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Marketing · head to head

Improvado vs SurveyCTO

Improvado logo

Improvado

Marketing

Data integration platform for marketing teams

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
SurveyCTO logo

SurveyCTO

Surveys

Offline field survey platform priced by submissions rather than seats, built for research data quality

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Improvado free tier limited to 50 MCP actions per week; SurveyCTO pricing is by submission volume, forms and storage rather than by users, so a small team running continuous high-volume collection can pay more than a 200-person survey team that runs for six weeks
  • They diverge on capability: Improvado covers 500+ data source connectors, SurveyCTO covers Offline collection.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Improvado and SurveyCTO actually diverge.

Attributes where Improvado and SurveyCTO differ
AttributeImprovadoSurveyCTO
Pricing modelfreemiumPer month by submission volume
PlatformsWeb, Api, Data-warehouseWeb, Android, iOS
CategoryMarketingSurveys
Founded2015Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Improvado

  • 500+ data source connectors
  • Data transformation
  • Real-time syncing
  • Data warehouse integration
  • ETL capabilities
  • Data quality monitoring
  • Historical data
  • Custom connectors

Only in SurveyCTO

  • Offline collection
  • XLSForm authoring
  • Automated quality checks
  • Audio auditing
  • Case management
  • Random assignment
  • Server region selection

What people use each for

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

Improvado

  • Marketing data integrationnot SurveyCTO
  • Multi-workspace data orchestrationnot SurveyCTO
  • Incrementality testing and attributionnot SurveyCTO
  • Multi-touch attribution modelingnot SurveyCTO

SurveyCTO

  • A household survey with 200 enumerators across a country where paying per seat would cost more than the fieldworknot Improvado
  • An impact evaluation that needs audio auditing and timing metadata to prove interviews were conducted as reportednot Improvado
  • A panel study revisiting the same households annually and needing offline case assignment to find them againnot Improvado
  • A statistics unit that must keep data inside a specific region and produce a SOC 2 report for its fundernot Improvado

Where each one falls short

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

Improvado

  • Free tier limited to 50 MCP actions per week
  • Advanced and Enterprise tiers require custom pricing quotes
  • No publicly listed Advanced or Enterprise rates

SurveyCTO

  • Pricing is by submission volume, forms and storage rather than by users, so a small team running continuous high-volume collection can pay more than a 200-person survey team that runs for six weeks
  • Forms are authored in XLSForm spreadsheet syntax, which is precise and versionable but has a real learning curve, and organisations without someone comfortable in it stall at form design
  • Overage is charged at 100 US dollars per 1,000 extra submissions, which is easy to trigger on the Basic tier at 5,000 a month and produces surprise invoices during an active field round
  • Server region selection only appears on the Pro tier and a custom GDPR data processing agreement only on Advanced, so European data protection requirements push the price to at least 315 and often 630 dollars a month regardless of volume
  • It is built for structured research fieldwork, not for business process forms, so it has no dispatch, no invoicing and no formatted document output, and a field service business would be buying the wrong tool

Pricing, plan by plan

Improvado

Free
  • Free LimitedFree
    • 50 MCP actions per week
    • 1 workspace
    • Live API requests to all sources
  • MCP Only$100/month
    • 2M rows per year
    • Daily data sync
    • 300 MCP actions per week
  • Advanced$null/custom
    • 600M rows per year
    • Up to 4x daily syncs
    • 200 actions per day
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • 1B rows per year
    • 600 actions per day
    • Unlimited workspaces

SurveyCTO

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • Permanent free subscription for testing and training
    • 10 forms
    • 200 monthly submissions
  • Basic$225/month
    • Billed annually, 250 USD month to month
    • 100 forms
    • 10 GB storage
  • Pro$315/month
    • Billed annually, 350 USD month to month
    • 500 forms
    • 25 GB storage
  • Advanced$630/month
    • Billed annually, 700 USD month to month
    • Unlimited forms, storage and submissions
    • Advanced offline case management

Which should you pick?

Choose Improvado if

  • You need 500+ data source connectors.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api, Data-warehouse.
  • You also want data transformation.
Improvado review

Choose SurveyCTO if

  • You need offline collection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Android, iOS.
  • You also want xlsform authoring.
SurveyCTO review

Questions people ask

Is Improvado or SurveyCTO better?
Neither clearly leads. Improvado starts at Free and SurveyCTO at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Improvado or SurveyCTO?
Improvado starts at Free and SurveyCTO at Free.
Does Improvado or SurveyCTO run on more platforms?
Improvado runs on Web, Api, Data-warehouse. SurveyCTO runs on Web, Android, iOS.
Can I use Improvado for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Improvado best used for?
Improvado is most often used for marketing data integration, multi-workspace data orchestration, incrementality testing and attribution, multi-touch attribution modeling. Of those, marketing data integration and multi-workspace data orchestration are not what SurveyCTO is typically brought in for.
What can Improvado do that SurveyCTO cannot?
Improvado covers 500+ data source connectors, Data transformation, Real-time syncing, Data warehouse integration. SurveyCTO covers Offline collection, XLSForm authoring, Automated quality checks, Audio auditing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Improvado: What is Improvado's free tier?

Improvado Free Limited tier costs $0/month and includes 50 MCP actions per week, 1 workspace, live API requests to all sources, AI Agent, and MCP. No credit card required to start.

Source
SurveyCTO: Do I pay per enumerator?

No. Users and devices are unlimited on every paid tier. You pay for monthly submissions, forms and storage.

Improvado: What are Improvado's paid plans?

Paid tiers include MCP Only ($100/month with 2M rows/year and 300 weekly actions), Advanced (custom pricing with 600M rows/year and 50 workspaces), and Enterprise (custom pricing with 1B rows/year, unlimited workspaces, and SSO).

Source
SurveyCTO: Is there a free version?

Yes, a permanent community subscription with 10 forms, 200 monthly submissions and 200 MB of storage, intended for testing and training rather than production.

Improvado: Does Improvado offer data sync frequency limits?

MCP Only tier offers daily data sync, Advanced tier allows up to 4x daily syncs, and Enterprise tier includes no stated sync frequency limits. Free tier enables live API requests without scheduled syncing.

Source
SurveyCTO: What happens if I exceed my submissions?

Extra credits are 100 US dollars per 1,000, with discounts of 20 per cent or more at volume. Plan the tier around your peak field month, not your average.

Improvado: What compliance and security features does Improvado include?

Improvado holds SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA compliance. Enterprise tier specifically includes SSO with Azure and Okta support for identity management.

Source
SurveyCTO: Can I choose where the data is stored?

Only on Pro and above. If data residency matters, budget for at least the Pro tier.

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