How to read this comparison
Every claim below is based on each vendor's own public pricing and documentation pages (full links in the Sources section below), checked on September 16, 2026 (KoboToolbox through SurveyMonkey) and September 18, 2026 (Mapalyze through QField). Pricing and features change: always verify the latest information directly with the vendor before deciding. A "—" means the information isn't publicly documented in the sources checked, never that the feature is absent.
Field data collection
The real point of comparison: like tepConnect, these eight tools serve offline data collection by a field team, from generalists like KoboToolbox, ODK and SurveyCTO to GIS-focused tools like Survey123 (Esri) and QField (QGIS).
| tepConnect | KoboToolbox | ODK | SurveyCTO | Mapalyze | Fulcrum | FastFieldproduit Quickbase | Survey123Esri/ArcGIS | QFieldQGIS, libre | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offline data collection | |||||||||
| GPS location (point, line, polygon) | |||||||||
| Custom basemap (imagery, GeoJSON zones) | Direct upload (image + coordinates), no external tool | No: vector overlays only (KML/GeoJSON) | Indirect: image must be converted to MBTiles (QGIS, MapTiler…) | Indirect: image must be converted to MBTiles (TileMill, Mapbox Studio…) | — | Customizable basemaps, GIS layers | — | — | Full GIS layers (QGIS), your own rasters |
| Photo, document, signature | Photo, video, document (PDF), handwritten signature | Photo, audio, video | Photo | Photo (mentioned by the vendor) | Photo, video, signature | Photo, video, audio, signature (with GPS track during recording) | Photo, video, audio | Photo, audio, signature, barcode | Photo, video, audio, QR/NFC |
| Coordinator → supervisor → enumerator hierarchy | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Sampling frame with live coverage tracking | — | — | Partial: offline case management | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Real-shape entities + status-coded progress map | Real geolocated entities (points, road sections, routes, polygons), status-coded map, tap to start/resume | — | Entities with geometry (2026), no built-in status map | Respondent status tracking; geometry and status map not confirmed | Real-time status map, tied to inspection points | Automatic status color on the map (point records) | — | Status maps on ArcGIS feature layers (real features: points, lines, polygons) | Attribute-based styling (QGIS), self-configured |
| Automated quality control (duplicates, cadence…) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Field-agent payroll | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Self-hosting (your own server) | — | ||||||||
| Data sent to an AI | Never, by explicit design | Optional audio transcription/translation (Google Cloud) | — | AI design tools and AI assistant (since 2026) | MAIA: form generation, photo analysis (OCR, objects), statistical anomaly detection, task assignment | AI face-blurring (Pro); AI audio fill and insights (Elite) | AI form builder and converter, AI photo analysis | AI image, text, and audio analysis (beta) | — |
| Free tier / lowest paid tier | Découverte plan, pricing not yet published | Free (nonprofit, capped); from $25/mo (for-profit) | Free if self-hosted; ODK Cloud from $199/mo | Capped free edition; from $250/mo | Free (2 accounts, 1 project); from €25/user/month | From $43/user/month (5-account minimum) | From $24/user/month (now a Quickbase product) | Not standalone: included in an ArcGIS Online/Enterprise license | Free app; QFieldCloud free (100 MB) or paid; self-hosting possible |
QField is the only fully open-source tool in this table (GPL license), self-hostable end to end, including the QFieldCloud backend.
Self-administered online forms
A different category, to be fair: Typeform and SurveyMonkey are built first for self-administered web forms (marketing, HR, customer satisfaction), not field collection. We include them here only for the one case where tepConnect plays on their turf: direct links, with no enumerator.
| tepConnect | Typeform | SurveyMonkey | |
|---|---|---|---|
| "One question at a time" flow | No: priority goes to field collection, not a conversational flow | ||
| Self-hosting | |||
| Offline data collection | No: a web form, requires a connection | No | Enterprise plan only (separate app) |
| Data sent to an AI | Never, by explicit design | Typeform AI (form design, response enrichment) | Build with AI, Analyze with AI |
| Also part of a complete field-collection platform | |||
| Free tier / lowest paid tier | Découverte plan, pricing not yet published | Free (100 responses/mo); from $29/mo | Free (capped); from about $99/mo |
Sources
Checked on September 16, 2026 (KoboToolbox through SurveyMonkey) and September 18, 2026 (Mapalyze through QField, plus a targeted re-check of ODK and SurveyCTO for the "real-shape entities" row), directly on each vendor's public pages:
KoboToolbox : kobotoolbox.org/pricing, support.kobotoolbox.org
ODK : getodk.org, docs.getodk.org, docs.getodk.org/entities-intro
SurveyCTO : surveycto.com/plans, surveycto.com/data-security, docs.surveycto.com, surveycto.com/product/case-management
Mapalyze : mapalyze.com/pricing, mapalyze.com/gis-data-capture, mapalyze.com/offline-sync, mapalyze.com/maia
Fulcrum : fulcrumapp.com/pricing, fulcrumapp.com/security, help.fulcrumapp.com, help.fulcrumapp.com/status-field
FastField : quickbase.com/fastfield/pricing, quickbase.com/fastfield/features
Survey123 : esri.com/arcgis/products/arcgis-survey123, community.esri.com (workflow SIG/inspection)
QField : qfield.org, docs.qfield.org, docs.qfield.org/attributes-form
Typeform : typeform.com/pricing, help.typeform.com
SurveyMonkey : surveymonkey.com/pricing, help.surveymonkey.com
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