Ripple Science alternative: do you need recruitment software or a trial system?
Ripple Science is described as a platform for recruiting, enrolling and engaging research participants. Capture is a system of record for the trial itself. This page helps you decide which job you are hiring for, and shows how to test the second one free.
- Vendor claims hedged
- Two different jobs
- Free sandbox test
Free sandbox · No credit card · 21 CFR Part 11 compliant
Find and pre-screen people
Recruitment and registry tools
- 2
Consent
Signed, versioned, in the study record
- 3
Enrol and randomize
Site-level participant numbers
- 4
Collect data and diaries
eCRF and ePRO under edit checks
- 5
Clean, lock, export
Queries, audit trail, SDTM
What to know first
- What the public sources say: Ripple Science describes a web-based, HIPAA-compliant platform to recruit, enrol, engage and retain research volunteers, and a sponsor listing mentions automated recruitment follow-up workflows. It originated at the University of Michigan. Third-party company profiles say the company now operates as EnrollNow; we found no dated announcement, so confirm the current name and scope on the vendor's own site.
- It is mostly a different category from an EDC. Recruitment and participant-operations software manages people before and around a study. An EDC and eCRF platform holds the regulated trial data, consent evidence, queries and audit trail. Many studies need both, and some small studies need only the second.
- What we do not claim: anything about Ripple Science pricing, security certifications, customers, integrations or roadmap, and nothing about how it connects to any EDC.
- What Capture offers at the recruitment edge: QR-code enrolment (site-specific or study-specific, no app install), a pre-screening consent template and site-level participant numbering. Capture does not claim a participant registry, outreach campaigns or scheduling.
- Test the system-of-record half free. The Capture sandbox has nearly every feature, no credit card and no time limit; you pay only when you go live with real participants.
The vendor
What is publicly described about Ripple Science
Public descriptions place Ripple Science in the participant-engagement and recruitment part of clinical research. The vendor's own landing page describes tools to recruit, enrol, engage and retain trial volunteers, with study progress metrics, and a 2026 conference sponsor listing says sites, CROs and sponsors use it to engage and retain participants. University pages describe its origin as software developed in a university psychology lab and licensed to a start-up.
Company profiles on investor and data sites say the business is now called EnrollNow and describe participant-operations software for research teams: a registry, recruitment and pre-screening, scheduling and engagement, and study management. Those profiles do not give a rebrand date. Support pages we saw still use the Ripple name, so search for both names when you evaluate.
All of this is vendor or directory material. We have not tested the product and we make no statement about how well it works. Use the EDC vendor audit checklist as a template for the written questions you send any vendor, recruitment or otherwise.
Decision matrix
Eight questions to ask Ripple Science and Capture alike
The first column is a question for the vendor, not an answer. Capture's column comes from its product pages.
| Question | Ask Ripple Science (or EnrollNow) | Capture's answer |
|---|---|---|
| Where does the regulated trial record live? | Ask whether eCRF data, queries and a field-level audit trail are held in the tool, or in another system. | In Capture: EDC, ePRO and eConsent share one study and one audit trail. |
| How are people found and pre-screened? | Ask about registry, outreach, screening questionnaires and eligibility handling. | A pre-screening consent template and QR-code enrolment; no registry or outreach is claimed. |
| How is consent captured and kept? | Ask whether consent is signed in the tool and how it links to the study record. | On-screen signature with mandatory email OTP, investigator countersignature, optional witness or LAR; hashed to the document and exportable as PDF. |
| What happens at enrolment? | Ask how a prescreened person becomes a numbered participant at a site. | Site-level participant numbering (for example 001-0042) and a separate site coordinator portal. |
| Who sees personal data? | Ask about role separation and data residency. | Role-based access, PII segregation (coordinators see names, researchers see coded IDs); EU and US data hosting. |
| What can we export? | Ask what leaves the tool and in what format. | CSV/Excel with data dictionary, audit trail export, SDTM as SAS XPT with Define-XML. |
| Hands-on access | Ask whether you can try the product on your own workflow before contracting. | Free sandbox, no card, no time limit. |
| Total cost | Request a written quote for your sites and enrolment. | Paid plans start from the amount on the pricing page; the sandbox is free. |
Verify every Ripple Science statement on the vendor's own site. No pricing, rating or review claim is made about it here.
Build the study side in the free sandbox
Upload your protocol, review the AI-drafted visits and forms, and run a mock participant from consent to export. No card.
The hand-off
The moment a prospect becomes a participant
Whichever tool finds your volunteers, something has to turn a name into a consented, numbered, auditable participant. That hand-off is where recruitment-only stacks often add a spreadsheet or a manual re-key. In Capture the participant scans a site or study QR code, consents on screen and is enrolled in the same record that later holds their eCRF and diary data. This is a demo-data view of the consent signature trail.
- The participant confirms an email one-time code before signing.
- The investigator countersigns with password re-authentication.
- The signature is hashed to the exact document content at signing time.
Meaning of signature
I have reviewed this adverse event and confirm the assessment of seriousness, severity and causality.
Signer
Dr. A. Ozola, PI
Password
••••••••••
Stack shape
Two-tool stack versus a single study record
Decision aid
Who should pick which
Your hardest problem is finding and keeping volunteers
A dedicated recruitment platform is the right category; evaluate Ripple Science and its peers on that, and add an EDC separately.
You already have participants and need a regulated study record
Start with an EDC. Capture's sandbox lets you build and test it with no commitment.
A small study with recruitment through sites or a clinic
QR enrolment plus site numbering may be enough; see the recruitment playbook for small trials.
A long-running registry of potential participants across many studies
That is the recruitment tool's job. Check how it hands data to whichever EDC you use.
You have to submit to ethics or an IRB soon
Capture exports a blank eCRF PDF (cover page, form index, visit-by-form matrix) for submission.
Process
A one-week test of the system-of-record half
- 1
Day 1: pick one protocol excerpt
Choose screening plus two visits, so the test is hard enough to expose gaps.
- 2
Day 2: build in the Capture sandbox
Upload the protocol, let the AI study builder draft visits and forms, and edit them yourself. Nothing saves without review.
- 3
Day 3: consent and enrol a mock participant
Use a QR code on a phone, sign the consent and check the countersignature step.
- 4
Day 4: enter data and trigger queries
Enter an out-of-range value and watch the auto-query appear.
- 5
Day 5: export and decide
Download the CSV with data dictionary and review the audit trail. Then compare notes with what your recruitment vendor can show.
Next steps
Related reading
See patient recruitment software for clinical trials, the recruitment playbook for small trials and a recruitment plan template. For cost shape, see the EDC software pricing guide and the pricing page.
If you are choosing between whole-platform approaches, lightweight versus enterprise EDC explains the trade-offs, and EDC with eConsent covers the consent half.
Is Capture a direct replacement for Ripple Science?
Only partly. Ripple Science is described as a recruitment and participant-engagement platform. Capture is an EDC, ePRO and eConsent system of record with QR-code enrolment and a pre-screening template, but we do not claim a participant registry or outreach tools. Many teams use a recruitment tool and an EDC side by side.
Is Ripple Science now called EnrollNow?
Third-party company profiles say so, and enrollnow.io appears to be the current brand, but we found no dated announcement. Check the vendor's own website and your contract documents for the current name.
Does Capture connect to Ripple Science?
We make no claim about an integration. If you need data to move between a recruitment tool and Capture, ask both vendors what export and import formats they support, and test it in the sandbox first.
Can Capture recruit participants for my study?
Capture helps you enrol people you already have: a site or study QR code lets a participant start without installing an app, and a pre-screening consent template is available. It does not claim to find or market to volunteers.
What does Ripple Science cost compared with Capture?
We do not quote Ripple Science pricing. Ask the vendor for a written quote. Capture has a free sandbox; paid plans for live studies are on the pricing page.
Is Capture compliant for a regulated study?
Capture is ISO 27001 certified, 21 CFR Part 11 compliant, GDPR compliant, HIPAA compliant and ICH GCP E6(R3) compliant, with EU and US data hosting. Validated use remains a shared responsibility with the sponsor.
Can I use Capture for Phase 3?
Yes. Capture supports Phase 1 through Phase 3, including SDV per field, blinded roles and multi-site filtering.
Keep exploring
Related pages
Patient recruitment software
How recruitment tooling fits a study.
Small-trial recruitment playbook
Practical recruitment for lean teams.
eConsent software
Consent captured in the study record.
EDC with eConsent
Why consent and data share an audit trail.
EDC vendor audit checklist
Questions to send every vendor.
Pricing
Published Capture plans.
Test the trial record before you contract
Build your study, consent a mock participant and export the data, free. No credit card.