Quick answer: CGM LabDAQ is CompuGroup Medical’s long-established LIS, installed in physician offices, clinics, independent labs and hospitals and available hosted onsite or in the cloud, with a dedicated POL configuration; pricing is on request. Physician office labs evaluating alternatives in 2026 usually want one of three things LabDAQ’s public pages do not offer: a published price, an unlimited-user cloud subscription with no setup fee, or a configuration that does not cap workstations or analyzer interfaces. LIMS IQ Lite ($999 per month fixed) is one such option; Clinisys Harvest, Dendi LIS and LigoLab are others, each suited to a different lab.
Competitor details are taken from public sources as of September 2026 and may change; verify with each vendor.
This page is for the practice administrator or lab manager whose physician office lab (POL) runs, or is considering, CGM LabDAQ and wants a fair view of the alternatives. Every statement about CGM or another vendor is taken from that vendor’s own site as of September 2, 2026 and referenced to the Sources list. Nothing here is a claim about any product’s reliability or about customers choosing one over another.
What CGM LabDAQ publicly is
From CompuGroup Medical’s US site as of September 2026:
- Installed base and lab types. CGM states “4000 Labs Served” across “physician offices and clinics, independent labs, hospitals, and more,” with specialized configurations for toxicology, forensic and veterinary laboratories, and “30+ years of experience.” [1]
- Deployment. LabDAQ is “hosted onsite or in the cloud by CompuGroup Medical.” CGM’s cloud hosting option is described as “a modern, secure, and fully managed LIS environment” in a “SOC 2 Type 2 Certified Datacenter” with “predictable, subscription-based pricing.” [1][2]
- Interfaces. “67 Analyzer Companies Interfaced”; interfaces with EHR and practice management systems for “orders, demographics, results, and billing information”; bi-directional interfaces to national and regional reference laboratories. [1]
- Portals. CGM LABNEXUS is described as a “secure web portal that connects laboratories using CGM LABDAQ to the healthcare providers they serve”; a patient portal is available. [1]
- Revenue tools. Medical-necessity checking and “user-defined rules” to “verify laboratory tests are billed correctly”; the Lab IQ dashboard monitors financial trends. [1]
- Compliance. Support for “HIPAA and CLIA compliance,” quality control and document management options, and CGM LABSIGN for electronic tracking of staff approvals and signatures. [1]
- The POL configuration. “CGM LABDAQ POL is a lab management solution designed for the lower volume, physician office laboratory. It includes all of the basic functionality found in CGM LABDAQ, without the complexities required for a high-volume laboratory. The unique CGM LABDAQ POL supports one workstation, up to three analyzer interfaces, EHR integration, and includes expert on-site training. Available at an attractive price point, the POL configuration can expand to the full laboratory information system (LIS) as the laboratory grows and requires additional functionality.” [3]
- Pricing. Not published; pricing on request per the vendor’s site (checked September 2026). [1][2]
CGM also lists other products for physician office labs, including CGM MEDICUS WEB, “simplified for waived or moderately complex physician office labs,” and CGM SCHUYLAB, “scalable for POLs, reference labs, and the international market.” [4]
That is a mature, broad product with a large analyzer interface library and both deployment options. A POL that is happy with it has no reason to move.
Why a POL looks at alternatives
The reasons below are the qualitative ones a lab can evaluate from public information. None of them is a criticism of LabDAQ; they are differences in commercial model and configuration shape.
A preference for a pure browser-based cloud service. LabDAQ is offered both onsite and vendor-hosted [1][2]. Some POLs want a system that was designed only for the browser, with nothing installed on a practice workstation and no hosting tier to choose. The cloud LIS vs on-premise guide sets out the trade-offs.
A published price. CGM does not publish LabDAQ prices [1][2]. Practices that budget annually often prefer a vendor whose total monthly cost is printed on a web page so they can compare before scheduling demos.
Configuration limits that a growing POL reaches. CGM’s POL configuration “supports one workstation, up to three analyzer interfaces” and “can expand to the full laboratory information system (LIS) as the laboratory grows” [3]. A practice adding a second workstation or a fourth analyzer should ask CGM what that expansion costs, and may compare that with systems that have no workstation or user limit.
Unlimited users. POL staff rotate between the front desk, phlebotomy and the bench. Systems priced without seat counts avoid a conversation every time someone is cross-trained. CGM does not publish its user licensing model on the pages checked, so ask.
Consolidation elsewhere in the market. Clinisys’s July 2025 acquisition of Orchard Software [5] prompted many small labs to reassess vendors generally, and some of that attention lands on every incumbent. CompuGroup Medical has made no comparable announcement about LabDAQ that this page is aware of; the point is only that 2026 is a year in which many POLs are asking questions.
Criteria to score any alternative
Score each candidate on the same ten criteria; the best cloud LIS for small labs comparison applies them across six vendors.
| Criterion | What to ask |
|---|---|
| Deployment model | Browser-only cloud, vendor-hosted, or onsite? Who patches and backs up? |
| Pricing published? | Can the total monthly cost be read before a sales call? |
| Per-user fees | Is there any seat or workstation count in the price? |
| Setup fee | Implementation, interface build and training charged separately? |
| Implementation time claimed | In writing, with the assumptions behind it. |
| Target lab size | Built for POLs, or a large-lab system scaled down? |
| Instrument and EMR interfaces | Which analyzers are supported, and is the EHR interface included or extra? |
| Patient portal | Bundled, separate, or absent? |
| Billing | Through the practice management system, or in the LIS? |
| Security and compliance areas | Audit trail, role-based access, encryption, HIPAA and CLIA support, attestations. |
LIMS IQ Lite as one option
LIMS IQ Lite is a standardized cloud LIS for physician office labs and small clinical labs. Its terms are published on limsiq.com/pricing:
- $999 per month, fixed. Unlimited users, no setup fees, cancel anytime. Reasonable monthly volume limits apply.
- Browser-based cloud. Nothing to install; LIMS IQ runs the infrastructure.
- Complete POL workflow. Patient registration with duplicate detection; guided requisition entry with ICD-10 codes, insurance capture and STAT flags; inbound HL7 orders; accessioning queues with barcode labels and consistency checks; instrument import through supported ASTM, HL7 and file-based patterns with an exception queue; QC limits with pass/warn/fail visibility; reference-range, abnormal and critical flagging; delta checks; reference-lab send-outs; one-step approval; PDF reports delivered by email, fax, print, HL7 or SFTP with a per-requisition delivery log; amended reports; bulk export.
- Starter menu included. A chemistry and hematology compendium, including a comprehensive metabolic panel and a CBC with differential, is configured on day one; the lab edits tests, panels, ranges and units itself.
- Compliance support. Role-based access, an audit trail across the specimen lifecycle, encryption in transit and at rest, supporting CLIA, CAP and HIPAA capability areas.
- Live in days from one standardized intake checklist.
What Lite does not include, stated plainly: an integrated billing and claims module (Lite captures demographics and insurance for the practice’s billing system; integrated billing is a full LIMS IQ add-on), custom report templates, multi-stage approval, preliminary reports and multi-site profiles. Patient and client portals are separate subscriptions; the Patient Portal is $499 per month and works with almost any LIS, including LabDAQ. A POL that needs integrated billing or a client portal inside the LIS should compare full LIMS IQ (volume-priced) or the vendors below. The LIS for small labs guide details what $999 buys and what it leaves out.
Other alternatives, fairly described
On public positioning as of September 2026:
Clinisys Harvest (formerly Orchard Harvest). Clinisys acquired Orchard Software from Francisco Partners on July 29, 2025 and describes Orchard’s strength as “the physician office, reference, and veterinary laboratory space” [5]. Harvest offers “SaaS deployment,” rules-based decision support, a Webstation for provider ordering and results, and custom-built analyzer, EHR and billing interfaces; pricing on request [6]. It is the most direct like-for-like alternative to LabDAQ in market breadth. See Orchard Harvest alternatives for the post-acquisition questions to ask.
Dendi LIS. Cloud-native, priced as a “simple, fixed, monthly subscription based on the quantity and types of integrations,” with unlimited users, tests and client accounts, a published $2,200 per month starter tier for new labs that includes instrument interfaces, provider and patient portals, billing tools and eligibility checks included, and stated implementation of two to six weeks [7]. Dendi lists physician office labs among its markets but leads with precision diagnostics, toxicology and molecular [8]; it is the closer comparison for a high-complexity startup lab than for a chemistry-and-hematology POL. See Dendi LIS vs LIMS IQ.
LigoLab. An “All-in-One Laboratory Information System and RCM Platform,” available “in the cloud or on-premises,” with “no upfront licensing fees or contracts” and per-transaction pricing in which the cost per test falls as volume rises; its Essential tier is described for “small pathology, molecular, and reference laboratories” [9][10][11]. Prices are not published. It is a stronger fit where the lab bills independently and anatomic pathology is part of the mix than for a POL billing through the practice.
How to compare on total cost
Ask every vendor, including CGM, for a written three-year figure covering: subscription or license; hosting (if separate); setup and implementation; each analyzer interface; the EHR interface; training; support; portal subscriptions; and data export at contract end. Multiply monthly figures by 36 and add the one-time fees. The LIS cost guide lists each category with the questions to ask. For LIMS IQ Lite the arithmetic is $999 × 36 = $35,964 with no setup, interface or training fees within supported patterns, plus $499 per month if the lab adds the Patient Portal.
Moving from LabDAQ: the short version
- Confirm export rights and formats under the LabDAQ contract before giving notice.
- Export the patient master, provider master, test catalog and historical results in discrete form.
- Inventory analyzers and the EHR connection by model and message direction.
- Rebuild the compendium deliberately rather than copying it.
- Run parallel on a defined sample set, validate, and cut over on a date.
The LIS data migration guide covers each step; the LIS implementation timeline explains what sets the calendar.
Related reading
- Best cloud LIS for small and physician office labs 2026
- Orchard Harvest alternatives after the Clinisys acquisition
- Dendi LIS vs LIMS IQ
- LIS for small labs: what $999/month actually buys
- How much does an LIS cost?
- LIS buyer’s guide
- LIMS IQ Lite and pricing
Request a demo to run one of your own requisitions through LIMS IQ Lite from order entry to delivered report.
Sources
All competitor facts were checked on September 2, 2026.
- CompuGroup Medical, “CGM LABDAQ Laboratory Information System” — https://www.cgm.com/usa_en/solutions/physician-office-labs/lab-management-software/cgm-labdaq.html
- CompuGroup Medical, “CGM LABDAQ software options for your laboratory” (cloud hosting) — https://www.cgm.com/usa_en/solutions/physician-office-labs/lab-management-software/cgm-labdaq/cgm-labdaq-software-options.html
- CompuGroup Medical, “CGM LABDAQ Reports, Specialized Systems, Industry Partners” (CGM LABDAQ POL) — https://www.cgm.com/usa_en/solutions/physician-office-labs/lab-management-software/cgm-labdaq/cgm-labdaq-reporting-systems-partners.html
- CompuGroup Medical, “Physician Office Labs” solutions page — https://www.cgm.com/usa_en/solutions/physician-office-labs.html
- Clinisys, “Clinisys acquires Orchard Software,” press release, July 29, 2025 — https://www.clinisys.com/us/en/news/clinisys-acquires-orchard-software/
- Clinisys, “Clinisys Harvest” product page — https://www.clinisys.com/us/en/products/clinisys-orchard-harvest
- Dendi, “Modern Clinical Lab LIS Software” — https://dendisoftware.com/dendi-laboratory-information-system
- Dendi, home page — https://dendisoftware.com/
- LigoLab, home page — https://www.ligolab.com/
- LigoLab, “LigoLab Offers a Pricing LIS Model That Aligns with Laboratory Goals…,” April 14, 2026 — https://www.ligolab.com/post/ligolab-offers-a-pricing-model-that-aligns-with-laboratory-goals-and-an-implementation-plan-that-minimizes-lab-disruption
- LigoLab, “LigoLab’s New Tiered Pricing Model…,” July 1, 2026 — https://www.ligolab.com/post/ligolabs-new-tiered-structure-for-its-lis-platform-delivers-a-tailored-fit-and-maximum-value