# QField for GIS teams in the field, Restoration Scope for the whole restoration record Last updated: 2026-10-17 > QField brings QGIS projects into the field, free and open source. Restoration Scope connects field work, sites, seasons and donor reporting. Where each fits. QField takes a QGIS project into the field with geometry editing, and it is open source. Restoration Scope gives field teams a configured app and keeps every visit linked to its site, season after season. ## Should you use QField or Restoration Scope? It depends on your team. If you already work in QGIS, have someone to own the project and need GIS editing in the field, QField is open source with no licence cost. If nobody has time to maintain a QGIS project and its sync, and field, office and funders need the same records, Restoration Scope gives field teams a configured app and keeps every visit linked to its site. Existing QGIS layers come in rather than being rebuilt. ### QField and Restoration Scope at a glance | | QField | Restoration Scope | | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | An open-source field app (GPL v2+) from OPENGIS.ch for Android, iOS and desktop that takes QGIS projects into the field. | A restoration data platform with a configured field app. | | 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; Flex is €28 per active user a month; Enterprise is by quote. Nonprofits can ask for free or discounted plans, and the server can be self-hosted. | A free pilot on a sample of your data, then a platform license plus implementation, quoted after a scoping call. | | Who sets it up | Usually someone who owns the QGIS project, layers and forms on desktop. Simple projects can start in the app. | Configured with our team around your project. Someone on your side owns the workflow. | | Offline capture | Online or offline, syncing by cable or through QFieldCloud. | The Field App works offline: points, lines, polygons and photos. | | GPS accuracy | Phone GPS, or an external high-precision GNSS receiver with NTRIP corrections. | Phone GPS, or an external GNSS receiver. | | Editing geometry | Field geometry editing: snapping, vertex editing and freehand drawing, with GeoPackage, KML, GPX and georeferenced PDFs. | Points, lines, polygons and photos on the project map. | | Seasons and survival | Possible if your QGIS data model links visits to sites. You build and maintain it. | Sites, nurseries and visits are linked records, configured for your project. | | Donor reporting | Maps and reports made in QGIS, and PDF exports from QField itself. | Donor portals built from the same records the team keeps. | **Use both.** QGIS layers come into Restoration Scope as files (Shapefile, GeoJSON, KML and KMZ, GeoTIFF), so GIS work done in QGIS and QField is not rebuilt. 1. QField: GIS work happens in QGIS and QField. 2. QGIS: Layers come in as files: Shapefile, GeoJSON, KML and KMZ, GeoTIFF. 3. Restoration Scope: They join the sites and records on the project map. ## Where Restoration Scope differs, on screen - **Seasons and survival, already linked.** Each site holds its monitoring plots, and each plot its visits and survival rate, configured for your project with our team. - **Shapes on the project map.** Field teams draw or walk points, lines and polygons in the Field App, and each one is saved to its site. Checked against QField's own pages on October 17, 2026: [QField](https://qfield.org/), [Documentation](https://docs.qfield.org/), [External GNSS](https://docs.qfield.org/how-to/navigation-and-positioning/gnss/), [QFieldCloud pricing](https://qfield.cloud/pricing), [Land restoration and conservation](https://qfield.org/solutions/land-restoration-and-conservation). ## Where each fits ### Pick QField when - Your team already works in QGIS and has someone to own the project. - You need GIS editing in the field: snapping, vertices, many layers. - You want open source with no licence cost. ### Pick Restoration Scope when - Your carbon project needs parcel boundaries, plantings and monitoring rounds kept linked, not spread across layers. - Nobody has time to maintain a QGIS project and its sync. - Field, office and funders need the same records, not exported maps. - You want existing QGIS layers brought in rather than rebuilt. ### 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: **QField** 9. An adaptable platform: **Restoration Scope** 10. A custom system QField takes QGIS projects into the field, one part of a network of tools around QGIS. Restoration Scope is an adaptable platform with its own field app, so visits, sites and maps live in one system. 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 QField alternative? For GIS editing, no: QField is the better tool. For running restoration operations and reporting on them, yes. ### Is QField free? The app is open source and free. As of October 2026, QFieldCloud, the sync service, has a free Community tier with 100 MB, paid plans for teams, and free or discounted plans for nonprofits. ### Can both use an external GNSS receiver? Yes. QField documents high-precision GNSS with NTRIP corrections, and the Restoration Scope Field App can use an external GNSS receiver too. ### Can I bring my QGIS data into Restoration Scope? Yes. GIS files come in beside spreadsheets and survey forms, tied to the sites they describe. 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).