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Getodk Review

Depends

Should I use Getodk?

× - getodk.org

· 6 days ago

Buy it if your teams collect survey data offline in the field — the core is free, Cure53-audited, and proven at WHO/Red Cross scale. Skip it if you just need simple web forms or business analytics; Google Forms or a spreadsheet is far easier.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 40+ public sources; snippets truncated, and ODK Cloud pricing was not published in the sources reviewed.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free, open source

Self-hosted (Central + Collect)

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
ODK CloudNot published in sources

Best for

  • Field research and survey teams
  • NGOs and humanitarian programs
  • Health data and vaccine trials
  • Offline, low-connectivity collection

Not for

  • Teams needing only simple web forms
  • Non-technical buyers unwilling to learn XLSForm
  • Sales teams wanting a CRM or analytics
  • Buyers who require vendor SLAs and hand-holding

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

ODK Cloud caps projects and submissions per tier; check limits before scaling

medium

Support is a community forum; no dedicated SLA on the free tier

low

Expect XLSForm training time before field staff are productive

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free, open-source core; no vendor lock-in
  • Purpose-built for offline data collection in low-connectivity settings
  • Cure53 security audit completed December 2024
  • Rated 4.9/5 across 102 G2 reviews
  • Used by WHO and Red Cross at scale

Cons

  • Form design requires learning the XLSForm standard
  • Self-hosting ODK Central takes setup and maintenance effort
  • ODK Cloud pricing not published in sources reviewed

Sources & method

- 9 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. Cure53 audited ODK mobile apps and server in Dec 2024; Central supports encrypted forms and a vulnerability disclosure program exists.

official x2review x3security x2news x2

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free, open source

    Starting price

  • 9

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free open-source core; no lock-in
  • Ease of use: 3/5. XLSForm learning curve for form design
  • Feature depth: 5/5. Offline apps, encryption, entities, mapping, APIs
  • Support quality: 4/5. Very active forum and docs
  • Security posture: 5/5. Cure53 audited; no reported breaches
  • 4.9/5 G2 rating 102 reviews
  • Yes Free tier Open source, self-host free
  • $5.3M Est. ARR 2025 estimate
  • ~2M Users Offline-first data collection

Pricing

Self-hosted (Central + Collect)

Free, open source

  • Full open-source feature set
  • You manage hosting and security

ODK Cloud

Not published in sources

  • Fully managed hosting, same software
  • Project and submission limits apply

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

Cure53 audited ODK mobile apps and server in Dec 2024; Central supports encrypted forms and a vulnerability disclosure program exists.

What users say

G2 reviewers rate ODK 4.9/5 across 102 reviews and its support forum is very active on form-design questions.

Alternatives

Compare Getodk with each alternative.

  • Kobotoolbox

    Guess: ODK sibling with friendlier interface and free NGO hosting

    Getodk vs Kobotoolbox

  • ArcGIS Survey123

    Fits teams already inside the Esri ArcGIS ecosystem

  • Google Forms

    Simple online forms; weak offline support

Companies that use it

  • World Health Organization⁵
  • Red Cross⁵
  • London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine⁸
Full analysis

Based on 40+ public sources; snippets truncated, and ODK Cloud pricing was not published in the sources reviewed.

Free, audited offline data collection built for field teams; overkill for simple web forms.

Methodology

Based on 40+ public sources; snippets truncated, and ODK Cloud pricing was not published in the sources reviewed.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. ODK - Collect data anywheregetodk.org
    official
  2. Get ODK Inc G2 seller reviews (102)g2.com
    review
  3. Cure53 ODK security audit reportcure53.de
    security
  4. ODK security overviewdocs.getodk.org
    security
  5. ODK Crunchbase profile (WHO, Red Cross users)crunchbase.com
    news
  6. ODK revenue and company datagetlatka.com
    news
  7. Survey123 alternatives discussionreddit.com
    review
  8. LSHTM ODK server setup guidelshtm-ork.github.io
    official
  9. ODK support forumforum.getodk.org
    review

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