Full comparison
Data collection software compared, feature by feature
All 18 tools side by side: our score, what each is best for, pricing model, hosting, certifications and 17 features, from audit trails and randomisation to ePRO, CDISC export and built-in statistics.
This guide is published by ResearchGuru Ltd, which also makes ResearchGuru EDC. How we rank.
Overview
Rank, score, pricing and hosting
| Tool | Rank | Score | Type | Best for | Unique feature | Pricing | Hosting | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ResearchGuru EDC | 1 | 8.6 | EDC | Teams that want the database built for them, with TFLs and analysis included | EDC, automated TFLs and automated analysis in one platform | Quote per study (build, hosting and support); no minimum study size | not stated publicly | None stated |
| OpenClinica | 2 | 7.7 | EDC | Small to mid studies wanting published prices or open-source software | Open-source Community Edition | Per-study monthly subscription with add-on modules; free open-source Community Edition | US, UK and EU (Enterprise cloud) | SOC 2 examination report, 2023 (vendor; Type not stated) |
| Castor EDC | 3 | 7.5 | EDC | Self-built academic and MedTech studies, with UK, EU, US or Australian hosting | Choice of EU, UK, US or Australian hosting | Per-study subscription; vendor describes flat-rate study licensing with no per-subject fees | EU (Netherlands, Ireland), UK (London, Cardiff), Australia (New South Wales), US (Virginia, California) | ISO 27001 (vendor), NEN 7510 (vendor) |
| Medrio EDC | 4 | 7.4 | EDC | Biotech and device sponsors wanting a fast no-code build | No-code build aimed at rapid go-live | Quote-based subscription | US, EU and China (vendor-stated facilities) | SOC 2 Type II report (vendor), ISO 9001 (vendor), ISO/IEC 27701, as controller (vendor), EU-US Data Privacy Framework (vendor) |
| TrialKit | 5 | 7.4 | EDC | Studies collecting data on phones and tablets, including offline | Mobile-native EDC apps | Subscription packages scaled by concurrent studies (e.g. Pilot tier for one live study); unlimited sites and users | EU (Ireland, Paris) and US (Ohio, Oregon) AWS regions, chosen per study (vendor support page, list dated 2020) | AWS ISO 27001, 27017, 27018, SOC 1/2/3, HDS and C5 (hosting provider) |
| Viedoc | 6 | 7.3 | EDC | Multinational sponsor and CRO trials, including Japan and China | Built for multinational studies, including Asia | Modular per-study licence (single-study or multiple-licence models); unlimited users | EU instance (Microsoft Azure, France) and US instance (Microsoft Azure, Iowa and Virginia) | ISO/IEC 27001:2022 (vendor), SOC 2 Type 2 report (vendor), CSA STAR Level One self-assessment (vendor) |
| REDCap | 7 | 7.1 | EDC | Academic studies at institutions that already run REDCap | Free licence through a global non-profit consortium | Free licence for non-profit organisations; licensed institution hosts and supports it | Wherever each licensed institution installs it (self-hosted); no central vendor cloud for licensees | None stated |
| Medidata Rave EDC | 8 | 6.8 | EDC | Large multinational Phase II-III drug trials | EDC unified with RTSM, eCOA and imaging | Quote-based; Medidata describes a flexible pricing model | not stated | ISO 27001:2022 (vendor), ISO 27701:2019 (vendor), ISO 27017 and ISO 27018 statements of conformity (vendor), SOC 2+ Type II audit report, biannual (vendor), HDS French health data hosting certificate (vendor), CSA STAR registry entry (vendor) |
| Veeva EDC | 9 | 6.7 | EDC | Sponsor and CRO trials with frequent protocol amendments | In-product Studio and Study Builder Agent | Quote-based ('Contact Us') | not stated | ISO 27001, ISO 27017 and ISO 27018, audited at least annually (vendor), SOC 2 Type II report (vendor), ISO 9001 for quality management system (vendor), HDS French health data hosting certificate (vendor) |
| Qualtrics | 10 | 6.4 | Survey | Academic survey research and survey experiments | Statistical analysis inside the survey tool (paid add-on) | Subscription: free account, self-serve Strategic Research plan, or enterprise quote | Vendor states it runs in AWS regions across the US, Europe (Frankfurt and London), Asia Pacific and Japan | ISO 27001 (vendor), ISO 27017 (vendor), ISO 27018 (vendor), ISO 27701 (vendor), SOC 2 Type II report (vendor), FedRAMP authorisation (vendor), HITRUST certification (vendor), IRAP assessment report (vendor), ISO 9001 and Cyber Essentials (vendor, per UK G-Cloud listing) |
| KoboToolbox | 11 | 6.3 | Field data | Humanitarian and field surveys in low-connectivity settings | Free hosted plan for nonprofits and education | Hosted subscription plans with nonprofit and standard rates; free open-source code for self-hosting | Global server (location not stated on vendor pages checked) and EU server hosted in Ireland and Germany; AWS | None stated |
| Oracle Clinical One | 12 | 6.3 | EDC | Sponsor trials needing randomisation and drug supply alongside EDC | EDC and randomisation in one platform | Quote-based ('Contact us' / 'Request a demo') | not stated | ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27018: vendor states annual third-party audits (Oracle Life Sciences), ISO 9001:2015 for quality management system (vendor), SOC 2 Type 2 attestation reports (hosting provider, OCI), HDS assessment for French health data (hosting provider, OCI) |
| Ledidi Core | 13 | 6.0 | EDC | Registries and simple observational studies needing built-in statistics | Statistics built into data capture | Per-user subscription | European Economic Area (vendor-stated) | ISO/IEC 27001 (vendor; accredited by Kiwa AS, December 2022), Cyber Essentials (vendor), HIPAA compliance attestation report (vendor) |
| secuTrial | 14 | 6.0 | EDC | Academic multicentre trials in Germany and Switzerland | Common EDC across Swiss academic research centres | Per-user pricing on request | Germany (vendor hosting in Nuremberg, per third-party directory) | None stated |
| ODK | 15 | 5.9 | Field data | Longitudinal field studies on Android, self-hosted or in the cloud | Entities for longitudinal follow-up | ODK Cloud hosted subscription, or free open-source self-hosting | ODK Cloud: US or EU data centres (security page); homepage also offers India | SOC 2 (hosting provider), ISO 27K (hosting provider) |
| Sealed Envelope Red Pill | 16 | 5.8 | EDC | UK academic randomised trials needing UK-hosted data | Built-in randomisation from a long-standing service | Per-study quote for Red Pill; randomisation services priced separately | UK (Rackspace and AWS London), replicated to AWS Ireland for disaster recovery | ISO 27001:2022 (vendor; Alcumus ISOQAR certificate, expires May 2027), Cyber Essentials (vendor), NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit: Standards Met (vendor) |
| SurveyMonkey | 17 | 5.4 | Survey | Quick questionnaires and feedback surveys | Self-serve plans with published UK prices | Per-user subscription, monthly or annual; Enterprise by quote | US, Canada and Ireland (EU), on AWS (vendor-stated) | ISO 27001 (vendor), ISO 27701 (vendor), SOC 2 Type II (vendor), PCI DSS (vendor) |
| Jisc Online Surveys | 18 | 5.1 | Survey | Questionnaire research at UK universities | Education-sector licensing and benchmarking | Annual subscription: Single user, Project or Organisation licence | EU: AWS, Republic of Ireland (vendor-stated) | ISO 27001 (vendor; Online Surveys service in scope), ISO 9001 (vendor, Jisc) |
Features
Feature matrix
✓ Yes◐ Partly+ Add-on– No? Not stated
| Tool | Builds for you | Self-build | Audit trail | e-Signatures | Edit checks | Queries / SDV | Randomisation | ePRO | eConsent | Offline app | Languages | CDISC | Reports | Statistics | TFLs | API | Free option |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ResearchGuru EDC | ✓ | ◐ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ◐ | – |
| OpenClinica | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | + | + | + | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ? | ✓ | ✓ |
| Castor EDC | + | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ◐ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ? | ✓ | – |
| Medrio EDC | + | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ? | ✓ | ? |
| TrialKit | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ? | ✓ | – |
| Viedoc | + | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ◐ | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ? | ✓ | ? |
| REDCap | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ? | ✓ | ✓ |
| Medidata Rave EDC | + | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | + | + | + | ? | ? | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ? | ✓ | ? |
| Veeva EDC | ? | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | + | + | + | ? | ✓ | ◐ | ✓ | ? | ? | ✓ | ? |
| Qualtrics | + | ✓ | ? | ◐ | ✓ | ? | ◐ | ✓ | ◐ | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ✓ | + | ? | ✓ | ◐ |
| KoboToolbox | ? | ✓ | ✓ | ◐ | ✓ | ? | ? | ✓ | ◐ | ✓ | ✓ | – | ✓ | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Oracle Clinical One | ? | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ◐ | ? | ? | ◐ | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ? | ✓ | ? |
| Ledidi Core | + | ✓ | ◐ | – | ◐ | – | – | ◐ | ? | – | ? | – | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ✓ | ? |
| secuTrial | ? | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ? | ◐ | ? | ✓ | ? | ? | ✓ | ? |
| ODK | ? | ◐ | ✓ | ◐ | ✓ | ◐ | – | ✓ | ◐ | ✓ | ✓ | – | ◐ | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sealed Envelope Red Pill | ◐ | ✓ | ✓ | ◐ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ? | ? | ? | ✓ | ? | ? | ◐ | ? |
| SurveyMonkey | ? | ✓ | ◐ | ? | ✓ | ? | ◐ | ✓ | ? | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ✓ | ◐ | ? | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jisc Online Surveys | ? | ✓ | ? | ? | ✓ | ? | – | ✓ | ◐ | ? | ◐ | – | ✓ | – | ? | – | ◐ |
Scores
How each tool scored
Each criterion is scored from 0 to 10; the overall score is the weighted average. The weights reflect what matters most to study teams running academic, observational and small-to-mid clinical studies.
| Tool | Study build and support (20%) | Data quality, security and compliance (20%) | Reports, analysis and exports (20%) | Participant data (15%) | Study designs and scale (10%) | Cost and access (15%) | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ResearchGuru EDC | 10 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 8.6 |
| OpenClinica | 8 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7.7 |
| Castor EDC | 7 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7.5 |
| Medrio EDC | 8 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 7.4 |
| TrialKit | 8 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 7.4 |
| Viedoc | 7 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 7.3 |
| REDCap | 4 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7.1 |
| Medidata Rave EDC | 6 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 6.8 |
| Veeva EDC | 7 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 6.7 |
| Qualtrics | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 6.4 |
| KoboToolbox | 5 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 6.3 |
| Oracle Clinical One | 6 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 6.3 |
| Ledidi Core | 6 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 6.0 |
| secuTrial | 6 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 6.0 |
| ODK | 4 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 5.9 |
| Sealed Envelope Red Pill | 6 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 5.8 |
| SurveyMonkey | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 5.4 |
| Jisc Online Surveys | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 5.1 |