and maintenance of ultrafast laser systems. With certain compromises and well-designed experiments, low-cost lasers can be used in utilizing the positive properties of two-photon excitation. The purpose of this publication is to show examples of bioanalytical applications that are possible using low-cost lasers. A bioaffinity assay using microparticles as bioactive carriers and assay for characterization of cell surface antigens are presented. By direct comparison of the example assays in two instrumental set-ups, a quantity is given to the 'compromises' that are made by replacing an ultrafast system with low cost equipment.