Comparison of SAW and QCM techniques.
| Technical index | SAW | QCM |
| Acoustic wave type | Surface | Bulk |
| Sensitivity | High | Low |
| Frequency | 10 MHz to 3 GHz | 5–10 MHz |
| Dielectric constant | LiNbO3 = 29, LiTaO3 = 43 | 3.8 |
| Detection range | 10−12 g | ∼1 Å to 1 μm or 10−9 g |
| Piezoelectric material | ST-cut quartz, LiNbO3, LiTaO3 | AT-cut quartz |
| Temperature range | 25 °C to 1000 °C | −190 °C to 125 °C |
| Working area | Liquids and gases | Liquids and gases |
| Cost | Low | High |
| Applications | Filters, cell monitoring and manipulation, signal processing units, sensors, and actuators | Detection of metals in vacuum, vapors, chemical analytes, biomolecules, and contaminants in the environment |