For the person waiting for their result, instrument-free PCR means they have access to lab-quality results in under 30 minutes. The lab comes to the patient instead of the patient sample going to the lab.
For the healthcare professional, instrument-free means everything required to run a lab-grade PCR test is included within the test kit, including all of the necessary reagents and supplies. This translates to less hands-on time, no maintenance, no bottleneck or backup time, and no calibration costs.