The Best Cord Blood Bank in the US
3X More Stem Cells. Four Tissue Types. Plans from $1,195.
Before you choose a cord blood bank, here’s what actually matters.
FREE INFO KIT
How we compare, plan for plan
We looked at what the other major US banks charge and what you actually get for the money. Here’s the honest comparison.
| Services & Features | Cells4Life | CBR | ViaCord | Americord |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cord Blood – Annual Plan (1st Year) | $850 (Silver) | $960 | $935 | $1,078 |
| — Annual Storage Fee | $185/year | $210/year | $185/year | $199/year |
| Cord Blood + Tissue – Annual Plan (1st Year) | $1,350 (Gold) | $1,815 | $1,735 | $1,977 |
| — Annual Storage Fee | $370/year | $420/year | $370/year | $398/year |
| AABB accredited | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Amnion, stored separately | Yes – VIP ($2,490) | No | No | No |
| Chorion (placental tissue), stored separately | Yes – VIP | No | No | Bundled, not separate |
| CellsPlus™ processing (3X more cells) | Yes – Platinum & VIP | No | No | No |
| Maternal stem cell banking | Free with any plan | No | No | No |
No other bank offers CellsPlus™. No other bank stores amnion and chorion as separate products. No other bank includes maternal stem cell banking.
“But isn’t the biggest bank the safest?”
Fair question. Short answer: no.
The largest US cord blood banks have stored more samples because they’ve been in the US longer. That tells you about their head start, not whether they’re the best for your baby. Two things influence whether your baby could access a stem cell therapy in the future: how many viable cells they’ve got stored, and what tissue types.
On both counts, we do more.
The one number that decides everything
When you’re shopping for a cord blood bank, you should know there’s one number that decides what your baby’s sample can do in twenty years.
Stem cell count.
The more stem cells stored, the more treatments your child could access – and it could be the difference between treating them as a child versus as an adult.
So here’s the question every bank should answer:
How many cells do you actually recover?
Standard cord blood processing, the kind almost all cord blood banks use, loses a lot of cells.
Our CellsPlus™ processing recovers 3X more.
CellsPlus™ is on our Platinum and VIP plans. No other bank offers it.
Why families trust Cells4Life with their baby’s stem cells
AABB accredited. The Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies is the independent accreditation body for cell therapy in the US. AABB is the shortcut consumer guides (American Pregnancy Association, Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood Foundation) tell parents to look for. Cells4Life meets the standard.
FDA registered. Cells4Life operates under FDA 21 CFR 1271, the federal standard for human cell and tissue products.
HIPAA compliant. Every sample, every record, handled to the federal privacy standard for protected health information.
80+ treatable conditions. Cord blood stem cells are currently used in transplants for more than 80 diseases, from leukemia and lymphoma to sickle cell disease and inherited immune disorders – and clinical trials are extending that list every year.
20+ years of continuous clinical banking. We have been banking newborn stem cells for more than two decades.
22 samples released for patient treatment. Samples stored by Cells4Life have been released to clinicians treating real patients.
Peer-reviewed processing. CellsPlus™ is built on TotiCyte, which is proven to retain 3X more cells than standard cord blood processing methods. Read the paper.
Why choose Cells4Life
Four tissue types for baby
Cord blood is where the story starts, not where it ends.
- Cord blood – blood and immune (hematopoietic) stem cells, used in 80+ treatments today
- Cord tissue – mesenchymal stem cells for tissue repair and regeneration
- Amnion – the inner placental membrane, already used in therapies for burns, wounds and surgery
- Chorion (placental tissue) – a rich source of placental stem cells, under investigation for diabetic ulcers, stroke and multiple sclerosis
Most banks stop at cord blood and cord tissue. Nobody else in the US stores amnion and chorion as two separate, clinically usable products. When a new therapy comes out, you want the right tissue type – not a mixed bag.
All four come in our VIP plan.
Mom’s stem cells banked too
Your baby’s stem cells are priceless. Yours are too.
Cells4Life can bank your maternal stem cells from the placenta, alongside your baby’s sample. A perfect genetic match to you, and subject to a growing number of clinical trials for skin rejuvenation, inflammatory disorders, cardiovascular disease and anti-aging. This is a distinct genetic resource no other US bank offers.
Until July 31, 2026, we include the processing and testing for this service free with any plan. Even Silver.
The Viability Guarantee
Every Cells4Life sample is covered by the Viability Guarantee.
If your baby’s sample has less than 70% viability after initial processing, you choose. Store it, or destroy it. If you choose to destroy it, we refund or waive your processing fee in full. You only pay the $180 enrollment fee.
You don’t pay to store a sample that doesn’t meet our viability standard.
The four Cells4Life plans
| Plan | Today | Per year | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver | $850 | $185 | Cord blood (standard processing) |
| Gold | $1,350 | $370 | Cord blood + cord tissue (standard processing) |
| Platinum (most parents pick this) | $1,495 | $410 | Cord blood + cord tissue + CellsPlus™ (3X more cells) |
| VIP | $2,490 | $780 | Cord blood + cord tissue + amnion + chorion + CellsPlus™ |
Maternal stem cells: free processing when booked with any plan until July 31, 2026.
$180 enrollment. Spread the cost over 9 months. Twins discount available – enquire for more. No hidden fees.
Most parents pick Platinum because it has CellsPlus™, and saves both your baby’s cord blood and cord tissue. If you want fully comprehensive banking for every stem cell type, go VIP – it’s the only plan in the US that stores all four tissues separately, and has CellsPlus™.
What parents tell us
“In 2018, our beautiful boy received an intravenous cord blood infusion at Duke University Hospital to treat his autism. One year later, he has noticeably improved. If, on an effort scale of 1 to 10, we spent 8 managing his autism before the stem cells, we now spend less than 3. To us that’s really something – and it’s enough to have made a decision we took 10 years ago totally worth it.”
Jamie
Mom of two
“Jay had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy after a traumatic birth. When I fell pregnant with his little brother, we stored his cord blood with Cells4Life so Jay could access a cord blood therapy at Duke University. His muscle rigidity has reduced and his vision’s improved. We have definitely noticed a difference.”
Shilpa Shetty
Mom of two
“My son’s stem cells are now stored and ready should he ever need them. It was reassuring to know that they may even be a match for his big sisters if ever they were ill.”
Kim Bromwich
Pediatric Surgical Nurse & Mom of four
What to do now
You only get one chance to bank your baby’s stem cells. It happens in the first ten minutes after birth, and then it’s gone forever. Here’s the simplest next step:
Ready to enroll? Pick your plan and sign up. Silver gets you in the door with the Viability Guarantee at $850. Platinum gets you 3X more cells via CellsPlus™ at $1,495. VIP gets you the complete toolkit at $2,490.
Still deciding? Request the free info kit. It takes five minutes and has everything you need to make an informed decision.
