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Maps · head to head

ArcGIS Survey123 vs VUEWorks

ArcGIS Survey123 logo

ArcGIS Survey123

Maps

Form-centric field data collection that writes straight into an ArcGIS organisation

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
VUEWorks logo

VUEWorks

Government

GIS-centred enterprise asset management for public agencies, built around Esri ArcGIS

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ArcGIS Survey123 the app is free and the licensing is not: every person completing a secure survey needs a paid ArcGIS user type, so a hundred-person field programme costs tens of thousands a year before anyone counts credits.; VUEWorks the product assumes a maintained enterprise ArcGIS geodatabase; agencies without one face a spatial data cleanup project before VUEWorks does anything useful, and that project is usually quoted by the same consultancy selling the software.
  • They diverge on capability: ArcGIS Survey123 covers XLSForm authoring, VUEWorks covers Native Esri integration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ArcGIS Survey123 and VUEWorks actually diverge.

Attributes where ArcGIS Survey123 and VUEWorks differ
AttributeArcGIS Survey123VUEWorks
Pricing modelPer user per year by ArcGIS user typequote
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, WindowsWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryMapsGovernment

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 ArcGIS Survey123

  • XLSForm authoring
  • Web designer
  • Offline collection
  • Direct ArcGIS write
  • Repeats and nested records
  • Media and signature capture
  • Webhooks and integration
  • Reports

Only in VUEWorks

  • Native Esri integration
  • Work orders and requests
  • Inspections
  • Condition and risk
  • Capital planning
  • Pavement management
  • Mobile field access
  • Dashboards

What people use each for

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

ArcGIS Survey123

  • A water utility recording hydrant inspections that must appear on the corporate asset map the moment they are submitted, not after a nightly importnot VUEWorks
  • A local authority running a public consultation where anyone can submit without a licence, while staff review responses in an ArcGIS dashboardnot VUEWorks
  • An environmental monitoring programme with complex conditional forms authored in XLSForm and completed offline in areas with no signalnot VUEWorks
  • A field crew already licensed for ArcGIS Field Maps that needs structured forms alongside map-based editing without adding another vendornot VUEWorks

VUEWorks

  • A county public works department that already runs Esri and wants work orders raised directly against map featuresnot ArcGIS Survey123
  • A stormwater utility recording CCTV sewer inspection results against pipe segments for regulatory reportingnot ArcGIS Survey123
  • A transport agency modelling pavement treatment strategies to defend a road resurfacing budgetnot ArcGIS Survey123
  • A city consolidating sign, signal and streetlight inventories that currently live in separate spreadsheetsnot ArcGIS Survey123

Where each one falls short

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

ArcGIS Survey123

  • The app is free and the licensing is not: every person completing a secure survey needs a paid ArcGIS user type, so a hundred-person field programme costs tens of thousands a year before anyone counts credits.
  • Esri does not publish user type prices on its main pricing pages, so buyers reconstruct the cost from marketplace listings or a sales conversation, which makes budgeting an ArcGIS rollout unnecessarily opaque.
  • Credits are consumed by geocoding, storage and some analysis, and a data collection programme that generates heavy attachment volumes can burn through the bundled allowance and trigger a mid-year top-up.
  • It is useless without ArcGIS. There is no standalone deployment, so the decision to use Survey123 is really a decision to buy or keep an ArcGIS estate.
  • Form authoring splits between a web designer that is easy but limited and XLSForm plus Survey123 Connect that is capable but requires learning a spreadsheet syntax, and teams routinely start in the wrong one and rebuild.

VUEWorks

  • The product assumes a maintained enterprise ArcGIS geodatabase; agencies without one face a spatial data cleanup project before VUEWorks does anything useful, and that project is usually quoted by the same consultancy selling the software.
  • No pricing is published and deals are typically bundled with consulting services, which makes it hard to separate the software cost from the data work when comparing bids.
  • The interface is functional rather than modern, and field crews accustomed to consumer mobile apps often resist it, which undermines the data quality the capital planning depends on.
  • The Esri dependency is also an Esri cost: agencies need current ArcGIS Enterprise or ArcGIS Online licensing, and that sits outside the VUEWorks quote entirely.
  • It is a small vendor with a limited partner network and a mainly North American footprint, so support and implementation capacity outside that region is thin.

Pricing, plan by plan

ArcGIS Survey123

On request
  • Survey123 appFree
    • No separate charge for the app itself
    • Requires an ArcGIS Online or Enterprise organisation
    • Public surveys can be completed without a licence
  • Creator user type$undefined/year
    • Required to author and publish surveys
    • Foundational user type, can administer the organisation
    • Includes an annual credit allowance
  • Mobile Worker user type$undefined/year
    • Required for each person completing a secure survey
    • Dependent user type, must be added to an organisation with a foundational licence
    • Public marketplace listings have shown around $400 per year

VUEWorks

On request
  • VUEWorks Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Quoted per agency by user count and modules
    • Hosted or on-premise deployment options
    • GIS integration, data migration and configuration quoted separately

Which should you pick?

Choose ArcGIS Survey123 if

  • You need xlsform authoring.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows.
  • You also want web designer.
ArcGIS Survey123 review

Choose VUEWorks if

  • You need native esri integration.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want work orders and requests.
VUEWorks review

Questions people ask

Is ArcGIS Survey123 or VUEWorks better?
Neither clearly leads. ArcGIS Survey123 starts at On request and VUEWorks at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ArcGIS Survey123 or VUEWorks?
ArcGIS Survey123 starts at On request and VUEWorks at On request.
Does ArcGIS Survey123 or VUEWorks run on more platforms?
ArcGIS Survey123 runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows. VUEWorks runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is ArcGIS Survey123 best used for?
ArcGIS Survey123 is most often used for a water utility recording hydrant inspections that must appear on the corporate asset map the moment they are submitted, not after a nightly import, a local authority running a public consultation where anyone can submit without a licence, while staff review responses in an arcgis dashboard, an environmental monitoring programme with complex conditional forms authored in xlsform and completed offline in areas with no signal, a field crew already licensed for arcgis field maps that needs structured forms alongside map-based editing without adding another vendor. Of those, a water utility recording hydrant inspections that must appear on the corporate asset map the moment they are submitted, not after a nightly import and a local authority running a public consultation where anyone can submit without a licence, while staff review responses in an arcgis dashboard are not what VUEWorks is typically brought in for.
What can ArcGIS Survey123 do that VUEWorks cannot?
ArcGIS Survey123 covers XLSForm authoring, Web designer, Offline collection, Direct ArcGIS write. VUEWorks covers Native Esri integration, Work orders and requests, Inspections, Condition and risk.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ArcGIS Survey123: Is Survey123 free?

The app is. Using it is not, unless your surveys are public. Authoring needs a Creator licence and each person completing a secure survey needs a Mobile Worker, Editor, Creator or GIS Professional user type.

VUEWorks: Do we need Esri ArcGIS?

Effectively yes. The asset register is the GIS, and the ArcGIS licensing sits outside the VUEWorks quote.

ArcGIS Survey123: How much are the user types?

Esri does not list them on its main pricing pages. Public marketplace listings have shown roughly $700 a year for Creator and $400 for Mobile Worker; confirm with Esri or a distributor for your region.

VUEWorks: Is pricing published?

No. VUEWorks is quoted per agency by users and modules, often bundled with data collection services.

ArcGIS Survey123: Can respondents fill in a survey without a licence?

Yes, if the survey is shared publicly. Secure surveys require a licensed user type.

VUEWorks: Can it replace Cityworks?

It occupies the same GIS-centric municipal asset management space, so yes in principle, but migration means remapping workflows and history.

ArcGIS Survey123: Does it work offline?

Yes, in the mobile app, with sync when connectivity returns.

VUEWorks: Is there a cloud option?

Yes, VUEWorks is offered hosted as well as on-premise.

ArcGIS Survey123: Is it the same as ArcGIS Field Maps?

No. Field Maps is map-centric editing; Survey123 is form-centric. Many organisations license both, which doubles nothing because user types cover the whole app suite.

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