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Surveys · head to head

KoboToolbox vs Tally

KoboToolbox logo

KoboToolbox

Surveys

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tally logo

Tally

Surveys

Form builder with unlimited forms and responses on the free plan, edited like a text document

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.; Tally built-in analysis is limited to basic summaries, so any real analysis means exporting responses to a spreadsheet or database.
  • They diverge on capability: KoboToolbox covers Offline data collection, Tally covers Document-style editor.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which KoboToolbox and Tally actually diverge.

Attributes where KoboToolbox and Tally differ
AttributeKoboToolboxTally
Pricing modelPer month by submission countFree tier, paid for branding and team features
PlatformsWeb, Android, Self-hostedWeb

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

  • 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 Tally

  • Document-style editor
  • Unlimited free responses
  • Conditional logic and calculations
  • Payment collection
  • Notion and Airtable sync
  • Custom domains

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

Tally

  • A startup collecting waitlist or beta signups that will grow well past a free response cap elsewherenot KoboToolbox
  • A small team that wants form submissions landing directly in Notion or Airtablenot KoboToolbox
  • A charity or community group running a public consultation with no software budgetnot KoboToolbox
  • A quick internal request or intake form that needs to exist within the hournot 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.

Tally

  • Built-in analysis is limited to basic summaries, so any real analysis means exporting responses to a spreadsheet or database.
  • There is no offline data collection, which rules it out for field research or events without reliable connectivity.
  • The company is very small and bootstrapped, so support is email and documentation with no account management, and some procurement processes will reject that.
  • Advanced research features such as quotas, randomisation and panel integration are absent, so it is a form builder rather than a research instrument.
  • Design control is deliberately narrow, so brands that need pixel-level form styling will find the theming options constraining even on the paid tier.

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

Tally

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited forms, questions and responses
    • Conditional logic, calculations and file uploads
    • Integrations including Notion, Google Sheets and webhooks
  • Tally Pro$29/month
    • Remove Tally branding
    • Custom domains and form redirects
    • Team workspaces and collaboration

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 Tally if

  • You need document-style editor.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want unlimited free responses.
Tally review

Questions people ask

Is KoboToolbox or Tally better?
Neither clearly leads. KoboToolbox starts at Free and Tally at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, KoboToolbox or Tally?
KoboToolbox starts at Free and Tally at Free.
Does KoboToolbox or Tally run on more platforms?
KoboToolbox runs on Web, Android, Self-hosted. Tally 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 Tally is typically brought in for.
What can KoboToolbox do that Tally cannot?
KoboToolbox covers Offline data collection, XLSForm and browser form builder, Skip logic and validation, Multilingual forms. Tally covers Document-style editor, Unlimited free responses, Conditional logic and calculations, 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.

Tally: Is the free plan really unlimited?

Yes for forms, questions and responses. The paid tier sells branding removal, custom domains and team features rather than volume.

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.

Tally: Is Tally suitable for research surveys?

Only simple ones. It has logic and calculations but no quotas, randomisation or panel management.

KoboToolbox: Can I host it myself?

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

Tally: Is it GDPR compliant?

Tally is a European company operating under GDPR, and buyers with strict requirements should request the data processing agreement before rollout.

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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