Softwr

Research · head to head

Medidata Rave vs Thermo SampleManager LIMS

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
Thermo SampleManager LIMS logo

Thermo SampleManager LIMS

Research

Enterprise LIMS for regulated QC laboratories, with LES and SDMS in one product

From
On request
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.; Thermo SampleManager LIMS no pricing is published in any form, and Thermo Fisher routes even basic cost questions through a request for quote, so early stage budget planning is guesswork.
  • They diverge on capability: Medidata Rave covers Case report form design, Thermo SampleManager LIMS covers Sample lifecycle management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Medidata Rave and Thermo SampleManager LIMS actually diverge.

Attributes where Medidata Rave and Thermo SampleManager LIMS differ
AttributeMedidata RaveThermo SampleManager LIMS
PlatformsWebWeb, Windows, Linux

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), 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 Medidata Rave

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

Only in Thermo SampleManager LIMS

  • Sample lifecycle management
  • Specifications and OOS handling
  • Laboratory execution system
  • Scientific data management
  • Stability studies
  • Instrument management
  • Environmental monitoring

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 Thermo SampleManager LIMS
  • A biotech that wants its CRO to run data management and benefits from the CRO already having Rave trained staff and templatesnot Thermo SampleManager LIMS
  • A sponsor standardising forms across a programme so that a global library is reused rather than each study being built from scratchnot Thermo SampleManager LIMS
  • A device or Phase IV study where Rave Lite gives the same compliance posture at a lower configuration burdennot Thermo SampleManager LIMS

Thermo SampleManager LIMS

  • A pharmaceutical QC laboratory that needs enforced method execution and electronic signatures for GMP release testingnot Medidata Rave
  • A multi site chemical or petrochemical business standardising sample handling and specifications across laboratoriesnot Medidata Rave
  • A water or environmental testing laboratory with high sample throughput and regulatory reporting obligationsnot Medidata Rave
  • A laboratory replacing a LIMS plus separate LES and SDMS estate and wanting to retire two integrations along with the old systemnot 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.

Thermo SampleManager LIMS

  • No pricing is published in any form, and Thermo Fisher routes even basic cost questions through a request for quote, so early stage budget planning is guesswork.
  • Implementation is configuration heavy and normally requires Thermo Fisher professional services or a specialist partner, and services costs routinely exceed the licence cost in the first year.
  • Computer system validation is the customer responsibility on top of implementation, so a GMP laboratory carries a validation programme of its own before go live and repeats a subset of it at every upgrade.
  • Cloud hosting is charged as an annual fee scaled to licence count, so seats drive infrastructure cost as well as licence cost and occasional users are expensive twice.
  • The product carries a long codebase history and its configuration model is specialist, which makes in house administrators hard to recruit and creates a dependency on external consultants for changes that would be self service in a newer LIMS.

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

Thermo SampleManager LIMS

On request
  • SampleManager LIMS$undefined/year
    • Quoted through the Thermo Fisher sales team, nothing published
    • Annual hosting fee calculated on the number of licences for cloud deployments
    • Deployment as Thermo managed AWS, on premise, or customer cloud

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 Thermo SampleManager LIMS if

  • You need sample lifecycle management.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Linux.
  • You also want specifications and oos handling.
Thermo SampleManager LIMS review

Questions people ask

Is Medidata Rave or Thermo SampleManager LIMS better?
Neither clearly leads. Medidata Rave starts at On request and Thermo SampleManager LIMS at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Medidata Rave or Thermo SampleManager LIMS?
Medidata Rave starts at On request and Thermo SampleManager LIMS at On request.
Does Medidata Rave or Thermo SampleManager LIMS run on more platforms?
Medidata Rave runs on Web. Thermo SampleManager LIMS runs on Web, Windows, Linux.
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 Thermo SampleManager LIMS is typically brought in for.
What can Medidata Rave do that Thermo SampleManager LIMS cannot?
Medidata Rave covers Case report form design, Edit checks and queries, Part 11 audit trail, Rave Lite. Thermo SampleManager LIMS covers Sample lifecycle management, Specifications and OOS handling, Laboratory execution system, Scientific data management.

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.

Thermo SampleManager LIMS: Does SampleManager include LES and SDMS?

Yes. Laboratory execution and scientific data management are part of the product rather than separate purchases, which removes two integration projects.

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.

Thermo SampleManager LIMS: How much does it cost?

Nothing is published. Pricing is quoted, and cloud deployments carry an annual hosting fee based on licence count.

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.

Thermo SampleManager LIMS: Is it validated when I buy it?

Thermo Fisher supplies qualification documentation, but computer system validation of your configured instance remains your responsibility.

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.

Thermo SampleManager LIMS: Can I run it on premise?

Yes. Thermo managed AWS, on premise and customer cloud deployments are all offered.

Share

Related pages

More on Medidata Rave

More on Thermo SampleManager LIMS

Keep looking

Other head to heads