A 2026 side-by-side comparison of StemCyte and Cryo-Cell International (NYSE American: CCEL), two of the most-searched private cord blood banks in the US. Across 15 criteria: FDA Biologics License status (StemCyte's REGENECYTE® holds US License 2280 since 2024, Cryo-Cell holds none), FDA RMAT designation, FACT accreditation (StemCyte since 2006 for both allogeneic and autologous storage, Cryo-Cell since 2014), AABB accreditation (both held), documented transplants (StemCyte 2,300+ units to 325+ centers worldwide, Cryo-Cell private bank ~157 releases with the publicly cited 700+ figure coming from its Duke / Cord:Use public bank), processing volume (StemCyte MaxCell® up to 100 mL preserved volume vs Cryo-Cell PrepaCyte-CB ~25 mL premium upgrade), public bank access (StemCyte $299 add-on for private clients vs Cryo-Cell's Duke-affiliated public bank with no private add-on), pricing ($725 first year vs $1,685), engraftment guarantee (StemCyte LifeSaver $50K plus replacement unit, Cryo-Cell tiered up to $100K with PrepaCyte-CB), and origin (StemCyte founded as a public bank in 1997, Cryo-Cell founded private in 1989 with public banking added 2018). Public information and StemCyte records, May 2026.
StemCyte and Cryo-Cell, line by line.
A side-by-side comparison across the criteria cord blood transplant physicians, FDA reviewers, and accreditation bodies use to evaluate banks. Public information and StemCyte records, May 2026.
The two banks, on every dimension that matters.
StemCyte and Cryo-Cell International (NYSE American: CCEL) are two of the most-searched private cord blood banks in the US. They are the only two among the four major US private banks that hold FACT accreditation. StemCyte was the first private cord blood bank to earn FACT accreditation for both allogeneic and autologous storage, in 2006, eight years before Cryo-Cell in 2014. The 15 rows below cover the criteria a transplant physician or FDA reviewer would actually use to evaluate the two banks, plus the things parents most often ask about: price and guarantee.
| StemCyte Baldwin Park, CA · since 1997 | Cryo-Cell Oldsmar, FL · since 1989 | |
|---|---|---|
| Documented transplants 4 | 2,300+ units · 325+ centers Approximately 1 of every 26 cord blood transplants performed globally has used a StemCyte unit. | ~157 private-bank releases Per Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation: 100 transplants plus 57 autologous research infusions from Cryo-Cell's private bank. The 700+ transplants Cryo-Cell publicly cites come from its public bank, operated via the Duke University partnership acquired with Cord:Use in 2018. |
| FDA regulatory status 1 | Active BLA · US License 2280 REGENECYTE® approved 2024. The only FDA-licensed cord blood product among the banks reviewed here. | FDA registered only No FDA-licensed cord blood product. Facility registration only, with cGMP / cGTP compliance. |
| FDA RMAT designation 1 | Granted 2024 · Long COVID FDA granted REGENECYTE® RMAT designation for Long COVID in 2024. RMAT is reserved for therapies with preliminary clinical evidence of treating serious conditions. | None No RMAT designation. |
| FACT accreditation 2 | Since 2006 Continuous FACT accreditation. Voluntary, costlier, more rigorous than AABB; a factor in the ranking of America's Best Hospitals. | Since 2014 Originally accredited April 2014. Most recently re-accredited through April 2029. |
| AABB accreditation 3 | Since 2002 Continuous AABB accreditation. | Accredited AABB accreditation held as a cord blood facility. |
| Origin 8 | Public bank, 1997 · independent Founded as a public cord blood bank in 1997. Private banking added 2005. The only bank in this comparison with this origin. | Private, 1989 · public bank added 2018 Founded as a private family bank in 1989. Public-bank operations added in 2018 through the acquisition of Cord:Use, which holds a partnership with Duke University. |
| Headquartered in California | Baldwin Park, CA The only bank reviewed here headquartered in California. | Oldsmar, FL Cryo-Cell's lab is located in Oldsmar, Florida, in the Tampa Bay area. |
| State public-program partner 10 | California UCBCP Selected by the State of California as the statewide collection partner for the Umbilical Cord Blood Collection Program (Health and Safety Code §1645). | Not selected Cryo-Cell is not a public-program partner for any state cord blood collection program. |
| Global lab presence | U.S. & global Operations in the U.S. and internationally. | U.S. only Cryo-Cell markets to families in 87 countries but operates a single lab in the United States. |
| Company-sponsored clinical trials 9 | 3 active Long COVID (NCT05682560), cerebral palsy, and ischemic stroke. Collaborator on IMPAACT P1107 (HIV remission, "New York patient"). | None identified Cryo-Cell holds an exclusive license to Duke University's cord blood and cord tissue intellectual property, with stated plans to support follow-on cerebral palsy and autism trials. No active cord-blood trials sponsored by Cryo-Cell are currently registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. |
| Processing volume 5 | MaxCell® · up to 100 mL Plasma depletion. Approximately 4× the industry-standard preserved volume. Up to 100 mL when collection volume allows; actual stored volume depends on the amount and quality of cord blood collected. | PrepaCyte-CB · ~25 mL PrepaCyte-CB is an FDA 510(k)-cleared cell processing device offered by Cryo-Cell as a premium upgrade over standard HES processing. Cryo-Cell holds the exclusive rights to PrepaCyte-CB. |
| Public bank access (PBA) 6 | PBA · $299 paid add-on Reduces $35,000 to $50,000 registry-search cost. The only bank in this comparison operating a public cord blood bank simultaneously. | No private add-on Cryo-Cell operates a public bank via the Cord:Use / Duke University partnership, but does not offer a paid PBA-style add-on for private clients seeking a registry search if their own unit is not a match. |
| Multi-ethnic inventory focus 11 | Active focus Decades of active collection in Latino, Asian, and African American communities through the California UCBCP. Mixed-ancestry and underrepresented families often face the steepest registry-match gaps. | Not a focus Not a stated focus in Cryo-Cell's public materials. |
| Published price · first year 7 | $725 + $200/yr storage Lowest first-year cord blood MSRP among the banks reviewed here. | $1,685 first year Published standard cord-blood-only first-year fee per cordbloodbanking.com (includes testing and first year storage). PrepaCyte-CB premium processing is an additional upgrade fee. |
| Engraftment guarantee | LifeSaver · $50K + replacement unit Included free with every plan. Replacement donor unit sourced from StemCyte public inventory. | Tiered · up to $100K Cryo-Cell's engraftment guarantee pays $100,000 if the unit was processed with PrepaCyte-CB and fails to engraft, with a lower payout if the unit was processed with standard HES. No replacement donor unit provided. |
Frequently asked.
Neither bank's storage operation is FDA-approved in the drug sense. Cryo-Cell is FDA registered and cGMP / cGTP compliant, which means the facility has notified the FDA that it processes human cells and follows good manufacturing and tissue practices. Cryo-Cell does not hold an FDA Biologics License for any cord blood product. Among the banks reviewed here, only StemCyte's REGENECYTE® product is FDA-licensed (US License 2280, approved 2024).
Yes. Cryo-Cell received FACT accreditation in April 2014 and was most recently re-accredited through April 2029. Among the four major US private cord blood banks, only StemCyte (since 2006) and Cryo-Cell (since 2014) hold FACT accreditation; CBR and ViaCord do not. StemCyte was the first private cord blood bank to earn FACT accreditation for both allogeneic and autologous storage, in 2006, eight years before Cryo-Cell.
Both are premium cord blood processing methods that aim to maximize stem cell recovery and reduce red blood cells before cryopreservation. MaxCell® is StemCyte's plasma-depletion method, which preserves up to approximately 100 mL of post-processing volume, depending on collection volume (roughly 4× the industry-standard ~25 mL). PrepaCyte-CB is an FDA 510(k)-cleared cell-separation device that Cryo-Cell holds exclusive rights to, offered as an upgrade over standard HES processing; PrepaCyte-CB preserves approximately 25 mL of post-processing volume. Both are considered premium choices over standard HES processing.
Comparing Cryo-Cell against the other major banks? See CBR vs Cryo-Cell and ViaCord vs Cryo-Cell.
Sourced, scored, and side by side.
If StemCyte fits your family, you can build a plan in just a few minutes.
Build your planReflects publicly available information as of May 26, 2026. Pricing reflects standard MSRP, not promotional pricing. REGENECYTE® is FDA-licensed for hematopoietic reconstitution in indicated patients. FDA licensure does not mean a privately stored family unit is guaranteed to be suitable, indicated, matched, or available for any particular future treatment. RMAT designation relates to an investigational program and is not FDA approval for that investigational use. Release counts are not always reported using the same categories. Some banks combine therapeutic transplants, autologous infusions, investigational uses, or public-bank releases. For that reason, this comparison separates known family-bank releases, public-bank releases, standard transplants, and investigational infusions where source data allows. Processing volumes are not guarantees of final stored volume; final volume, cell yield, and testing outcomes depend on collection volume, collection quality, transport, processing, and release criteria.
- FDA. Approved Cellular and Gene Therapy Products list. REGENECYTE®, US License 2280, approved 2024. FDA Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation for Long COVID, 2024.
- NetCord-FACT. Accredited Cord Blood Facilities directory. StemCyte accredited since 2006; Cryo-Cell accredited since 2014, most recently re-accredited through April 2029.
- AABB. Accredited Cellular Therapy Facilities directory. Both StemCyte (since 2002) and Cryo-Cell hold AABB accreditation.
- StemCyte company materials, 2026 (2,300+ transplants, 325+ centers); Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation, Cryo-Cell family-bank release figures (100 transplants and 57 autologous research infusions); Cryo-Cell investor press releases (Cord:Use / Duke public-bank transplant count, 700+).
- StemCyte MaxCell® processing overview; Cryo-Cell PrepaCyte-CB product page and FDA 510(k) device summary.
- StemCyte Public Bank Access program. Registry-search cost range per Parent's Guide to Cord Blood.
- Published pricing pages at stemcyte.com and cryo-cell.com, as listed on cordbloodbanking.com bank profiles, accessed May 2026.
- Cryo-Cell corporate history. Founded 1989 in Oldsmar, FL. NYSE American: CCEL. Acquired Cord:Use in 2018, adding public-bank operations via the Duke University partnership; exclusive license agreement with Duke University for cord blood and cord tissue IP, 2021.
- ClinicalTrials.gov. StemCyte-sponsored studies: Long COVID (NCT05682560), cerebral palsy, ischemic stroke. IMPAACT P1107 (NCT02140944) for the HIV remission case.
- California UCBCP. Umbilical Cord Blood Collection Program, California Health and Safety Code §1645. StemCyte serves as statewide collection partner.
- StemCyte Public Banking page. Active collection in Latino, Asian, and African American communities through the California UCBCP.
Updated May 26, 2026