How difficult and common is it to switch labs after starting a PhD? I am having troubles deciding between pursuing a PhD in lab that is more bioinformatics flavored or a lab that is more computationally flavored.

What are the risks associated with switch labs after starting a PhD? How difficult? How common?

Currently I have an advisor willing to take me into his computationally flavored lab, but their primary sub-domain is not one to which I am familiar. I would like some assurances that switching labs would be an option 6-18 months into my PhD.
The alternative is to continue taking classes as a non-degree seeking student until I decide on what lab I like. I have no intention on switching universities.
Note, with either lab I can keep the same major. In other words, the difficulty of switching domains is not what I am asking here.
This is located in the USA.
I have read other questions such as:
Hiring a PhD student who left another PhD position
Switch PhD program: how to contact possible PhD advisors when already enrolled in PhD program?
The reason it is difficult to answer this is that it can depend to a large extent on personalities. A &quot;new&quot; advisor might not want to take you on thinking about their relationship with the &quot;old&quot; advisor. The &quot;old&quot; advisor might feel insulted and cause problems for you. You might, after a year, have responsibilities to the current lab that will be difficult to transfer. It can be a mess, but it happens.
Rather, I'd suggest that you make a commitment to a lab and stick to it. Your doctoral studies aren't your career and it is always possible to change direction after you finish a PhD, especially if it is within the same field. Changing labs can set you back, leaving you with a &quot;lost&quot; year as well as bad feelings.
But, for a bachelors degree holder starting doctoral studies immediately, the first order of business is passing comprehensives, which requires coursework for most. If you don't need to make a serious commitment to the research of a lab (as is true for most) then switching is generally easy and non-disruptive.
The research leading to the dissertation is to teach you how to do it within your field and how to write scholarly papers. Once you get that, the specifics of how you spend your career are pretty malleable.
That said, don't choose something you hate or you will lose motivation. If you start in something and have an opportunity to move before you finish and it isn't too disruptive, then you have an opportunity. But no answer here will guarantee that such an opportunity will arise. A straight path may be the quick path.