Capture vs DATATRAK: what does unified mean for your study?
Both DATATRAK and Capture describe themselves as unified. The useful question is which modules your study needs in one place: EDC, ePRO, eConsent, randomization, trial management, or all of them.
- Free sandbox, no sales call
- EDC, ePRO, eConsent, randomization
- Part 11-aligned controls
Free sandbox · No credit card · 21 CFR Part 11 aligned
Tests
5
Hands-on
4
To confirm
1
- Rebuild one of your real formsSame test, both systems
- Break an edit check and follow the querySame test, both systems
- Complete a questionnaire on a phoneSame test, both systems
- Sign a test eConsentSame test, both systems
- Compare total cost for your studyAsk both vendors
Capture vs DATATRAK: the short version
- DATATRAK offers a unified eClinical platform, DATATRAK ONE, including EDC and trial management capabilities.
- "Unified" means different things across vendors. List the modules your study needs before comparing.
- Capture unifies EDC, ePRO, eConsent, randomization and kit management, plus site activation, delegation and monitoring workflows.
- Capture is not a full CTMS. If you need finance, contracts and portfolio planning in the same system, check how each option covers them.
- Compare the same study hands-on in each platform.
0
sales calls needed to start building
1
audit trail across EDC, ePRO, eConsent and randomization
Free
sandbox with every feature, no time limit
EU + US
hosting in Frankfurt or N. Virginia
The comparison
Map modules to your study
Start from the study, not the vendor list. A Phase 2 trial with patient diaries and randomization needs EDC, ePRO, eConsent and randomization to work together; a sponsor running a portfolio may also want trial management, site payments and planning. Unified platforms differ in which of these they cover natively.
Capture covers the data side end to end in one study: forms and edit checks, participant questionnaires and consent, randomization and kits, site activation with a checklist, delegation logs, monitoring and lock. See clinical trial workflow software.
What to compare
What to test when comparing Capture and DATATRAK
| Criterion | Why it matters | Capture |
|---|---|---|
| Modules in one study | Reconciliation and vendor count | EDC, ePRO, eConsent, randomization and kits with one audit trail |
| Site operations | Getting sites live safely | Activation checklist enforced on the server; delegation log export |
| Monitoring | Focused verification | SDV per field, site risk monitor with reasons, status overview |
| Study build | Time from protocol to testable study | AI drafts visits and forms from the protocol; your team reviews and approves |
| Trial management | Finance and portfolio planning | Not a full CTMS; check coverage with each vendor |
| Commercial model | Fit for your study size | Free sandbox; no setup fee; pay only when you go live |
This table shows Capture's answers only. Ask DATATRAK for theirs, and confirm current capabilities and terms directly with them.
Self-serve build
Your team builds and amends, with AI doing the drafting
The AI form builder drafts questions or lab tables from a description or an uploaded file, and the AI Study Generator drafts the schedule from your protocol. Nothing is saved without human review. Forms move from draft to approved and are locked for live use, so amendments are deliberate and recorded.
- Ten question types plus repeating table sections.
- Calculated fields such as BMI, BSA, eGFR and QTc.
- Configuration export and import between studies.
Question form
CRF or ePRO
Lab table
Analytes, units, ranges
- Number
1. Systolic blood pressure
Required · Number · mmHg · 0 dp
- Number
2. Diastolic blood pressure
Required · Number · mmHg · 0 dp
- Number
3. Pulse rate
Required · Number · beats/min
- Number
4. Body temperature
Required · Number · °C · 1 dp
- Single choice
5. Position during measurement
Required · Sitting, Supine, Standing
- + 9 more questions
One platform
EDC, ePRO, eConsent and randomization in one study
Sites enter data on locked, approved forms with edit checks that raise queries at entry. Participants complete questionnaires on their own phones and sign eConsent with verified signatures. Randomization and kit management run in the same study, and everything shares one field-level audit trail.
- One participant record across every module.
- No integrations to build or reconcile.
- Phase 1 through Phase 3.
Build the same form in Capture
Free sandbox with every feature. No credit card.
Fit
When DATATRAK fits, and when Capture does
DATATRAK may fit better if you want trial management and data capture from one vendor and value its existing CTMS-style capabilities alongside EDC.
Capture fits teams whose priority is the data side: EDC, ePRO, eConsent and randomization in one self-serve study with a quick AI-drafted build.
Compliance controls
The controls inspectors look for, built in
Every change is written to an append-only, hash-chained audit trail with user, time, old and new value and reason. Electronic signatures require password re-authentication and carry a meaning statement. Roles separate sites, and identifying data is segregated from study data at the database layer.
- Field-level audit trail, never hard deleted.
- Re-authenticated e-signatures.
- Role-based access with site separation.
Weight changed 68.0 to 68.5 kg
Site coordinator · Reason: Transcription error
Query Q-0014 answered on Weight
Site coordinator · Reason: Source checked
Vital signs form locked
Data manager · Reason: Visit cleaned
Switching
Moving from DATATRAK to Capture
Move new studies first. Upload specifications for AI drafting, and keep trial management processes where they are if Capture does not replace them.
Historical data stays in its original export and is combined at analysis if needed. See how to switch EDC vendors mid-study for when a mid-study move makes sense.
Evaluation
How to compare EDC vendors side by side
Same form in both systems
Build one real form with edit checks.
Site workflow
Enter data, raise and answer a query.
Participant workflow
Consent and a questionnaire on a phone.
Monitoring
Set SDV and review what a monitor sees.
Exports
Data dictionary, codes and labels.
Total cost
Setup, per-site and per-participant fees.
All comparisons
Compare Capture with other platforms
Every comparison uses the same approach: what to test, where each option fits, and Capture's own answers. See all of them on the comparisons hub at /compare.
Is Capture a CTMS?
No. Capture covers EDC, ePRO, eConsent, randomization and site workflows such as activation, delegation and monitoring, but not full trial management.
Is Capture a DATATRAK alternative?
Yes, for teams focused on unified data capture rather than a combined CTMS.
Can Capture work alongside a CTMS?
Yes. Many teams run a separate CTMS and use exports from Capture.
Can I test Capture before deciding against DATATRAK?
Yes. The free sandbox includes every feature with sample data, no credit card and no time limit. You pay only when you go live.
How did you build this comparison?
From public positioning and the criteria teams tell us matter. We state only Capture's own capabilities as fact; confirm DATATRAK's current offering with them.
Keep exploring
Related pages
Clinical trial workflow software
From activation to lock.
EDC vs CTMS
Category differences.
Capture vs Castor
EDC, eCOA and eConsent from the Netherlands.
Capture vs Viedoc
EDC with patient modules, from Sweden.
Capture vs Medrio
EDC and eCOA for early-phase and mid-sized studies.
Capture vs OpenClinica
Cloud EDC with an open-source heritage.
Compare Capture against your shortlist
Free sandbox with every feature. No sales call.