Colony.care vs CageSync, Full Comparison for 2026
Summary
CageSync is an Android app for research colonies. You scan a QR code on a cage card, log the event on your phone, and the record syncs to a Google Sheet that you own. Its Researcher plan is free for individual researchers. Colony.care is a web platform for a whole team or facility: animal records, breeding, health, per diem billing and compliance reports in one database, with a free Starter plan and a paid Lab plan. CageSync suits a researcher who wants to scan and log at the rack and keep the data in their own spreadsheet. Colony.care suits a team that needs shared records, roles, billing and reports.
At a Glance
| Feature | Colony.care | CageSync |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Web platform for colony and facility management | Android app with a web dashboard |
| Where the data lives | Colony.care's database, with CSV and full data export | Synced both ways to a Google Sheet you own |
| Free plan | Starter: 1 project and up to 100 animals | Researcher: for individual researchers, unlimited cages, scans and records |
| Team plan | Lab, CA$549.99/mo, unlimited animals and members | Lab, with multi-user access and a PI dashboard, listed as coming soon |
| Phones | Any phone, in the mobile browser | Android app; the iOS app is listed as coming soon |
| Cage scanning | QR code cage cards scanned with the phone camera | QR code cage cards scanned in the app |
| Without a connection | Scans are queued and sent when the connection returns | Offline-first, syncs once back online |
| Breeding | Breeding calendar, weaning schedule, pedigree with genotypes, consanguinity checks | Wean reminders from date of birth, breeding timelines, generation planning |
CageSync details and prices are taken from cagesync.com (October 2026). Its prices are shown as listed there, in dollars.
What CageSync Is
CageSync presents itself as colony management for research labs, built by a researcher. The app is on Google Play, with a web dashboard next to it. You point the phone at a cage card, the app opens the cage, and what you log goes to your Google Sheet in real time. The app keeps working without a connection and syncs later.
- Researcher: free, for individual researchers, with unlimited cages, scans and records.
- Lab: $29 per month, with multi-user access and a PI dashboard, listed as coming soon with a waitlist.
- Institution: custom pricing, with unlimited team members and API access, listed as coming soon.
The site also offers five free tools, including a cage card printer, a lab barcode generator and a breeding calculator.
What You Get with Colony.care
Colony.care keeps the colony in one shared database instead of a spreadsheet. Each animal has a record with its cage, parents, genotype, health history and protocol. Everyone on the team works on the same records, with roles and permissions.
- 25 species, from mice and zebrafish to non-human primates, poultry and insect colonies.
- QR code cage cards printed from the browser, scanned with any phone camera, on iPhone or Android.
- Breeding calendar, weaning schedule, interactive pedigree and consanguinity checks.
- Health observations, clinical cases and surgery records.
- Per diem billing calculated from cage-days.
- CCAC and IACUC annual reports, with animals linked to their protocols.
- An audit trail that logs every change with user and timestamp, kept indefinitely by default.
- A full English and French interface.
Colony.care Pricing
The Starter plan is free: 1 project and up to 100 animals. The Lab plan is CA$549.99/month, or CA$439.99/month billed yearly, with unlimited animals and members and 10 projects included. Additional projects are CA$34.99/month each. The Lab plan starts with a 14-day trial, no credit card required.
When to Choose
CageSync may fit if: you work alone on an Android phone, you want your colony to stay in a Google Sheet, and you need a quick way to scan cages and log litters.
Colony.care may fit if: several people share the colony, you house more than one species, or you need billing, protocol tracking and reports for the CCAC or an IACUC.
FAQ
Is CageSync free?
Its Researcher plan is free for individual researchers, with unlimited cages, scans and records. Its multi-user Lab plan is listed as coming soon. Colony.care's free Starter plan covers 1 project and up to 100 animals.
Can I move my data from CageSync to Colony.care?
Animal records can be moved through CSV. Your CageSync data syncs to a Google Sheet. Download the sheet as a CSV file, then load it into Colony.care's import wizard. The wizard detects your column headers, suggests a mapping you can adjust by hand, and shows a dry-run preview. Nothing is written until you commit, and a committed import can be rolled back.
Does Colony.care work on an iPhone?
Yes. Colony.care runs in the browser, so it works on an iPhone, an Android phone, a tablet or a computer, with nothing to install. The phone camera scans the QR code on the cage card and opens the cage record.