Akvo Flow vs Epicollect5
Akvo Flow
akvo.org
Epicollect5
five.epicollect.netSide by side
| Figure | Akvo Flow | Epicollect5 |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 3 | 1 |
| Spec score · Mobile Forms Automation Software | 9.0 (#1) | 8.1 (#8) |
| Spec score · Mobile Forms Software | 9.0 (#4) | 8.1 (#20) |
| Access controls | Flow provides roles and permissions for managing team members’ data access. | Projects can be public or private, with authentication required for private projects, and the platform supports user roles. |
| Data capture | Forms can collect qualitative and quantitative answers, water test results, GPS data, images, geographical shapes, barcodes, and QR codes. | Forms can capture GPS locations, photos, video, audio and barcodes. |
| Integrations | Akvo says its open source platform can connect with other tools and systems using its API. | Custom data mappings support fitting exports to third-party systems, and a read-only API provides data through GET requests over HTTPS. |
| Offline collection | The Android app collects without network coverage and uploads automatically when connectivity returns or manually through USB. | Users can collect data offline on mobile devices and upload it to the server when they are online again. |
| Purpose | Akvo Flow is presented as a data collection tool for organisations that use data to drive change. | Epicollect5 is a mobile and web application for creating forms and collecting data. |
| Support | Akvo says hosted platform customers receive a support team and access to tool documentation; the listed Pro plan includes a service package. | The Epicollect5 Community is the primary contact point for support and platform questions. |
Plans
In their own words
Akvo Flow
Akvo Flow is a data collection tool for organisations that use data to drive change. Its online workspace lets teams create, edit, copy and store surveys, then connect enumerators’ devices and assign survey groups for a set period. Forms can capture qualitative and quantitative responses, water test results, GPS data, images, geographical shapes, barcodes and QR codes. Monitoring forms track selected data points over time. The Android app collects information offline and can upload it automatically when coverage returns or manually by USB. Flow exports data and form codebooks, and its Comprehensive report presents basic statistics and charts. The open source platform connects with other tools through an API. Roles and permissions help control team access; Akvo says data transmission between system components uses SSL encryption and users choose what to keep private or share. Flow runs on Android, web, API and self-hosted platforms. Flow Basic is free for new clients, with a 300-submission limit, one export format and one user. Flow Pro + pricing is custom.
Epicollect5
Epicollect5 has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.