CompareETQ Reliance (Octave Reliance) vs MasterControl
on request
Priced by concurrent users and application sets
Choose it if: You run a multi-site medical device or combined device and pharma manufacturer and want one configurable system for documents, CAPA, complaints with eMDR, suppliers and audits across sites.
Watch out: There's no design-controls, ISO 14971 risk-file or IEC 62304 module, and prices, contract length and hosting regions aren't published.
est. $25–72k/yr
Basic from $25k a year; Vendr contracts $72–117k
Choose it if: You run a larger, multi-site device or combined device-and-pharma quality organisation and need a configurable, validated system for documents, training, CAPA and audits.
Watch out: Prices, hosting location and exit terms aren't published, and design controls, risk files and software development support are weak for device R&D teams.
| ETQ Reliance (Octave Reliance) 5.3 | MasterControl 5.3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price and buying | ||
| AffordabilityHow we score affordabilityEstimated yearly cost for a 10-person team, including required fees. | 4.0 Not published Priced by concurrent users and application sets | 4.0 est. $25–72k/yr Basic from $25k a year; Vendr contracts $72–117k |
| Price transparencyHow we score price transparencyWhether the vendor publishes its prices on its own website. | 1.0 Contact sales No prices published now or in archived pages | 2.0 No public price Per-user prices published until 2019 |
| Try before you buyHow we score try before you buyWhether you can try the product yourself before talking to sales. | 5.0 No free trial Recorded demo video; live demo via sales | 5.0 No free trial Recorded demos and live demo |
| Contract and lock-inHow we score contract and lock-inMinimum term, whether you can take all your data with you at no extra cost, and other lock-in risks. | 6.0 Set per order form Auto-renews; exit export included (standard format) | 4.0 Term not published Auto-renews; exit file format unstated |
| EU data residencyHow we score eu data residencyWhether your data can be hosted in the EU, and how clearly that's documented. | 3.0 Not published AWS, region not stated; public DPA with SCCs | 3.0 Not stated AWS, location 'Global'; public DPA and subprocessor list |
| Budget predictabilityHow we score budget predictabilityHow well you can predict future bills: price-increase clauses, price history and the cost of adding users. | 5.0 Up to 7% a year at renewal Or a different price on 30 days' notice; no list prices to track | 5.0 Renews at then-current fees No cap in the terms; priced per named user |
| Product | ||
| Compliance coverageHow we score compliance coverageHow much of ISO 13485, FDA and EU MDR the system covers out of the box, based on its documentation. | 7.5 Complaints with eMDR, Part 11 app, validation package; ISO 27001 certificate expired May 2026; no UDI or PMS | 8.0 Validation tools included; ISO 27001 |
| Design controls and traceabilityHow we score design controls and traceabilityHow well requirements, risks, tests and software lifecycle are linked, and whether the design history file is generated for you. | 2.5 No design-controls app; FMEA and APQP only | 2.5 Design and risk only as documents; no Jira or Git link found |
| UsabilityHow we score usabilityEase-of-use ratings from G2 or Capterra, adjusted for what users repeatedly report. | 8.0 7.9 / 10 on G2 537 ratings | 8.0 4.1 / 5 on Capterra Ease of use, 540 reviews; G2 7.8/10 |
| Service | ||
| Support and onboardingHow we score support and onboardingSupport ratings from review sites, plus whether onboarding help is included in the price. | 7.5 7.7 / 10 on G2 498 ratings | 8.0 4.5 / 5 on Capterra Customer service, 540 reviews; G2 8.6/10 |
| Community sentimentHow we score community sentimentOverall review-site rating, adjusted for what independent users say in communities. | 8.0 4.3/5 on G2 (627 reviews); 4.5/5 on Capterra (57) | 8.0 4.5/5 on Capterra (540 reviews); Reddit split |
| Time to go liveHow we score time to go liveHow long it usually takes until your team can work in the system, and whether templates are included. | 6.0 Weeks to months Vendor estimate; no SOP templates found | 6.0 About 90 days Vendor figure for the Qx Starter package |
Scores are out of 10. The better side of each row is highlighted. How we score
| ETQ Reliance (Octave Reliance) | MasterControl | |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in document editor | Not confirmed yetGoogle Docs and Microsoft 365 co-editing; no native editor documented | Not confirmed yetDocuments can come from any authoring tool; no documentation of a built-in editor |
| Edit in Word or Google Docs | YesNative Google Docs integration; Microsoft 365 or Google collaboration is an add-on for Reliance Go | Partly or add-onRoute files from any software; no documented Word or Google co-editing |
| SOP templates included | Not confirmed yetPre-configured best-practice workflows; no SOP template library found | Partly or add-onPreconfigured forms and workflows in Qx Starter; no SOP set |
| Jira or Git integration | Not confirmed yetERP, PLM and MES integrations claimed; no Jira or Git integration found | Not confirmed yetNo Jira or Git integration found |
| IEC 62304 software features | Not confirmed yetNothing found; its release-management app is for Reliance configuration, not device software | Not confirmed yetNo IEC 62304 features found |
| Validation package included | YesValidation Execution Package with the Life Sciences set; validation consulting extra | YesVxT and Validation on Demand included; URS and TPQ in Qx Starter |
| Public API | Partly or add-onREST API with OAuth (CSV, XML, JSON); documentation not public | Partly or add-onAPI Toolkit (REST); documentation gated |
| Single sign-on (SSO) | YesSSO and LDAP; SSO setup is a paid service for Reliance Go | YesOkta SSO for login; e-signature needs a separate password |
| Supplier portal | YesExternal user type lets suppliers answer SCARs, audits and change notifications | Partly or add-onNon-users can access documents; suppliers can mark up BOMs |
| Training with quizzes | Not confirmed yetNot found | YesRole-based exams; AI exam generator |
| FDA MDR or EU vigilance reporting | Partly or add-onFDA eMDR form and submission-gateway integration; no EU vigilance found | Partly or add-oneMDR form with FDA XML claimed on product page; no EU vigilance found |
| AI features | YesForm Field Advisor and Complaint & Feedback Advisor | YesDocument and event summaries, translation, SOP Analyzer; ISO 42001 |
| Clause | Requirement | ETQ Reliance (Octave Reliance) | MasterControl |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.2.4 | Control of documents | ||
| 4.2.5 | Control of records | ||
| 6.2 | Training and competence | ||
| 7.3 | Design and development | ||
| 7.3.9 | Change control | ||
| 7.4 | Supplier qualification and control | ||
| 7.5 | Production records (DMR/DHR) | ||
| UDI | UDI management (EU MDR, FDA) | ||
| 8.2.2 | Complaint handling | ||
| 8.2.3 | Regulatory reporting (FDA MDR, EU vigilance) | ||
| MDR 83 | Post-market surveillance | ||
| 8.2.4 | Internal audit | ||
| 8.3 | Nonconforming product | ||
| 8.5.2 | Corrective action (CAPA) | ||
| ISO 14971 | Risk management file | ||
| IEC 62304 | Software lifecycle | ||
| Part 11 | Electronic signatures |
We haven't written a verdict for this pair yet. The comparison above comes from our research on each system; the full reviews explain each score.