Akvo Flow vs Fulcrum

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.

Fulcrum is a field operations management platform for running, recording, and closing out fieldwork. Teams build digital workflows with drag-and-drop forms, conditional logic, and required fields. Mobile capture handles photos, audio, video, barcodes, QR codes, and signatures, including offline use. Geospatial collection supports points, lines, polygons, offline basemaps, and layers. Audio FastFill turns spoken observations into structured data, while Insights answers plain-language questions with reports, maps, or risk trends. Fulcrum highlights Esri ArcGIS, Microsoft Power Automate, and IBM Maximo integrations, plus REST and Query APIs, webhooks, and Zapier. It runs on AWS and states SOC 2 Type 2 certification, TLS encryption in transit, and AES-256 encryption for stored data. Professional costs $43 a month billed annually; Elite costs $55 a month billed annually. All plans require annual billing and at least five users.