Qualio or Q-Pulse?

A balanced eQMS comparison to help you make the right choice

competitor-page_G2fall22-qualio-vs-ideagen

G2 Grid® Report for Quality Management (QMS) software

The lowdown

Document management


Managed with in-system editing of configurable document templates Version control and GDocP baked in at all times	Lack of in-system editability means documents must be downloaded, edited and re-uploaded Potential version control and integrity weaknesses if not used correctly

Training management


Integral functionality built in tandem with Documents for close linkage and easy, intuitive use	No integration with system documents. New training records must be manually created as documents are updated

Quality event management

Fully configurable workflows for managing any kind of quality event: complaints, CAPAs, change control, deviations

Built only for CAPA management, but smart form workarounds could be used to manually address other quality events if required

Design controls

Dedicated Design Controls functionality added in 2020
Provides full control/traceability of design elements to bring a medical device to market
Pulls design elements automatically from your other testing systems like Jira, Azure DevOps, Asana, Zephyr, Xray or TestRail

Audit management


Quality event forms and workflows can be configured to capture and respond to audit data	Dedicated audit area for scheduling audits, including an in-system audit calendar Some customer reports of audit checklists as not intuitive or easily adaptable

Equipment management

No dedicated calibration functionality, but quality event forms can be configured to capture and respond to equipment and asset data

Dedicated area for scheduling and completing calibration activity for assets and equipment, and for logging item-specific information

Supplier management

Build a configurable database of your supply chain
Set bespoke policies for manufacturers, service providers, distributors, consultants and more – then use them to enforce supplier requirements, generate/store key documents and ensure compliance

Build a configurable database of 'interested parties'
House key information about third parties, from contact information to associated products and audits

Ease of use

Designed with natural, intuitive ease of use at the core
Clean, minimal UX in a cloud-based system to maximize user engagement and simplify training and onboarding
Consistently ranked the easiest eQMS software to set up and use

Implementation & validation

Average implementation timeframe: 60 days
Follows the latest FDA and GAMP computerized system assurance (CSA) guidelines for a rapid, least burdensome validation approach for customers
Validation document pack provides all objective functional evidence of system suitability. Customers need only perform extra software testing if they feel it’s risk-appropriate
Industry-leading implementation support with minimal resource needs
GAMP Category 4

Average implementation timeframe: 100+ days (some reports of 8-month lead times in extreme cases!)
Acquired established validation provider CompliancePath in 2021; modern, appropriate validation provided
Ongoing validation of the system and documents provided, but at considerable extra cost
On-premise set-up and system training means longer, more complex and resource-intensive implementations with lots of customer 'homework'
GAMP Category 4

Ecosystem


Designed to seamlessly connect to your other business-critical tools. Keeps your teams in their familiar, specialized systems while the eQMS absorbs real-time data from them Plug-and-play API integrations with Salesforce, Jira, Zephyr, Xray, Azure DevOps, Asana, TestRail and ComplianceWire, with NetSuite integration on the way	Ecosystem not built into product roadmap: custom integration work means additional effort and costs Has a platform API, but no plug-and-play integration

Scalability

Designed to ‘grow with you’ and guide your business up the quality maturity curve to marketization and beyond
Flexible, configurable make-up makes tweaking processes, adding new users and scaling up the QMS quick and easy
Single product means single, structured development roadmap for long-term customer delight
Tight focus on life science start-ups and scale-ups means scalability and growth a central system component

Modular system make-up means extra system areas can be bought as required
Q-Pulse Law, Q-Pulse PM and Q-Pulse WorkRite offer legal, manufacturing and e-learning add-on capability, though some customers find integration with the main Q-Pulse system subpar
Dated system experience and on-premise operational ceiling may harm engagement and long-term scalability potential
Acquired cloud eQMS competitor Qualsys in 2020 for a more scalable, cloud-based system, then reverted to old on-premise system by 2022 - some concerns from customers about long-term product roadmap. Spent £15.6m to transition away from the product they currently sell

Customer focus


Commits to a long-term partnership with customers. Customer success managers, plus high-touch 24/7 support from team members in the US and EMEA with live chat and Help Center Qualio+ package provides targeted QA/RA expert support and pre-built standard-specific system templates to accelerate compliance Growth by case study and customer centricity G2 Net Promoter Score: 62	Offers product and technical support from a string of international offices. Customers report indecipherable written instructions for system upgrades, and long waiting times when contacting support due to Ideagen's large customer base Software only: no regulatory content, template documentation or expert QA/RA support Growth by acquisition G2 Net Promoter Score: 21

Are a life science company
Want a modern, scalable, cloud-powered eQMS
Want an integrated, life science-focused quality system with all required functionality
Want an intuitive, satisfying system backed by strong customer support

Aren't a life science company
Don’t want to upgrade to the cloud
Want a generic modular system and need audit/equipment management functionality or e-learning and manufacturing add-ons
Can commit to internal training and user support for an older, less easy-to-use platform