Softwr

Research · head to head

Medidata Rave vs Paperpile

Medidata Rave logo

Medidata Rave

Research

Electronic data capture for regulated clinical trials, sold only through a sales process

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Paperpile logo

Paperpile

Research

Reference management essentials

From
$4.15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Medidata Rave no pricing is published at all, so a first time sponsor cannot budget a study without entering a sales process and usually cannot benchmark the quote against anything.; Paperpile no monthly billing option; annual billing only
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Medidata Rave and Paperpile actually diverge.

Attributes where Medidata Rave and Paperpile differ
AttributeMedidata RavePaperpile
Starting priceOn request$4.15/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web), 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 Medidata Rave

  • Case report form design
  • Edit checks and queries
  • Part 11 audit trail
  • Rave Lite
  • Coding and safety
  • Platform integrations

Only in Paperpile

Nothing recorded that Medidata Rave does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Medidata Rave

  • A sponsor running a registrational Phase III study where inspection readiness and a validated audit trail are non negotiablenot Paperpile
  • A biotech that wants its CRO to run data management and benefits from the CRO already having Rave trained staff and templatesnot Paperpile
  • A sponsor standardising forms across a programme so that a global library is reused rather than each study being built from scratchnot Paperpile
  • A device or Phase IV study where Rave Lite gives the same compliance posture at a lower configuration burdennot Paperpile

Paperpile

  • Organizing research papers and managing academic citationsnot Medidata Rave
  • Creating citations in multiple styles and BibTeX for writingnot Medidata Rave
  • Collaborating on research through shared reference librariesnot Medidata Rave
  • Integrating citations into Google Docs and Microsoft Wordnot Medidata Rave

Where each one falls short

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

Medidata Rave

  • No pricing is published at all, so a first time sponsor cannot budget a study without entering a sales process and usually cannot benchmark the quote against anything.
  • Cost is dominated by study build rather than licence, and every protocol amendment that changes a form triggers billable rework, so a study with unstable protocols costs far more than the initial quote implied.
  • Configuration requires trained specialists, so most sponsors cannot build a study in house and are dependent on Medidata professional services or a CRO, which lengthens startup.
  • The system assumes a professional clinical data management function; a small sponsor without data managers will not operate it directly and will pay a CRO to do so.
  • Deep use of the wider Medidata platform for randomisation, imaging and patient reported data creates commercial lock in, because moving EDC later means unpicking integrations that were bought as one bundle.

Paperpile

  • No monthly billing option; annual billing only
  • Regular plan lacks full-text PDF search and annotations
  • Safari and Firefox browser extensions currently in beta
  • Chrome signup initially required

Pricing, plan by plan

Medidata Rave

On request
  • Medidata Rave EDC$undefined/year
    • Priced per study through a sales process
    • Study build and configuration charged separately from licence
    • Mid study amendments generally billable

Paperpile

$4.15/month
  • Regular$4.15/month
    • Basic reference management
    • PDF storage and citation generation
    • Integrations with Word, Google Docs, and academic databases
  • Expert$5.75/month
    • All Regular features
    • Full-text PDF search
    • Notes and annotations

Which should you pick?

Choose Medidata Rave if

  • You need case report form design.
  • You also want edit checks and queries.
Medidata Rave review

Choose Paperpile if

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

Paperpile review

Questions people ask

Is Medidata Rave or Paperpile better?
Neither clearly leads. Medidata Rave starts at On request and Paperpile at $4.15/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Medidata Rave or Paperpile?
Medidata Rave starts at On request and Paperpile at $4.15/month.
Does Medidata Rave or Paperpile run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Medidata Rave best used for?
Medidata Rave is most often used for a sponsor running a registrational phase iii study where inspection readiness and a validated audit trail are non negotiable, a biotech that wants its cro to run data management and benefits from the cro already having rave trained staff and templates, a sponsor standardising forms across a programme so that a global library is reused rather than each study being built from scratch, a device or phase iv study where rave lite gives the same compliance posture at a lower configuration burden. Of those, a sponsor running a registrational phase iii study where inspection readiness and a validated audit trail are non negotiable and a biotech that wants its cro to run data management and benefits from the cro already having rave trained staff and templates are not what Paperpile is typically brought in for.
What can Medidata Rave do that Paperpile cannot?
Medidata Rave covers Case report form design, Edit checks and queries, Part 11 audit trail, Rave Lite.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Medidata Rave: Who owns Medidata?

Dassault Systemes, which acquired Medidata in 2019. Rave is sold as part of the Dassault life sciences portfolio.

Paperpile: How much does Paperpile cost?

Paperpile costs $4.15 per month for the Regular plan or $5.75 per month for the Expert plan, both billed annually.

Source
Medidata Rave: How is Rave priced?

Per study, through a sales process. Nothing is published, and study build and amendments are charged separately from the licence.

Paperpile: Is there a free trial available for Paperpile?

Yes, Paperpile offers a 30-day free trial for both plans.

Source
Medidata Rave: Is Rave validated out of the box?

Medidata supplies validation and qualification documentation, but the sponsor still owns study level user acceptance testing and its own validation evidence.

Paperpile: Does Paperpile offer academic or group discounts?

Yes, students, faculty, and researchers receive 50% off, and group discounts up to 20% off Expert plans are available when purchasing multiple seats.

Source
Medidata Rave: What is Rave Lite for?

Lower complexity studies, typically Phase I, Phase IV and medical device, where a full study build is not justified.

Paperpile: What billing options does Paperpile offer?

Paperpile accepts credit cards and PayPal, with additional payment options by location. Purchase orders are accepted for Enterprise customers.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Medidata Rave

More on Paperpile

Keep looking

Other head to heads