# A public project page, or a donor portal fed by the work itself

Last updated: 2026-10-17

> explorer.land helps nature projects publish a map-based story for funders. Restoration Scope builds donor portals from field records. Compare cost, data and fit.

explorer.land lets nature projects publish a map-based page that tells their story to funders, with a free plan to start. Restoration Scope builds donor portals from the records field teams keep, so what donors see is the work itself.

## Should you use explorer.land or Restoration Scope?

It depends on where the donor story comes from. For a public project page you set up yourself, for one or a few projects told as a story, explorer.land is the quicker start, with a free plan. If donors should see what field teams recorded, with no separate reporting step, or you run many sites or a multi-partner programme, Restoration Scope builds donor portals from the records the team keeps.

### explorer.land and Restoration Scope at a glance

| | explorer.land | Restoration Scope |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Main job | A public, story-led project page to show work and attract funding. | An operational system. Donor portals are one view of the same data. |
| Cost | As of October 2026: free for 1 project, 1 site and 2 editors. Starter is €49 and Professional €99 per project a month (€34 and €69 billed yearly); Enterprise is by quote. | A free pilot on a sample of your data, then a platform license plus implementation, quoted after a scoping call. |
| Setup | Self-serve sign-up. Draw or upload boundaries on satellite base maps. | Configured with our team. |
| What donors see | A project map, geolocated news posts, SDG tags and partners. | Sites, progress and records from field teams, per donor or programme. |
| Where the data comes from | What editors post, draw or upload: news posts, boundaries and geodata imports, with API and partner data on Enterprise. | What field teams capture, plus connected Kobo, Google Sheets and GIS files. |
| Field monitoring | A mobile app in every plan. Monitoring centres on satellite indicators and an impact dashboard that can take in field data; Enterprise adds integrations such as sensors. | The offline Field App, with visits and survival records linked to each site. |
| Satellite and layers | High-resolution imagery from Starter. Custom layers and geoanalytics on Enterprise. | Geospatial data layers per project. |
| Funding routes | Lists investments, sponsorships, donations, and carbon and biodiversity credits. | None. We do not match funders or sell credits. |

## Where Restoration Scope differs, on screen

- **A portal fed by the work.** Each funder's portal shows the projects they support, from the records field teams keep.
- **Monitoring linked to each site.** Visits, plots and survival records sit on the site they belong to.

Checked against explorer.land's own pages on October 17, 2026: [explorer.land](https://explorer.land/), [Plans overview](https://help.explorer.land/help/articles/3889166-plans-overview), [Platform](https://openforests.com/platform/), [What we offer](https://help.explorer.land/articles/4118869-what-we-offer), [Base maps](https://help.explorer.land/help/articles/8787120-base-map-settings).

## Where each fits

### Pick explorer.land when

- You want a public project page you can set up yourself, with a free plan to start.
- You have one or a few projects, told as a story.
- You want exposure to funders browsing the platform.

### Pick Restoration Scope when

- You develop carbon projects and investors or buyers should see the field work behind them.
- Donors should see what field teams recorded, with no separate reporting step.
- You run many sites or a multi-partner programme.
- The same data must also run nurseries, field teams and survival checks.

### 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
9. An adaptable platform: **Restoration Scope**
10. A custom system

explorer.land sits beside the ladder: it publishes a project’s map, monitoring and story for funders. Restoration Scope is an adaptable platform, and its donor portals show the records the team keeps. 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 an explorer.land alternative?

For donor reporting that should come from operational records, yes. For a public story page you set up yourself, explorer.land is the quicker start, with a free plan.

### How much does explorer.land cost?

As of October 2026, it is free for one project with one site. Paid plans are priced per project per month, from €34 billed yearly.

### Can donors see live field data?

In Restoration Scope portals, yes: donors read the same records the team keeps. The One Tree Planted portal for Coldplay is a public example.

### Does either sell carbon credits or match funders?

explorer.land lists funding routes, including credits. Restoration Scope does neither.

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).