# Ona review (2026): is the free plan enough?

> Mobile data collection with forms, maps and charts

Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA.

Ona Data is a mobile data collection platform where forms are written in XLSForm or an online builder and run on phones and desktops, with or without a connection. Collected data feeds maps, charts and XLS reports. It offers personal and organization accounts, with a free tier.

- **Category:** Forms & Surveys
- **Made by:** Ona Systems
- **Website:** https://ona.io
- **Runs on:** Web
- **Who should skip it:** Tight if you stay free, with 500 submissions across 10 forms.
- **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026

## Pricing

As of Nov 13, 2026, Ona has a free plan, and paid plans start at $199 per month, or $1,910.40 billed yearly.

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **Free plan:** 1 private project, 10 forms in total and 500 form submissions.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom limits and pricing for multiple countries and projects; sold through sales. |

Read from https://ona.io/home/products/ona-data/pricing/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Ona before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **20% off with annual billing** (Annual discount): Paying annually saves 20% on the monthly price: Standard is $1,910.40 a year versus $199 a month. Source: https://ona.io/home/products/ona-data/pricing/
- **Impact Grant for grassroots groups** (Nonprofit): Ona gives free access to unfunded grassroots organizations through its Impact Grant program. Source: https://ona.io/home/products/ona-data/pricing/

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- NGOs and field teams running offline surveys
- Teams that need maps and live charts from collected data
- Small projects: a free plan is available

## Worth knowing

- 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.

## ToolGPA grades

**GPA: 2.0 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Ona Data collects field data on phones and desktops, with or without a connection, from forms written in XLSForm or an online builder. The free plan allows 1 private project, 10 forms and 500 submissions in total. Standard is $199 a month.

- **Value for money: D.** Standard 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: C.** Free: 1 private project, 10 forms and 500 submissions in total. A real programme passes that quickly.
- **Features: C.** Offline 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: C.** No store rating on record. Forms are written in XLSForm or the online builder, so there is a learning curve.
- **Platforms and integrations: B.** Web, running on phones and desktops, with Tableau, Google Sheets and RapidPro links, an API and webhooks. No native app is listed.

These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Ona's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.

## Where it stands among form and survey tools

- Ona'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 $159.20 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $20 for the category: 102 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.

The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/forms

## Keep it, or make your own?

**Keep it.** The plain part of Ona you could make: surveys and forms. 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 $1,910.40 a year.

- You could make: Surveys and forms: an app builder makes these well.
- You could not: Connections that pull numbers from dozens of other services.
- You could not: It plugs into other products, Tableau, Google Sheets and RapidPro among them, and has an API.
- You could not: What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: roles and permissions.
- You could not: Sharing with other people, which means accounts and invitations.

A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it.

## Works with

Tableau, Google Sheets, RapidPro

**Tags:** Surveys, Forms, Works offline, Dashboards, Public API

## Alternatives

- [KoboToolbox](https://toolgpa.com/tools/kobotoolbox): Open-source data collection for field surveys, online or offline. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/kobotoolbox-vs-ona)
- [Open Data Kit](https://toolgpa.com/tools/open-data-kit): Open-source mobile and web data collection. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/ona-vs-open-data-kit)
- [SurveyCTO](https://toolgpa.com/tools/surveycto): Offline-capable data collection for field research. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/ona-vs-surveycto)
- [CommCare](https://toolgpa.com/tools/commcare): No-code apps for frontline case management and data collection. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/commcare-vs-ona)
- [Epicollect5](https://toolgpa.com/tools/epicollect5): Free mobile and web data collection from Oxford University. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/epicollect5-vs-ona)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026:

- https://ona.io/home/products/ona-data/pricing/
- https://ona.io/home/

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/ona
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).