If you are comparing EDC options for a Phase 1 or a lean Phase 2, the test that separates vendors is rarely a feature list. It is how fast you can build, amend between cohorts and see safety data. Here is how to run that test and what to compare.
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What to know first
Why people search
Early-phase and mid-sized studies run on short timelines and small teams. The EDC must be ready before the first participant is screened, tolerate frequent changes between cohorts and show the safety signals a medical monitor needs without waiting for a data transfer. Medrio is a known option in this segment, and teams ask for alternatives for the usual reasons: pricing structure, the number of modules they need to assemble, the speed of changes, or a wish to try something self-serve before committing.
A fair evaluation starts with your own constraints. A first-in-human study with intense pharmacokinetic sampling needs different things from a 200-person Phase 2. The best EDC systems for small biotech page and how to choose an EDC system give broader frames; this page narrows to the shortlist for early-phase work.
One practical rule: do not compare brochures. Compare behaviour. Give each vendor the same protocol and measure what happens in the first week.
The shortlist
Generic categories. Check each vendor's own materials for specifics.
Cloud EDCs aimed at small and mid-sized studies. Compare build effort, amendment process, ePRO and randomization as add-ons or included, and the contract structure.
Read more Large programmesSuites built for global programmes with established standards and services teams. Compare lead time, change-control process and the number of modules you need to buy separately.
Read more Self-managedSoftware you can configure yourself, with hosting and validation as your responsibility. Compare the validation effort and the cost of support.
Read more Low costTools such as REDCap, or spreadsheets, can fit investigator-led work. Compare audit trail, signatures and what a sponsor or inspector will expect.
Read more Where Capture fitsEDC, ePRO, eConsent, randomization and kit management in one system with one audit trail, built by your own team with AI drafting.
Read moreCriteria
| Criterion | What to test with every vendor | Capture |
|---|---|---|
| Time to first build | How long from protocol to a testable study? | Upload the protocol; the AI Study Generator drafts the schedule and forms for review |
| Safety data at entry | Are derived values visible while the site enters data? | Calculated fields such as QTcF, BMI and eGFR are read-only during entry |
| Amendments between cohorts | Who makes the change and how long does it take? | Your team edits; draft and approved states and a field-level audit trail |
| Dose-escalation support | Can you add cohorts and arms without a rebuild? | Arms and epochs are configurable; test your cohort design in the sandbox |
| Randomization and kits | Same study or separate system? | Stratified randomization, blinded roles and kit dispensing under e-signature |
| Participant tools | ePRO and consent included? | ePRO and eConsent in the same platform |
| Data standards | What do exports look like? | Wide-format CSV or Excel with a data dictionary; SDTM as SAS XPT with Define-XML |
| Pricing structure | What is a line item? | Free sandbox; see /pricing for live-study terms |
The test questions apply to every vendor, including Capture.
The free sandbox includes every feature. Compare the draft with what your shortlist produces.
Early-phase detail
A medical monitor reviewing an ECG wants QTcF, not a heart rate and a QT interval to calculate later. In Capture the derived value appears read-only as the site enters its components, and an edit check can raise an auto-query when a threshold is crossed.
Heart rate
EGHRQT interval
EGQTQTcF (Fridericia)
QTCFAuto-query: change from baseline above rule threshold
Fit
Switching has a cost even when the destination is better. If your current system is working, your sites know it, the contract is reasonable and your next amendment is quick, the right answer may be to stay and renegotiate. Do not move because a comparison page told you to.
A change is more likely to pay off at a boundary: a new study, a new programme or the end of a contract term. If that is you, run the build-and-amend test in the table above, using the same protocol, and compare the time and the number of people involved. Hidden EDC fees is a useful checklist for reading the quotes side by side, and clinical trial software for small biotech covers the broader buying questions.
Capture is suitable for Phase 1, 2 and 3, so the same platform can follow a programme as it grows.
Vendor A
9 days
Vendor B
6 days
Vendor C
4 days
Evaluation checklist
Two visits, an ECG form, a lab table and a diary, built identically in each vendor.
Add a visit and a field; record who did it and how long it took.
Can the medical monitor see the values that matter without a data transfer?
Setup, modules, sites, users and termination terms. See hidden EDC fees.
What documentation supports your own validation? See computer system validation.
Download data and the dictionary on day one, not at database lock.
Other early-phase and mid-market EDCs, enterprise EDC, open-source EDC, academic tools and all-in-one self-serve platforms. Choose by running the same protocol through each and timing the build and the first amendment.
The comparison page puts two products side by side. This page helps you decide which kinds of alternatives to shortlist, with a test that applies to any vendor.
Yes. Capture is suitable for Phase 1, 2 and 3, with calculated safety fields, randomization with blinded roles and kit management in one study.
It reads a protocol (PDF, DOCX or DOC) and drafts the visit schedule and forms. A person reviews and approves everything before it is used.
No. 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.
Yes. SDTM datasets are exported as SAS XPT files with Define-XML, alongside wide-format CSV or Excel with a data dictionary.
There is no direct import. Upload your forms as CSV, XLSX, PDF or DOCX for AI drafting, rebuild logic and merge historical data at analysis. See the migration guides for the general method.
Keep exploring
Upload a protocol to the free sandbox and time the draft, the review and the first amendment. No credit card, no sales call.