Both can send a questionnaire. ePRO adds scheduling, reminders, time-stamped entry and a record that regulators can read. This page compares the two on those ePRO jobs only; for the general research comparison see REDCap vs Qualtrics.
Free sandbox · No credit card · 21 CFR Part 11 aligned
| Qualtrics | REDCap | Capture ePRO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repeating diary on a schedule | Test | Test | |
| Reminders to non-completers | Test | Test | |
| Field-level audit trail | Ask | Ask | |
| Instrument licence record | Patient questionnaires | ||
| Same system as site eCRF |
The short version
The ePRO job
A one-off survey asks, records and exports. A patient diary is different: the same short questionnaire every day or week, tied to a participant ID and a visit window, with a record of when it was completed, whether it was late, and whether anyone changed an answer afterwards. If a pain diary is your primary endpoint, a missing week matters, and the sponsor must be able to show how it was collected.
That produces a practical checklist: scheduling that follows the visit calendar, a link per participant (no shared public link), reminders, a way to see who has not completed, no editing by site staff of participant answers without trace, and exports with the timestamps. Both tools can cover parts of this with configuration; the question is how much of it you build and validate yourself. For the general concept see what is ePRO and ePRO vs paper diaries.
Tests
Do these with a real diary, not a demo form. Record what you had to configure by hand.
| Test | What to look for | Why it matters for ePRO |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule a repeating questionnaire | Does it follow a visit calendar per participant, or only a fixed send date? | Diaries follow enrolment day, not a calendar date. |
| Send individual links | Is each link tied to one participant ID, and can it be reused? | Attributability of each response. |
| Send a reminder to non-completers | Automatic or manual, and by which channel? | Completion rates drive endpoint validity. |
| Edit an answer afterwards | Is there a reason for change and a history of old and new values? | Audit trail expectations in regulated studies. |
| Use a licensed instrument | Where do you record licence terms and expiry? | Copyright terms often restrict use in trials. |
| Export with timestamps | Do you get completion time, not only the answer? | Compliance analysis and late-entry handling. |
| Link to the site eCRF | Can the participant data sit in the same record as visit data? | Fewer exports to merge, one audit trail. |
Build a weekly pain or sleep diary in the free sandbox, preview it on a phone, and compare the effort to your survey tool.
Third option
Capture ePRO uses ten question types, runs on the participant's phone, and sits in the same study, visit schedule and audit trail as the site eCRF. Diaries follow the visit schedule, email reminders can go to participants, and templates cover sleep, pain, mood, fatigue and GI symptom diaries. The phone view below is demo data.
Weekly pain diary
Week 4 · Participant 001-0042 (demo data)
Worst pain in the last 7 days
Sleep disturbed by pain
Instruments
Many patient-reported instruments are copyrighted, and trial use may need permission or a fee. Neither Qualtrics nor REDCap is designed to track that for you; teams usually keep licence documents in the study file. Capture lets a study team switch on "Licence required" for a patient questionnaire, record the licence number, holder and expiry, shows staff a copyright-approval-pending watermark until those are filled, and rejects new submissions after the recorded expiry. It does not verify a licence with the rights holder, does not supply instrument wording, and does not block a questionnaire while details are missing. These controls apply to patient questionnaires only, not site-completed forms.
Adaptive PROMIS instruments are a special case: scoring is computed by an external service, and one guide notes access to the Assessment Center API may need an annual licence. If CAT is central to your design, confirm how each tool handles scoring before you commit; see best eCOA platforms and eCOA vs ePRO.
Workflow
Decision
A pilot or a non-regulated cohort study with a few questionnaires often works well in REDCap, especially when your institution already hosts it and validates it. A one-off participant experience survey is Qualtrics' strength. Move to a purpose-built ePRO when the diary supports an endpoint, when the study is regulated, when you want less manual chasing of missed entries, or when you want ePRO and site data in one audit trail.
More detail: is REDCap Part 11 compliant, is Qualtrics Part 11 compliant, HIPAA-compliant survey tools for research, how to migrate from Qualtrics and how to migrate from REDCap. The Capture pricing page lists ePRO within the Core plan.
REDCap surveys can collect patient-reported outcomes inside a research project, and many institutions use it that way. How scheduling, reminders and audit controls work depends on your institution's version and configuration. Test a diary end to end.
Qualtrics is a survey platform and is used for patient-reported data. Universities have signed HIPAA business associate agreements with it. We found no official Qualtrics statement on 21 CFR Part 11, so confirm audit trail and validation support with Qualtrics and your institution for any regulated use.
Neither is built specifically for diaries. REDCap keeps surveys in the same project as site data; Qualtrics is stronger at survey design. If time-stamped entries, reminders and a clean audit trail matter, test a purpose-built ePRO tool.
Its shared library includes PROMIS instruments; one university guide says adaptive ones run only as surveys, one question at a time, and cannot be edited because they use an external scoring server. Verify with your REDCap administrator.
For patient questionnaires, a study team can record licence number, holder and expiry and staff see a watermark until they are entered. Capture does not verify licences or supply instrument text.
Participants complete questionnaires on their phone through a link, with no app development on your side. The free sandbox lets you preview it before any commitment.
Nothing. The sandbox is free with every feature, no credit card and no time limit; the pricing page lists what live studies cost.
Keep exploring
REDCap vs Qualtrics
The general research comparison.
Capture vs Qualtrics
Head-to-head with Capture.
Capture vs REDCap
Head-to-head with Capture.
ePRO software for clinical trials
What a purpose-built ePRO does.
Patient diary software
Diary design and compliance.
ePRO compliance and completion rates
Keeping diaries complete.
Build it in the free sandbox and see reminders and the audit trail. No credit card; pay only at go-live.