Table 8.
Comparison of different sequencing platforms.
| Oxford Nanopore | PacBio | Illumina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Method of sequencing | Real-time, single-molecule DNA, nanopore exonuclease sequencing | Single-molecule DNA sequencing | Reversible terminator sequencing by synthesis |
| Method of detection | Current | Fluorescence/optical | Fluorescence/optical |
| Based on PCR | No | Yes | Yes |
| Approx. read length (bases) | >100 kb | 10–14 kb | 200–300 |
| Average read-quality value | ≈Q13 | ≈Q15 | ≈Q30 |
| Sequencing speed | Fast | Slow | Slow |
| Price of sequencers | Low | High | High |
| Environmental requirements of sequencers | Suitable for a variety of environmental conditions, even extreme environments | High environmental requirements | High environmental requirements |
| Scalability of sequencers | Portable sequencer | Confined to the laboratory | Confined to the laboratory |
| Library preparation process | Simple and quick | Complicated | Complicated |
| Direct RNA sequencing | Yes | No | No |