Labcorp and Quest Diagnostics are not the same company. They are two separate, publicly traded corporations that compete directly with each other in the laboratory testing industry. Labcorp trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker LH, while Quest Diagnostics trades under DGX. Together, they dominate the U.S. lab testing market, but they operate independently with different leadership, facilities, insurance contracts, and pricing.
The confusion is understandable. Both companies do essentially the same thing: process blood draws, urine samples, and other specimens ordered by your doctor. They have similar-looking patient service centers, similar test menus, and your doctor may switch between them depending on your insurance. But choosing one over the other can affect your out-of-pocket costs, convenience, and how quickly you get results.
Two Companies, One Industry
The U.S. clinical laboratory market is worth tens of billions of dollars, and Labcorp and Quest are by far the two largest players. Combined, they control roughly a fifth of the entire industry, with thousands of smaller independent and hospital-affiliated labs making up the rest. Quest Diagnostics operates more than 2,000 patient service centers across the country and performs over 200 million tests per year. Labcorp runs a similarly large network of collection sites.
Both companies grew through decades of acquisitions, buying up smaller regional labs and consolidating them under one brand. This is why they feel interchangeable to many patients. The testing technology, the collection process, and even the waiting room experience are broadly similar. But behind the scenes, each company negotiates its own contracts with insurers, sets its own pricing, and develops its own proprietary tests.
Why Your Insurance Picks One Over the Other
The most practical difference between Labcorp and Quest comes down to your insurance plan. Many insurers designate one as a preferred lab, which means you’ll pay less (or nothing) if you use that specific company. Some plans are even more restrictive. For example, Aetna’s plan for Delaware state employees lists Quest Diagnostics and Labcorp as its only in-network non-hospital preferred labs, and lab services obtained elsewhere may not be covered at all.
Your plan might cover both but offer lower copays at one. Or it might only have one in its network. This is the single biggest reason to care about which company you use. Before your next lab visit, check your insurance card or call your insurer to find out which lab is preferred. Using the wrong one can turn a fully covered test into a surprise bill.
Self-Pay and Direct-to-Consumer Pricing
Both companies now let you order certain lab tests yourself, without a doctor’s order, through their direct-to-consumer platforms. Labcorp’s version is called Labcorp OnDemand, available to anyone 18 or older. You purchase the test online, a physician reviews and authorizes the order, and then you visit a Labcorp location for your blood draw. These purchases are not billed to insurance.
Quest offers a similar service through QuestHealth.com. To give you a sense of pricing on that platform: a cholesterol and lipid panel costs $59 plus a $6 physician service fee, and a complete blood count (CBC) runs $29. Labcorp OnDemand’s prices for equivalent tests vary but tend to fall in a similar range. If you’re paying out of pocket, it’s worth comparing both before you buy.
Where You Can Get Your Blood Drawn
Both companies have expanded beyond their standalone patient service centers into retail locations. Labcorp has partnered with Walgreens, placing collection sites inside select stores near the pharmacy area. This gives patients the option to get lab work done during a routine errand rather than making a separate trip to a medical building.
Quest has its own network of conveniently located draw sites, though its retail partnerships differ. Your best bet is to use each company’s location finder online to see which has a more convenient option near your home or workplace. In urban areas, you’ll often find both within a short drive. In rural areas, one company may have significantly better coverage than the other.
Apps, Results, and Scheduling
Both Labcorp and Quest offer patient apps that handle the basics: viewing lab results, scheduling appointments, and checking in before you arrive. Labcorp’s app sends push notifications when your results are ready and provides a QR code for faster check-in at the collection site. Quest’s MyQuest app offers a comparable feature set, including result viewing and appointment management.
Turnaround times for common tests like CBCs and metabolic panels are similar at both companies, typically one to three business days. More specialized tests, such as genetic panels, may take longer regardless of which lab processes them. Your results are also sent directly to your ordering physician’s electronic health record system. Both companies integrate with major EHR platforms, so your doctor can pull up results without you needing to relay them.
Specialized Testing
For routine bloodwork, Labcorp and Quest are functionally interchangeable. Where differences start to emerge is in specialized testing. Quest offers a broad range of genetic testing across areas like hereditary cancer screening, prenatal genetics, pharmacogenomics (which predicts how you’ll respond to certain medications), and solid tumor analysis. Labcorp has its own suite of advanced tests, particularly in areas like reproductive health and drug development services.
If your doctor orders a highly specialized or proprietary test, it may only be available through one company. In those cases, you won’t have a choice. For the vast majority of routine lab orders, though, either company can run the test with equivalent accuracy and reliability. Both are federally regulated and must meet the same quality standards under CLIA (the law governing clinical laboratories in the U.S.).
How to Decide Which One to Use
For most people, the decision comes down to three factors in this order: which lab your insurance prefers, which has a more convenient location, and which offers better pricing if you’re paying out of pocket. If your insurance covers both equally, pick whichever is closer or has shorter wait times. If you’re self-paying for a specific test, compare prices on Labcorp OnDemand and QuestHealth.com before committing.
There’s no meaningful quality gap between the two for standard tests. They’re fierce competitors offering nearly identical services, which is exactly why so many people assume they’re the same company. They aren’t, but for everyday lab work, the practical differences are more about cost and convenience than about the science behind the results.