KoboToolbox vs Open Data Kit (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, KoboToolbox grades higher than Open Data Kit: 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 features, ease of use and platforms. Open Data Kit grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money.
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
Open Data Kit
Open-source mobile and web data collection
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 Open Data Kit if
- Fits if you can run your own server and want free software
- Works for field teams that all carry Android phones
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you have no one to run a server, as the free route is self-hosted
- Not for you if your team uses iPhones, because the Collect app is Android only
- Pricey if you want ODK Cloud: $199 a month on yearly billing for Standard
- Watch out: API access and Entities need Professional at $499 a month
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAKoboToolboxGood | 2.0GPAOpen Data KitFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CThe software is free only if you host it yourself, which needs a server. ODK Cloud starts at $199 a month on yearly billing. |
| 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. | BSelf-hosted ODK is free with no response caps, and you support yourself. It needs a server and technical setup. |
| 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. | CVaried question types, offline use, analysis links and Entities. The Collect app is Android only, and API access and Entities need Professional. |
| 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. | DNo store rating on record. Self-hosting means installing and running a server, and forms are written in a spreadsheet format. |
| 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. | CWeb app plus an Android app (Android 5 or above), with Excel, Power BI, Python and R links. No iPhone app. |
| Best for | field surveys that have to work offline | free self-hosted field data collection |
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 Open Data Kit. 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. Open Data Kit starts at $199 a month and scores 1.7.
KoboToolbox scores higher and starts $178 a month lower. Of the other form and survey tools on the chart, none scores higher than KoboToolbox for less, and 105 score higher than Open Data Kit 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 also covers reports.
At a glance
| KoboToolbox | Open Data Kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $21 per month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly); nonprofits have a free plan | $199 per month, billed yearly ($249 billed monthly) |
| 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. | ODK is open-source software you can self-host and support yourself for free; hosted ODK Cloud is paid. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Kobo | Get ODK Inc. |
| Price read from | web.archive.org (not the vendor's own page) | getodk.org |
| 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.
Open Data Kit
- ODK Collect is an Android app; the docs list Android 5 or above as the minimum.
- ODK Cloud limits active projects and monthly submissions; extra capacity is a Basic add-on at $199 a month yearly or $249 monthly.
- API access and Entities need Professional or higher.
- ODK Cloud lists a full refund if you are unhappy within 14 days of payment.
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.
Open Data Kit
- Forms with rich questions
- Include photos, GPS locations, skip logic, calculations, external datasets and multiple languages.
- Online and offline
- Use the Android app or the web app; data syncs automatically when an internet connection is found.
- Analysis connections
- Download data or connect Excel, Power BI, Python and R to build dashboards and automations.
- Hosted or self-hosted
- Run the open-source software yourself, or pick ODK Cloud with storage in the US, Europe or India.
- Entities
- Entities, on Professional and above, carry data between forms and users for follow-up workflows.
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.
Open Data Kit
Self-hosted ODK$0
Open-source software you install, host and support yourself; the hosted version is ODK Cloud.
Standard$199
per month, billed yearly ($249 billed monthly)
1 active project, unlimited forms and users, 10K monthly submissions, email support within 3 business days.
Professional$499
per month, billed yearly ($599 billed monthly)
25K monthly submissions, Entities to flow data between forms, API access, email support within 1 business day.
EnterpriseCustom
10+ active projects, 100K+ monthly submissions, single sign-on, custom domain, uptime SLA, phone support.
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.
Open Data Kit
- Annual discount
Save up to 20% when paying yearly
ODK Cloud's page offers up to 20% off when paying yearly: Standard is $199 a month yearly against $249 monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, KoboToolbox or Open Data Kit?
As of Nov 13, 2026, KoboToolbox is cheaper to start with: $21 a month, against $199 a month for Open Data Kit. KoboToolbox starts at $21 per month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly); nonprofits have a free plan, and Open Data Kit starts at $199 per month, billed yearly ($249 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, KoboToolbox or Open Data Kit?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both KoboToolbox and Open Data Kit have a free plan.
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.