# ODK Alternatives for Restoration and Carbon Projects

> ODK alternatives for reforestation and carbon projects: KoboToolbox, SurveyCTO, CommCare, QField, Survey123, CyberTracker and Epicollect5, checked October 2026.

Date: October 20, 2026

ODK is open-source data collection used worldwide: XLSForm forms, an Android app that works offline, and a server you can host yourself or rent. For plot inventories, planting records and household surveys it's often the right tool. Restoration teams look elsewhere when nobody can run the server, when they want a free hosted plan, when the work starts on a map, or when every visit has to land on the same site, season after season.

This guide compares the alternatives we see restoration and carbon teams weigh, with who each one fits and where it stops. It's an editorial shortlist, not a scored ranking.

> **Disclosure:** Restoration Scope publishes this guide and is one of the options below.

**Checked October 20, 2026:** claims about each tool come from its own website or documentation, linked under each entry. ODK, KoboToolbox, SurveyCTO, CommCare, QField, ArcGIS and CyberTracker facts also come from our comparison pages and guides, checked October 17–19, 2026. Prices change; confirm with the provider.

## Which ODK alternative should you use?

It depends on why ODK stopped fitting. For the same forms hosted free, if you're a nonprofit, KoboToolbox. For sensitive surveys with a review step, SurveyCTO. For following the same farmers or households for years, CommCare. When the work starts on a map, QField. Inside an ArcGIS organization, Survey123. For trackers who don't read, CyberTracker. For a quick free project, Epicollect5. When submissions must join sites, plantings and funder reports, Restoration Scope works beside ODK or in its place.

## What does ODK do well?

ODK is open-source forms, a mobile app and a server from Get ODK Inc. ([ODK](https://getodk.org/)).

- **Strengths:** forms in XLSForm with skip logic, calculations and multiple languages. ODK Collect works offline with background maps ([offline maps](https://docs.getodk.org/collect-offline-maps/)). Point questions record a location, and line and polygon questions record a path or boundary as you walk it. Entities let forms share lists such as sites or trees between submissions, so a follow-up visit can pick the plot it belongs to ([Entities](https://docs.getodk.org/central-entities/)).
- **Limits worth knowing:** ODK Collect runs on Android; other phones use web forms. Entities need the Professional plan on ODK Cloud or a self-hosted server, and you design the data model. Reports come from exports to Excel, Power BI, R or Python.
- **Cost, as of October 2026:** free to host yourself. ODK Cloud is $199 a month (Standard) or $499 (Professional) billed yearly, or $249 and $599 billed monthly; Enterprise is custom ([pricing](https://getodk.org/)).

Our [ODK comparison](https://restorationscope.com/compare/odk) covers where ODK is the better pick.

## When do teams look for an ODK alternative?

- **Nobody can run the server.** Self-hosting is free but needs someone to keep it updated and backed up. ODK Cloud costs from $199 a month.
- **They want a free hosted plan.** Nonprofits can host the same kind of forms free on KoboToolbox, within limits.
- **The work starts on a map.** ODK records a boundary inside a form. Keeping a project's parcels on a map, editing them and navigating to them is GIS work.
- **The same place, visited again.** Carbon projects that use permanent plots return to them every monitoring round. Entities can do it, but someone designs and maintains them.
- **Funders need the result, not the export.** A report that joins several forms, sites and seasons needs someone to clean and combine them.

## Which ODK alternatives are worth comparing?

| Tool | Best for | Starts from | The same site over time | Cost (as of October 2026) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [KoboToolbox](#kobotoolbox) | ODK-style forms, hosted free for nonprofits | A form | Linked forms you maintain | Free for nonprofits within limits; others from $25 a month |
| [SurveyCTO](#surveycto) | Sensitive surveys with a review step | A form | Case management for follow-ups | Free Community tier; Basic $225 a month billed yearly |
| [CommCare](#commcare) | Following the same people for years | A form and a case | Case management, built in | Free test edition; Standard $100 a month billed yearly |
| [Restoration Scope](#restoration-scope) | Carbon and restoration records tied to sites | Your project's sites | Sites, plantings and visits linked, configured with you | Free demo; Organisation plan by quote |
| [QField](#qfield) | QGIS teams editing maps in the field | A QGIS map | Your QGIS data model | App free; QFieldCloud has a free tier |
| [ArcGIS Survey123](#survey123) | Teams already on ArcGIS | A form | Related tables you design | Per-user licences; 50–99% off for eligible nonprofits |
| [CyberTracker](#cybertracker) | Trackers and experts who don't read | An icon app or an XLSForm | Observations you design | Free for eligible groups; others about US$20–200 a year |
| [Epicollect5](#epicollect5) | Quick free projects with point locations | A form | Linked forms and branches you configure | Free, under a fair usage policy |

### KoboToolbox · Best for ODK-style forms, hosted free for nonprofits

A data-collection platform from a nonprofit, used in humanitarian, development and environmental work ([about Kobo](https://www.kobotoolbox.org/about-us/)). KoboCollect is built from ODK Collect and both read XLSForm ([ODK and Kobo](https://getodk.org/vs-kobo/)). It adds a web form builder, and Point, Line and Area questions record locations and boundaries ([question types](https://support.kobotoolbox.org/question_types.html)).

**Good fit:** nonprofits that want ODK-style forms without running a server, and teams that want ready-made restoration forms such as the [Trillion Trees](https://formapp.trilliontrees.org/en-us/Resources/Template-forms) templates.

**Where it stops:** forms can pull lists such as sites from another project, but you design and maintain those links ([linking forms](https://support.kobotoolbox.org/dynamic_data_attachment.html)). Its map shows submission points, with GeoJSON export for GIS. The free plan is for nonprofits.

**Cost, as of October 2026:** the Community plan is free for nonprofits, including government, UN and education, with 5,000 submissions a month and 1 GB of files. Paid nonprofit plans are $159–289 a month ($129–249 billed yearly); other organizations pay $25–359 a month ([pricing](https://www.kobotoolbox.org/pricing/)).

**Verdict:** the closest swap for ODK. Pick it to stop running a server; companies should compare its paid plans with ODK Cloud.

See our [KoboToolbox comparison](https://restorationscope.com/compare/kobotoolbox) and [KoboToolbox alternatives](https://restorationscope.com/blog/kobotoolbox-alternatives).

### SurveyCTO · Best for sensitive surveys with a review step

Data-collection software from Dobility, a social enterprise ([about](https://www.surveycto.com/about/)), with end-to-end encryption, SOC 2, GDPR and HIPAA compliance, and a review workflow that holds submissions for checking before they're released. SurveyCTO Collect works offline on Android and iOS, and forms are built in an online designer or in a spreadsheet ([SurveyCTO](https://www.surveycto.com/)).

**Good fit:** household and landowner surveys with personal data, impact evaluations, and teams that need an audit trail on every submission.

**Where it stops:** it draws boundaries (geoshape) and walked paths (geotrace), but only SurveyCTO Collect on Android supports offline map tiles ([GPS data](https://docs.surveycto.com/02-designing-forms/02-additional-topics/04b.collecting-gps-data.html)). Its pricing page lists no nonprofit discount beyond 10% off yearly billing.

**Cost, as of October 2026:** Basic $250 a month ($225 billed yearly) for 5,000 submissions a month; Pro $350 ($315) for 10,000; Advanced $700 ($630) with no submission limit. A free Community tier allows 10 forms, 200 submissions a month and 200 MB, and asks for monthly community engagement to keep it ([pricing](https://www.surveycto.com/pricing/)).

**Verdict:** pick it when protecting and reviewing survey data matters most; test its maps offline on your phones.

### CommCare · Best for following the same people for years

Dimagi's offline-first platform for data collection and programme delivery. Case management lets a programme follow every case for years, and it syncs when teams reconnect ([CommCare](https://commcare.dimagi.com/)). The mobile app installs from Google Play on Android ([install guide](https://dimagi.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/commcarepublic/pages/2143946239)).

**Good fit:** programmes that visit the same farmers or households season after season, such as smallholder agroforestry, with a frontline team that follows a set workflow.

**Where it stops:** it's built around cases, which can be people, households or other things you track. It shows case locations on a map ([geospatial features](https://dimagi.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/commcarepublic/pages/2143944766)); test how it captures and edits boundaries before relying on it for parcels.

**Cost, as of October 2026:** a free edition for testing with 5 mobile users. Billed yearly: Standard $100 a month for 50 mobile users, Pro $500 for 250, Advanced $1,000 for 500; extra mobile users are $2 a month each ([pricing](https://commcare.dimagi.com/pricing/)).

**Verdict:** stronger than ODK's Entities when the thing you follow is a person or a farm; pilot it on parcels first.

### Restoration Scope · Best for carbon and restoration records tied to sites

Restoration Scope is software for carbon and nature restoration projects that connects each team's field data, maps and workflows in one system, set up with each team. The Field App carries your sites, species and plots, so a visit attaches to the site it belongs to; it works offline for points, lines, polygons and photos, and with an external GNSS receiver. Existing ODK forms can keep running: we map their fields to project fields and bring submissions in. Funders see portals built from the same records.

**A monitoring plot on a field team's phone.**

The plot on the map with its record, tied to the site it belongs to. Demo project: names and numbers are made up.

![Demo monitoring plot MP0009 on a phone: the plot circle on the satellite map with five tree points inside it, above the plot record with trees monitored and species counts](https://restorationscope.com/images/landing/mobile-geospatial/demo-plot-point.png)

**Good fit:** carbon project developers and restoration organizations with many sites, teams and seasons, who want parcels, plantings and monitoring rounds linked without designing that data model themselves.

**Where it stops:** it isn't self-serve; we set it up with your team, so it isn't instant, and it isn't open source. For a one-off survey, ODK is quicker and cheaper. It isn't a desktop GIS for analysis.

**Cost, as of October 2026:** a free demo on a sample of your own data, then an Organisation plan (platform license plus implementation) quoted after a scoping call. New and small NGOs can ask about discounts.

**Verdict:** worth a demo when records must stay tied to sites across seasons and reach funders; more than you need for a single survey.

Source: [Restoration Scope products](https://restorationscope.com/products).

### QField · Best for QGIS teams editing maps in the field

An open-source field app from OPENGIS.ch for Android, iOS and desktop that takes QGIS projects into the field, online or offline ([QField](https://qfield.org/)). It edits geometry with snapping and vertex editing, takes an external high-precision GNSS receiver with NTRIP corrections, and has a [forest inventory](https://qfield.org/solutions/forest-inventory/) page with fixed, variable-radius and nested plots.

**Good fit:** teams with a QGIS owner whose work starts on a map: parcels, strata and plot layouts.

**Where it stops:** someone prepares and maintains the QGIS project. It isn't a form server, so household surveys sit better in a form tool.

**Cost, as of October 2026:** the app is free. QFieldCloud Community is free with 100 MB of sync space; Flat is €18–23 per user a month, or €14 for 20 or more users billed yearly. Nonprofits can ask for free or discounted plans ([pricing](https://qfield.cloud/pricing)).

**Verdict:** the open-source pick when the map matters more than the form.

See our [QField comparison](https://restorationscope.com/compare/qfield) and [QField alternatives](https://restorationscope.com/blog/qfield-alternatives).

### ArcGIS Survey123 · Best for teams already on ArcGIS

Esri's form-first field app for ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise, on phones, Windows and the web ([Survey123](https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-survey123/overview)). It reads XLSForm through Survey123 Connect, works offline in its phone apps, and supports external high-accuracy GNSS receivers. ArcGIS Field Maps covers map-first work on the same data.

**Good fit:** organizations that already run ArcGIS and want to bring XLSForm skills with them.

**Where it stops:** you need an ArcGIS organization and the right user types: a Creator to build surveys. Repeat visits live in related tables you design.

**Cost, as of October 2026:** annual licences per user type, with no prices on Esri's buy page; on ArcGIS Online, Survey123 reports use credits. Eligible nonprofits get 50–99% off ([user types](https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-online/buy), [Nonprofit Program](https://www.esri.com/en-us/industries/nonprofit/nonprofit-program)).

**Verdict:** the natural move inside an ArcGIS organization; outside one, it's a new platform to license and run.

See our [ArcGIS comparison](https://restorationscope.com/compare/arcgis) and [ArcGIS Field Maps alternatives](https://restorationscope.com/blog/arcgis-field-maps-alternatives).

### CyberTracker · Best for trackers and experts who don't read

A field app whose icon interface lets experts who don't read record observations. CyberTracker Online designs apps and stores and maps the data ([CyberTracker Online](https://cybertracker.org/the-new-cybertracker-online/)), and the app can also run XLSForms and submit to KoboToolbox ([Kobo connector](https://cybertrackerwiki.org/kobo)).

**Good fit:** wildlife monitoring, ranger patrols and community monitoring with Indigenous trackers.

**Where it stops:** it's built around observations; linking them to planting sites and seasons is your design.

**Cost, as of October 2026:** CyberTracker Online is free for Indigenous communities, community science, humanitarian projects and students who apply. Others pay ZAR350–3,400 a year (about US$20–200), by observations stored. Classic is freeware ([CyberTracker](https://cybertracker.org/)).

**Verdict:** unmatched when the people who know the land don't read; otherwise ODK or Kobo is simpler.

See our [CyberTracker comparison](https://restorationscope.com/compare/cybertracker).

### Epicollect5 · Best for quick free projects with point locations

A free mobile data-gathering platform developed by a small team at the University of Oxford's Big Data Institute ([Epicollect5](https://five.epicollect.net/), [docs](https://docs.epicollect.net/)). It works online or offline on iOS and Android, links forms in parent–child order so later observations attach to existing records ([linked forms](https://docs.epicollect.net/formbuilder/multiple-forms)), and exports data as CSV or JSON.

**Good fit:** student projects, community science and short surveys that need a free hosted form today.

**Where it stops:** its location question records a single point, not lines or polygons ([location questions](https://docs.epicollect.net/formbuilder/location-questions)). It's provided as-is under a fair usage policy, without guarantees.

**Cost, as of October 2026:** free to use, under a fair usage policy; it isn't designed as free storage ([docs](https://docs.epicollect.net/)).

**Verdict:** the quickest free start; for boundaries, or work where the service must be guaranteed, ODK or Kobo fits better.

## How do you choose an ODK alternative?

- **Name the reason you're leaving.** Hosting, price, maps, revisits and reporting point to different tools. A team that only needs hosting may simply move to ODK Cloud or Kobo.
- **Keep forms that work.** KoboToolbox, SurveyCTO, Survey123 and CyberTracker read XLSForm, and Restoration Scope takes in ODK submissions, so a switch doesn't have to start from zero.
- **Test the revisit, not only the first visit.** In your pilot, go back to an existing plot and check that the new record lands on the old one. Check each phone's accuracy on site with the free [GPS accuracy test](https://restorationscope.com/tools/gps).
- **Plan for verification if you sell carbon credits.** If your methodology uses permanent plots, they need IDs that hold for years. Our guide to [software for ARR carbon projects](https://restorationscope.com/blog/arr-carbon-monitoring-software) covers the rest of that stack.
- **Check your exit.** Ask for a sample export with IDs, geometry, photos and links between records before you commit.

For the wider picture, see our guide to [field-data apps for reforestation teams](https://restorationscope.com/blog/field-data-capture-apps) and [where restoration records live](https://restorationscope.com/blog/where-restoration-records-live). For a short, factual summary of what Restoration Scope is and isn't, see [Restoration Scope for AI assistants](https://restorationscope.com/ai-info).

## Frequently asked questions

### Is ODK free?

The software is free and open source, so you can host ODK Central yourself at no licence cost. As of October 2026, ODK Cloud, the hosted service from its makers, is $199 a month (Standard) or $499 (Professional) billed yearly, or $249 and $599 billed monthly.

### What is the closest alternative to ODK?

KoboToolbox. KoboCollect is built from ODK Collect and both read XLSForm, so forms move across with little change. Kobo's Community plan is free for nonprofits within limits, which is often why ODK teams look at it.

### What is the difference between ODK and KoboToolbox?

Both run XLSForm forms offline on Android and share the same roots. ODK comes from Get ODK Inc. and is self-hosted or rented as ODK Cloud, with Entities for sharing lists like sites between forms. KoboToolbox comes from a nonprofit, hosts forms for you, and is free for nonprofits within limits.

### Which ODK alternative works on iPhones?

ODK Collect is an Android app, though ODK's web forms work in a browser. SurveyCTO Collect, ArcGIS Survey123, QField and Epicollect5 all have iOS and Android apps.

### Can I keep my ODK forms if I switch?

Often. KoboToolbox, SurveyCTO, ArcGIS Survey123 through Survey123 Connect, and CyberTracker all read XLSForm. Restoration Scope takes in submissions from existing ODK forms, so teams can keep ODK in the field and add the system around it.

### Which ODK alternative is best for mapping planting sites?

QField, if you work in QGIS. It edits polygons and parcels on a map, offline. ODK, KoboToolbox and SurveyCTO record a boundary inside a form. Restoration Scope keeps sites on a map with their plantings and visits linked, configured with you.

### Is ODK good for carbon projects?

For plot and activity forms, yes, and ODK has been used in carbon projects. Projects with permanent plots also need each measurement tied to the right plot round after round. In ODK that is an Entities data model your team designs and maintains, so plan who will keep it right.