CommCare vs Ona (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CommCare and Ona share a 2.0 GPA, both have a free plan, and CommCare starts cheaper, at $100 a month against $159.20 a month when paid by the year.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
CommCare
No-code apps for frontline case management and data collection
Which one is for you
Pick CommCare if
- Fits if you run a health or social programme with field workers and follow-up visits
- Works for a pilot of up to 5 mobile workers
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, as it is for testing with 5 mobile workers
- Pricey if you grow: $2 a month for each extra mobile user, active or not
- Watch out: web applications and Power BI feeds need Advanced at $1,000 a month
- Watch out: buying online covers up to 3 project spaces; more needs a sales call
Pick Ona if
- Fits if you run field surveys and want maps and charts from the results
- Works for small projects within 500 submissions, or unfunded groups that qualify for the grant
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, with 500 submissions across 10 forms
- Pricey if you outgrow it: Standard is $199 a month and Pro $299
- Watch out: submission caps are 15,000 on Standard and 30,000 on Pro
- Watch out: local hosting for in-country data laws means contacting Ona
How we grade them
| 2.0GPACommCareFair | 2.0GPAOnaFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DStandard is $100 a month on yearly billing plus $2 for each extra mobile user. Web apps and Power BI and Tableau feeds sit on Advanced at $1,000. | DStandard is $199 a month, above the dearest tenth ($149) of forms tools, and Pro is $299. Unfunded grassroots groups can apply for free access. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe Free Edition is for testing: 1 project space and 5 mobile workers. | CFree: 1 private project, 10 forms and 500 submissions in total. A real programme passes that quickly. |
| Features | CNo-code apps, offline case management, reports, messaging and security. Web applications, BI feeds and de-identification need Advanced, and texts cost $0.01 to $0.10 each. | COffline forms, maps, charts, organisations and integrations. Submission limits are 500, 15,000 and 30,000 by plan, and the listing does not say which plan has which integration. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Building a case-management app is real design work. | CNo store rating on record. Forms are written in XLSForm or the online builder, so there is a learning curve. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus Android and iOS apps, with Zapier, Power BI, Tableau and Excel links. No desktop app. | BWeb, running on phones and desktops, with Tableau, Google Sheets and RapidPro links, an API and webhooks. No native app is listed. |
| Best for | no-code mobile apps for frontline programmes | mobile data collection for field programmes |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: CommCare and Ona. How we grade
Price against what you get
CommCare starts at $100 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Ona starts at $159.20 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and CommCare starts $59.20 a month lower. Of the other form and survey tools on the chart, 38 score higher than CommCare for less, and 38 score higher than Ona for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- CommCare is open source, according to its own site.
- CommCare also covers case management.
- Ona also covers dashboards.
At a glance
| CommCare | Ona | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $100 per month, billed annually ($120 billed monthly) | $199 per month, or $1,910.40 billed yearly |
| Free plan | Free Edition for testing: 1 project space and 5 mobile workers. | 1 private project, 10 forms in total and 500 form submissions. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Dimagi, Inc. | Ona Systems |
| Price read from | commcare.dimagi.com | ona.io |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
CommCare
- Billing counts mobile users, active or inactive, at $2 per extra user a month; web users are unlimited.
- Text messages carry per-message fees, roughly $0.01 to $0.10 through Dimagi's gateway depending on country.
- Web applications, Power BI and Tableau feeds and data de-identification need the Advanced plan.
- Buying online covers up to 3 project spaces; 4 or more need a sales conversation.
Ona
- Submission limits vary by plan: 500 on Free, 15,000 on Standard and 30,000 on Pro.
- The pricing table lists Tableau, Google Sheets and RapidPro integrations, an API and webhooks; check which plans include each.
- Unfunded grassroots organizations can apply for free access through the Impact Grant program.
- Local hosting for in-country data laws is arranged by contacting Ona.
Key features
CommCare
- No-code app builder
- Program staff build and deploy mobile apps without engineers, with multi-language support and multimedia.
- Offline case management
- Track clients over time and collect data with no signal; everything syncs when connectivity returns.
- Reports and exports
- A web report builder, scheduled exports and Excel dashboards; Power BI and Tableau OData feeds on Advanced.
- Messaging
- One-way messaging and live text chat; two-way text messaging is an add-on or Advanced feature.
- Security
- The vendor says it is SOC 2 certified, GDPR compliant and signs HIPAA BAAs on Advanced.
Ona
- Forms for the field
- Forms capture GPS, validation, logic, repeats, signatures and photos, authored in XLSForm or the online builder.
- Works offline
- Forms run on smartphones and desktops with or without a connection; data uploads when one is found.
- Maps and charts
- Maps browse or filter submissions, summary charts graph the data and XLS Reports build Excel dashboards.
- Organizations
- Organization accounts share projects across a team and manage permissions centrally; filters can hide sensitive fields.
- Integrations
- The pricing table lists Tableau, Google Sheets, RapidPro, an API and webhooks.
Plans
CommCare
Free Edition$0
For testing purposes: 1 project space, 5 mobile workers, unlimited form submissions.
Standard$100
per month, billed annually ($120 billed monthly)
50 mobile users included, offline case management; shown as was $250, with no end date given.
Pro$500
per month, billed annually ($600 billed monthly)
250 users included, case sharing, child cases, a web report builder, APIs and priority support.
Advanced$1,000
per month, billed annually ($1,200 billed monthly)
500 users included, Power BI and Tableau integration, web applications, de-identification and two-way SMS.
Enterprise$4,000
per month and up, billed annually
Custom user volume, single sign-on, account management, customized terms and roadmap input.
Ona
Free$0
1 private project, 10 private forms, 500 submissions, community support.
Standard$199
per month, or $1,910.40 per year
2 private projects and 15,000 form submissions, with email support.
Pro$299
per month, or $2,870.40 per year
5 private projects and 30,000 form submissions, with 24-hour priority support.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom limits and pricing for multiple countries and projects; sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
CommCare
- Annual discount
About 17% off with annual billing
Paying annually costs about 17% less than paying monthly, for example $500 versus $600 a month on Pro.
- Other savings
Subsidized pricing for health ministries
Ministries running national community health programs qualify for subsidized pricing through Dimagi's eCHIS offering.
Ona
- Annual discount
20% off with annual billing
Paying annually saves 20% on the monthly price: Standard is $1,910.40 a year versus $199 a month.
- Nonprofit
Impact Grant for grassroots groups
Ona gives free access to unfunded grassroots organizations through its Impact Grant program.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, CommCare or Ona?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CommCare is cheaper to start with: $100 a month, against $159.20 a month when paid by the year for Ona. CommCare starts at $100 per month, billed annually ($120 billed monthly), and Ona starts at $199 per month, or $1,910.40 billed yearly.
Which has a free plan, CommCare or Ona?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both CommCare and Ona have a free plan.
Which platforms do CommCare and Ona run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only CommCare lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.