Matlab seems very expensive. Is it required? Can our lab afford it?
Yes, Matlab is required to use ScanImage and/or Ephus. We hope that it is and remains affordable for your laboratory. Many universities may have special license arragements; otherwise, Mathworks typically offers a steep discount for academic/research users (typically 25% of the full price). Note that with the 'standalone named user' type of individual license, Matlab can be activated on 4 separate machines. Note also that neither Ephus nor the most recent versions of ScanImage require any toolboxes.
Each new ScanImage/Ephus release will tend to be tested and recommended for versions of Matlab current at that time. Matlab releases two new versions each year. Thus it can make sense for labs to subscribe to the software maintenance program, which provides access to the latest version. This price is usually 20% of the price of the original (likely discounted) license, so it should generally be affordable as an annual cost.
For ScanImage, please note the version compatibility information, reproduced below: