Answer 6 quick questions about your scale, modality, vessel, parameters, environment, and budget. Get ranked sensor recommendations with vendor links — covering DO, pH, biomass, CO2, Raman, and NIR.
Step 1 of 6
What is your bioreactor scale?
Working volume of the main production vessel.
Step 2 of 6
What are you producing?
Pick the modality closest to your main use case.
Step 3 of 6
What vessel type?
Sensors for single-use bags differ from those for reusable stainless.
Step 4 of 6
Which parameters do you need to measure?
Select all that apply. Each parameter adds weighted sensor recommendations to your output.
Step 5 of 6
What's the regulatory environment?
Drives cGMP validation needs, calibration rigor, and vendor options.
Step 6 of 6
Budget per sensor channel?
Rough all-in cost including probe, transmitter, and first-year consumables.
Your recommended sensors
Ranked by fit to your process. Scores factor scale, modality, vessel type, parameters of interest, environment, and budget. Click any vendor name to open their product page. Click "Read comparison" to see the head-to-head article.
You answer 6 multiple-choice questions. Each answer adds weighted points to 10 sensor types across 4 categories: dissolved oxygen, pH, biomass, and spectroscopic PAT. The top 4-5 sensor types are displayed as ranked cards with vendor links and relevant comparison articles. The scoring is transparent and vendor-neutral — no vendor pays for placement.
If your process doesn't fit any single sensor profile cleanly, the tool often recommends a combination — for example, capacitance for viable biomass + optical DO + Raman for glucose/antibody in a typical cGMP mAb facility. For edge cases (µbioreactor high-throughput screening, cultivated meat, unusual scales) consider reading the comparison articles directly.
Frequently asked questions
Is this tool vendor-neutral?
Yes. No vendor pays for placement in the recommendations or in the vendor landscape sections of the linked articles. The scoring logic is transparent — each answer adds weighted points to sensor types based on published specifications and deployment patterns in peer-reviewed literature.
Why are some parameters recommended multiple sensors?
Because different sensors measure different aspects of the same parameter. For biomass, capacitance measures viable cell volume while optical methods measure total biomass including dead cells and debris. For DO, optical sensors differ from polarographic in calibration and fouling characteristics. When both types are recommended, it's because your process would benefit from both measurements (common in cGMP commercial manufacturing).
Does the tool cover CO2, glucose, and other PAT analytes?
Yes — if you select those parameters in step 4, relevant CO2 sensors, Raman spectroscopy, and NIR spectroscopy options are added to the ranked output. For at-line bioanalyzers (e.g. YSI 2950), we recommend a dedicated instrument rather than an inline sensor and the tool notes that in the recommendation card.
Can I email or save my recommendations?
Yes. After completing the quiz, click "Email me these recommendations" to receive a PDF summary by email. Your selections are also saved in your browser so you can refresh the page and continue where you left off.
How often is the vendor list updated?
We review the vendor lists quarterly and update individual product links as vendors change their URLs or release new product lines. If you notice a broken link or missing vendor, please use the feedback widget below the FAQ to let us know.
What if I have a custom or unusual bioreactor?
The quiz covers the five most common vessel types (single-use bag, reusable stainless, glass, shake flask, microtiter). For unusual setups — photobioreactors, membrane bioreactors, wave-mixed cultivation meat scaffolds, continuous processing rigs — you'll get a best-fit recommendation, but we'd also suggest reading the linked comparison articles for depth and reaching out to vendors directly.