Company Overview
KoboToolbox was created by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) in 2010, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. As a free open-source data collection platform designed for humanitarian organizations, development workers, and academic researchers, KoboToolbox is used in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, supporting offline data collection, GPS tagging, form design, and data analysis.
Unlike commercial data collection tools, KoboToolbox operates as a non-profit platform hosted and maintained by Harvard University, ensuring that humanitarian organizations can use its core features for free. The platform has been deployed by UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), research institutions, and government agencies for millions of surveys and assessment projects.
Related providers: KoboToolbox
Core Products
| Product Name | Description |
|---|---|
| KoboToolbox Platform | Core web platform for form design, data collection, visualization, and export |
| KoboCollect (Android App) | Offline mobile data collection app supporting GPS, photos, audio, and barcodes |
| Kobo API | RESTful API for system integration and automated data synchronization |
| Kobo Form Builder | Visual form editor with skip logic, validation rules, and multi-language support |
| Kobo GPS/Mapping | Built-in geospatial data collection supporting points, lines, and polygons |
| Kobo Data Visualization | Online dashboard and reporting tools with charts, maps, and tables |
| Kobo Enketo (Web Forms) | Browser-based form interface supporting offline completion |
Core Strengths
- Free & Open Source: Humanitarian and non-profit organizations can use all core features for free; code is open for audit
- Offline-First: Designed for areas with poor internet infrastructure, supporting fully offline data collection and sync
- GPS Deep Integration: Built-in geospatial data collection with point marking, track recording, and area drawing
- Academic Credentials: Backed by Harvard University's research expertise; data collection methodology is academically validated
- Large-Scale Deployment: Supports millions of data points for large-scale surveys and censuses
- Multi-Language Support: Interface and forms available in dozens of languages for multinational teams
Key Milestones
- 2010: Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) creates KoboToolbox as an internal research tool
- 2013: KoboToolbox is open-sourced and made available to humanitarian organizations worldwide
- 2015: KoboCollect Android app launched with offline-first data collection capabilities
- 2018: Platform surpasses 500,000 users adopted by humanitarian organizations in 150+ countries
- 2020: Usage surges during COVID-19 pandemic for contact tracing and vaccine distribution monitoring
- 2023: New dashboard and advanced data visualization features released
- 2026: Ongoing platform optimization, API and integration expansion
Market Position
KoboToolbox competes with the following platforms in the open-source data collection and non-profit survey space:
- ODK (Open Data Kit): The most direct open-source competitor, maintained by the Nafundi/Google community; KoboToolbox is built on ODK
- Survey123 (Esri): Esri's commercial mobile survey tool with deep ArcGIS ecosystem integration
- CommCare (Dimagi): Mobile data platform for community health workers, focused on case management
- Magpi: Commercial mobile data collection platform with similar features but paid licensing
- Ona: ODK-based data collection and visualization platform offering enterprise services
- SurveyCTO: Enterprise-grade mobile data collection platform built on ODK with advanced features
