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Surveys · head to head

KoboToolbox vs Typeform

KoboToolbox logo

KoboToolbox

Surveys

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Typeform logo

Typeform

Marketing

People-friendly forms and surveys

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.; Typeform free plan limited to 10 responses per month; Basic plan capped at 100/month
  • They diverge on capability: KoboToolbox covers Offline data collection, Typeform covers Conversational forms.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which KoboToolbox and Typeform actually diverge.

Attributes where KoboToolbox and Typeform differ
AttributeKoboToolboxTypeform
Pricing modelPer month by submission countUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Android, Self-hostedWeb
CategorySurveysMarketing
FoundedUnknown2012

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 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 Typeform

  • Conversational forms
  • Logic jumps
  • Calculator fields
  • Payment collection
  • File uploads
  • Multi-language forms
  • Mobile responsive
  • Real-time 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 Typeform
  • A ministry of health running a national survey that must be self-hosted in country for data protection reasonsnot Typeform
  • An NGO running the same longitudinal household survey in four languages across three countriesnot Typeform
  • A research group that needs a free instrument for a modest sample and an SPSS export at the endnot Typeform

Typeform

  • Customer feedback surveysnot KoboToolbox
  • Lead generation formsnot KoboToolbox
  • Event registrationsnot KoboToolbox
  • Job applicationsnot KoboToolbox
  • Market researchnot 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.

Typeform

  • Free plan limited to 10 responses per month; Basic plan capped at 100/month
  • Branding removal only available on Plus plan ($56/month) and above
  • No self-hosting or on-premise deployment options

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

Typeform

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Typeform review.

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 Typeform if

  • You need conversational forms.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want logic jumps.
Typeform review

Questions people ask

Is KoboToolbox or Typeform better?
Neither clearly leads. KoboToolbox starts at Free and Typeform at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, KoboToolbox or Typeform?
KoboToolbox starts at Free and Typeform at Free.
Does KoboToolbox or Typeform run on more platforms?
KoboToolbox runs on Web, Android, Self-hosted. Typeform runs on Web.
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 Typeform is typically brought in for.
What can KoboToolbox do that Typeform cannot?
KoboToolbox covers Offline data collection, XLSForm and browser form builder, Skip logic and validation, Multilingual forms. Typeform covers Conversational forms, Logic jumps, Calculator fields, Payment 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.

Typeform: What are Typeform's pricing tiers?

Typeform offers a free plan (10 responses/month), Basic at $28/month billed annually (100 responses/month, 1 user), Plus at $56/month billed annually (1,000 responses/month, 3 users, branding removed), and Business at $91/month billed annually (10,000 responses/month, 5 users).

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.

Typeform: Does Typeform have a free tier?

Yes. Typeform offers a free plan limited to 10 form responses per month with Typeform branding.

Source
KoboToolbox: Can I host it myself?

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

Typeform: What integrations does Typeform support?

Typeform integrates with ActiveCampaign, Calendly, CallRail, Intercom, Klaviyo, Slack, Stripe, Webflow, and Zapier for workflow automation.

Source
KoboToolbox: Are forms portable?

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

Typeform: Can users export data from Typeform?

Yes. Typeform provides API access for data export. Users can retrieve form data and responses through the API using the GET /forms/:formId endpoint and export to CSV through integrations like Zapier or Airbyte.

Source
Typeform: Does Typeform offer self-hosting options?

No. Typeform is a cloud-based SaaS platform only. Self-hosted alternatives exist in the open-source form builder category, but Typeform itself does not offer on-premise deployment.

Source
Typeform: When is branding removed from Typeform?

Typeform branding is automatically removed only on the Plus plan ($56/month billed annually) and higher. The free and Basic plans display Typeform branding on forms.

Source
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