SurveyCTO review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Offline-capable data collection for field research
Black Friday: is there a SurveyCTO sale?
SurveyCTO report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for offline field surveys with data quality checks
SurveyCTO collects field data offline in Android and iOS apps, with data quality checks and case management. Basic is $225 a month, and each plan caps submissions. The free Community plan is for testing and training and has no support access.
Who SurveyCTO is for
- Fits if your team collects data in areas with no signal
- Works for research projects that need data quality checks
Who SurveyCTO is not for
- Pricey if you are small: $225 a month on yearly billing before any extras
- Tight if you go over the cap: 5,000 submissions on Basic and 10,000 on Pro, then $100 per 1,000
- Watch out: the free Community plan has no support access
- Watch out: SOC 2 report and server location choice need Pro, and AI credits are sold separately
Why SurveyCTO gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- DValue for moneyBasic is $225 a month on yearly billing, above the dearest tenth ($149) of forms tools. Pro is $315 and Advanced $630.
- CFree plan and trialCommunity is free for testing and training: 10 forms, 200 submissions a month and 200 MB, with no support access. A 15-day trial gives all features at the same limits.
- BFeaturesOffline collection, data quality tools, case management, security and AI tools. The listing's gaps are about caps and plan limits, not missing field-survey features.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. Forms are built to a spreadsheet-style design, and field teams need setup and training.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb plus iOS and Android apps, with Google Sheets, Stata, R, Power BI and Salesforce links. No desktop app.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from SurveyCTO's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/surveycto#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/surveycto.svg" alt="SurveyCTO: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where SurveyCTO stands among form and survey tools
SurveyCTO's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 56 of the 148 other form and survey tools we grade, and level with 31.
It stands best on features (B, above 96 of 148) and worst on value for money (D, above 1).
Its paid plans start at $225 a month, against a middle price of $20 for the category: 107 of the 114 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 6 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. SurveyCTO’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 1 of 148, level with 33
- CFree plan and trialAbove 32 of 148, level with 78
- BFeaturesAbove 96 of 148, level with 48
- CEase of useAbove 7 of 148, level with 135
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 46 of 148, level with 101
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 121 form and survey tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep SurveyCTO, or make your own?
Keep it
The plain part of SurveyCTO you could make: surveys, forms and case management. What surrounds it you could not. The 6 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It costs $2,700 a year.
What you could make
- Surveys, forms 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, Google Sheets, Stata and R among them, and has an API.
- End-to-end encryption done properly.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: single sign-on, SOC 2 and HIPAA.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. SurveyCTO’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.
What is SurveyCTO?
SurveyCTO is a data collection platform for field, offline and web surveys. Forms run in an Android and iOS app or through shareable web links, with data quality checks, case management for follow-up surveys and a console for managing enumerators. Plans are priced by storage, submissions and forms rather than per user.
Worth knowing
- Plans cap monthly submissions: 5,000 on Basic and 10,000 on Pro; extra submissions cost $100 per 1,000 credits.
- Extra AI credits are sold separately as prepaid or on-demand credits.
- The free Community subscription has no access to the support team.
- Server location selection and the SOC 2 report need Pro or higher.
Key features
- Offline mobile collection
- The SurveyCTO Collect app works offline on Android and iOS and supports CAPI, CATI and ACASI interview modes.
- Data quality tools
- Real-time checks flag issues, with review and correction of submissions and automated statistical checks.
- Case management
- Follow-up and longitudinal surveys can be tied together; advanced offline case management is on the Advanced plan.
- Security
- The vendor says it is SOC 2 certified and GDPR and HIPAA compliant, with end-to-end encryption and SSO.
- AI tools
- AI translation, transcription and form design help, drawn from a monthly credit allowance that depends on the plan.
SurveyCTO pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, SurveyCTO has a free plan, and paid plans start at $225 per month, billed annually ($250 billed monthly).
- Starts at
- $225 per month, billed annually ($250 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- Community subscription for testing and training: 10 forms, 200 submissions a month and 200 MB of storage, without support access.
- Free trial
- 15-day free trial with all features: 10 forms, 200 submissions and 200 MB storage
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Community | $0 | Free sandbox: 10 forms, 200 submissions a month, 200 MB storage, all paid features but no support team access. |
| Basic | $225per month, billed annually ($250 billed monthly) | 10 GB storage, 5,000 monthly submissions, 100 forms, unlimited users and devices, 1,000 AI credits. |
| Pro | $315per month, billed annually ($350 billed monthly) | 25 GB storage, 10,000 monthly submissions, 500 forms, limited API access, server location choice, 2,500 AI credits. |
| Advanced | $630per month, billed annually ($700 billed monthly) | Unlimited storage, submissions and forms, all APIs, advanced offline case management, 5,000 AI credits. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom storage, submissions and forms, custom training, an enterprise success team and custom AI credits. |
Read from surveycto.com on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with SurveyCTO before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discount10% off with annual payment
The pricing page gives a 10% discount whenever an annual subscription is paid up front; Basic is $225 a month annually versus $250 monthly.
Stated on surveycto.com
Works with
SurveyCTO alternatives
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Free plan · from $199/mo
- SurveyCTO vs CommCare
Free plan · from $100/mo
- SurveyCTO vs Ona
Free plan · from $199/mo
- SurveyCTO vs GoCanvas
Free trial · from $29/mo
Common questions
Does SurveyCTO have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. SurveyCTO is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does SurveyCTO have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. SurveyCTO is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is SurveyCTO open source?
SurveyCTO is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Is SurveyCTO end-to-end encrypted?
SurveyCTO describes itself as end-to-end encrypted on its own site. Nobody here has audited that.
Does SurveyCTO 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 SurveyCTO have an API?
Yes. SurveyCTO offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.