What are the differences between short-read sequencing and long-read sequencing?

Question

Accepted Answer

Basis of  differentiation

Short-read sequencing

Long-read sequencing

Read length

Typically up to a few hundred base pairs

Ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands of base pairs

Accuracy

Has comparatively higher accuracy (>99%)

Has comparatively lower accuracy (~90%)

Throughput

High throughput, generating millions of reads

Lower throughput, typically fewer reads

Cost

Lower cost per base

Higher cost per base

Complexity

Requires less complex library preparation

Requires more complex library preparation

Basis of differentiation	Short-read sequencing	Long-read sequencing
Read length	Typically up to a few hundred base pairs	Ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands of base pairs
Accuracy	Has comparatively higher accuracy (>99%)	Has comparatively lower accuracy (~90%)
Throughput	High throughput, generating millions of reads	Lower throughput, typically fewer reads
Cost	Lower cost per base	Higher cost per base
Complexity	Requires less complex library preparation	Requires more complex library preparation