Altitude Consulting vs Gold Standard Analytics for hemp and cannabis testing
Altitude Consulting in Englewood publishes its prices: cannabinoids $58 for standard matrices and $74 for edibles and topicals, solvents $55, terpenes $55, metals $135, pesticides $250, microbes $225, with 48-hour potency. It is one of the few peers as transparent as Gold Standard Analytics, which adds a written guarantee, on-camera custody and a public library and ships hemp from any state.
Altitude Consulting, Englewood, Colorado. altitudeconsultingllc.com. Facts checked September 9, 2026.
What Altitude does well
- Public prices for every test.
- HPLC-DAD potency, headspace GC-MS solvents, GC-MS terpenes, ICP-MS metals, qPCR microbes.
- Potency, solvents and terpenes advertised in 48 hours.
- ISO accreditation since 2021 stated.
Side by side
| Gold Standard Analytics | Altitude Consulting | |
|---|---|---|
| Location and shipping | Gold Standard AnalyticsHouston, Texas. One laboratory at a published address. Lawful hemp (≤ 0.3% Δ9-THC) ships from any state on the prepaid UPS label we issue. | Altitude ConsultingEnglewood, Colorado. Shipping at your cost. |
| Sample and program fit | Gold Standard AnalyticsLawful hemp flower, extracts, isolates, edibles, tinctures, beverages, topicals, live plant tissue and facility swabs for R&D and quality control. No marijuana or products above the federal hemp limit; no DEA registration. | Altitude ConsultingColorado compliance plus hemp and kratom. |
| Cannabinoid potency | Gold Standard AnalyticsCannabinoid profile from $79 (plant and extract), $119 for finished products, $159 for the extended 18-target profile. UHPLC-UV with LC-MS/MS confirmation on the Agilent 1290 Infinity II and 6490 triple quadrupole. | Altitude Consulting$58 standard matrices, $74 edibles and topicals, HPLC-DAD. |
| Terpenes and residual solvents | Gold Standard AnalyticsTerpene profile $79, 40 targets by calibrated GC-MS. Residual solvents $99 for 24 targets by headspace GC-MS. | Altitude ConsultingTerpenes $55 by GC-MS; solvents $55 by headspace GC-MS. |
| Pesticides | Gold Standard AnalyticsPesticide panel from $269 by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS; 125-target panel $309; glyphosate and AMPA $419 by a separate polar method. | Altitude Consulting$250. |
| Heavy metals | Gold Standard AnalyticsFour-metal panel (As, Cd, Pb, Hg) $149 by ICP-MS on the Agilent 7850 after closed-vessel digestion. | Altitude Consulting$135 by ICP-MS. |
| Microbiology and mycotoxins | Gold Standard AnalyticsBasic microbiology $89, expanded $179, four-species Aspergillus qPCR $79, five-target mycotoxins $69 by LC-MS/MS. | Altitude ConsultingMicrobes $225 by qPCR. |
| Turnaround | Gold Standard AnalyticsStandard 5–7 business days, guaranteed in writing. 48-hour analytical expedite +$59; 24-hour potency +$80. | Altitude ConsultingPotency, solvents and terpenes in 48 hours; safety tests 1–2 weeks. No written guarantee. |
| Public results | Gold Standard AnalyticsEvery certificate public and searchable by accession, including failures and retractions; a client cannot remove one. Free JSON, CSV and Atom exports of the whole library. | Altitude ConsultingResults to the client; public COA lookup not verified. |
| Chain of custody | Gold Standard AnalyticsEvery package opened on camera, each container photographed and blind-coded before it reaches the bench; footage and photos retained three years and tied to the accession. | Altitude ConsultingSample-submission instructions and a client portal; no on-camera receiving, blind coding or footage retention is published. |
| Ordering | Gold Standard AnalyticsSelf-service online intake with a live quote and an instant prepaid label; no account manager or quote form. API, MCP, Telegram and WhatsApp ordering. | Altitude ConsultingContact and submission form. |
| Payment | Gold Standard AnalyticsCard, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna, ACH, wire, Mercury invoice with net terms, and any cryptocurrency. | Altitude ConsultingNot published; invoiced to the client account. |
| ISO/IEC 17025 and licensing | Gold Standard AnalyticsOperated to ISO/IEC 17025 expectations; not accredited, and we say so on every page. Not a state-licensed cannabis compliance laboratory. | Altitude ConsultingISO accreditation since 2021 stated; scope not inspected. |
| Guarantee | Gold Standard AnalyticsMiss the quoted turnaround, or an accredited laboratory materially contradicts our result on a retest of the retained sample, and the panel fee is refunded. | Altitude ConsultingNone published. |
Sources: altitudeconsultingllc.com, checked Sep 8 2026.
Published prices
| Test | Gold Standard Analytics | Altitude Consulting |
|---|---|---|
| Cannabinoid potency, plant or extract | Gold Standard AnalyticsView current pricing | Altitude Consulting$58 |
| Terpene profile | Gold Standard AnalyticsView current pricing | Altitude Consulting$55 |
| Pesticide panel | Gold Standard AnalyticsView current pricing | Altitude Consulting$250 |
| Heavy metals, ICP-MS | Gold Standard Analytics+$169 | Altitude Consulting$135 |
| Microbiology panel | Gold Standard AnalyticsView current pricing | Altitude Consulting$225 |
| Full plant quality package | Gold Standard AnalyticsView current pricing | Altitude Consulting$0 |
Altitude is cheaper on potency, terpenes, pesticides and metals; Gold Standard is cheaper on microbiology and publishes a full plant package. Compare target lists and matrices before comparing totals. A dash means no public price.
Questions about Altitude Consulting and Gold Standard Analytics
Is Gold Standard Analytics a Altitude alternative?
Both publish prices; Altitude is cheaper on most chemistry, Gold Standard on microbiology. Gold Standard adds a written turnaround guarantee, on-camera custody, a fully public library and mail-in from any state.
How much does Altitude charge for hemp or cannabis testing?
Altitude publishes: cannabinoids $58 (standard) / $74 (edible, topical), solvents $55, terpenes $55, metals $135, pesticides $250, microbes $225. Gold Standard publishes every price: cannabinoid profile from $79, terpenes $79, solvents $99, metals $149, pesticides from $269, full plant package $649.
Is Altitude ISO 17025 accredited?
It states ISO accreditation since 2021; the current scope was not inspected. Gold Standard is not accredited and operates to ISO/IEC 17025 expectations; we state that plainly rather than imply otherwise.
Can I verify a Altitude COA?
No public COA lookup was verified. Every Gold Standard certificate, including failures, verifies here by accession number and is exported to a public library anyone can download.
Can Gold Standard test state-regulated cannabis like Altitude?
Altitude holds state cannabis testing licenses or certifications in the markets listed on its site, which are required for licensed release testing there. Gold Standard is not a state-licensed cannabis compliance laboratory and holds no DEA registration; we test lawful hemp (≤ 0.3% Δ9-THC) and hemp-derived products for R&D and quality control, from any state by mail.
Where is Altitude located?
Englewood, Colorado. Gold Standard is at 5151 Mitchelldale St A10 STE B, Houston, TX 77092, and accepts hemp samples nationwide on a prepaid label.
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Submit a sample
Prepaid domestic label, public certificate, chain-of-custody video. Standard turnaround 5–7 business days.