ODK

What ODK does

ODK (Open Data Kit) is an open-source data collection platform operated by Get ODK Inc., a privately held California corporation headquartered in San Diego with a small (1-10), fully-remote global team. The platform enables organizations to build powerful forms with photos, GPS, skip logic, calculations, and multi-language support, and to collect data in offline or low-connectivity field environments that auto-sync when connectivity is restored. Core products include ODK Collect (Android mobile app for field data collection), ODK Central (server software for managing forms, submissions, users, and entities), and ODK Cloud (the company's fully managed hosted service). The underlying technology stack spans Java, Kotlin, JavaScript, and Python, and the ecosystem is anchored by industry-standard specifications maintained by ODK: XLSForm (Excel-based form design), OpenRosa (client-server communication protocols), and ODK XForms (W3C-based form specification), plus the pyxform conversion library and official pyODK (Python) and ruODK (R) SDKs.

The commercial model is a hybrid freemium/product-led motion. Self-hosting the open-source software is free, while ODK Cloud is sold via three subscription tiers (Standard at $199/mo, Professional at $499/mo, Enterprise at custom pricing) with annual billing offering up to 20% savings and modular Basic add-ons ($199/mo yearly or $249/mo monthly) for additional projects and submission capacity. Enterprise customers can request demos and receive SSO, custom domain, uptime SLA, and a dedicated success manager. Distribution is primarily direct/self-serve globally, with sales-assisted enterprise demos layered on top. The company holds SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR, and ISO 27001 certifications, with optional data residency in the US, EU, or India, and reports 99.9999% uptime since April 2023.

The user base spans public health (WHO for disease surveillance covering 1.4 billion people), humanitarian and development organizations (Red Cross, HOT, Carter Center), research institutions (MORU, CSIRO, Bangor University, Biostat Global), and agriculture (Ilex). ODK reports more than 2 million users globally sending over 250 million submissions annually, supported by a 17,000+ member community forum, GitHub open-source repositories, and 100+ G2 reviews. Infrastructure partners include AWS, DigitalOcean, Cloudflare, GitHub, and Stripe; HOT is a flagship strategic partner for geospatial field mapping.

Name

ODK

Legal name

Get ODK Inc.

Website

https://getodk.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ODK (Get ODK Inc.) is an open-source data collection platform offering ODK Cloud subscriptions, ODK Central server software, and the ODK Collect Android app for offline-capable field data collection, serving public health, humanitarian, and research organizations worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Field Data Collection Software

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821), Document Preparation Services (561410), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)

akta.pro primary industry

OCR, ICR & Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) (BPAAAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Electronic Data Capture (EDC) Platforms (HLACAOAA)

Keywords

• Open-source data collection
• Offline field surveys
• Mobile form builder
• Field data platform
• Data collection software

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. ODK Cloud Subscriptions: Cloud-hosted service with three tiers (Standard, Professional, Enterprise) offering recurring subscription revenue. Includes managed hosting, support, and automatic updates. Annual billing offers 20% savings vs monthly.
2. Basic Add-ons: Additional project and submission capacity available as add-ons for $199/month (yearly) or $249/month (monthly). Each add-on includes 1 project and 10K monthly submissions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ODK provides an open-source data collection platform comprising ODK Central (server software for managing forms, submissions, and users), ODK Collect (Android mobile app for offline-capable field data collection), and ODK Cloud (fully hosted managed subscription service). It supports building forms with photos, GPS, skip logic, calculations, external datasets, and multiple languages, with automated sync when connectivity is restored. Data can be downloaded or connected to Excel, Power BI, Python, and R for analysis.

Product overview

ODK (Open Data Kit) is an open-source data collection platform consisting of ODK Central (server software for managing forms and submissions), ODK Collect (Android mobile app for offline/online field data collection), and ODK Cloud (fully managed hosted service). The ecosystem includes XLSForm (Excel-based form specification), pyxform (Python conversion library), OpenRosa APIs (communication standards), and official SDKs including pyODK for Python and ruODK for R. ODK supports building powerful forms with photos, GPS, skip logic, calculations, and multiple languages, enabling data analysis with tools like Excel, Power BI, Python, and R.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ODK Cloud ODK's fully hosted, managed, and supported cloud service providing fast, reliable, and secure access to the ODK data collection platform. Available in Standard ($199/mo), Professional ($499/mo), and Enterprise (custom pricing) tiers with varying project limits, submission volumes, and features such as SSO and uptime SLA. Targeted at organizations that prefer managed hosting over self-hosting.
• ODK Central Server application for managing forms, submissions, users, and entities within the ODK ecosystem. Used by project managers to configure data collection projects, assign forms to enumerators, and oversee data flow. Deployable as self-hosted open-source software or through the ODK Cloud managed service.
• ODK Collect Android mobile app used by field data collectors to fill out forms designed in ODK Central. Works online and offline, supports photos, GPS, audio, and structured inputs, and syncs data automatically when an internet connection is available. Distributed via the Google Play Store and as open-source software.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2 million+ people use ODK globally
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability3 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered infrastructure, core and flagship.

• Amazon Web ServicesinfrastructureTechnology or IntegrationAWS is used as the underlying cloud infrastructure for ODK Cloud services (sub-processor for personal data such as submissions)
• DigitalOceaninfrastructureTechnology or IntegrationDigitalOcean is listed as a sub-processor for non-submission personal data categories, used for hosting and infrastructure
• CloudflareinfrastructureTechnology or IntegrationCloudflare is listed as a sub-processor for CDN and security services
• GitHubinfrastructureTechnology or IntegrationGitHub is used for code repository and CI/CD as a sub-processor
• XLSForm (xlsform.org)coreTechnology or IntegrationXLSForm is an Excel-based form specification that is integral to ODK's form design workflow. ODK maintains and supports the XLSForm standard.
• pyxformcoreTechnology or IntegrationPython library maintained by ODK that converts XLSForms into ODK XForms - core dependency for the form conversion pipeline
• OpenRosa WorkGroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationOriginal working group that developed OpenRosa communication standards for ODK client-server communication. Working group is no longer active but standards continue in use.
• HOT (Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for greater geospatial impact. HOT uses ODK for field mapping of vulnerable places, collaborating on humanitarian mapping projects.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• doForms: Mobile forms and field data collection platform for enterprise verticals (utilities, insurance, healthcare) — comparable to ODK in mobile/offline form collection with a more commercial customer base.
• FormAssembly: Enterprise form and data collection platform focused on compliance-heavy use cases (HIPAA, GDPR) — emerging player with overlap to ODK Enterprise in secure, compliant form-based data collection.
• Magpi: Mobile data collection platform used in public health, agriculture, and field research — comparable to ODK in vertical focus and mobile-first data collection workflows.

Direct peers

• KoboToolbox: Open-source mobile data collection platform widely used by humanitarian, health, and development organizations — directly comparable to ODK in form-building, offline capability, and target verticals (UN agencies, NGOs).
• SurveyCTO: Commercial, managed data collection platform for academic and development research — directly comparable in offline form-based data collection, target customers (researchers, NGOs), and managed-cloud subscription model.
• CommCare (Dimagi): Mobile data collection and case management platform for frontline health workers in low-resource settings — competes in the same offline-first, NGO-funded mobile data collection space as ODK.
• Ona Data: Open-source mobile data collection and analytics platform built around OpenRosa and XLSForm — directly comparable to ODK in technology stack, target verticals, and managed-cloud offering.

Broad incumbents

• Qualtrics: Enterprise experience management and survey platform owned by Silver Lake/CPPIB — competes with ODK in form-based data collection and survey workflows, but at a much larger enterprise scale and price point.
• Typeform: Consumer-friendly form and survey builder with strong PLG motion — adjacent competitor targeting overlapping form-based data collection use cases with greater resources and brand recognition.
• Jotform: Long-established online form builder serving SMBs and enterprises — adjacent competitor in form-based data capture with a much larger user base and broader feature set than ODK.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/getodk
• Xx.com/getodk
• Facebookfacebook.com/getodk

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ODK