Matrix Requirements QMS Software Review
This review covers pricing, contract terms, product fit, and the main tradeoffs of Matrix Requirements.
Written in 08/2026, replacing our earlier placeholder page. Note: Matrix Requirements has rebranded to "Matrix One", and the eQMS product is now called "Matrix Req". We'll keep using the name everyone still searches for.
Matrix Requirements is a European eQMS and requirements management software for medical device companies. It was founded by two computer scientists with medical device industry backgrounds (Wolfgang Huber and Yves Berquin), bootstrapped, and for many years it was one of the more likeable vendors in this space: reasonable entry-level pricing, a free trial, and genuinely deep functionality.
Then the company was sold to Lauxera Capital Partners, a private equity fund. One correction to our first version: Matrix's own timeline dates that acquisition to 2022, not 2024. What followed was a 2024 acquisition of Galen Data, dokspot in 2025, Simploud in 2026, a rebrand to "Matrix One", repeated price increases and finally the removal of public subscription prices.
So this is our Matrix Requirements review. Short version: The product is still good. The company around it has changed a lot.
Matrix Requirements is a European eQMS and requirements management software for medical device companies. It was founded by two computer scientists with medical device industry backgrounds (Wolfgang Huber and Yves Berquin), bootstrapped, and for many years it was one of the more likeable vendors in this space: reasonable entry-level pricing, a free trial, and genuinely deep functionality.
Then the company was sold to Lauxera Capital Partners, a private equity fund. One correction to our first version: Matrix's own timeline dates that acquisition to 2022, not 2024. What followed was a 2024 acquisition of Galen Data, dokspot in 2025, Simploud in 2026, a rebrand to "Matrix One", repeated price increases and finally the removal of public subscription prices.
So this is our Matrix Requirements review. Short version: The product is still good. The company around it has changed a lot.
Products
Under the new "Matrix One" umbrella, the platform now consists of:
- Matrix Req (formerly Matrix Requirements): The original product - design control and requirements management ("MatrixALM") plus QMS ("MatrixQMS").
- Matrix Quality (formerly Simploud) and Matrix LIMS: Quality management and lab information management, added through the Simploud acquisition.
- Matrix Connect (formerly Galen Data): Cloud connectivity for medical devices.
- Matrix eIFU (formerly dokspot): Electronic instructions for use.
For this review, we'll focus on the original eQMS / design control product, Matrix Req.
Features
The main reason to choose Matrix is customization. You can create pretty much any "entity" your process needs - requirements, tests, risks, you name it - add custom fields and trace everything to everything else. If you're building complex medical-device software, that's genuinely useful and Matrix probably does this better than most eQMS tools (including ours, there, I said it).
The current product page also advertises bi-directional integrations with Jira, Azure DevOps, GitHub and GitLab. And yes, there is AI now: "Matrix Mind" can draft requirements, risks and tests, while a Compliance Checker assesses documentation against standards. Sounds useful. Have I tried those new AI features? Nope, so I'm not going to pretend I know whether they're great.
Two caveats. First, the user interface still has strong Windows 95 vibes (we say this with love; it is at least snappy). Second, customization can become its own form of lock-in. We've seen companies build such complicated data models that moving anywhere else became brutally hard. We wrote more about this in our alternatives article.
The current product page also advertises bi-directional integrations with Jira, Azure DevOps, GitHub and GitLab. And yes, there is AI now: "Matrix Mind" can draft requirements, risks and tests, while a Compliance Checker assesses documentation against standards. Sounds useful. Have I tried those new AI features? Nope, so I'm not going to pretend I know whether they're great.
Two caveats. First, the user interface still has strong Windows 95 vibes (we say this with love; it is at least snappy). Second, customization can become its own form of lock-in. We've seen companies build such complicated data models that moving anywhere else became brutally hard. We wrote more about this in our alternatives article.
Matrix Requirements Pricing
This used to be a bright spot: Transparent pricing starting at 390€ / month. Prices went up in 2024 and again in 2025/2026; the cheapest published plan ended at 710€ / month for three users. One newer customer contract shared with us also contains an automatic 5% yearly increase. That's a real data point, but not necessarily a term in every Matrix contract.
As of mid-2026, the public subscription prices are gone. The Matrix Req FAQ mentions an $8,000 "Comprehensive Onboarding package" which includes integration setup. It doesn't say that everyone must buy it, and it isn't the subscription price. Weirdly, Matrix's terms still refer to a public "Price List" on the product page even though the product page no longer has one.
We've documented this whole saga, with screenshots, in our Matrix Requirements pricing article.
As of mid-2026, the public subscription prices are gone. The Matrix Req FAQ mentions an $8,000 "Comprehensive Onboarding package" which includes integration setup. It doesn't say that everyone must buy it, and it isn't the subscription price. Weirdly, Matrix's terms still refer to a public "Price List" on the product page even though the product page no longer has one.
We've documented this whole saga, with screenshots, in our Matrix Requirements pricing article.
Free Trial And Lock-In
Correction: Matrix still advertises a free trial. It isn't self-service anymore - you fill out a form and someone contacts you - but a request-based trial is still much better than no trial. Use it, and test your real workflow instead of watching only a demo.
Data export is comparatively good: Matrix documents exports in formats including Excel and XML. The bigger lock-in risk is the customization itself. The more exotic your data model becomes, the fewer places it can move to.
Contractually, Matrix's public terms allow monthly or yearly subscriptions, usually with auto-renewal; ending early leaves the remaining fee due. The 5% annual increase we reported came from one newer customer contract, not a universal term on the public website. In other words: Read the quote, because Matrix no longer publishes enough information for us to generalize.
Data export is comparatively good: Matrix documents exports in formats including Excel and XML. The bigger lock-in risk is the customization itself. The more exotic your data model becomes, the fewer places it can move to.
Contractually, Matrix's public terms allow monthly or yearly subscriptions, usually with auto-renewal; ending early leaves the remaining fee due. The 5% annual increase we reported came from one newer customer contract, not a universal term on the public website. In other words: Read the quote, because Matrix no longer publishes enough information for us to generalize.
Matrix Requirements Pros And Cons
Pros
- Extremely customizable design control and requirements management with full traceability.
- Comparatively good data export.
- Established product which has passed many audits.
Cons
- Private equity ownership since 2022: Repeated price increases (including for existing customers), plus a 5% yearly increase in at least one newer contract shared with us.
- No more public pricing as of 2026 - previously one of their biggest selling points.
- Windows 95 user interface.
- Customization can trap you: Complex data models make future migrations painful.
Conclusion
Would I consider Matrix Req? If I were a mid-size company with complicated design controls and needed a highly customizable data model, yes. The product is powerful, exports are decent and you can still request a free trial.
Would I choose it for a startup? Probably not. The cheap public plan is gone, current prices are hidden, and the supplier has already raised prices for existing customers. That's a risk you have to include in your calculation, not some abstract private-equity rant.
If that's you, read our Matrix Requirements alternatives article. And yes, also look at Formwork, our own eQMS: Public pricing (free, 99€ or 499€ / month with unlimited users), monthly cancellation, structured export and free migrations. We've already migrated multiple Matrix customers, so this isn't a purely theoretical sales pitch.
Would I choose it for a startup? Probably not. The cheap public plan is gone, current prices are hidden, and the supplier has already raised prices for existing customers. That's a risk you have to include in your calculation, not some abstract private-equity rant.
If that's you, read our Matrix Requirements alternatives article. And yes, also look at Formwork, our own eQMS: Public pricing (free, 99€ or 499€ / month with unlimited users), monthly cancellation, structured export and free migrations. We've already migrated multiple Matrix customers, so this isn't a purely theoretical sales pitch.
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I’m a medical doctor, software engineer and regulatory dude. I’m also the founder of OpenRegulatory.
Through OpenRegulatory, I’ve helped 100+ companies with their medical device compliance. While it’s also my job that we stay profitable, I try to dedicate a lot of my time towards writing free content like our articles and templates. Maybe that will make consulting unnecessary some day? :)
If you’re still lost and have further questions, reach out any time!
Through OpenRegulatory, I’ve helped 100+ companies with their medical device compliance. While it’s also my job that we stay profitable, I try to dedicate a lot of my time towards writing free content like our articles and templates. Maybe that will make consulting unnecessary some day? :)
If you’re still lost and have further questions, reach out any time!