A 2026 side-by-side comparison of StemCyte and ViaCord, 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, ViaCord holds none), FDA RMAT designation, FACT accreditation (StemCyte since 2006, ViaCord not held), AABB accreditation (both held), documented transplants (StemCyte 2,300+ units to 325+ centers worldwide, ViaCord 500+ units released for transplant or research combined), processing volume (StemCyte MaxCell® up to 100 mL preserved volume, ViaCord standard HES processing ~25 mL), public bank access (StemCyte $299 add-on, ViaCord not offered), pricing ($725 first year vs $895), engraftment guarantee (StemCyte LifeSaver $50K plus replacement unit, ViaCord $35K only), and corporate origin (StemCyte founded as a public bank in 1997 and independent, ViaCord founded private in 1993 and now a wholly owned brand of Revvity NYSE: RVTY). Public information and StemCyte records, May 2026.
StemCyte and ViaCord, 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 ViaCord are two of the most-searched private cord blood banks in the US. ViaCord, founded in 1993, is now a wholly owned brand of Revvity (NYSE: RVTY), the publicly traded life-sciences company that absorbed PerkinElmer's former life-sciences division. The 15 rows below are 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 | ViaCord Hebron, KY · since 1993 | |
|---|---|---|
| Documented transplants 4 | 2,300+ units · 325+ centers Approximately 1 of every 26 cord blood transplants performed globally has used a StemCyte unit. | 500+ released for transplant or research Reported as a combined figure. Of approximately 298 transplant releases through end of 2024, ViaCord's own data indicates 97% were used by a sibling and only 3% were autologous use by the original donor child. |
| 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. |
| 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. | Not accredited Does not appear on the NetCord-FACT directory and does not claim FACT accreditation in its own public materials. |
| AABB accreditation 3 | Since 2002 Continuous AABB accreditation. | Accredited AABB accreditation held for both cord blood and cord tissue. |
| 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, 1993 · Revvity brand Founded as a private bank in 1993. Acquired by ViaCell, then by PerkinElmer in 2007. Now a wholly owned brand of Revvity (NYSE: RVTY) after the 2023 PerkinElmer life-sciences rebrand. No public bank. |
| Headquartered in California | Baldwin Park, CA The only bank reviewed here headquartered in California. | Hebron, KY ViaCord's processing lab is located in Hebron, Kentucky, near the Cincinnati international airport. |
| 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 ViaCord 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. & Puerto Rico ViaCord services the United States and Puerto Rico only. |
| 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 No company-sponsored cord blood therapeutic trial identified in reviewed public sources as of May 2026. ViaCord families have participated in Duke University clinical trials, but ViaCord is not the trial sponsor. |
| 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. | HES standard · ~25 mL Hetastarch (HES), the industry-standard processing method, with a five-compartment storage bag. |
| 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. | Not offered ViaCord does not operate a public cord blood bank or offer a registry-access add-on. |
| 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 ViaCord's public materials. |
| Published price · first year 7 | $725 + $200/yr storage Lowest first-year cord blood MSRP among the banks reviewed here. | $895 + $185/yr storage Published cord-blood-only first-year processing fee per cordbloodbanking.com. ViaCord runs frequent promotional offers (e.g. seasonal pricing as low as $500 to $710). |
| Engraftment guarantee | LifeSaver · $50K + replacement unit Included free with every plan. Replacement donor unit sourced from StemCyte public inventory. | Quality Product Guarantee · $35K ViaCord's Quality Product Guarantee pays $35,000 toward an alternative stem cell source if the unit fails to engraft. No replacement donor unit provided. |
Frequently asked.
Neither bank's storage operation is FDA-approved in the drug sense. ViaCord is FDA registered, which means the facility has notified the FDA that it processes human cells. ViaCord 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).
No. ViaCord holds AABB accreditation for cord blood and cord tissue, but does not appear on the NetCord-FACT directory and does not claim FACT accreditation in its own public materials. Among the four major US private cord blood banks, only StemCyte (since 2006) and Cryo-Cell (since 2014) hold FACT accreditation. FACT is the cellular-therapy accreditation jointly developed by the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy and the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy.
ViaCord reports 500+ cord blood units "released for transplant or research" as a combined figure. Data shared with the Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation indicates that of approximately 298 transplant releases through the end of 2024, 97% went to a sibling donor and only 3% were autologous use by the donor child. The other 322 releases were regenerative-medicine infusions, primarily in clinical trials. By comparison, StemCyte has released 2,300+ cord blood units to 325+ transplant centers worldwide.
Comparing ViaCord against the other major banks? See CBR vs ViaCord 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; ViaCord does not appear.
- AABB. Accredited Cellular Therapy Facilities directory. Both StemCyte (since 2002) and ViaCord hold AABB accreditation; ViaCord's AABB accreditation covers both cord blood and cord tissue.
- StemCyte company materials, 2026 (2,300+ transplants, 325+ centers); Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation reporting on ViaCord releases (298 transplants and 322 regenerative infusions through end of 2024, per data shared with the Foundation).
- StemCyte MaxCell® processing overview; ViaCord product pages and FAQ describing five-compartment storage bag and standard HES processing.
- StemCyte Public Bank Access program. Registry-search cost range per Parent's Guide to Cord Blood.
- Published pricing pages at stemcyte.com and viacord.com, as listed on cordbloodbanking.com bank profiles, accessed May 2026.
- ViaCord corporate history. Founded 1993 by Cynthia Fisher; acquired by ViaCell (2000), then PerkinElmer (2007); rebranded under Revvity (NYSE: RVTY) following the 2023 PerkinElmer life-sciences spin-out.
- 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