Softwr

Healthcare · head to head

PathAI vs Sectra

PathAI logo

PathAI

Healthcare

Digital pathology image management with an FDA cleared platform for primary diagnosis

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sectra logo

Sectra

Healthcare

Enterprise imaging and PACS from a Swedish vendor that also sells the pathology and cardiology modules on one platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: PathAI aISight is labelled research use only and cannot be used for primary diagnosis; only AISight Dx carries the FDA clearance and CE-IVD mark, and laboratories regularly buy the wrong configuration and discover they cannot sign out on it.; Sectra sectra does not make scanners, so it cannot cross-subsidise software against modality hardware the way an integrated manufacturer can, and it often loses on headline price in a bundled tender.
  • They diverge on capability: PathAI covers AISight image management, Sectra covers Sectra IDS7.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which PathAI and Sectra actually diverge.

Attributes where PathAI and Sectra differ
AttributePathAISectra
PlatformsWebWindows, Web, Cloud, 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 PathAI

  • AISight image management
  • AISight Dx
  • Scanner interoperability
  • Case and worklist management
  • AI algorithm deployment
  • Biopharmaceutical research tooling
  • LIS integration

Only in Sectra

  • Sectra IDS7
  • Digital pathology module
  • Sectra VNA
  • Sectra UniView
  • Image Exchange Portal
  • Sectra Amplifier
  • Breast imaging workflow
  • Sectra One Cloud

What people use each for

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

PathAI

  • An academic medical centre going digital for primary diagnosis that needs the FDA cleared AISight Dx configuration rather than the research labelled versionnot Sectra
  • A reference laboratory consolidating subspecialty sign out across sites so a specialist pathologist can read cases from any locationnot Sectra
  • A pharmaceutical company needing consistent quantitative scoring of trial biopsies across many sites and readersnot Sectra
  • A laboratory with a mixed scanner estate that needs one image management layer rather than each scanner vendor viewernot Sectra

Sectra

  • A hospital group digitising histopathology that does not want a second image archive and a second integration project alongside radiologynot PathAI
  • A regional health service replacing several departmental PACS with one archive and one clinician viewernot PathAI
  • An imaging provider moving off a capital refresh cycle to a cloud subscription with predictable annual costnot PathAI
  • A trust that needs to send and receive studies with neighbouring organisations routinely, where the Image Exchange Portal is already the regional normnot PathAI

Where each one falls short

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

PathAI

  • AISight is labelled research use only and cannot be used for primary diagnosis; only AISight Dx carries the FDA clearance and CE-IVD mark, and laboratories regularly buy the wrong configuration and discover they cannot sign out on it.
  • The software licence is usually the smallest line in a digital pathology project, behind scanners, storage and network capacity, so a business case built around the software cost understates the real investment by a wide margin.
  • Whole slide images are very large, so a laboratory that does not model storage growth and retention policy from the start faces storage costs that grow faster than case volume and dominate the renewal.
  • Clinical validation is required per subspecialty rather than once for the platform, which means dermatopathology, gastrointestinal and breast each need their own concordance study and pathologist time before go live.
  • PathAI competes against pathology incumbents that also sell the scanners, and a laboratory buying an independent image management layer takes on the integration risk between scanner vendor and software vendor itself.

Sectra

  • Sectra does not make scanners, so it cannot cross-subsidise software against modality hardware the way an integrated manufacturer can, and it often loses on headline price in a bundled tender.
  • Diagnostic AI is not built in house; Amplifier orchestrates third party algorithms, so the algorithms themselves need separate licences, separate clinical validation and separate information governance sign off.
  • Sectra One Cloud is priced against a committed annual study volume, and organisations whose imaging activity grows faster than forecast meet overage charges partway through the term.
  • The pathology module assumes you have already solved slide scanning and laboratory workflow, which is the larger and more expensive part of digitising histopathology and is not in Sectra scope.
  • Depth of Epic and Oracle Health integration varies by region and by which modules you buy, so a reference site in Sweden is a weak predictor of what integration will cost a United States buyer.

Pricing, plan by plan

PathAI

On request
  • AISight$undefined/year
    • Priced by annual slide or case volume and by pathologist seats
    • AISight Dx, the clinically cleared configuration, quoted separately from research use AISight
    • Image storage priced by capacity and retention policy

Sectra

On request
  • Sectra Enterprise Imaging$undefined/year
    • Perpetual licence plus annual maintenance, or Sectra One Cloud subscription
    • Priced on committed annual study volume and modules selected
    • Pathology, cardiology and ophthalmology licensed as separate modules

Which should you pick?

Choose PathAI if

  • You need aisight image management.
  • You also want aisight dx.
PathAI review

Choose Sectra if

  • You need sectra ids7.
  • You work on Windows, Web, Cloud, On-premise.
  • You also want digital pathology module.
Sectra review

Questions people ask

Is PathAI or Sectra better?
Neither clearly leads. PathAI starts at On request and Sectra at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, PathAI or Sectra?
PathAI starts at On request and Sectra at On request.
Does PathAI or Sectra run on more platforms?
PathAI runs on Web. Sectra runs on Windows, Web, Cloud, On-premise.
What is PathAI best used for?
PathAI is most often used for an academic medical centre going digital for primary diagnosis that needs the fda cleared aisight dx configuration rather than the research labelled version, a reference laboratory consolidating subspecialty sign out across sites so a specialist pathologist can read cases from any location, a pharmaceutical company needing consistent quantitative scoring of trial biopsies across many sites and readers, a laboratory with a mixed scanner estate that needs one image management layer rather than each scanner vendor viewer. Of those, an academic medical centre going digital for primary diagnosis that needs the fda cleared aisight dx configuration rather than the research labelled version and a reference laboratory consolidating subspecialty sign out across sites so a specialist pathologist can read cases from any location are not what Sectra is typically brought in for.
What can PathAI do that Sectra cannot?
PathAI covers AISight image management, AISight Dx, Scanner interoperability, Case and worklist management. Sectra covers Sectra IDS7, Digital pathology module, Sectra VNA, Sectra UniView.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

PathAI: What is the difference between AISight and AISight Dx?

AISight is for research use only and not for clinical diagnostic use. AISight Dx received FDA 510(k) clearance in June 2025 for primary diagnosis and is CE-IVD marked in the EEA, UK and Switzerland. Only the Dx configuration can be used to sign out cases.

Sectra: Does Sectra include diagnostic AI?

No. Sectra Amplifier is a marketplace and orchestration layer for third party algorithms, each licensed and validated separately.

PathAI: Can we use our existing scanners?

Yes. AISight is designed to ingest images from multiple whole slide scanner vendors, which is one of the main reasons laboratories choose an independent image management layer.

Sectra: Is pathology really on the same platform as radiology?

Yes, the pathology module uses the same archive and workflow engine, which is the main reason buyers digitising histopathology shortlist Sectra.

PathAI: Do the AI algorithms carry the same clearance as the platform?

No. The platform clearance covers image management for primary diagnosis. Individual algorithms have their own labelling, and many are research use only. Check each one separately.

Sectra: How is Sectra One Cloud priced?

On committed annual study volume plus the modules selected, as a subscription rather than a capital purchase. The vendor does not publish rates.

PathAI: Is pricing published?

No. It is quoted by slide or case volume, pathologist seats and storage, with the clinically cleared configuration priced separately.

Sectra: Is Sectra CE marked and FDA cleared?

The diagnostic viewing software carries CE marking under the medical device regulation and FDA 510(k) clearance for diagnostic interpretation, but the exact cleared indications differ per module and per market, so confirm for pathology specifically.

Share

Related pages

More on PathAI

More on Sectra

Keep looking

Other head to heads