Table 3. Comparison of estimated costs and time requirements per sample for DNA quantification using NanoDrop, Qubit, or qPCR.

	NanoDrop	Qubit	qPCR
Cost analysis
Sample preparation	0.10 €	0.10 €	0.10 €
Instrument consumables	0.00 €	0.33 €	1.80 €
Plastic materials	0.00 €	0.10 €	0.10 €
Total direct costs	∼0.10 €	∼0.53 €	∼2.00 €
Hardware & software costs	∼12,000.00 €	∼1,400.00 €	∼35,000.00 €*
Time requirements
Sample/instrument preparation	10 sec	5 min	5 min
Run time and results analysis	20 sec	20 sec	2 h
Total time	30 sec	5 min 20 sec	2 h 05 min

^*indicative cost for a standard qPCR instrument.