Comparison

ZapLab and PathoGOLD

PathoGOLD, from Birlamedisoft, has been sold to Indian labs since the early 2000s and runs as a combination of installed and online software. ZapLab is only ever a browser, which is a real trade: nothing to install, and nothing that works when the connection is down.

25 points compared8 modules23 where ZapLab is stronger

ZapLab is for

A lab that is content to work in a browser and wants nothing installed.

PathoGOLD is for

A lab that wants software on its own machine, with online features alongside.

Checked against their published material on 3 October 2026. We do not quote their prices here, because a price we copied months ago would be wrong by the time you read it — compare the two pricing pages on the day.

What PathoGOLD does well

Two decades of serving Indian pathology labs, which is a kind of reassurance a new product cannot offer.
An installed component, so parts of the work survive a connection that does not.
A support relationship that many labs in Pune and around it have had for years.

What each costs

ZapLab

From ₹349 a month plus GST, billed for a term.

See every plan

PathoGOLD

Quoted per lab after a demo; the public material is demo-led rather than priced.

As published at pathogold.com. Prices change, so check theirs on the day rather than taking ours for it.

Side by side

Every module, feature by feature. A tick marks where ZapLab is the stronger choice; a dash means the two are level.

ZapLab is the stronger choice on 23 of 25 points

2 level, and nothing where PathoGOLD leads on capability.

Compared on

ZapLabUs

25 points compared

PathoGOLD

As published, Oct 2026

Cost and commitment

Pricing model

ZapLab

Flat monthly rate billed for a term, from ₹349 a month plus GST. No onboarding fee, no setup charge, and a 7-day trial without a card.

PathoGOLD

Quoted per lab; the published material is demo-led rather than priced.

Front desk

Patient registration and billing

ZapLab

One screen: register, order tests, raise the bill and take payment together.

PathoGOLD

Supported.

Home collection

ZapLab

Visit booking, phlebotomist assignment and payment at the door.

PathoGOLD

Varies by product.

Barcoded samples

ZapLab

Barcodes, labels, collect and receive, with a rejection reason recorded.

PathoGOLD

Supported.

Laboratory

Result entry and flags

ZapLab

Previous value beside the new one, automatic flags, calculated parameters from formulas.

PathoGOLD

Supported.

Reference ranges

ZapLab

317 ranges shipped, matched by sex, age band and critical limits, with the most specific winning.

PathoGOLD

Configured per lab.

Pathologist review and sign-off

ZapLab

Enter, verify, approve, release — each step recorded against a person.

PathoGOLD

Supported.

Radiology reporting

ZapLab

Studies, templates and reporting on Growth and above.

PathoGOLD

Varies by product.

Reports

Shipped format library

ZapLab

157 tests and 317 reference ranges, installed on day one.

PathoGOLD

Configured for the lab.

QR-verifiable PDFs

ZapLab

Every report carries a QR a patient can use to verify it came from the lab.

PathoGOLD

Varies by product.

Two signatories

ZapLab

Built in, because Indian reports carry two.

PathoGOLD

Varies by product.

Amendments

ZapLab

Reissue with the reason printed and the superseded values kept.

PathoGOLD

Varies by product.

Business

Referral doctor commissions

ZapLab

Commission tracking and referrer analytics on every plan.

PathoGOLD

Varies by product.

Expenses and day book

ZapLab

Included on every plan.

PathoGOLD

Varies by product.

Turnaround analytics

ZapLab

TAT tracking by test and by stage, on every plan.

PathoGOLD

Supported.

Google review requests

ZapLab

Automated after a report is released.

PathoGOLD

Varies by product.

Control

Staff logins

ZapLab

Unlimited on every plan, including the cheapest.

PathoGOLD

Typically a number of included logins per plan.

Roles and permissions

ZapLab

Permission-based, with per-role overrides a lab can set itself.

PathoGOLD

Supported.

Audit trail

ZapLab

Every state change recorded against a person and a time.

PathoGOLD

Supported.

Your branding only

ZapLab

No "powered by" line on any plan.

PathoGOLD

Varies by product.

Compliance

Data residency

ZapLab

Hosted in India, with the sub-processors named on our privacy page.

PathoGOLD

Varies by product.

DPDP data rights

ZapLab

Consent records, a data export, and erasure that respects medical retention duties.

PathoGOLD

Varies by product.

GST billing

ZapLab

Bill of Supply for exempt diagnostic services, with SAC 9993 and GSTIN on every bill.

PathoGOLD

Supported.

How it runs

Where the software lives

ZapLab

A browser. Nothing installed, nothing to maintain on a lab PC.

PathoGOLD

A combination of installed and online.

Updates and backups

ZapLab

Continuous and managed, hosted in India.

PathoGOLD

Tied to the installed component.

Capability and pricing model only. We do not quote their prices: a figure copied months ago would be wrong by the time you read it.

Which to choose

Choose ZapLab if

You want nothing installed and nothing to back up.
More than one site or person needs the same data.
You want the price published rather than quoted.

See pricing

Choose PathoGOLD if

Your connection drops often enough to stop work.
You value a vendor relationship measured in decades.

If that is you, we would rather you used them. A lab on the wrong product is nobody’s win.

Questions

What happens when our internet drops?: You cannot use ZapLab until it is back. That is the honest limitation of a browser-only system and the main reason to prefer something installed.

Something here out of date? Tell us at contact@zaplab.in and we will correct it.