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Nonprofits · head to head

CommCare vs Microsoft Nonprofit Program

CommCare logo

CommCare

Nonprofits

Offline-first case management and mobile data collection for frontline health and development programmes

From
$100/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Microsoft Nonprofit Program logo

Microsoft Nonprofit Program

Nonprofits

Free Microsoft tools for nonprofits

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Microsoft Nonprofit Program has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: CommCare pricing is by included mobile user bands with a hard step between them, so a programme at 260 mobile users pays the Pro band plus per-user overage or jumps to Advanced, and neither option matches its actual size.; Microsoft Nonprofit Program schools, universities, government agencies, banks, insurers, professional associations, sports bodies and political and labour groups are all ineligible
  • They diverge on capability: CommCare covers Case management, Microsoft Nonprofit Program covers Office Suite.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CommCare and Microsoft Nonprofit Program actually diverge.

Attributes where CommCare and Microsoft Nonprofit Program differ
AttributeCommCareMicrosoft Nonprofit Program
Starting price$100/monthFree
Pricing modelPer month by mobile user countfree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsAndroid, WebWeb, IOS, Android, Desktop
FoundedUnknown1975

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Nonprofits).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in CommCare

  • Case management
  • Offline-first mobile app
  • App builder
  • Multi-language support
  • Two-way SMS
  • Report builder
  • API access
  • BI integration

Only in Microsoft Nonprofit Program

  • Office Suite
  • Cloud storage
  • Email and collaboration
  • Analytics
  • CRM
  • Data analytics
  • Teams
  • SharePoint

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

CommCare

  • A community health worker programme where each worker must see their own assigned households, what is overdue and what happened last visit, which a survey tool cannot representnot Microsoft Nonprofit Program
  • A ministry of health digitising a national frontline protocol and requiring in-region data hosting for legal reasonsnot Microsoft Nonprofit Program
  • An NGO running the same intervention in four countries that needs one application, several languages and consolidated reportingnot Microsoft Nonprofit Program
  • A research team collecting longitudinal data on the same participants over years, where linking visits to a case rather than a submission is the whole requirementnot Microsoft Nonprofit Program

Microsoft Nonprofit Program

  • Nonprofit organization technology needsnot CommCare
  • Educational institutionsnot CommCare
  • Charitable organizationsnot CommCare
  • Eligible 501(c)(3) organizationsnot CommCare

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

CommCare

  • Pricing is by included mobile user bands with a hard step between them, so a programme at 260 mobile users pays the Pro band plus per-user overage or jumps to Advanced, and neither option matches its actual size.
  • The subscription is the small number; application design, device procurement, worker training and supervision dominate the real cost, and grant budgets that fund only the licence stall at deployment.
  • Grant funding cycles and subscription renewals rarely align, so programmes routinely face a year-four cliff where the software is embedded in a workflow and the money that paid for it has ended.
  • It is Android-only on the device side, which is usually right for the target markets but blocks iOS-issued staff and makes the platform a poor fit for programmes in higher-income settings.
  • The open source option is real but effectively theoretical: self-hosting CommCare HQ requires substantial engineering, so the licence being free does not translate into an escape from the subscription.

Microsoft Nonprofit Program

  • Schools, universities, government agencies, banks, insurers, professional associations, sports bodies and political and labour groups are all ineligible
  • Free granted licences cover paid employees and unpaid executive staff only; volunteers and temporary staff get discounts rather than grants
  • Organisations must keep at least 85 percent of granted licences actively used
  • Licence counts vary by country and a group of organisations can hold only one grant account

Pricing, plan by plan

CommCare

$100/month
  • Standard$100/month
    • 50 mobile users included
    • $2 per additional mobile user per month
    • Unlimited free web users
  • Pro$500/month
    • 250 mobile users included
    • Case sharing and child cases
    • Web report builder
  • Advanced$1000/month
    • 500 mobile users included
    • Power BI and Tableau integration
    • Web applications
  • Enterprise$4000/month
    • Custom mobile user count
    • Single sign-on
    • Named account management

Microsoft Nonprofit Program

Free
  • Nonprofit ProgramFree
    • Office 365
    • Azure
    • Dynamics 365

Which should you pick?

Choose CommCare if

  • You need case management.
  • You work on Android, Web.
  • You also want offline-first mobile app.
CommCare review

Choose Microsoft Nonprofit Program if

  • You need office suite.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android, Desktop.
  • You also want cloud storage.
Microsoft Nonprofit Program review

Questions people ask

Is CommCare or Microsoft Nonprofit Program better?
Neither clearly leads. CommCare starts at $100/month and Microsoft Nonprofit Program at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CommCare or Microsoft Nonprofit Program?
Microsoft Nonprofit Program has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $100/month for CommCare and Free for Microsoft Nonprofit Program.
Does CommCare or Microsoft Nonprofit Program run on more platforms?
CommCare runs on Android, Web. Microsoft Nonprofit Program runs on Web, IOS, Android, Desktop.
Can I use Microsoft Nonprofit Program for free?
Yes. Microsoft Nonprofit Program has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. CommCare starts at $100/month.
What is CommCare best used for?
CommCare is most often used for a community health worker programme where each worker must see their own assigned households, what is overdue and what happened last visit, which a survey tool cannot represent, a ministry of health digitising a national frontline protocol and requiring in-region data hosting for legal reasons, an ngo running the same intervention in four countries that needs one application, several languages and consolidated reporting, a research team collecting longitudinal data on the same participants over years, where linking visits to a case rather than a submission is the whole requirement. Of those, a community health worker programme where each worker must see their own assigned households, what is overdue and what happened last visit, which a survey tool cannot represent and a ministry of health digitising a national frontline protocol and requiring in-region data hosting for legal reasons are not what Microsoft Nonprofit Program is typically brought in for.
What can CommCare do that Microsoft Nonprofit Program cannot?
CommCare covers Case management, Offline-first mobile app, App builder, Multi-language support. Microsoft Nonprofit Program covers Office Suite, Cloud storage, Email and collaboration, Analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CommCare: How much does CommCare cost?

Standard is $100 a month for 50 mobile users, Pro $500 for 250, Advanced $1,000 for 500 and Enterprise from $4,000. Extra mobile users are $2 each per month; web users are unlimited and free.

Microsoft Nonprofit Program: How much does Microsoft 365 cost for nonprofits?

Microsoft offers 75% discount on Microsoft 365 Business Premium for eligible nonprofits, with exact pricing depending on organization verification. Additional nonprofit discounts include 15% on Microsoft 365 Copilot and 60% on Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Source
CommCare: Is CommCare open source?

Yes, CommCare HQ is open source, but self-hosting requires serious engineering capacity. Nearly all users take the hosted service.

Microsoft Nonprofit Program: What Azure benefits do nonprofits receive?

Eligible nonprofits receive $2,000 USD in annual Azure services credits with access to the complete Azure product portfolio. Exact annual allocation depends on nonprofit verification and registration status.

Source
CommCare: Where is our data stored?

You choose United States, European Union or India hosting, which is what makes it acceptable to ministries with data residency rules.

Microsoft Nonprofit Program: How do I verify my organization is eligible for nonprofit discounts?

Organizations must register through Microsoft's nonprofit portal and confirm eligibility to access published discounts. Nonprofits typically include 501(c)(3) organizations and other government-recognized charitable entities, requiring verification before accessing discount rates.

Source
CommCare: Who funds CommCare?

Dimagi is a for-profit B Corporation funded by customer subscriptions and services. Individual deployments are usually funded by donors such as USAID successors, the Gates Foundation or national health budgets.

CommCare: Does it do case management or just forms?

Case management. Workers hold a caseload of individuals or households and see history and due actions, which is the main reason to choose it over a form tool.

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Related pages

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