mWater

Overview

mWater is a field-data and management platform for water, sanitation, and hygiene programs. It is strongest for organizations that need surveys, infrastructure records, maps, and reporting in a shared workflow, particularly where field connectivity is unreliable.

Key features

Teams can build surveys, track infrastructure sites, and bring spreadsheet data into the same system. Surveyor works on Android, iOS, and in a browser; it can collect offline and synchronize forms and responses once connectivity returns. Photo, GPS, and signature capture extend field records beyond answers to a form, while advanced workflow handoffs support more involved processes.

Reports, calculations, maps, and time-series tracking help teams turn collected data into operational views. Organizations can standardize forms and indicators, share information with permissions, and export records. Users own their data, decide what to share, and can download it through the platform or API—useful safeguards for programs that need to retain control of their records.

The API supports connections to other platforms, and the mWater Integrator exchanges data in both directions with API-enabled systems on daily, weekly, or monthly schedules without custom code. That is a practical route to recurring system-to-system transfers, but its stated cadence is scheduled rather than real-time. Security measures include encryption in transit and at rest, two-factor authentication for administrators, role-based permissions, server-side permission checks, and daily offsite backups.

mWater supports 28 languages and is designed for low-end devices and users with limited technological fluency. It reports more than 390,000 accounts across 199 countries and territories and more than 8,100 organizations, a substantial footprint for a platform focused on this sector. More than 70 percent of its codebase is open source, and mWater operates as a Digital Public Good.

Pricing

The mWater platform is free, with unlimited standard use, users, forms, surveys, and integrations, and no per-user fees. For teams whose needs fit standard use, that removes a major cost barrier as an organization grows. There is no free trial because the platform itself has a free plan.

Stellar Support Membership costs USD 500 per month or USD 5,500 per year. It adds priority complex support, a dedicated Slack channel, and 10 complex technical-assistance tasks per year. It is for organizations that need specialist help; the annual term costs less than paying monthly for twelve months.

Stellar High Volume Data also costs USD 500 per month or USD 5,500 per year. It raises API storage from 10,000 to 1,000,000 rows, increases import limits, provides full read/write API access, and uncaps integrations. This is the relevant upgrade when standard capacity is the constraint, rather than simply needing support.

Custom Surveyor app configuration is a one-time USD 25,000 for up to five configurations per organization, with unlimited users per configuration, three days of consultation and training, and permanent access. Light Blue organizational data hub is a one-time USD 50,000, including a website, permanent management access, five days of advanced support and consultation, and permanent priority support. These are substantial project-level purchases, aimed at organizations seeking configured apps or a data hub rather than just standard platform access. National and program monitoring systems use custom pricing scoped to the project and include MIS design, workflows, dashboards, integrations, training, and technical support.

Platforms

mWater is available on Android, iOS, web, and through an API. Offline collection across Surveyor's mobile and browser options is particularly useful for field teams with intermittent access to the internet.

Who it's for

Governments, utilities, water and sanitation service providers, NGOs, civil society groups, researchers, businesses, and community organizations can use mWater to collect and manage program data. Its combination of site tracking, field capture, analysis, controlled sharing, and integrations is best suited to teams working across the data lifecycle, not someone seeking only a basic survey form.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Unlimited standard use, forms, users, surveys, and integrations on the free plan make it viable for broad organizational use without per-user fees.
• Pro: Offline collection, GPS, photos, and signatures support richer field records when connectivity is unreliable.
• Pro: Data ownership, export, permission controls, and API access help teams manage sharing and retain their records.
• Con: Higher API storage, import limits, full read/write API, and uncapped integrations require the USD 500-per-month high-volume plan.
• Con: Priority complex support is a paid membership, and the custom app and data-hub options carry one-time costs of USD 25,000 and USD 50,000.
• Con: Integrator exchanges run on daily, weekly, or monthly schedules, not a stated real-time cadence.

Alternatives

Mobile Forms Software is a category starting point for comparing field-form tools. Consider Jotform if a general-purpose form builder is a better fit: its free plan has standard features and usage limits, including five forms and 100 monthly submissions. GIS Cloud is another option for GIS-focused needs, with Android, iOS, web, API, and self-hosted platforms and a free trial.

DataScope may suit a team comfortable with explicit quotas: its free tier allows 100 actions per month, 10 users, three forms, five assets, and one-year storage. KoboToolbox is an alternative with a free plan and a USD 21-per-month Starter plan. Monival offers a free Community plan with up to three forms, 100 submissions per month, and five enumerators.

Survtapp has a free plan capped at three users, 100 responses per month, five MB of storage, two kiosk devices, three forms, and 120-day data retention. CommCare is an open-source alternative with a free edition. Epicollect5 is free to use for as many projects and entries as desired, subject to a fair usage policy.

Verdict

Choose mWater if your organization works in water, sanitation, or hygiene and needs field collection connected to infrastructure tracking, analysis, sharing, and integrations. Its free standard platform is unusually broad for teams that need room for users and forms without per-seat charges. Look elsewhere if your work is outside that domain, or if your API and import volumes exceed standard capacity and the paid high-volume plan is not justified.