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Healthcare · head to head

Paige vs Sysmex

Paige logo

Paige

Healthcare

Digital pathology AI holding the first FDA De Novo authorisation for a pathology algorithm, now part of Tempus

From
On request
Rated
-
Sysmex logo

Sysmex

Healthcare

Haematology and urinalysis analysers sold with the middleware that decides which results a scientist ever sees

From
On request
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Paige the FDA authorisation is confined to prostate core needle biopsies, on compatible scanners, viewed through FullFocus, as an adjunct only; every other tissue type and every grading claim is outside that authorisation in the United States.; Sysmex the middleware is not realistically separable from the instrument contract, so a laboratory that likes Caresphere but wants another vendor analyser has no clean path to buying just the software.
  • They diverge on capability: Paige covers Paige Prostate Detect, Sysmex covers Caresphere autovalidation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Paige and Sysmex actually diverge.

Attributes where Paige and Sysmex differ
AttributePaigeSysmex
PlatformsWeb, Cloud, On-premiseWeb, Windows, On-premise

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 Paige

  • Paige Prostate Detect
  • Paige Prostate Grade and Quantify
  • Perineural invasion detection
  • Breast and lymph node applications
  • FullFocus viewer
  • Foundation models
  • OmniScreen
  • Paige Alba

Only in Sysmex

  • Caresphere autovalidation
  • Delta and moving average QC
  • WAM rule sets
  • Fleet telemetry
  • Reagent inventory tracking
  • Extended white cell parameters
  • LIS interfacing
  • Multi-site harmonisation

What people use each for

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

Paige

  • A reference laboratory processing high volumes of prostate core needle biopsies where a second read on every case is not staffablenot Sysmex
  • A pathology department already digitised that wants a documented safety net against missed small foci of cancernot Sysmex
  • A hospital laboratory struggling to recruit uropathology subspecialists and needing consistency across generalist reportingnot Sysmex
  • A pharmaceutical company needing consistent biomarker scoring across trial sites rather than site-by-site pathologist variabilitynot Sysmex

Sysmex

  • A hospital network standardising full blood count reporting across six laboratories so a result released at a district hospital carries the same rules as the tertiary centrenot Paige
  • A pathology group trying to raise autovalidation rates to absorb rising demand without recruiting more biomedical scientistsnot Paige
  • A blood sciences service consolidating haematology, coagulation and urinalysis onto one middleware layer to remove three separate QC workflowsnot Paige
  • A laboratory running 24 hour service that needs remote analyser telemetry so an overnight fault is triaged before the morning shift arrivesnot Paige

Where each one falls short

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

Paige

  • The FDA authorisation is confined to prostate core needle biopsies, on compatible scanners, viewed through FullFocus, as an adjunct only; every other tissue type and every grading claim is outside that authorisation in the United States.
  • The algorithm is worthless without a digital pathology programme already running, and slide scanning, storage and workflow typically cost far more than the software licence.
  • Tempus acquired Paige in 2025, so the roadmap now competes for attention inside a genomics-led business, and the pathology-only buyer is no longer the primary customer.
  • Scanner compatibility is a hard constraint rather than a preference, and a laboratory with an unsupported scanner fleet cannot use the authorised indication at all.
  • Pricing is per case or per slide and unpublished, so a laboratory cannot model cost per reported case without entering a sales process.

Sysmex

  • The middleware is not realistically separable from the instrument contract, so a laboratory that likes Caresphere but wants another vendor analyser has no clean path to buying just the software.
  • Reagent rental agreements set a minimum annual test volume, and a laboratory whose activity falls after a service reconfiguration keeps paying against a floor it no longer reaches.
  • Regulatory clearance is granted per parameter and per region, so a flag or extended parameter that a European laboratory relies on may not be released for clinical use on the same analyser in the United States.
  • Interfacing to a non-Sysmex laboratory information system is a project, not a configuration step, and integration effort is often quoted separately from the instrument contract.
  • Autovalidation rule sets are configured locally, so the gains depend entirely on whether the laboratory has the clinical governance capacity to write, validate and audit those rules; buying the software does not deliver the saving on its own.

Pricing, plan by plan

Paige

On request
  • Paige clinical applications$undefined/year
    • Priced per case or per slide analysed under annual agreement
    • Prostate, breast and other applications licensed separately
    • Requires compatible whole slide scanner and the FullFocus viewer for the authorised indication

Sysmex

On request
  • Reagent rental or cost per reportable result contract$undefined/year
    • Analyser hardware, reagents, service and Caresphere middleware bundled into a price per test
    • Five to seven year term typical
    • Minimum annual test volume commitment

Which should you pick?

Choose Paige if

  • You need paige prostate detect.
  • You work on Web, Cloud, On-premise.
  • You also want paige prostate grade and quantify.

Choose Sysmex if

  • You need caresphere autovalidation.
  • You work on Web, Windows, On-premise.
  • You also want delta and moving average qc.

Questions people ask

Is Paige or Sysmex better?
Neither clearly leads. Paige starts at On request and Sysmex at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Paige or Sysmex?
Paige starts at On request and Sysmex at On request.
Does Paige or Sysmex run on more platforms?
Paige runs on Web, Cloud, On-premise. Sysmex runs on Web, Windows, On-premise.
What is Paige best used for?
Paige is most often used for a reference laboratory processing high volumes of prostate core needle biopsies where a second read on every case is not staffable, a pathology department already digitised that wants a documented safety net against missed small foci of cancer, a hospital laboratory struggling to recruit uropathology subspecialists and needing consistency across generalist reporting, a pharmaceutical company needing consistent biomarker scoring across trial sites rather than site-by-site pathologist variability. Of those, a reference laboratory processing high volumes of prostate core needle biopsies where a second read on every case is not staffable and a pathology department already digitised that wants a documented safety net against missed small foci of cancer are not what Sysmex is typically brought in for.
What can Paige do that Sysmex cannot?
Paige covers Paige Prostate Detect, Paige Prostate Grade and Quantify, Perineural invasion detection, Breast and lymph node applications. Sysmex covers Caresphere autovalidation, Delta and moving average QC, WAM rule sets, Fleet telemetry.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Paige: What exactly is FDA authorised?

Paige Prostate Detect, as an adjunct for identifying areas of interest on digitised prostate core needle biopsy slides, viewed through the Paige FullFocus viewer on a compatible scanner. Nothing else in the portfolio holds that authorisation in the United States.

Sysmex: Can I buy Caresphere without Sysmex analysers?

Not in practice. It is licensed as part of the instrument and reagent agreement, and its value depends on Sysmex-specific parameters and flags.

Paige: Is the European position broader?

Yes. The Paige Prostate suite including grading and quantification received IVDR certification in 2025, which covers more than the United States authorisation.

Sysmex: Is Sysmex software FDA cleared?

Clearance attaches to the analysers and to individual reported parameters, not to the middleware as a whole. Check the specific parameter and the specific market, because clearances differ between the United States, Europe and Japan.

Paige: What did the pivotal study measure?

Pathologist cancer detection on individual slide images improved, with reported reductions in false negative and false positive readings. It measured pathologist performance with the tool, not standalone algorithm accuracy.

Sysmex: How is it priced?

Per reportable result, or as a reagent rental with a minimum annual volume. There is no per user or per seat price.

Paige: Who owns Paige now?

Tempus AI acquired Paige in 2025. Products remain branded Paige.

Sysmex: What is the contract length?

Typically five to seven years, aligned to instrument depreciation, with reagent pricing fixed or indexed over the term.

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