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Nonprofits · head to head

CommCare vs TechSoup

CommCare logo

CommCare

Nonprofits

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

From
$100/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
T

TechSoup

Nonprofits

Technology solutions and discounts for nonprofits

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only TechSoup 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.; TechSoup plus membership requires $200 annual commitment
  • They diverge on capability: CommCare covers Case management, TechSoup covers Software marketplace.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CommCare and TechSoup actually diverge.

Attributes where CommCare and TechSoup differ
AttributeCommCareTechSoup
Starting price$100/monthFree
Pricing modelPer month by mobile user countfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsAndroid, WebWeb
FoundedUnknown1987

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 TechSoup

  • Software marketplace
  • Hardware discounts
  • Vendor directory
  • Technology resources
  • Training
  • Various vendors
  • Web support

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 TechSoup
  • A ministry of health digitising a national frontline protocol and requiring in-region data hosting for legal reasonsnot TechSoup
  • An NGO running the same intervention in four countries that needs one application, several languages and consolidated reportingnot TechSoup
  • 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 TechSoup

TechSoup

  • Business operationsnot CommCare
  • Productivitynot CommCare
  • Automationnot 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.

TechSoup

  • Plus membership requires $200 annual commitment
  • Advanced courses at high original cost ($5,900 valued)
  • Community networking limited to 10 members in dedicated space
  • Chat support only available to Plus members

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

TechSoup

Free
  • TechSoup CoreFree
    • Up to 90% discounts on 100+ software and hardware
    • Basic and intermediate courses
    • Select webinars
  • TechSoup Plus$200/year
    • All Core benefits
    • Exclusive limited-time partner offers
    • Advanced courses at 80% discount

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 TechSoup if

  • You need software marketplace.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want hardware discounts.
TechSoup review

Questions people ask

Is CommCare or TechSoup better?
Neither clearly leads. CommCare starts at $100/month and TechSoup at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CommCare or TechSoup?
TechSoup has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $100/month for CommCare and Free for TechSoup.
Does CommCare or TechSoup run on more platforms?
CommCare runs on Android, Web. TechSoup runs on Web.
Can I use TechSoup for free?
Yes. TechSoup 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 TechSoup is typically brought in for.
What can CommCare do that TechSoup cannot?
CommCare covers Case management, Offline-first mobile app, App builder, Multi-language support. TechSoup covers Software marketplace, Hardware discounts, Vendor directory, Technology resources.

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.

TechSoup: How much does TechSoup cost?

TechSoup Core is free, while TechSoup Plus costs $200 per year and includes exclusive offers, advanced courses, expert consultations, and networking events.

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.

TechSoup: Is TechSoup free to join?

Yes, TechSoup Core membership is completely free and provides access to 100+ discounted software and hardware solutions from major partners like Microsoft, Adobe, and AWS.

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.

TechSoup: What additional benefits does TechSoup Plus provide?

TechSoup Plus ($200/year) adds exclusive partner offers, advanced courses at 80% discount, expert-led webinars, personalized tech audits, one-on-one consultations, and a dedicated community space.

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.

TechSoup: Who qualifies for TechSoup membership?

TechSoup is designed for nonprofits and provides discounted access to software from Microsoft, Adobe, Intuit, AWS, Cisco, Dell, and other technology partners.

Source
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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