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Surveys · head to head

KoboToolbox vs Marketing Evolution

KoboToolbox logo

KoboToolbox

Surveys

Offline-first data collection for humanitarian, development and research field work

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Marketing Evolution logo

Marketing Evolution

Marketing

Advanced marketing analytics and attribution modeling

From
$5000/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only KoboToolbox has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: KoboToolbox the free Community plan caps at 5,000 submissions a month and 1 GB of file storage, and any form collecting photographs exhausts storage long before it exhausts the submission count.; Marketing Evolution pricing not published on vendor website; enterprise data infrastructure platform requires custom quote
  • They diverge on capability: KoboToolbox covers Offline data collection, Marketing Evolution covers Multi-touch attribution.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which KoboToolbox and Marketing Evolution actually diverge.

Attributes where KoboToolbox and Marketing Evolution differ
AttributeKoboToolboxMarketing Evolution
Starting priceFree$5000/month
Pricing modelPer month by submission countsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Android, Self-hostedWeb, Api, Analytics
CategorySurveysMarketing
FoundedUnknown2008

Identical on both: 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 KoboToolbox

  • Offline data collection
  • XLSForm and browser form builder
  • Skip logic and validation
  • Multilingual forms
  • GPS and media capture
  • Case management
  • Exports and analysis
  • Self-hosting

Only in Marketing Evolution

  • Multi-touch attribution
  • Marketing mix modeling
  • Channel performance
  • ROI analysis
  • Forecasting
  • Budget optimization
  • Custom reporting
  • Advanced analytics

What people use each for

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

KoboToolbox

  • A rapid needs assessment after a disaster where enumerators work for days without mobile coveragenot Marketing Evolution
  • A ministry of health running a national survey that must be self-hosted in country for data protection reasonsnot Marketing Evolution
  • An NGO running the same longitudinal household survey in four languages across three countriesnot Marketing Evolution
  • A research group that needs a free instrument for a modest sample and an SPSS export at the endnot Marketing Evolution

Marketing Evolution

  • Marketing data unification across paid, owned, and third-party data sourcesnot KoboToolbox
  • Attribution modeling and customer journey reconstructionnot KoboToolbox
  • AI-agent-ready marketing data context and business ontologynot KoboToolbox
  • Marketing budget planning and scenario simulation with Darwin toolnot KoboToolbox
  • Cross-channel performance monitoring and KPI standardizationnot KoboToolbox

Where each one falls short

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

KoboToolbox

  • The free Community plan caps at 5,000 submissions a month and 1 GB of file storage, and any form collecting photographs exhausts storage long before it exhausts the submission count.
  • The Starter paid plan allows only 1,000 submissions a month for $21, which is fewer than the free nonprofit tier, so a small commercial user pays more for less than a charity gets free.
  • Eligibility for the free plan depends on Kobo's assessment of your organisation and purpose, which introduces an approval step that a consultancy working on behalf of an NGO may not clear.
  • Self-hosting is genuinely possible but the stack is substantial to deploy and maintain, so a ministry choosing it for data residency reasons takes on real infrastructure staffing cost.
  • Analysis and reporting inside the platform are basic compared with dedicated tools, so most serious use exports to Excel, Power BI or statistical software, and that export step is where data governance often gets loose.

Marketing Evolution

  • Pricing not published on vendor website; enterprise data infrastructure platform requires custom quote

Pricing, plan by plan

KoboToolbox

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • Free for qualifying nonprofit and public good organisations
    • 5,000 submissions per month
    • 1 GB file storage
  • Starter$21/month
    • 1,000 submissions per month
    • 0.5 GB file storage
    • For private and for-profit use
  • Professional$129/month
    • 25,000 submissions per month or 300,000 per year
    • Unlimited file storage
    • Priority support
  • Teams$undefined/month
    • 50,000 submissions per month or 600,000 per year
    • Shared team administration
    • Pricing published by plan tier

Marketing Evolution

$5000/month
  • Professional$5000/month
    • Basic attribution modeling
    • Multiple channels
    • Monthly reporting
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Advanced attribution
    • Unlimited channels
    • Real-time analysis
  • Custom$undefined/month
    • Custom implementation
    • Professional services
    • Consulting included

Which should you pick?

Choose KoboToolbox if

  • You need offline data collection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Android, Self-hosted.
  • You also want xlsform and browser form builder.
KoboToolbox review

Choose Marketing Evolution if

  • You need multi-touch attribution.
  • You work on Web, Api, Analytics.
  • You also want marketing mix modeling.
Marketing Evolution review

Questions people ask

Is KoboToolbox or Marketing Evolution better?
Neither clearly leads. KoboToolbox starts at Free and Marketing Evolution at $5000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, KoboToolbox or Marketing Evolution?
KoboToolbox has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for KoboToolbox and $5000/month for Marketing Evolution.
Does KoboToolbox or Marketing Evolution run on more platforms?
KoboToolbox runs on Web, Android, Self-hosted. Marketing Evolution runs on Web, Api, Analytics.
Can I use KoboToolbox for free?
Yes. KoboToolbox has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Marketing Evolution starts at $5000/month.
What is KoboToolbox best used for?
KoboToolbox is most often used for a rapid needs assessment after a disaster where enumerators work for days without mobile coverage, a ministry of health running a national survey that must be self-hosted in country for data protection reasons, an ngo running the same longitudinal household survey in four languages across three countries, a research group that needs a free instrument for a modest sample and an spss export at the end. Of those, a rapid needs assessment after a disaster where enumerators work for days without mobile coverage and a ministry of health running a national survey that must be self-hosted in country for data protection reasons are not what Marketing Evolution is typically brought in for.
What can KoboToolbox do that Marketing Evolution cannot?
KoboToolbox covers Offline data collection, XLSForm and browser form builder, Skip logic and validation, Multilingual forms. Marketing Evolution covers Multi-touch attribution, Marketing mix modeling, Channel performance, ROI analysis.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

KoboToolbox: Is KoboToolbox free?

Free for qualifying nonprofit and public good organisations under the Community plan, currently 5,000 submissions a month and 1 GB of storage. Commercial use requires a paid plan from $21 a month.

Marketing Evolution: How much does Marketing Evolution Substrate cost?

Marketing Evolution does not publish pricing on its website. The Substrate platform is sold through enterprise contracts requiring custom quotes.

Source
KoboToolbox: Who funds it?

Kobo Inc is a US nonprofit funded roughly 38 per cent by grants and contributions and 62 per cent by service contracts, subscriptions and training, based on its 2024 figures.

Marketing Evolution: What is the cost of Darwin proactive intelligence?

Darwin is included with the Substrate platform. Marketing Evolution does not publish per-user or per-instance pricing on its website.

Source
KoboToolbox: Can I host it myself?

Yes. The server stack is open source and is regularly deployed in country for data residency reasons.

Marketing Evolution: Does Marketing Evolution offer a free trial?

Marketing Evolution directs users to request a demo or get started on the website. No free trial period is mentioned or offered.

Source
KoboToolbox: Are forms portable?

Yes. It uses XLSForm and ODK standards, so instruments move between Kobo and other ODK-compatible servers.

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