An Advarra Longboat alternative that keeps participant data in the study record
Longboat is described as a platform for site training, protocol compliance and patient engagement. If what you need is consent, questionnaires and visit data in the same study and audit trail, here is how to compare, and how to test Capture alongside it.
- Neutral comparison
- No vendor pricing claims
- Free sandbox
Free sandbox · No credit card · 21 CFR Part 11 compliant
| Longboat | Capture | |
|---|---|---|
| Consent signed inside the study record | Ask vendor | Yes, eConsent with email OTP |
| Questionnaires in the same audit trail | Ask vendor | Yes, ePRO in the study |
| Site data entry (eCRF) in the same system | Ask vendor | Yes, EDC |
| Site training and protocol education | Ask vendor | Not a training platform |
| Hands-on trial before contract | Ask vendor | Free sandbox |
The short version
- Longboat was acquired by Advarra, with the deal reported as completed in November 2020. Trade coverage describes it as covering site training, protocol compliance and patient engagement, with a patient portal and document exchange between patients, sites and sponsors or CROs added in a 2023 release. We could not confirm from sources that it is an eCOA product, so this page does not call it one. Confirm current scope with Advarra.
- Capture is a data platform: EDC, eCRF, ePRO, eConsent and randomization in one system with one audit trail. It does not provide site training courses or a protocol-education content library.
- The overlap is the participant side: consent and patient-reported data. If those two things are your need, you are comparing study-record tools. If your need is training and communication, the comparison is different.
- No pricing, usage figures or uplift claims about Longboat appear here. Ask for written answers.
- You can test the participant workflows in the Capture sandbox without a card.
Jobs to be done
Engagement tools and study-record tools do different jobs
A patient engagement platform is built around communication: explaining the protocol, reminding participants about visits, giving them a place to find documents. A study-record platform is built around evidence: who consented to what and when, what a participant reported, what a site entered, and who changed it. A study can need both, and many do.
The trap is buying one expecting the other. If consent and questionnaires live in an engagement portal and site data lives in an EDC, a data manager ends up reconciling two systems and two audit trails. If everything lives in the study record and participants have no clear information, retention may suffer. Naming the job first avoids both.
In Capture the participant side is part of the study: eConsent templates and signature flow, ePRO diaries and questionnaires with ten question types, reminders, and a participant link that works in a phone browser with no app install. These live beside the eCRFs and share one audit trail.
Advarra also appears on a separate page: Capture vs Advarra covers its IRB, eRegulatory and CTMS portfolio. This page is only about Longboat.
Evaluation
Questions to put to Advarra and to Capture
Ask both the same things. Longboat answers must come from Advarra, not from this page.
| Topic | Question | What Capture offers for comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Consent | Is consent captured and stored in the same record as the study data? How is the signer verified? | eConsent with on-screen signature, mandatory email OTP, countersignature with password re-authentication; signed PDF export. |
| Questionnaires | Are patient-reported outcomes collected here, and in whose audit trail? | ePRO diaries and questionnaires in the study, same audit trail as site data. |
| Participant access | What does a participant have to install or remember? | A secure link in the phone browser; no app install. |
| Reminders | How are participants reminded, and who can see the history? | Email reminders for scheduled tasks, tied to the visit schedule. |
| Site data | Where do site staff enter visit data? | In the Capture eCRF with edit checks and queries. |
| Training | Does it deliver site training and protocol education content? | No. Capture is not a training platform; use it alongside one if you need that. |
| Exports | What can we export to close the study? | CSV/Excel with a data dictionary, audit trail, signed consent PDFs, SDTM as SAS XPT with Define-XML. |
| Cost | What is the total over 24 months for our enrolment and sites? | See the pricing page; ask Advarra for an equivalent written quote. |
The Capture column is drawn from the Capture product pages. Empty vendor answers are deliberate.
Walk through a participant's journey
Create a consent form and a short questionnaire in the free sandbox, open the participant link on your phone, and check what you would want reconciled.
Consent
Consent that is tied to the document and the study
Each signature is cryptographically linked to the exact document content at signing time. The participant signs on-screen after acknowledging the legal-binding statement and confirming by email OTP. Authorised staff countersign with password re-authentication and a meaning statement, and the document is fully executed only after that countersignature.
- Optional witness and legally authorised representative signatures.
- Signed consent exports as PDF with signature data, timestamps and audit trail.
- Consent templates for common study types in the library.
Meaning of signature
I have reviewed this adverse event and confirm the assessment of seriousness, severity and causality.
Signer
Dr. A. Ozola, PI
Password
••••••••••
Participant side
Questionnaires that open on a phone
Participants answer scheduled questionnaires from a link in the browser. Ten question types are available, and answers go straight into the study record, where site staff and data managers see them next to the visit data.
- No app to download.
- Task schedule linked to the visit calendar.
- Data appears alongside eCRF data, with the same audit trail.
Evening diary
Question 3 of 8
How would you rate your fatigue today?
0 = no fatigue, 10 = worst imaginable
Decision aid
When each approach fits
You need site training and protocol education at scale
An engagement or training platform is the right category; confirm Longboat's scope with Advarra.
You need consent and questionnaires in the same record as site data
Test a study-record platform; Capture combines EDC, eConsent and ePRO.
Your sponsor already contracts with Advarra
Ask what the sponsor expects to be integrated, and in writing what data moves where.
You run a small study with a lean team
Prefer fewer systems and fewer reconciliations; try Capture in the sandbox first.
You need a participant retention plan
Read participant retention strategies before choosing tools.
Process
How to test in an afternoon
- 1
Build one consent form
Start from a library template, adjust the wording, and preview it.
- 2
Add one questionnaire
Create a five-question diary and attach it to a visit.
- 3
Sign and answer as a participant
Use the participant link on a phone, then countersign as staff.
- 4
Look at the audit trail
Check what an inspector would see for consent and for an answer changed afterward.
What is Advarra Longboat?
Per trade coverage, Longboat is a platform acquired by Advarra in 2020 and described as supporting site training, protocol compliance and patient engagement, including a patient portal added in 2023. Check Advarra's own site for current features.
Is Capture a direct replacement for Longboat?
Not for site training or protocol education. Capture replaces the study-record parts of the participant journey: eConsent, ePRO questionnaires and the data they produce, plus EDC for site data.
Does Capture need participants to install an app?
No. Participants open a secure link in their phone browser.
Can consent and questionnaires share an audit trail with site data?
Yes. In Capture, eConsent, ePRO and EDC share one study and one audit trail.
Is Longboat cheaper than Capture?
We do not compare prices because Longboat's are not published in a form we can verify. Request written quotes and compare 24-month totals.
Is Capture suitable for regulated studies?
Capture is 21 CFR Part 11 compliant, GDPR compliant, HIPAA compliant, ISO 27001 certified and ICH GCP E6(R3) compliant, with EU and US data hosting. The sponsor remains responsible for validated use.
Can I test Capture first?
Yes. The free sandbox has no card and no time limit; you pay only when you go live with real participants.
Keep exploring
Related pages
Check the participant journey in your own study
Build consent and a questionnaire in Capture, free. No credit card.