Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
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Incucyte is Sartorius’s brand of live-cell analysis systems: instruments that sit inside a standard tissue culture incubator and image cells automatically over time, in fluorescence and in label-free phase contrast, while the cultures stay still. This page is for lab staff and core-facility users who need to understand what the system is, how the models differ and what to settle before booking or buying time on one.
Short answer
Incucyte systems image living cells repeatedly inside an incubator without removing the vessel. Per Sartorius, the cultures stay stationary while a mobile optical train moves beneath them, and software acquires and analyses the images on a schedule. Current models named by Sartorius include the S3, SX5, SX1 and CX3; the CX3 adds confocal imaging for 3D models.
Definition and scope
Sartorius describes Incucyte as a live-cell analysis platform for imaging and quantifying cell behaviour in real time. Three points set the scope (Sartorius product page and product datasheet, read 2026-11-07):
- Location: the instrument is placed inside a conventional tissue culture incubator, so cells remain under incubator conditions between and during scans.
- Imaging modes: fluorescence and HD phase contrast. Phase is label-free, so cells do not need a dye to be seen.
- Duration: the datasheet says cells can be analysed for days, weeks or even months while stationary in the incubator.
The older IncuCyte ZOOM name still appears on university core-facility pages. It is a legacy system name and not one of the current models compared below.
How in-incubator live-cell imaging works
Sartorius states that the cultures do not move. Interchangeable trays hold flasks, dishes or microplates; a mobile optical train moves to image each vessel. Images are acquired automatically at set intervals and analysed by the instrument software, so a time course builds up without anyone opening the incubator to carry a plate to a separate microscope. Applications listed by Sartorius include confluence and proliferation, apoptosis, cytotoxicity, spheroids, organoids, cell cycle, migration and invasion, and neurite and angiogenesis work.
The kinetic output is the practical difference from conventional approaches. An endpoint readout such as a XTT viability assay or a plate reader measurement gives one number per well at one time. Repeated imaging gives many time points on the same well, with images that can be inspected. This is an editorial interpretation: the two approaches answer different questions, and an image time course does not replace an assay whose readout is chemical rather than visual.
Systems compared: S3, SX5, SX1 and CX3
The table is built only from the Sartorius datasheet “Incucyte: Empower Live-Cell Analysis Inside Your Incubator” (2023) and the Sartorius live-cell analysis instruments page, read 2026-11-07. Cells marked “not stated” were not given in those sources for that model.
| Model | Fluorescence channels | Trays / microplates | Objectives | Positioning (Sartorius) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SX5 | Up to 5; Green/Orange/NIR module included, Green/Red optional | Up to 3 trays / 6 microplates | 4X, 10X, 20X; automated turret | Newest model in the datasheet |
| S3 | 2 (green and red), plus phase | Up to 3 trays / 6 microplates | 4X, 10X, 20X; automated turret | The “workhorse” model |
| SX1 | 2 | 1 tray / 2 microplates | 4X, 10X, 20X; manual software switch, objectives purchased separately | The economical model |
| CX3 | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Adds confocal fluorescence imaging for 3D models |
Other datasheet specifications
- Vessels: 6-, 12-, 24-, 48-, 96- and 384-well plates; T-25 to T-225 flasks; 35, 60, 100 and 150 mm dishes; chamber slides.
- Incubation up to 42 °C.
- Control computer: Windows 10 64-bit.
- Storage: 27.3 TB RAID, with an additional 32.7 TB Incustore option.
- Software licences: unlimited free user licences.
Where it matters for lab and core-facility planning
These checkpoints come straight from the datasheet figures above; they are not a ranking of models.
- Incubator volume. Sartorius lists an incubator of more than 200 L as required for the SX5 and recommended for the S3 and SX1.
- Vessel format. Confirm that the plate, flask or dish you use is on the supported list; capacity per run differs between the SX1 (1 tray) and the S3/SX5 (3 trays).
- Channels. Match the fluorescent reporters in the experiment to the channels of the model: two on the S3 and SX1, up to five on the SX5.
- 2D or 3D. Spheroid and organoid analysis is listed among the applications; Sartorius positions the CX3 specifically for 3D models through confocal imaging.
- Data volume. Image time courses are large; the datasheet quotes the local storage figures above.
- Analysis modules. The base software acquires, views, analyses and shares images. Sartorius sells further modules separately: Cell-by-Cell, Spheroid, Scratch Wound, Chemotaxis, Neurotrack, Neuronal Activity, Angiogenesis, Organoid, Advanced Label-Free Classification, AI Cell Health and ATP. Check which are licensed before planning an assay around one.
For background on why repeated fluorescence imaging needs care, see the CASRAI guide on photobleaching and phototoxicity in live-cell imaging.
Common misunderstandings
- “Incucyte is a microscope you point at a slide.” It is a platform that lives in the incubator and scans vessels on a schedule. Related reading: what a research microscope is, epifluorescence microscopy and confocal versus fluorescence microscopy.
- “Every model does confocal.” Per Sartorius, confocal fluorescence imaging is the CX3’s addition; the other models are described for fluorescence and phase imaging.
- “The analysis software is all included.” The base software is; the application modules are sold separately.
- “Incucyte is a generic term.” It is a Sartorius brand name, and the model details here are the manufacturer’s own statements.
FAQ
What is Incucyte software?
Sartorius’s base software acquires, views, analyses and shares images, and the datasheet lists unlimited free user licences. Application modules, such as Spheroid, Scratch Wound or Organoid analysis, are sold separately.
What is the difference between Incucyte S3 and SX5?
Both hold up to three trays and use an automated 4X/10X/20X objective turret. The S3 has two fluorescence channels (green and red) plus phase; the SX5 supports up to five channels and is the newer model in the datasheet.
What is the Incucyte CX3?
The CX3 is the Sartorius model that adds confocal fluorescence imaging for 3D models such as spheroids and organoids.
Is there an Incucyte protocol?
Protocols depend on the cell type, vessel, reporter and analysis module. Sartorius publishes a user manual and a publications list on its website; use those and your facility’s own SOPs rather than a generic recipe.
How much does an Incucyte cost?
This page gives no prices. None of the sources used here state one; Sartorius or an authorised reseller is the source for pricing.
Sources
- Sartorius, “Live-Cell Analysis Instruments” product page, https://www.sartorius.com/en/products/live-cell-imaging-analysis/live-cell-analysis-instruments (read 2026-11-07).
- Sartorius, “Incucyte: Empower Live-Cell Analysis Inside Your Incubator” datasheet, 2023, https://www.sartorius.hr/media/nthmbm5c/live-cell-analysis-incucyte-comparability-guide-datasheet-en-sartorius.pdf (read 2026-11-07).
- Sartorius, Incucyte CX3 Live-Cell Analysis Instrument page, https://www.sartorius.com/en/products/live-cell-imaging-analysis/live-cell-analysis-instruments/cx3-live-cell-analysis-instrument (read 2026-11-07).
