbooks plus a practice run that shows which topics need more work.

What it is. A guided path through the high-acuity topics — shock, cardiac emergencies, respiratory failure, neurological emergencies, fluids and electrolytes, endocrine emergencies, kidney failure, GI and liver failure, blood and sepsis, and burns. Each topic links to the free chapter to read, and the practice run asks a few questions from every area.

Why it matters. The practice run tells you where you're weakest, then points you to exactly what to read — so you spend your study time where it counts, retake it, and watch each area improve. Every answer comes with the reasoning behind it.

Who it’s for. Nursing students in a complex medical-surgical course.

Open the study track

Your class, one code away.

Teachers hand out a short code; students type it in and they're in class. That's the whole thing.

What it is. A teacher makes a class and gets a code like K7M2-9QXR and a join link. Students type the code or open the link and join — even if they've never used CoLabEx. Teachers can also paste in a list of emails, keep the class private, or post it publicly if their school is approved.

Why it matters. Getting a whole class set up is usually where new tools lose people. If you first arrive through a class, you see a simple view with just your classes — and one button to open up everything else whenever you're ready. Classes that have ended stay in your history.

Who it’s for. Teachers and professors, and their students.

Join a class

Find your weak spots — then fix them.

Take a short practice run, see which topics need work, study just those, and watch your scores climb.

What it is. A practice loop for NCLEX-RN preparation. Answer a mix of questions from every area of the exam, get results ranked weakest first with the reasoning for every answer, then jump straight to the free reading for the topics you missed and retake.

Why it matters. Most people study what they already know because it feels good. This shows you what you don't know yet, so your time goes where it helps. These are original study questions, not real exam questions, and a score here doesn't predict a pass — but the habit of finding and fixing weak areas is what works.

Who it’s for. Nursing students preparing for the NCLEX-RN.

Start a practice run

Nursing, from LPN to NP — laid out step by step.

Four learning paths (LPN, RN, BSN, NP) with the individual skills — taking blood pressure, starting an IV, reading a heart rhythm — each with a free lesson.

What it is. Each level of nursing has its own path: the exam to prepare for, the foundation skills, and free readings from open textbooks. The same skill lesson shows up in every path that needs it.

Why it matters. You can see the whole road, not just the next class. Where a free, trustworthy resource doesn't exist yet we say so, instead of pointing you at something unchecked. These lessons teach the knowledge behind a skill — hands-on ability is something your instructor checks in person.

Who it’s for. Anyone studying or considering nursing.

Browse learning paths

Make it comfortable for your eyes.

Dark, light or match-your-device — plus color-blind-friendly colors, high contrast and bigger text.

What it is. A few simple choices in Settings change how CoLabEx looks: the overall theme, a color scheme designed to be readable with color-blindness or low vision, and the text size. Your choice follows you to any device.

Why it matters. Software should fit the person, not the other way around. We picked the color-blind-friendly colors by measuring how easy they are to tell apart, not by eye — and status is always shown in words as well as color.

Who it’s for. Everyone — especially anyone who's ever squinted at a screen.

Open appearance settings

A home screen that asks: what do you want to do next?

A few big, clear buttons and what's due today — with the full dashboard one click away.

What it is. New accounts start on a simple home: big labeled buttons for the things people do most, what's due today, and recent activity. The full dashboard is still there, arranged as compact cards you can reorder. On a project, a task can show as just the task plus a few buttons — add my work, ask a question, flag a problem, comment.

Why it matters. A powerful tool shouldn't make a beginner feel lost. Start simple, and unlock more as you need it — nothing is taken away, just tucked out of the way until you ask for it.

Who it’s for. New users, and anyone who likes things uncluttered.

Your tasks, messages and favorite pages — one tap away.

A slide-out panel that stays out of the way until you want it, and a one-click star to save any page.

What it is. A slim tab on the edge of the screen opens a panel with your in-progress tasks, your conversations and the pages you've saved. Click the star in the top bar to save the page you're on.

Why it matters. It gives you a quick way to jump around without stealing screen space from the work in front of you. And it came straight from testers telling us a permanent side column made pages feel cramped.

Who it’s for. Everyone.

Show a client your progress — no login needed.

Send a link that shows a project's status, or print a one-page status report.

What it is. A project manager can create a private link that shows a project's health, milestones and tasks without exposing what anyone is paid. There's also a printable status report you can save as a PDF for a board update or a client email.

Why it matters. Clients want to know how it's going without learning a new tool. A link and a report do that, and the link can be turned off at any time.

Who it’s for. Project managers, freelancers and anyone reporting to a client or a boss.