KoboToolbox vs Zerion (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, KoboToolbox grades higher than Zerion: 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 the free plan and features. They get the same grade on value for money, 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
Zerion
iFormBuilder, offline mobile data collection for field teams
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 Zerion if
- Fits if you run inspections or audits with 10 or more field users
- Works for teams that want a white-label app
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price on the page, as none is published
- Not for you if you have fewer than 10 users, because of the 10-user minimum
- Watch out: the white-label app and services cost extra, and there is no standard nonprofit or academic discount
- Watch out: the MCP server for AI assistants is listed as coming soon
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAKoboToolboxGood | 2.0GPAZerionFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CNo prices are published. Licensing is per user, yearly, with a 10-user minimum, quoted on request. |
| 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. | FNo free plan or trial is described. The page recommends a demo first. |
| 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. | BMore than 35 element types, JavaScript logic, offline collection, a document builder, an enterprise API and multiple teams. The listing names no gap in the core job. |
| 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. You build each form and its logic, and the vendor offers professional services. |
| 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 plus iOS and Android apps and an API. No desktop app is listed. |
| Best for | field surveys that have to work offline | inspection and audit forms with iFormBuilder |
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 Zerion. How we grade
Where they differ
- KoboToolbox is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- KoboToolbox also covers surveys and reports.
- Zerion also covers workflow automation.
At a glance
| KoboToolbox | Zerion | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $21 per month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly); nonprofits have a free plan | Not published |
| 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. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Kobo | Zerion Software |
| Price read from | web.archive.org (not the vendor's own page) | Not confirmed |
| 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.
Zerion
- No prices are published: licensing is per user on an annual subscription with a 10-user minimum, quoted on request.
- The pricing page recommends a demo as the first step and does not describe a free trial or a free plan.
- The white-label app and professional services are paid add-ons, and the vendor says it offers no standard nonprofit, government or academic discount.
- The MCP server for AI assistants is described as coming soon.
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.
Zerion
- Form builder
- More than 35 element types, conditional logic, lookup tables and validation, with JavaScript available for formulas and skip logic.
- Offline collection
- Forms are downloaded to the device and filled in without coverage; photos, signatures, GPS and barcodes sync when a connection returns.
- Document builder
- Turns submissions into branded PDFs from templates built visually or started from Word, one at a time or in bulk.
- Enterprise API
- An API for connecting iFormBuilder to a CRM, ERP or database and for managing the account automatically.
- AI assistant connection
- An MCP server, listed as coming soon, will let assistants such as Copilot, ChatGPT and Claude build forms and answer questions about records.
- Multiple teams and branding
- Profiles separate projects, departments or regions, and forms can carry custom branding; a white-label app is a paid add-on.
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.
Zerion
Pricing could not be confirmed. See zerionsoftware.com.
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.
Zerion
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, KoboToolbox or Zerion?
As of Nov 13, 2026, KoboToolbox starts at $21 per month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly); nonprofits have a free plan, and Zerion has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, KoboToolbox or Zerion?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only KoboToolbox has a free plan. Zerion does not.
Which platforms do KoboToolbox and Zerion run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Zerion lists an iOS app. Both list a web app and an Android 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.