RapidAI vs Viz.ai (2026)
Both sit in the acute neurovascular pathway and solve different parts of it. Viz.ai's ContaCT received the 2018 De Novo that created the regulation for computer aided triage and notification, and its mechanism is mobilizing the treating team the moment a finding lands. RapidAI's perfusion software was the patient selection tool in the DEFUSE 3 and DAWN trials that extended the stroke treatment window to 24 hours, and its cleared modules cover large vessel occlusion, hemorrhage, ASPECTS, noncontrast stroke and aneurysm triage, on a platform with an on premise server and a cloud fallback. If the minutes between detection and the team assembling are the failure, start with Viz.ai. If the decision about which patients to treat is where the program needs support, start with RapidAI.
- Randomized trial evidence behind the selection decision: RAPID perfusion selected patients in DEFUSE 3 and DAWN (The New England Journal of Medicine, 2018).
- Published operating detail: the perfusion thresholds, warnings when bolus or motion make results unreliable, and controls to adjust thresholds and reprocess a case.
- An on premise server inside the hospital firewall with a cloud fallback, and SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 claimed as its own.
- Its stroke product created the triage category in 2018, and the company reports more than 50 cleared algorithms across imaging, ECG and echocardiography.
- Team mobilization as the mechanism: the product connects the specialists who act, and a post hoc analysis of a multicenter randomized trial reported door to groin times 11 minutes shorter.
- Security terms published: SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and ISO 42001 on its Trust Center, with business associate terms in its subscription privacy policy.
This comparison is published by AI Health Index, an independent research platform that compares healthcare AI vendors objectively. RapidAI and Viz.ai are each graded against the same capability taxonomy, from each vendor's own public materials and the regulatory record, under the AI Health Index verification standard. No vendor pays for placement, and no vendor has reviewed this page. How this evidence is graded
Plain facts
| Fact | RapidAI | Viz.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Primary category | Radiology & Imaging AI | Radiology & Imaging AI |
| Founded | 2012 | 2016 |
| Headquarters | San Mateo, California | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Website | rapidai.com | viz.ai |
Side by Side
Select any grade to read the note behind it.
Each vendor in one paragraph
Written to be quoted whole. Each paragraph opens the AI Health Index profile of the vendor: what the product is, who buys it and what it does.
RapidAI (iSchemaView, Inc.) analyzes brain, vascular and body imaging to support urgent treatment decisions, principally in stroke. Founded in 2012 by stroke neurologist Greg Albers and based in San Mateo, California, it reports use in more than 2,500 hospitals worldwide. Its perfusion software was the patient selection tool in the DEFUSE 3 and DAWN trials that extended the stroke treatment window to 24 hours in US guidelines, and the company states it holds the only FDA indication for perfusion software in selecting patients for thrombectomy.
Source: AI Health Index, September 2026
AI powered care coordination platform, Viz One, that pairs detection algorithms on imaging and ECG with automatic alerts and team messaging on clinicians' phones. It began in stroke: its large vessel occlusion product, ContaCT, received FDA's De Novo authorization in 2018 (DEN170073), which created the regulatory category for imaging triage and notification software.
Source: AI Health Index, September 2026
Questions buyers ask
How do RapidAI and Viz.ai work with the EHR?
For RapidAI, the Rapid server is added as a DICOM node between scanners and PACS, results go to PACS, email and the Rapid mobile app, and Navigator Pro connects scanners, PACS, worklists and reporting systems, sending structured AI outputs into the report. The company describes standards based interoperability with PACS, RIS and electronic record systems without naming the record systems or interfaces.
With Viz.ai, the platform receives DICOM studies from scanners and PACS, and the De Novo summary describes the notification path to the mobile app with the images attached. The app is the working surface for neurologists, interventionalists and stroke teams across hospital networks. From the AI Health Index, drawn from each vendor's own published materials and the regulatory record, verified September 27, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
How do RapidAI and Viz.ai handle patient data?
In RapidAI's case, the Rapid server runs inside the hospital firewall and automatically purges data on a schedule that varies by site. Rapid EdgeIQ processes pixel data and metadata on premises and sends only what each algorithm needs to the cloud, and the 510(k) summaries describe studies being de-identified 'if required' before analysis.
The customer's contract sets how long Viz.ai keeps customer data. Usage data (which studies and alerts a clinician opened, response times) is de-identified to the HIPAA standard at 45 CFR 164.514 before it is used to improve services, build new products or conduct research. From the AI Health Index, drawn from each vendor's own published materials and the regulatory record, verified September 27, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
Which settings and specialties do RapidAI and Viz.ai cover?
With RapidAI, the platform covers ischemic stroke from non-contrast CT through CTA, CT and MR perfusion and intervention; hemorrhage, subdural hematoma, midline shift and hydrocephalus; aneurysm detection and tracking; aortic measurement and pulmonary embolism; and, through partners, spine and other fractures, lung nodules, mammography and more.
In Viz.ai's case, the oncology, respiratory, neurology and osteoporosis offers are sold as pilot programs. From the AI Health Index, drawn from each vendor's own published materials and the regulatory record, verified September 27, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
What evidence is published for RapidAI and Viz.ai?
For RapidAI, the company's founder led research behind the platform, which is context for independence rather than a bar. The company counts more than 25 trials and 750 publications.
With Viz.ai, a post hoc analysis of a multicenter, prospective, randomized trial of Viz LVO, led at UTHealth Houston, reported an 11 minute reduction in door to groin time across all centers. A parallel cohort of acute stroke consults at 166 facilities in 17 states compared AI and non AI sites. From the AI Health Index, drawn from each vendor's own published materials and the regulatory record, verified September 27, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
Related comparisons
Other published head to head assessments involving these vendors or their closest peers. The full set for this category is on the Clinical Decision Support page.
RapidAI states it holds the only FDA indication for perfusion software in selecting patients for thrombectomy; that is its claim about an indication. Viz.ai sells some modules as pilot programs, and a pilot is not a clearance. Neither publishes pricing.
RapidAI describes review of AI results before they reach PACS as optional and sends results into reports automatically, so ask how your site will configure it. RapidAI names no cloud provider or regions and states no business associate status.