The CommCare Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about CommCare in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
CommCare
The Insider’s Guide
No-code apps for frontline case management and data collection
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among form and survey tools, read from CommCare’s own pages.
Made by Dimagi, Inc. · checked Nov 13, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from CommCare’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on CommCare’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.0
GPA, above 26 of the 148 other form and survey tools we grade
CommCare is a no-code platform from Dimagi for building mobile apps that collect data and manage cases for frontline programs, with offline use. It is used in community health, humanitarian response and other social impact work. Plans are priced by the number of mobile workers.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about CommCare, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Building a case-management app is real design work.
- 1
Best for no-code mobile apps for frontline programmes
CommCare builds mobile apps for case management in frontline programmes, with offline use.
- 2
Paid plans start at $100 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $100 per month, billed annually ($120 billed monthly).
- 3
There is a free plan
Free Edition for testing: 1 project space and 5 mobile workers.
- 4
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, Android and iOS.
- 5
No-code app builder
Program staff build and deploy mobile apps without engineers, with multi-language support and multimedia.
- 6
Offline case management
Track clients over time and collect data with no signal; everything syncs when connectivity returns.
- 7
Reports and exports
A web report builder, scheduled exports and Excel dashboards; Power BI and Tableau OData feeds on Advanced.
- 8
A 2.0 GPA, above 26 of 148
That is against the other form and survey tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
The plain part of CommCare you could make: forms, surveys and case management. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
CommCare at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $100 per month, billed annually ($120 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Dimagi, Inc.
- Category
- Forms & Surveys
- Our grade
- 2.0 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for no-code mobile apps for frontline programmes
CommCare builds mobile apps for case management in frontline programmes, with offline use. The free edition is for testing: 1 project space and 5 mobile workers. Standard is $100 a month, and web apps and Power BI feeds need Advanced at $1,000 a month.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D | Standard 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. |
| Free plan and trial | C | The Free Edition is for testing: 1 project space and 5 mobile workers. |
| Features | C | No-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. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record. Building a case-management app is real design work. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web plus Android and iOS apps, with Zapier, Power BI, Tableau and Excel links. No desktop app. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who CommCare is for
- 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
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- NGOs and health programs managing clients over months or years
- Government and community health worker programs
- Teams collecting data in places with poor connectivity
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$100
A month to start. There is a free plan too
CommCare has a free plan. Paid plans start at $100 per month, billed annually ($120 billed monthly).
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.
The free plan
Free Edition for testing: 1 project space and 5 mobile workers.
Read from commcare.dimagi.com on Nov 13, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on commcare.dimagi.comOther savings
Subsidized pricing for health ministries
Ministries running national community health programs qualify for subsidized pricing through Dimagi's eCHIS offering.
Stated on commcare.dimagi.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: Web, iOS and Android
No-code apps for frontline case management and data collection. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, works offline, public API, AI features, forms, surveys, case management.
No-code apps, offline case management, reports, messaging and security.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Zapier
- Power BI
- Tableau
- Excel
CommCare is made by Dimagi, Inc.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
26/148
Other form and survey tools it is graded above
CommCare's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 26 of the 148 other form and survey tools we grade, and level with 29.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 46 of 148) and worst on value for money (D, above 1).
Its paid plans start at $100 a month, against a middle price of $20 for the category: 97 of the 114 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 38 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 149 form and survey tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. CommCare’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 1 of 148
- CFree plan and trialAbove 32 of 148
- CFeaturesAbove 5 of 148
- CEase of useAbove 7 of 148
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 46 of 148
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 121 form and survey tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. CommCare is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of CommCare you could make: forms, surveys and case management. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 93 of the 148 other form and survey tools grade higher. It costs $1,200 a year. CommCare is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could make
- Forms, surveys and case management: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, Zapier, Power BI and Tableau among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: SOC 2 and HIPAA.
What this rests on. CommCare’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
SurveyCTO, KoboToolbox, Open Data Kit, Ona and Epicollect5
The 5 tools CommCare is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.2GPA
SurveyCTO
Free plan · from $225/mo
Offline-capable data collection for field research.
- CommCare is open source, according to its own site.
- SurveyCTO is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- 2.6GPA
KoboToolbox
Free plan · from $21/mo
Open-source data collection for field surveys, online or offline.
- Only CommCare lists an iOS app.
- KoboToolbox is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- CommCare also covers case management.
- 2.0GPA
Open Data Kit
Free plan · from $199/mo
Open-source mobile and web data collection.
- Only CommCare lists an iOS app.
- Open Data Kit is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- CommCare also covers case management.
- 2.0GPA
Ona
Free plan · from $199/mo
Mobile data collection with forms, maps and charts.
- Only CommCare lists Android and iOS apps.
- CommCare is open source, according to its own site.
- CommCare also covers case management.
- 3.0GPA
Epicollect5
Free
Free mobile and web data collection from Oxford University.
- CommCare is open source, according to its own site.
- CommCare also covers case management.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
15
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is CommCare free?
CommCare has a free plan. Free Edition for testing: 1 project space and 5 mobile workers.
How much does CommCare cost?
CommCare lists 5 plans. Free Edition: $0.
What platforms does CommCare work on?
CommCare is available on Web, Android and iOS.
Does CommCare offer any discounts?
CommCare publicly lists the following: About 17% off with annual billing; Subsidized pricing for health ministries.
Does CommCare have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. CommCare is listed for Web, Android and iOS.
Does CommCare have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. CommCare is listed for Web, Android and iOS.
Is CommCare open source?
Yes. CommCare is open source, according to its own site.
Does CommCare work offline?
Yes, according to its own site. What works without a connection differs by plan and platform, so check the vendor's page for the detail.
Does CommCare have an API?
Yes. CommCare offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does CommCare integrate with?
CommCare's listing names Zapier, Power BI, Tableau and Excel. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes CommCare?
CommCare is made by Dimagi, Inc.
What are the alternatives to CommCare?
The closest alternatives to CommCare in our directory are SurveyCTO, KoboToolbox, Open Data Kit, Ona and Epicollect5.
How does CommCare compare with other form and survey tools?
CommCare's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 26 of the 148 other form and survey tools we grade, and level with 29.
Is CommCare good value for money?
ToolGPA grades CommCare D for value for money. Its paid plans start at $100 a month, against a middle price of $20 for the category: 97 of the 114 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of CommCare?
The plain part of CommCare you could make: forms, surveys and case management.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from CommCare’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from CommCare's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Dimagi, Inc. Prices change, so check commcare.dimagi.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- CommCare, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/commcare
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "CommCare: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/commcare
Know someone choosing between form and survey tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/commcare/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded form and survey tools after CommCare, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Forms & Surveys Insider's GuideEvery one of the 149 form and survey tools we grade, compared
- Formester Insider's GuideForm builder with unlimited forms and responses on the free plan3.2 GPA
- Formgrid Insider's GuideForm builder with unlimited forms and responses on the free plan3.2 GPA
- Google Forms Insider's GuideForm, survey and quiz builder that comes with a Google Account3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what CommCare’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. CommCare is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Dimagi, Inc. Prices and plans change: check commcare.dimagi.com before you buy.