# CyberTracker for observations in the field, Restoration Scope for the restoration record

> CyberTracker is a nonprofit field app with an icon interface. Restoration Scope ties field records to sites, seasons and donor reports. Where each fits.

CyberTracker is field data collection software from a South African nonprofit, built with expert trackers and known for an icon interface that people who do not read can use. Restoration Scope does a different job: it keeps what teams record tied to the sites, plantings and seasons it belongs to, and shows it to funders.

## Should you use CyberTracker or Restoration Scope?

It depends on the job. If the work is observations, such as wildlife sightings, tracks or transects, recorded offline by people who may not read, CyberTracker was built for that work, with low yearly fees and free access for eligible projects that apply. If many sites, plantings and seasons need to connect into one record that funders can see, that is the job Restoration Scope does. The two can work together: CyberTracker can submit to KoboToolbox, and Restoration Scope takes in Kobo submissions.

### CyberTracker and Restoration Scope at a glance

| | CyberTracker | Restoration Scope |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | Field data collection software from CyberTracker Conservation, a nonprofit in Cape Town: CyberTracker Online for design and reports in the browser, a phone app, and the older Windows-based Classic. | A restoration data platform: a configured field app, linked records, maps and portals. |
| Cost | As of October 2026: 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. | Priced per project after a scoping call. No public price list. |
| Setup | Self-serve: build screens from templates in the browser, publish, and phones install the app from a QR code. The app can also run XLSForms from ODK Central, KoboToolbox or Survey123. | Configured with our team around your project. Someone on your side owns the workflow. |
| Field capture | Works offline, with GPS on every save, timed track logs and offline maps. An icon-only interface lets non-literate experts record complex observations. | The Field App works offline: points, lines, polygons and photos. |
| Knows your project | Each observation saves its place, time and the answers on screens you design. Its pages do not describe linking an observation to a site or earlier visits. | The app carries your sites, species and plots, so a visit attaches to the site it belongs to. |
| Maps and data | Map and table views with saved filters, plus photo and audio tables. Exports to CSV, GeoJSON, KML and KMZ. | Sites and records on one project map, with geospatial data layers. |
| Donor reporting | Exports, or data sent by webhook to a reporting server you run. | Donor portals built from the same records the team keeps. |

**Use both.** CyberTracker can collect with an XLSForm and submit to KoboToolbox, and Restoration Scope takes in Kobo submissions, so field teams can keep the CyberTracker app and add the system around it.

1. CyberTracker: Field teams record in the CyberTracker app, from a form deployed in KoboToolbox.
2. KoboToolbox: Submissions land in the Kobo project.
3. Restoration Scope: They join the sites and records they belong to, on the project map and in donor portals.

## Where Restoration Scope differs, on screen

- **Each visit lands on its site.** A site keeps its boundary, monitoring plots and visits together, so a record attaches to the site it belongs to.
- **Donor portals from the same records.** Each funder gets their own portal: their totals, then every project they support, kept current by the records the team keeps.

Checked against CyberTracker's own pages on October 19, 2026: [CyberTracker](https://cybertracker.org/), [CyberTracker Online](https://cybertracker.org/the-new-cybertracker-online/), [Pricing](https://cybertracker.org/pricing/), [New features](https://cybertracker.org/new-features-and-coming-soon/), [Build a simple app](https://cybertracker.org/quick-start-build-a-simple-cybertracker-photo-notes-app/), [XLSForm support](https://cybertrackerwiki.org/xlsform/), [KoboToolbox connector](https://cybertrackerwiki.org/kobo), [CyberTracker Classic FAQ](https://cybertrackerwiki.org/classic/faq/), [Offline maps](https://cybertrackerwiki.org/offlinemaps/), [Contact](https://cybertracker.org/contact-us/).

## Where each fits

### Pick CyberTracker when

- The work is observations: wildlife sightings, tracks, transects.
- Your best field experts do not read or write, and an icon interface lets them record what they know.
- You need it free or nearly free: community science, Indigenous and humanitarian projects can apply for free access.

### Pick Restoration Scope when

- You develop carbon projects and every monitoring record must stay tied to the right parcel and planting, season after season.
- Many sites, teams and partners need one record, not exported files.
- Funders should see progress from the records the team keeps.
- You want to keep CyberTracker in the field and add maps, linked records and donor portals.

### Where each sits, from word of mouth to a custom system

1. Word of mouth
2. Paper
3. Excel files
4. Google Sheets (workable from here)
5. Advanced Google Sheets
6. Airtable and similar
7. Restoration software
8. A network of tools: **CyberTracker**
9. An adaptable platform: **Restoration Scope**
10. A custom system

CyberTracker collects observations and keeps them in CyberTracker Online or a server such as KoboToolbox, one part of a network of tools. Restoration Scope is an adaptable platform that keeps field records in one system with sites, plantings and maps. The full ladder: [Where restoration records live, from word of mouth to custom software](https://restorationscope.com/blog/where-restoration-records-live).

## Questions teams ask

### Is Restoration Scope a CyberTracker alternative?

For recording observations in the field, especially by non-literate experts, no: CyberTracker was built for that. Restoration Scope replaces the spreadsheets and reports teams build to turn field records into one restoration project record.

### Is CyberTracker free?

Often. As of October 2026, CyberTracker Online is free for Indigenous communities, community science, humanitarian projects and students who apply with a project description and photos, which CyberTracker may publish. Others pay about US$20–200 a year, by the number of observations stored. CyberTracker Classic is freeware.

### Does CyberTracker work with KoboToolbox and ODK?

Yes. The CyberTracker app collects XLSForms from ODK Central, KoboToolbox and Survey123 and submits to them, adding options of its own such as icon screens and track logs. Those options live in the XLSForm, so it is kept outside Kobo’s form editor and redeployed after each change.

### Can I bring CyberTracker data into Restoration Scope?

Yes. Submissions sent to KoboToolbox come in through our Kobo connection, and GeoJSON, KML and KMZ exports come in as map layers tied to your sites.

Restoration Scope publishes this comparison. Something out of date? Write to info@restorationscope.com.

More: [All comparisons](https://restorationscope.com/compare), [Field data capture apps compared](https://restorationscope.com/blog/field-data-capture-apps), [Where restoration records live, from word of mouth to custom software](https://restorationscope.com/blog/where-restoration-records-live).