Most buyers searching for Medable alternatives are not sure whether they need a full decentralized platform or just remote consent, home questionnaires and an EDC that works with them. Start from the elements your protocol needs, then compare.
Free sandbox · No credit card · 21 CFR Part 11 aligned
| Protocol needs it | In Capture | |
|---|---|---|
| Remote consent | ||
| Home questionnaires and diaries | ||
| Site EDC for clinic visits | ||
| Wearable sync (Oura named) | ||
| Video visits (telehealth) | ||
| Direct-to-patient drug shipping |
What to know first
Why people search
Decentralized trial platforms are designed for studies where much of the activity happens at home: electronic consent, patient-reported outcomes, device data, telehealth and home delivery. Medable is a well-known platform in that space. Teams start looking at alternatives for ordinary reasons, and it helps to name yours: the study is smaller than the platform assumes, the sponsor wants the EDC and the patient-facing tools in one system, the timeline cannot absorb a long implementation, or the budget needs to be predictable.
Be careful with generalisations in either direction. A platform built for large decentralized programmes may be exactly right for one; a simpler hybrid tool may be a better fit for a 60-participant Phase 2 with two clinic visits and a daily diary. The question is which elements your protocol needs, so list them before you compare vendors. The decentralized clinical trial guide and the decentralized clinical trial software page describe the building blocks.
If you are weighing a fully remote design, read EDC for decentralized clinical trials too; many protocols that are called decentralized are really hybrid, with site visits for the assessments that cannot be done at home.
The shortlist
Generic categories, not statements about any named vendor. Check each vendor's own materials.
Platforms built around remote visits, home health and direct-to-patient logistics. Best when much of the protocol is genuinely off-site and you need those services as part of the product.
Large EDC suites that add consent, eCOA or telehealth as separate modules. Best when the sponsor standardises on one enterprise vendor. Ask what is included in the quote and what is a paid add-on.
Specialist eCOA and eConsent providers integrated with an EDC. Best when you need a very particular capability and have integration capacity. Ask who owns the integration and the combined audit trail.
EDC, remote eConsent, phone questionnaires, randomization and kit management in one platform and one audit trail. Best for studies where decentralized elements support site visits rather than replace them.
Read moreCriteria
| Criterion | Question to ask every vendor | Capture |
|---|---|---|
| Remote consent | Can a participant consent on a phone, and how is the signature verified and countersigned? | eConsent with OTP-verified participant signature, investigator countersignature with password re-authentication, optional witness and LAR |
| Home questionnaires | Is an app required, and how are reminders sent? | Secure link, no app, email or SMS reminders, 10 question types |
| Site data | Is the EDC the same system as the patient tools? | One platform and one audit trail |
| Device data | Which devices are supported and how? | Native OAuth sync; Oura is the device named by Capture. Ask for other devices |
| Video visits | Built in or via another tool? | Not provided; use an existing telehealth tool |
| Randomization and drug supply | In the same study or a separate system? | Stratified randomization, blinded roles and kit dispensing under e-signature |
| Amendments | Who makes the change and how long does it take? | Your team edits; draft and approved states and the audit trail |
| Offline use | What works with no connection? | Offline data entry is not available |
| Cost structure | What is included, what is an add-on? | Every module on the free sandbox; see /pricing for live-study terms |
Questions apply to every vendor, including Capture. Verify answers in a trial or a demo.
Build the consent, the home diary and the site visits in the free sandbox, then compare with your shortlist.
The hybrid core
A typical hybrid flow is short and concrete: the participant reviews the information sheet and signs on their phone, completes the baseline questionnaire at home, attends the clinic visit where staff enter measurements, then logs a daily diary until the next visit. In Capture all of those steps are in one study, with one participant record and one audit trail.
Scan site QR code and sign consent on phone
OTP-verified signature
Baseline questionnaire at home
Secure link, no app
Clinic visit: site staff enter vitals and labs
Edit checks raise auto-queries
Daily diary with reminders
Email or SMS
Investigator countersigns and reviews
Password re-authentication
Fit
A fully decentralized platform is usually the better choice when the protocol is built around home health visits, remote video assessments, courier logistics or large device programmes, and when the sponsor wants those services supplied by the platform vendor. If your study needs a video visit with a clinician on a schedule, and you do not already have a telehealth tool that sponsors accept, Capture does not replace that.
A hybrid-ready EDC is usually the better answer when the study has a defined number of site visits, decentralized elements are remote consent, home questionnaires and diaries, and the main risks are data quality and timeline rather than logistics. That describes many Phase 1 to Phase 3 programmes; Capture is suitable for all three.
If you are unsure, split the protocol into elements and score each on how essential it is. The elements that score "essential" should decide the shortlist. Best eConsent software and eCOA software for clinical trials are good references for the point-solution route.
Essential elements
4
Nice to have
2
Evaluation checklist
Essential, nice to have, not needed, agreed by operations and clinical.
Each vendor builds the same two visits and one diary; time the build.
Add a field and a visit window and record who did it and how long it took.
Consent, questionnaire, reminder, from the participant side.
Does it cover EDC, consent and questionnaires in one view?
Setup, modules, per-participant or per-site charges and termination terms.
How you export data and consent records if you leave. See hidden EDC fees.
Other decentralized platforms, enterprise EDC suites with decentralized modules, point solutions for eCOA and eConsent, and hybrid-ready EDC platforms that combine EDC, remote consent and phone questionnaires. Which is best depends on the elements your protocol needs.
The comparison page sets the two products side by side. This page helps you decide what kind of platform to shortlist, with criteria that apply to any vendor.
No. Capture covers remote consent, home questionnaires, site EDC, randomization and kit management. Teams run video visits on their own telehealth tools.
Yes. Questionnaires open from a secure link on a phone, and enrolment can use a site QR code, with no app to install.
Capture uses native OAuth sync, where participants connect their own account. Oura is the device named on the site. Ask about other devices before you plan around them.
Yes. Capture is suitable for Phase 1, 2 and 3.
Yes. The free sandbox has every feature with sample data, no credit card and no time limit. You pay only once you go live with real participants.
Keep exploring
Capture vs Medable
The head-to-head comparison.
Decentralized clinical trial software
The building blocks.
EDC for decentralized clinical trials
Site and remote data in one system.
eConsent for decentralized trials
Remote consent in practice.
eCOA software for clinical trials
Home questionnaires and diaries.
How to choose an EDC system
A broader buyer's checklist.
Build consent, a home diary and site visits in the free sandbox. No credit card, no sales call.