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Healthcare · head to head

Epic Systems vs Signant Health

Epic Systems logo

Epic Systems

Healthcare

Leading electronic health records system for healthcare organizations

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Signant Health logo

Signant Health

Healthcare

eCOA-first clinical trial platform that has grown outward into EDC, eConsent and televisits

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Epic Systems no free version or trial; enterprise pricing only with custom negotiation required; Signant Health no pricing is published, and the software licence is a minority of the real bill once instrument licensing, translations, device provisioning and services are added, so early budget estimates are routinely too low.
  • They diverge on capability: Epic Systems covers Electronic Health Records, Signant Health covers eCOA and ePRO.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Epic Systems and Signant Health actually diverge.

Attributes where Epic Systems and Signant Health differ
AttributeEpic SystemsSignant Health
PlatformsWeb, Desktop, MobileWeb, iOS, Android
Founded1979Unknown

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

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 Epic Systems

  • Electronic Health Records
  • Revenue Cycle Management
  • Patient Portal
  • Clinical Decision Support
  • Population Health
  • Lab Systems
  • Imaging Systems
  • Pharmacy Systems

Only in Signant Health

  • eCOA and ePRO
  • Unified platform
  • eConsent
  • Randomisation and supplies
  • TeleVisits
  • Rater training
  • Data surveillance
  • Instrument library

What people use each for

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

Epic Systems

  • Patient Carenot Signant Health
  • Medical Recordsnot Signant Health
  • Practice Managementnot Signant Health
  • Telehealthnot Signant Health

Signant Health

  • A central nervous system or psychiatry trial where the primary endpoint is a rated scale and rater consistency decides the readoutnot Epic Systems
  • A global study needing an outcome instrument translated and linguistically validated across a dozen languagesnot Epic Systems
  • A decentralised or hybrid protocol combining televisits, eConsent and at-home patient reported outcomesnot Epic Systems
  • A sponsor consolidating separate eCOA, eConsent and randomisation vendors onto one platform to cut reconciliation worknot Epic Systems

Where each one falls short

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

Epic Systems

  • No free version or trial; enterprise pricing only with custom negotiation required
  • Lengthy implementation timeline: 12-24 months for single hospitals, 3-5 years for multi-system rollouts
  • Customization and workflow adaptation requires extensive consulting services
  • Very high licensing costs ranging from 100,000 to 30 million USD depending on organization size

Signant Health

  • No pricing is published, and the software licence is a minority of the real bill once instrument licensing, translations, device provisioning and services are added, so early budget estimates are routinely too low.
  • Linguistic validation is charged per instrument per language and is on the critical path to first patient in, so adding a country late in start-up produces both a cost and a schedule hit.
  • Provisioned participant devices bring logistics, replacement, shipping and cellular connectivity obligations that persist for the life of the trial and are frequently underestimated.
  • The EDC component is newer than the eCOA heritage, so sponsors with complex data management requirements often keep an incumbent EDC and lose the single-database benefit that justifies the platform.
  • It is priced and scoped for sponsor-grade trials, which makes it a poor fit for investigator-initiated or academic studies that need outcome collection without the services layer.

Pricing, plan by plan

Epic Systems

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Epic Systems review.

Signant Health

On request
  • SmartSignals Unified Platform$undefined/year
    • Priced per study through a sales process
    • Modules selected per protocol: EDC, eCOA, randomisation, eConsent, TeleVisits
    • Instrument licensing paid to scale owners on top of platform cost

Which should you pick?

Choose Epic Systems if

  • You need electronic health records.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
  • You also want revenue cycle management.
Epic Systems review

Choose Signant Health if

  • You need ecoa and epro.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want unified platform.
Signant Health review

Questions people ask

Is Epic Systems or Signant Health better?
Neither clearly leads. Epic Systems starts at On request and Signant Health at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Epic Systems or Signant Health?
Epic Systems starts at On request and Signant Health at On request.
Does Epic Systems or Signant Health run on more platforms?
Epic Systems runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile. Signant Health runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Epic Systems best used for?
Epic Systems is most often used for patient care, medical records, practice management, telehealth. Of those, patient care and medical records are not what Signant Health is typically brought in for.
What can Epic Systems do that Signant Health cannot?
Epic Systems covers Electronic Health Records, Revenue Cycle Management, Patient Portal, Clinical Decision Support. Signant Health covers eCOA and ePRO, Unified platform, eConsent, Randomisation and supplies.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Epic Systems: What is Epic's market position?

Epic holds 36 percent of the U.S. EHR market and manages over 280 million patient records across 1,200+ healthcare organizations. Among hospitals with over 300 beds, Epic has 52 percent market share, and 71 percent market share in major academic medical centers as of 2026.

Source
Signant Health: What is Signant best at?

Electronic clinical outcome assessment, particularly rated scales in central nervous system and psychiatry trials, together with rater training and endpoint quality services.

Epic Systems: Is there a free trial or demo available?

Epic does not offer a free version or trial. The software is enterprise-only with custom pricing negotiated directly with organizations. Typical implementation timelines for single hospitals range from 12 to 24 months, and multi-hospital systems can take 3 to 5 years for phased rollouts.

Source
Signant Health: Is pricing published?

No. Everything is quoted per study, and instrument licences, translations and devices sit on top of the platform cost.

Epic Systems: How does Epic integrate with third-party systems?

Epic provides multiple integration pathways: FHIR R4 APIs, HL7 v2 messaging, CCDA document exchange, and proprietary APIs through Epic Showroom (formerly App Orchard). Over 1,000 certified apps are available in the marketplace, enabling real-time data synchronization and interoperability.

Source
Signant Health: Can I use it only for eCOA?

Yes. The modules are selected per protocol, and many sponsors take eCOA and eConsent while keeping an existing EDC.

Epic Systems: What is included in Epic's unified platform?

Epic provides a truly unified system spanning inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, surgical, pharmacy, laboratory, radiology, billing, and population health on a single database. It includes appointment scheduling, medical billing, clinical decision support, patient portal (MyChart), telehealth capabilities, and analytics.

Source
Signant Health: What drives the timeline?

Translation and linguistic validation of outcome instruments, which is per language per instrument and sits on the critical path to study start.

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