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Surveys · head to head

KoboToolbox vs QuestionPro

KoboToolbox logo

KoboToolbox

Surveys

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
QuestionPro logo

QuestionPro

Surveys

Survey and experience management platform with a permanently free tier capped at 200 responses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; QuestionPro team Edition has a five-seat minimum, so a small team that only needs two or three licences still pays for five.
  • They diverge on capability: KoboToolbox covers XLSForm and browser form builder, QuestionPro covers Survey builder.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which KoboToolbox and QuestionPro actually diverge.

Attributes where KoboToolbox and QuestionPro differ
AttributeKoboToolboxQuestionPro
Pricing modelPer month by submission countPer user per month
PlatformsWeb, Android, Self-hostedWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Surveys).

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

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

Only in QuestionPro

  • Survey builder
  • QuestionPro CX
  • QuestionPro Workforce
  • Research Suite
  • White label reporting

Both cover

  • Offline data collection

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 QuestionPro
  • A ministry of health running a national survey that must be self-hosted in country for data protection reasonsnot QuestionPro
  • An NGO running the same longitudinal household survey in four languages across three countriesnot QuestionPro
  • A research group that needs a free instrument for a modest sample and an SPSS export at the endnot QuestionPro

QuestionPro

  • A researcher or student who needs unlimited surveys but stays under 200 responses and wants to pay nothingnot KoboToolbox
  • A single analyst who needs advanced logic and unlimited responses and can justify one Advanced seatnot KoboToolbox
  • A CX team that wants closed-loop case management bundled with survey distributionnot KoboToolbox
  • A market research agency needing MaxDiff and conjoint analysis that SurveyMonkey does not offernot 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.

QuestionPro

  • Team Edition has a five-seat minimum, so a small team that only needs two or three licences still pays for five.
  • CX, Workforce and Research Suite are effectively separate products with their own pricing and onboarding, not tiers of the same subscription, which complicates a multi-department rollout.
  • The free Essentials plan caps at 200 responses per survey, which a single moderately popular customer survey can exceed in days.
  • The interface is denser than Typeform or SurveyMonkey, and teams that want a fast, visually simple survey builder often find QuestionPro slower to set up.
  • Enterprise CX and Research Suite pricing is never published, so budgeting for a programme rollout requires a sales conversation before any commitment is possible.

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

QuestionPro

Free
  • EssentialsFree
    • 1 user
    • 200 responses per survey
    • Unlimited surveys and questions
  • Advanced$99/month
    • 1 user
    • Unlimited responses
    • Advanced logic and reporting
  • Team Edition$83/month
    • Minimum 5 users, billed per seat
    • Collaboration and role permissions
    • Advanced analysis tools
  • CX, Workforce, Research Suite$undefined/year
    • Sold as separate products with separate quotes
    • Volume and module dependent

Which should you pick?

Choose KoboToolbox if

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

Choose QuestionPro if

  • You need survey builder.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want questionpro cx.
QuestionPro review

Questions people ask

Is KoboToolbox or QuestionPro better?
Neither clearly leads. KoboToolbox starts at Free and QuestionPro at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, KoboToolbox or QuestionPro?
KoboToolbox starts at Free and QuestionPro at Free.
Does KoboToolbox or QuestionPro run on more platforms?
KoboToolbox runs on Web, Android, Self-hosted. QuestionPro runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use KoboToolbox for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 QuestionPro is typically brought in for.
What can KoboToolbox do that QuestionPro cannot?
KoboToolbox covers XLSForm and browser form builder, Skip logic and validation, Multilingual forms, GPS and media capture. QuestionPro covers Survey builder, QuestionPro CX, QuestionPro Workforce, Research Suite. Both handle Offline data collection.

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.

QuestionPro: Is the free plan actually usable long-term?

Yes. Essentials has no time limit, but it caps at 200 responses per survey and one user, which rules it out for anything with meaningful reach.

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.

QuestionPro: Is QuestionPro CX the same product as the survey builder?

No. CX is a separate product built for closed-loop customer experience programmes, priced and sold on its own.

KoboToolbox: Can I host it myself?

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

QuestionPro: Does Team Edition have a minimum seat count?

Yes, five seats at roughly $83 per user per month billed annually, so the minimum monthly spend is around $415.

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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