Softwr

Surveys · head to head

KoboToolbox vs Wrike

KoboToolbox logo

KoboToolbox

Surveys

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

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Wrike logo

Wrike

Marketing

Versatile & robust project management software

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
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.; Wrike seats are sold in blocks rather than singly: groups of 5 up to 30 seats, groups of 10 up to 100, and groups of 25 above that, so adding one person can mean paying for five
  • They diverge on capability: KoboToolbox covers Offline data collection, Wrike covers Interactive Gantt charts.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which KoboToolbox and Wrike actually diverge.

Attributes where KoboToolbox and Wrike differ
AttributeKoboToolboxWrike
Pricing modelPer month by submission countUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Android, Self-hostedWeb, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux
CategorySurveysMarketing
FoundedUnknown2006

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 Wrike

  • Interactive Gantt charts
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Custom workflows
  • Resource management
  • Time tracking
  • Proofing tools
  • Performance reports
  • Mobile apps

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

Wrike

  • Marketing campaignsnot KoboToolbox
  • Creative projectsnot KoboToolbox
  • Product developmentnot KoboToolbox
  • Professional servicesnot KoboToolbox
  • Event managementnot 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.

Wrike

  • Seats are sold in blocks rather than singly: groups of 5 up to 30 seats, groups of 10 up to 100, and groups of 25 above that, so adding one person can mean paying for five
  • The Team plan is limited to 2 to 15 users and Business to 5 to 200
  • Business and above are annual subscriptions only
  • Pinnacle and Apex pricing is not published
  • AI actions are rationed by tier rather than unlimited

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

Wrike

Free
  • FreeFree
  • Team$10/month
    • Per user
    • Gantt charts
    • AI included
  • Business$25/month
    • Per user
  • Pinnacle$undefined/month

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 Wrike if

  • You need interactive gantt charts.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want real-time collaboration.
Wrike review

Questions people ask

Is KoboToolbox or Wrike better?
Neither clearly leads. KoboToolbox starts at Free and Wrike at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, KoboToolbox or Wrike?
KoboToolbox starts at Free and Wrike at Free.
Does KoboToolbox or Wrike run on more platforms?
KoboToolbox runs on Web, Android, Self-hosted. Wrike runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux.
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 Wrike is typically brought in for.
What can KoboToolbox do that Wrike cannot?
KoboToolbox covers Offline data collection, XLSForm and browser form builder, Skip logic and validation, Multilingual forms. Wrike covers Interactive Gantt charts, Real-time collaboration, Custom workflows, Resource management.

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.

Wrike: Are Gantt charts included in all plans?

Gantt charts are available in the Team plan ($10/user/month) and higher. The free plan has limited project visualization.

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.

Wrike: Is AI included in the pricing?

Yes. As of January 2026, Wrike includes AI Agents and AI Priority Inbox in all plans at no extra cost, a major differentiator from competitors charging $20-40/user/month for AI.

Source
KoboToolbox: Can I host it myself?

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

KoboToolbox: Are forms portable?

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

Share

Related pages

More on KoboToolbox

More on Wrike

Keep looking

Other head to heads