Softwr

Research · head to head

Attest vs REDCap

Attest logo

Attest

Research

Straightforward pricing for predictable research costs

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
REDCap logo

REDCap

Research

Research data capture licensed free to non-profits, and not licensable at all to companies

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Attest pricing is metered by credits, where one credit equals one survey question answered by one person, rather than a flat per seat rate; REDCap a for-profit company cannot hold a licence or self-host REDCap, so a biotech or CRO that liked it at university simply cannot deploy it the same way and must buy a commercially licensed hosted version instead.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Attest and REDCap actually diverge.

Attributes where Attest and REDCap differ
AttributeAttestREDCap
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWebWeb, Linux, Windows

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Research).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Attest

Nothing recorded that REDCap does not also cover.

Only in REDCap

  • Form and survey designer
  • Longitudinal projects
  • Data quality rules
  • Randomisation
  • Audit trail and e-signature
  • API and exports

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Attest

  • Testing product concepts with global audiencesnot REDCap
  • Monitoring brand health across campaignsnot REDCap
  • Validating creative concepts before launchnot REDCap
  • Researching market trends in 70 languagesnot REDCap

REDCap

  • An academic research group at an institution that already runs REDCap, where a new study database costs nothing beyond the time to build itnot Attest
  • A hospital collecting patient reported outcomes where data must stay on institutional infrastructure rather than a vendor cloudnot Attest
  • An investigator initiated trial that needs randomisation, an audit trail and statistical export without a commercial EDC budgetnot Attest
  • A multi site academic collaboration where each site can be given scoped access to a single longitudinal projectnot Attest

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Attest

  • Pricing is metered by credits, where one credit equals one survey question answered by one person, rather than a flat per seat rate
  • The Basic tier caps usage at 50,000 credits; going beyond it requires upgrading to Standard (100,000), Elite (200,000) or a custom plan above 400,000
  • Additional credits purchased mid year cost 10 percent more per credit than the plan rate

REDCap

  • A for-profit company cannot hold a licence or self-host REDCap, so a biotech or CRO that liked it at university simply cannot deploy it the same way and must buy a commercially licensed hosted version instead.
  • Because each institution hosts its own instance, support, uptime, backup and version currency vary by university, and a researcher has no recourse to Vanderbilt when the local instance is two years out of date.
  • It is free of licence fee but not free of cost: the hosting institution carries server, security, patching and support staffing, which is why some institutions charge internal recharges per project.
  • Validation for regulated use is the deploying institution responsibility, so an instance is not Part 11 compliant simply because REDCap supports the features; someone locally has to produce and maintain the evidence.
  • The interface and reporting are dated compared with commercial survey and EDC tools, and complex logic is built through data dictionary spreadsheets rather than a modern visual builder, which slows non technical study teams.

Pricing, plan by plan

Attest

On request
  • Basic$undefined/mo
    • Up to 50,000 credits
  • Standard$undefined/mo
    • Up to 100,000 credits
  • Elite$undefined/mo
    • Up to 200,000 credits
  • Custom$undefined/mo
    • Over 400,000+ credits

REDCap

On request
  • REDCap non-profit licence$undefined/year
    • No licence fee to non-profit and government institutions that join the consortium
    • Institution must install and host it on its own infrastructure
    • For-profit organisations may not hold a licence or self-host

Which should you pick?

Choose Attest if

Nothing in the data separates Attest from REDCap on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Attest review

Choose REDCap if

  • You need form and survey designer.
  • You work on Web, Linux, Windows.
  • You also want longitudinal projects.
REDCap review

Questions people ask

Is Attest or REDCap better?
Neither clearly leads. Attest starts at On request and REDCap at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Attest or REDCap?
Attest starts at On request and REDCap at On request.
Does Attest or REDCap run on more platforms?
Attest runs on Web. REDCap runs on Web, Linux, Windows.
What is Attest best used for?
Attest is most often used for testing product concepts with global audiences, monitoring brand health across campaigns, validating creative concepts before launch, researching market trends in 70 languages. Of those, testing product concepts with global audiences and monitoring brand health across campaigns are not what REDCap is typically brought in for.
What can Attest do that REDCap cannot?
REDCap covers Form and survey designer, Longitudinal projects, Data quality rules, Randomisation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Attest: How does Attest's credit system work?

Attest uses a credit-based pricing system where one credit equals one survey answer from one respondent. For example, a 10-question survey completed by 500 people uses 5,000 credits. Only respondents who meet survey criteria consume credits from the qualifying question.

Source
REDCap: Is REDCap really free?

The licence is free to non-profit institutions and government organisations that join the consortium, but they must host and support it themselves, so there is real internal cost.

Attest: What plans does Attest offer?

Attest offers four subscription plans: Basic (up to 50,000 credits), Standard (up to 100,000 credits), Elite (up to 200,000 credits), and Custom (over 400,000+ credits). All plans include unlimited user seats, designated research expert, customer success team support, and access to 150+ million consumers across 59 countries in 70+ languages.

Source
REDCap: Can my company use REDCap?

Not by holding a licence or self-hosting. For-profit organisations must use a separately licensed commercial hosted route.

Attest: Can I purchase additional credits on Attest?

Yes. Additional credits are available as add-ons throughout the year. Add-on credits cost 10% more than the per-credit rate in annual plans.

Source
REDCap: Is REDCap 21 CFR Part 11 compliant?

It has the features to support Part 11 use, but compliance depends on how the hosting institution configures, validates and documents its own instance.

REDCap: Who supports it?

Your local institutional REDCap administrator, not Vanderbilt. Support quality varies by site.

Share

Related pages

More on Attest

More on REDCap

Keep looking

Other head to heads