KoboToolbox vs Ona (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, KoboToolbox grades higher than Ona: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
KoboToolbox grades higher on value for money and features. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
KoboToolbox
Open-source data collection for field surveys, online or offline
Which one is for you
Pick KoboToolbox if
- Fits if you're a nonprofit, UN agency or researcher collecting data in the field
- Works for survey teams collecting offline on Android phones and tablets with long, spreadsheet-built questionnaires
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you're a company or individual hoping for free, as the free plan is for nonprofits, schools and government
- Skip it if your team is on iPhones and wants an app, since KoboCollect is Android only
- Pricey if you're a business past 1,000 submissions a month, where the next plan is $88 billed yearly, and there's no trial
- Watch out: going over a submission or storage limit blocks new submissions until the quota resets or you upgrade
- Watch out: these prices come from a July 5, 2026 archive copy, because the live pricing page could not be loaded
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
| 2.6GPAKoboToolboxGood | 2.0GPAOnaFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$21 a month billed yearly for unlimited projects, unlimited data collectors and 1,000 submissions a month, which lands just under this category's $24 middle. For a company the next rung is brutal: 5,000 submissions costs $88, past the dearest tenth. | 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 | CDepends entirely who you are. Nonprofits, government agencies, UN bodies and schools get 5,000 submissions a month and 1 GB free, caps a busy project would still reach. Everybody else gets nothing free and no trial either. | CFree: 1 private project, 10 forms and 500 submissions in total. A real programme passes that quickly. |
| Features | AIt does the whole survey job and several things nothing else in this category does: XLSForm questionnaires with cascading selects and translations, GPS, photo, audio and barcode questions, offline collection, automatic transcription of audio answers, and exports to Stata, ArcGIS and Power BI. | 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, and there's a real learning curve: the serious questionnaires are written as XLSForm spreadsheets, projects have to be deployed, and collectors need accounts. The visual Formbuilder is the gentle route. | 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 the KoboCollect Android app, both working offline, with an API that downloads data and deploys projects, and exports into Excel, Power BI, Tableau and ArcGIS. No iPhone app: Apple users fill forms in a browser. | BWeb, running on phones and desktops, with Tableau, Google Sheets and RapidPro links, an API and webhooks. No native app is listed. |
| Best for | field surveys that have to work offline | 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: KoboToolbox and Ona. How we grade
Price against what you get
KoboToolbox starts at $21 a month and scores 3.0 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.
KoboToolbox scores higher and starts $138.20 a month lower. Of the other form and survey tools on the chart, none scores higher than KoboToolbox 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
- KoboToolbox is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- KoboToolbox also covers reports.
- Ona also covers dashboards.
At a glance
| KoboToolbox | Ona | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $21 per month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly); nonprofits have a free plan | $199 per month, or $1,910.40 billed yearly |
| Free plan | Community plan, free for nonprofits, government agencies, UN organizations and educational institutions: 5,000 submissions a month and 1 GB of file storage. Other users pay $99 a month for it. | 1 private project, 10 forms in total and 500 form submissions. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Kobo | Ona Systems |
| Price read from | web.archive.org (not the vendor's own page) | ona.io |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
KoboToolbox
- The free Community plan is limited to nonprofits, government agencies, UN organizations and educational institutions; others pay.
- Going over a plan's submission or storage limit blocks new submissions until the quota resets or the plan is upgraded.
- KoboCollect is an Android app; iPhones and iPads collect data through web forms in a browser.
- Prices here come from a July 5, 2026 archive copy of the pricing page, because the live page could not be loaded.
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
KoboToolbox
- Formbuilder and XLSForm
- Build forms in a visual Formbuilder or as XLSForm spreadsheets, with skip logic, validation, calculations, cascading selects and translations.
- Offline data collection
- Web forms and the KoboCollect Android app both store submissions on the device without a connection and upload them once it returns.
- GPS and multimedia questions
- Forms can capture GPS locations, photos, audio and video, and the KoboCollect app adds device features such as barcode scanning.
- Audio transcription and translation
- Audio responses can be transcribed and translated automatically within a monthly quota: 10 minutes on Community and 120 on Professional.
- Reports, data tables and exports
- Custom reports, table views and bulk editing are built in, and data exports work with Excel, Google Sheets, Power BI, Tableau, ArcGIS and Stata.
- API
- The API downloads data as JSON, CSV or XLSX, submits or edits records, creates and deploys projects, and manages users and permissions.
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
KoboToolbox
Community (nonprofit)$0
For nonprofits, government agencies, UN organizations and educational institutions: unlimited projects, 5,000 submissions a month and 1 GB of storage.
Starter$21
per month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly)
For companies and personal use only: unlimited projects and data collectors, 1,000 submissions a month and 1 GB of file storage.
Community (other)$88
per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly)
The Community plan as sold to companies and individuals outside the nonprofit category: 5,000 submissions a month and 1 GB of storage.
Professional$129
per month, billed annually ($159 monthly); nonprofit rate
25,000 submissions a month and unlimited file storage. Organizations outside the nonprofit category pay $166 billed annually or $199 monthly.
Teams$249
per month, billed annually ($289 monthly); nonprofit rate
50,000 submissions a month, unlimited storage and 1 team with member roles. Other organizations pay $309 billed annually or $359 monthly.
Enterprise SolutionsCustom
Unlimited submissions and 10 teams, with single sign-on included and hosting in a choice of 28 countries or on your own infrastructure.
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
KoboToolbox
- Nonprofit
Free Community plan and lower rates for nonprofits
Nonprofits, government agencies and UN organizations get the Community plan free and pay less for Professional and Teams than other organizations do.
- Education
Nonprofit pricing for educational institutions
The pricing page counts educational institutions in its nonprofit category, which includes the free Community plan and the lower paid rates.
- Annual discount
Lower monthly rate with annual billing
Billed annually, Starter is $21 instead of $25 per month, and the nonprofit rates are $129 instead of $159 for Professional and $249 instead of $289 for Teams.
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, KoboToolbox or Ona?
As of Nov 13, 2026, KoboToolbox is cheaper to start with: $21 a month, against $159.20 a month when paid by the year for Ona. KoboToolbox starts at $21 per month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly); nonprofits have a free plan, and Ona starts at $199 per month, or $1,910.40 billed yearly.
Which has a free plan, KoboToolbox or Ona?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both KoboToolbox and Ona have a free plan.
Which platforms do KoboToolbox and Ona run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only KoboToolbox lists an Android app. 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.