CycleView

qPCR analysis for Mac and Windows · QuantStudio, LightCycler, Rotor-Gene, RDML

Open qPCR run files on any computer. Analyse them without booking the instrument PC.

Drop in the original run file, not a CSV export. CycleView draws every amplification and melt curve, lets you reset threshold and baseline, runs ΔΔCt with your reference genes, and exports figures ready for the paper. On your laptop, at home or on the train.

Mac and Windows · runs locally, nothing uploaded · for research use, not for diagnosis

The CycleView window: a family of sigmoid amplification curves on a log axis with a dashed threshold line and Cq markers, next to a 96-well plate map coloured by target and a ΔΔCt fold-change table.

The data is yours. The software that opens it lives on one PC.

  • Each vendor's software opens only its own run files. A lab with a QuantStudio and a LightCycler runs two analysis packages and two sets of habits.
  • The vendor analysis packages are built for Windows. Bio-Rad CFX Maestro, for one, does not install on a Mac, and most postdocs write on one.
  • So analysis means booking the instrument PC between runs, or exporting CSV and rebuilding the plate in Excel or R, every single time.
  • The free analysis tools that do run anywhere take CSV exports, not the original run files. The plate layout, the raw fluorescence and the melt data get lost on the way.

How it works

From run file to figure in three steps

1

Open the run

Drag in a QuantStudio .eds, a LightCycler .ixo or .lc96p, a Rotor-Gene .rex or an RDML file. The plate layout, sample names, targets and raw fluorescence come in with it. No CSV export step.

2

Check the curves

Every well's amplification and melt curve, on a log or linear axis. Set the threshold and baseline per target, exclude a bad replicate with a click, and watch Cq update.

3

Analyse and export

Pick reference genes and a calibrator, get ΔΔCt fold changes with error bars and statistics, then export SVG/PNG figures and RDML or CSV for your supplementary data.

Original run files in

QuantStudio .eds, LightCycler .ixo / .lc96p, Rotor-Gene .rex and RDML open directly, with plate layout and raw data intact.

Amplification and melt curves

Every well, overlay or split by target, with Tm peaks on the derivative melt plot.

Recompute Cq

Adjustable threshold and baseline per target, so you can defend the Cq values in your methods section.

ΔΔCt with statistics

Multiple reference genes, a calibrator group, replicate handling, fold change with SD and a t-test or ANOVA across groups.

Publication-ready figures

Bar charts and curve plots in SVG and PNG, sized for a journal column, with consistent colours per target.

RDML and CSV export

Hand reviewers and collaborators an open, MIQE-friendly RDML file instead of a vendor format they cannot open.

Formats

The run files CycleView opens

Open the file the instrument wrote, from any of these platforms. Vendor names describe compatibility only.

.eds

Thermo Fisher QuantStudio

Run files from the QuantStudio family, with plate setup, raw fluorescence, amplification and melt data.

.ixo · .lc96p

Roche LightCycler

LightCycler 480 experiment files (.ixo) and LightCycler 96 run files (.lc96p).

.rex

Qiagen Rotor-Gene

Rotor-Gene Q run files, with the rotor layout, raw fluorescence and melt data.

.rdml

RDML

The open Real-time PCR Data Markup Language, from any instrument or tool that exports it. CycleView reads and writes it.

CycleView vs the alternatives

The original run file, any computer, real analysis

Vendor software reads its own files on its own PC. Free tools run anywhere but start from a CSV. CycleView starts from the run file and ends at the figure.

Vendor softwareQraphicsLinRegPCR / ProntoPCRCycleView
Opens original run filesOwn brand only——✓
Several instrument brands in one app——✓✓
Runs on MacMostly no✓Partly✓
Recompute Cq (threshold, baseline)✓—✓✓
ΔΔCt with reference genes and stats✓✓Partly✓
Publication-ready SVG figures—✓—✓
PriceBundled$29.99FreeFree viewer · Pro $12/mo

LinRegPCR is excellent for amplification-efficiency work, and we recommend it for that. CycleView is for the everyday loop: open the run, check the curves, get the fold changes and the figure.

Pricing

Open files free. Pay for analysis and export.

The viewer is free on every computer, for good. Pro adds Cq recomputation, ΔΔCt, figures and export.

Free

$0

Open and inspect any supported run file.

  • Opens .eds, .ixo, .lc96p, .rex and RDML
  • Amplification and melt curves
  • Plate map with sample names and targets
  • Instrument Cq values
Best for one person

Pro

$12/ month

Or $99 a year. For the person doing the analysis.

  • Everything in Free
  • Adjustable threshold and baseline
  • ΔΔCt with reference genes and statistics
  • SVG and PNG figures
  • RDML and CSV export

Lab

$49/ month

Five seats for a group or a core facility.

  • Everything in Pro, for 5 people
  • Shared analysis templates per assay
  • One invoice for the lab

Prices in USD. Pro yearly is $99, about two months free.

Unpublished data stays on your computer

CycleView runs locally. Run files are opened and analysed on your own machine and are never uploaded to a server, so unpublished results, patient-derived research samples and anything under a data agreement stay where they are. It also means it works offline, in the cold room or on a plane. CycleView is for research use, not for diagnosis.

qPCR guides

Open an .eds file on a Mac

An .eds file is a QuantStudio qPCR run. Here is how to open it on macOS with curves, plate layout and Cq values, without a Windows PC or CSV export.

QuantStudio software for Mac

Is there QuantStudio analysis software for macOS? What the vendor offers, what runs in a VM, and how to analyse .eds runs natively on a Mac.

A Design and Analysis alternative

Need to analyse QuantStudio runs away from the instrument PC? Compare the alternatives on file support, Mac support, ΔΔCt, figures and price.

LightCycler 480 software on a Mac

The LightCycler 480 software runs on Windows. Here is how to open LightCycler .ixo and .lc96p run files on a Mac and analyse curves, Cq and ΔΔCt.

Open an .ixo file

An .ixo file is a LightCycler 480 qPCR experiment export. Here is what it contains and how to open it on Mac or Windows without the instrument software.

Convert .eds to RDML

Convert QuantStudio .eds run files to RDML, the open qPCR format, for supplementary data, archiving and collaborators on other instruments.

ΔΔCt calculator for qPCR

How the ΔΔCt (2^-ΔΔCt) method works, a worked example step by step, the assumptions to check, and how to run it straight from your qPCR run files.

What is RDML?

RDML is the open XML format for real-time PCR data. What it stores, why journals and MIQE favour it, and how to create and open RDML files.

Threshold, baseline and Cq

How qPCR threshold and baseline settings decide your Cq values, how to set them well, and the mistakes that quietly shift results.

Questions

How do I open an .eds file on a Mac?

Open it in CycleView. QuantStudio .eds run files open directly on macOS with the plate layout, amplification and melt curves, with no Windows virtual machine and no CSV export from the instrument PC.

Is CycleView QuantStudio software for Mac?

It is an independent analysis app that reads QuantStudio .eds files on Mac and Windows. It is not made by or affiliated with Thermo Fisher. Use the instrument software to run the plate, and CycleView to analyse it anywhere.

Can I use it instead of QuantStudio Design and Analysis?

For analysis, yes: curves, Cq with your own threshold and baseline, ΔΔCt, figures and export. Plate setup and running the instrument stay in the vendor software.

Does it open LightCycler 480 files?

Yes. LightCycler 480 .ixo experiment files and LightCycler 96 .lc96p run files open on Mac and Windows.

Can I convert .eds to RDML?

Yes. Open the .eds file and export RDML, the open format recommended alongside the MIQE guidelines, for supplementary data or for collaborators on other instruments.

Does it calculate ΔΔCt?

Yes, with one or more reference genes, a calibrator group, replicate averaging and statistics. Pick the targets and groups and the fold-change chart builds itself.

What about Bio-Rad CFX files?

Bio-Rad .pcrd files are encrypted, so CycleView does not open them. Export RDML from CFX Maestro and open that.

Are my files uploaded anywhere?

No. Everything runs on your computer. Nothing is sent to a server.

Can I use CycleView for diagnostic testing?

No. CycleView is for research use, not for diagnosis, and is not a medical device.