Ripple Science (now EnrollNow) alternatives for teams that need a participant app, not just a recruitment pipeline

Ripple Science, now called EnrollNow, gives study teams a clear view of their recruitment pipeline. It doesn't put a branded app in your participants' hands. WeGuide does, with eConsent, validated eCOA, native wearable data and engagement tools on a managed platform. Many teams will keep Ripple for recruitment and use WeGuide for everything the participant does once they're in the study.

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Where WeGuide differs

A participant app under your brand
Validated eCOA and regulatory grade eConsent
Native wearable data and telehealth

Used by leading research and medical institutes.

Why research teams look for a Ripple Science (EnrollNow) alternative

The short version

Ripple Science was built in a University of Michigan research lab to fix a problem every coordinator knows: participants tracked across spreadsheets, inboxes and sticky notes. For managing a recruitment pipeline, screening and study team tasks, it does that job well.

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Why teams look elsewhere

The search for an alternative usually starts with one of three conversations.

The rename. Ripple Science now trades as EnrollNow, with a new website at enrollnow.io and a tighter positioning around three workflows: screen, schedule and engage. The old ripplescience.com site no longer serves Ripple content, while the customer knowledge base still refers to the product as Ripple. When the vendor behind a tool your ethics approvals and SOPs mention changes its name, it's a natural moment to check the market. Most teams will find the product they use every day is the same. That's a reason to review, not a reason to leave.

The participant side of the study. Ripple is software for the study team. Coordinators log contacts, run campaigns, track screening and send automated emails and texts. That's valuable, but it stops at the coordinator's screen. When a protocol needs participants to consent electronically, complete validated questionnaires on their own phone, sync a Garmin or Apple Watch, join a video visit, or keep opening a study app for months, a recruitment and tracking tool isn't designed to carry that load. Teams end up stitching Ripple to a survey tool, an eConsent vendor and a wearable SDK.

Studies that outgrow the site. Longitudinal cohorts, registries and decentralised or hybrid studies put the participant at home for most of the protocol. Retention then depends on what happens between contacts, not just on how well the team logs them.

A quick way to decide. Ask where participants spend most of your protocol. If most of the work happens before enrolment, finding, contacting, prescreening and booking people, a recruitment and study management tool like Ripple is doing the heavy lifting. If most of the work happens after enrolment, consenting, reporting outcomes, wearing a device, attending virtual visits and staying engaged for months, the participant needs something on their own phone. Many academic studies have both problems, which is why the two kinds of tool often end up side by side. Budget shape matters too. Ripple's pricing isn't published and is quoted by the vendor. WeGuide's project based pricing includes hosting, support and modules, so the participant experience sits in one line of the budget rather than spread across an eConsent vendor, a survey tool and a wearable integration.

We built WeGuide for that participant facing layer. It isn't a recruitment CRM, and we won't pretend it replaces Ripple's pipeline tools. If your bottleneck is finding and screening people, Ripple may still be the right tool. If your bottleneck is what participants experience once they say yes, keep reading.

Key differences between WeGuide and Ripple Science (EnrollNow)

Ripple is built for the people running the study. WeGuide is built for the people taking part in it. Here's what that difference means in practice.

A participant app under your brand

Ripple works on the study team's side: participants hear from you by email and text. WeGuide ships native iOS and Android apps fully branded under your organisation's name. Consent, questionnaires, reminders, education content and messages all live in one place participants recognise as yours, which builds the trust long studies depend on.

Validated eCOA and regulatory grade eConsent

Ripple offers custom screening forms and surveys for recruitment and tracking. WeGuide adds eCOA and ePRO with a library of validated instruments, plus eScreening and eConsent with version control, re-consent workflows and a full audit trail, all completed by participants on their own phones.

Native wearable data and telehealth

Garmin, Apple Health, Health Connect and Fitbit Air integrations are built into WeGuide, so passive data syncs automatically once a participant connects a device. Televisits run inside the same app. We found neither wearable integration nor telehealth in EnrollNow's website or knowledge base, so teams that need them usually add separate vendors.

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Full comparison: WeGuide vs Ripple Science (EnrollNow)

REDCap

Feature

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Primary use case

Participant platform: whitelabel app, eScreening, eConsent, eCOA, wearables, engagement and telehealth

Study team software for participant recruitment, screening, scheduling, tracking and retention

Primary user

Participants, plus the research team that configures and monitors the study

Study coordinators, investigators and research staff

Recruitment campaigns and pipeline

eScreening and onboarding inside the app. Not a recruitment CRM

Core strength: campaign management, pipeline of potential participants, contact logs, recruitment analytics

Local participant registry

Longitudinal registries with participant engagement (FSHD Global)

Searchable local registry. Every participant in the pipeline is added for future studies

Whitelabel participant mobile app

Native iOS and Android apps under your organisation's brand, published under your own App Store account or through the existing WeGuide app

No participant app. Participants receive texts and emails and complete web surveys

eConsent

Built in, with version control, re-consent workflows and audit trail

Consent log per participant (type, version, date, attachments) and eConsent built as web surveys with signature pads. No re-consent workflow documented

eCOA and ePRO

Native, with a library of validated instruments

Smart surveys and custom screening forms. No validated instrument library found

Wearable integration

Native Garmin, Apple Health, Health Connect and Fitbit Air

Not found in published materials

Participant communication

Push notifications, in app messaging, patient education content, gamification

Automated texts and emails, appointment reminders, milestone messages

Scheduling and visit tracking

Scheduling inside the participant app

Appointment tracking, shared calendars, scheduling date calculations, visit planning

Telehealth

Built in televisits

Not found in published materials

Study team task management

Not a focus. Research teams configure studies in the Program Builder

Core strength: task creation and assignment, team communication, role based access

Multilingual

Built in translation management (used on the INHERIT study)

Not documented in the materials we reviewed

Integrations

Two way REDCap sync, Salesforce, HL7 / FHIR, REST API and webhooks

CTMS integration listed. Data import and export. Single sign on capable

Security and compliance

ISO 27001:2022, HIPAA (BAA available), GDPR, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, TGA registered Class I medical device software

HIPAA compliant with BAAs available, SOC 2 certified, detailed audit logs. 21 CFR Part 11 not stated

Pricing

Project based, quote on request, includes hosting, support and modules

Not published. Contact vendor

REDCap

Top alternatives to Ripple Science (EnrollNow) in 2026

Here's the shortlist research teams usually compare with Ripple. Some replace its recruitment and tracking role. Others cover the participant facing work Ripple leaves to other tools. The right pick depends on which part of the study is hurting.

Alternative #1

Where WeGuide goes further

For teams that want the participant side of a study in one platform, here's what changes when you move to WeGuide.

Whitelabel participant apps under your brand

eCOA with a library of validated instruments

eConsent built for protocol amendments

Native Garmin, Apple Health, Health Connect and Fitbit Air

Engagement that lives with the participant

Telehealth in the same app

Registries that participants take part in

Multilingual participant content

Certified as medical device software

Built for regulated research

Every WeGuide study runs on our managed infrastructure. Your IT team doesn't patch servers, manage backups, or run disaster recovery drills.

TGA Registered

Registered Class I medical device software with the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

ISO 27001

Certified information security management covering access, audit, and incident response.

Data Hosted in Australia

Participant data is hosted in Australian data centres with sovereign data controls.

GDPR Compliant

GDPR, HIPAA, and 21 CFR Part 11 ready for multi-country and US-based studies.

Biometric Security

Participant access protected by PIN code and biometric authentication on device.

256-bit AES Encryption

All data encrypted at rest and in transit with automated backups and disaster recovery.

Where Ripple Science (EnrollNow) excels

Built by researchers, for the study team. Ripple was born in a University of Michigan research lab, licensed out in 2016 and shaped around how coordinators actually work. Workflows can be configured per protocol, and integrated task management helps new staff get up to speed when teams turn over.

Real visibility into recruitment. Campaign management, a pipeline of potential participants, contact logs and recruitment analytics show which sources work, why people fail screening and which populations you still need to reach. That's the part of a study most tools ignore, and it's Ripple's core strength.

A registry that grows with every study. Every participant who enters a Ripple pipeline is added to a local registry, which teams can filter by inclusion and exclusion criteria, including consent, when the next study starts recruiting. For labs running many studies over years, that compounding list is genuinely valuable.

Automation that takes admin off the team. Automated texts and emails, appointment reminders, scheduling date calculations and protocol task assignment reduce the manual follow up that eats coordinators' days.

Ethics friendly security. EnrollNow describes the platform as HIPAA compliant and SOC 2 certified, signs Business Associate Agreements, keeps detailed audit logs of every view and edit, and publishes a suggested IRB template, which makes it easier to get through institutional review.

A proven academic footprint. EnrollNow reports use at more than 260 research organisations across 10 countries and more than 5,200 studies, with customers such as Johns Hopkins University and the University of Michigan.

If your study's main problem is finding, screening and tracking people, Ripple is a sensible tool and WeGuide is not a recruitment CRM. We'd rather tell you that than sell you something you don't need.

WeGuide works alongside Ripple Science (EnrollNow)

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Ripple and WeGuide solve different halves of the participant journey, so many teams don't need to choose. Ripple can stay the study team's system for recruitment campaigns, prescreening, the local registry and team tasks. WeGuide takes over once a participant is ready to join: eScreening and eConsent, eCOA, wearable data, reminders, messages and televisits in one branded app. Ripple itself describes its software as a front end to a CTMS, used side by side with other study systems rather than replacing them.

A typical split looks like this. Ripple holds the recruitment campaign, the prescreening forms, the contact logs and the local registry your lab reuses from study to study. When a participant is eligible and ready, the coordinator invites them to the WeGuide app, where they complete eScreening and eConsent, receive their eCOA schedule, connect a wearable if the protocol needs one, and hear from the study through push notifications and in app messages. Enrolment status can then be passed back so the team keeps one view of the whole journey.

There's no prebuilt Ripple connector today. Our Integration Engine supports REST API and webhooks, so we scope how enrolment status and participant records move between the two during discovery. If your institution also runs REDCap, WeGuide's two way REDCap sync keeps study data where your biostatisticians expect it.

If your participants only need a reminder text before each site visit, Ripple already covers that and adding WeGuide won't earn its keep. We'll tell you that on the call.

How the switch works

For teams adding a participant app alongside Ripple, or moving their participant facing work onto one platform, here's how onboarding usually plays out.

Discovery Call

A discovery call with our research delivery team. We look at your protocol, how you use Ripple today, and where participants drop out or fall behind. No sales pitch.

Study Configuration

Our team configures the study in WeGuide alongside yours: consent flows, eCOA schedules, wearable connections and engagement content. If Ripple stays in place for recruitment, we agree how participant records hand over at this stage, and if your institution uses REDCap we set up the two way sync too. Typical timeline: two to four weeks.

Participant Onboarding

The whitelabel app goes live under your organisation's brand. Coordinators invite participants as they're enrolled, and consent, questionnaires and reminders are ready from day one.

Ongoing Support

You get a named delivery contact, not a ticket queue. We stay involved for the life of the study.

Case studies: research teams that needed more than participant tracking

BRACE Trial (Murdoch Children's Research Institute)

BRACE was an international randomised trial testing whether the BCG vaccine could protect healthcare workers during COVID-19, running across several countries with thousands of participants. It was a hybrid trial, with vaccination and blood collection in person, and WeGuide provided the participant platform for the digital side of the study.

GenV (Generation Victoria)

Generation Victoria (GenV) is a whole of state longitudinal birth cohort in Victoria, Australia, involving roughly 124,000 people: about 50,000 children and 74,000 parents. Keeping families involved over years takes far more than a recruitment pipeline. WeGuide is the platform GenV uses for that participant facing work.

FSHD Global

FSHD Global runs a longitudinal patient registry for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy on WeGuide, combining patient reported outcomes with wearable integration. Participants contribute directly through the app over time, which is the difference between a list of contacts and a living registry.

Helping researchers transform ideas into discoveries.

Hear what our clients have to say!

"GenV trusted WeGuide to run a multi-year population health study with roughly 124,000 Victorians, about 50,000 children and 74,000 parents. Longitudinal engagement at this scale requires push notifications, multi-modal data capture, and a whitelabel app that families will keep on their phones for years.""

Susan Clifford

Senior Research Officer

“The main benefit of WeGuide is its convenience. I can’t imagine how we would follow thousands of participants and collect their data without WeGuide!”

Kaya Gardiner

Trial Project Manager

"WeGuide has transformed how we manage our patient registry. The ease of digital screening and obtaining eConsent has significantly improved our workflow."

Emma Weatherley

Managing Director

"The WeGuide trial offers staff a practical tool for recording daily COVID-19 symptoms and temperatures. For those in high-risk areas, daily reminders and alerts provide peace of mind and reassurance about their health."

Kate Cranwell

Manager

"It’s obvious that WeGuide is committed to develop technology that benefits people in the community. WeGuide has been a great partner in achieving this goal within Western Health."

Paul Eleftheriou

Chief Medical Officer

Questions

Straight answers on how WeGuide compares to Ripple Science (now EnrollNow), when to run both, and when Ripple alone is the right call.

Is Ripple Science the same company as EnrollNow?

Yes. The company now presents itself as "EnrollNow (formerly Ripple Science)", with a new website at enrollnow.io. Its About page describes the same origin: software built in a University of Michigan lab, licensed in 2016 to Ripple Science Corporation. The old customer area at ripple.ripplescience.com now redirects to EnrollNow's support site, where help articles still call the product Ripple. The platform is described as a participant operations tool built around screening, scheduling and engagement. For existing customers, the practical questions are the same as with any vendor change: what the roadmap looks like, whether contracts and data processing terms carry over, and whether your ethics documentation needs the new name.

Can WeGuide replace Ripple for participant recruitment?

Not entirely, and we'd rather be clear about that. WeGuide handles eScreening, eConsent and onboarding inside the participant app, but it isn't a recruitment CRM with campaign management, contact logs and pipeline analytics. If recruitment tracking is your main need, keep Ripple or choose a dedicated recruitment tool, and use WeGuide for the participant experience after enrolment. Where the two do overlap is scheduling, reminders and participant communication after enrolment, so teams that mainly use Ripple for those may find WeGuide covers them inside the participant app.

Can we run WeGuide and Ripple together?

Yes, and for many academic teams that's the best setup. Ripple manages recruitment, prescreening and team tasks. WeGuide runs consent, eCOA, wearables, engagement and televisits for enrolled participants. There's no prebuilt connector, so we scope the handover through our REST API and webhooks during discovery.

Does WeGuide work with REDCap?

Yes. The Integration Engine supports two way REDCap sync via the REDCap API, so teams can keep REDCap as their research database while participants use a WeGuide app. It also supports Salesforce, HL7 / FHIR, REST API and webhooks.

How is WeGuide priced?

WeGuide is priced per project, with a quote on request. The price includes hosting, support and the modules your study uses, so there's no separate server or IT bill to plan for.

How long does it take to launch a study on WeGuide?

After a discovery call, our team configures the study alongside yours, typically in two to four weeks. You then launch your whitelabel app and keep a named delivery contact for the life of the study.

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