Marin Analytics vs Gold Standard Analytics
Marin Analytics in Novato publishes a simple potency menu: $50 standard, $60 edible, $90 specialty and semi-synthetic targets, $10 white-label report, 3–5 business days with a next-day option. Its accreditation and licensing were not verified in the pages reviewed. Gold Standard Analytics publishes a full hemp menu with every certificate public and a guarantee.
Marin Analytics, Novato, California. marinanalytics.com. Facts checked September 9, 2026.
What Marin Analytics does well
- Public prices: $50 standard, $60 edible, $90 specialty potency.
- Extended and semi-synthetic cannabinoid targets.
- Next-business-day option for +$50.
- White-label reporting for $10.
Side by side
| Gold Standard Analytics | Marin Analytics | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Marin AnalyticsNovato, California. 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. | Marin AnalyticsPotency for hemp and cannabinoid products; full safety scope not established. |
| 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. | Marin Analytics$50 standard, $60 edible, $90 specialty. |
| 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. | Marin AnalyticsNot on the public menu. |
| 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. | Marin AnalyticsNot on the public menu. |
| Heavy metals | Gold Standard AnalyticsFour-metal panel (As, Cd, Pb, Hg) $149 by ICP-MS on the Agilent 7850 after closed-vessel digestion. | Marin AnalyticsNot on the public menu. |
| Microbiology and mycotoxins | Gold Standard AnalyticsBasic microbiology $89, expanded $179, four-species Aspergillus qPCR $79, five-target mycotoxins $69 by LC-MS/MS. | Marin AnalyticsNot on the public menu. |
| Turnaround | Gold Standard AnalyticsStandard 5–7 business days, guaranteed in writing. 48-hour analytical expedite +$59; 24-hour potency +$80. | Marin Analytics3–5 business days; next-business-day +$50. 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. | Marin AnalyticsResults to the client; white-label reports. |
| 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. | Marin AnalyticsSample-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. | Marin AnalyticsContact form. |
| Payment | Gold Standard AnalyticsCard, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna, ACH, wire, Mercury invoice with net terms, and any cryptocurrency. | Marin AnalyticsNot 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. | Marin AnalyticsAccreditation and licence not verified in reviewed pages; an unknown, not a no. |
| 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. | Marin AnalyticsNone published. |
Sources: marinanalytics.com, checked Sep 8 2026.
Published prices
| Test | Gold Standard Analytics | Marin Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Cannabinoid potency, plant or extract | Gold Standard AnalyticsView current pricing | Marin Analytics$50 |
| Terpene profile | Gold Standard AnalyticsView current pricing | Marin Analytics$0 |
| Pesticide panel | Gold Standard AnalyticsView current pricing | Marin Analytics$0 |
| Heavy metals, ICP-MS | Gold Standard Analytics+$169 | Marin Analytics$0 |
| Microbiology panel | Gold Standard AnalyticsView current pricing | Marin Analytics$0 |
| Full plant quality package | Gold Standard AnalyticsView current pricing | Marin Analytics$0 |
Marin is cheaper on potency and publishes no safety-panel prices. Its accreditation status is unverified, not confirmed absent. A dash means no public price.
Questions about Marin Analytics and Gold Standard Analytics
Is Gold Standard Analytics a Marin Analytics alternative?
Yes, for anyone who needs more than potency: Gold Standard publishes a full safety menu, films receiving, guarantees turnaround and keeps every certificate public. Marin is cheaper for potency alone.
How much does Marin Analytics charge for hemp or cannabis testing?
Marin publishes $50 standard, $60 edible and $90 specialty potency, plus $10 per white-label report and +$50 next-day. Gold Standard publishes every price: cannabinoid profile from $79, terpenes $79, solvents $99, metals $149, pesticides from $269, full plant package $649.
Is Marin Analytics ISO 17025 accredited?
Not verified in the pages reviewed; this is an unknown rather than a no. Gold Standard is not accredited and operates to ISO/IEC 17025 expectations; we state that plainly rather than imply otherwise.
Can I verify a Marin Analytics COA?
Reports go to the client, including white-label versions; no public lookup was found. 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 Marin Analytics?
Marin Analytics does not hold a state cannabis compliance license in the material we reviewed. 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 Marin Analytics located?
Novato, California. 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.