OneBlink vs ArcGIS Survey123:
Feature by feature breakdown

Both platforms allow unlimited form creation and builder access, but OneBlink includes unlimited monthly submissions and storage as standard. In contrast, ArcGIS Survey123 users must manage usage through a credit-based system in ArcGIS Online, where form submissions, storage, and processing can quickly consume allocated credits.

For field teams conducting inspections or audits at scale, OneBlink offers a more predictable and transparent usage model. Survey123 may require additional planning and budget allocation to avoid running into credit limits as data collection ramps up.

Survey123 offers solid form-building tools with a strong geospatial lens, especially for teams using Survey123 Connect. It supports calculations, conditional logic, and multi-page layouts. However, it lacks spam protection, eSignatures, and PDF import - areas where OneBlink excels.

OneBlink offers more field types and a more flexible builder, with native regex validation, automatic PDF generation, and digital signatures. With built-in integration to ArcGIS, teams can design rich, location-aware inspection forms without being locked into Esri’s interface.

Survey123’s workflow capabilities are limited out-of-the-box, relying heavily on third-party tools like Power Automate for basic automations. There’s no native support for approval flows, submission-triggered events, or PDF/email generation.

OneBlink enables no-code configuration of multi-step approvals, branching workflows, and auto-generated outputs—ideal for inspections, risk assessments, and compliance processes. Its Esri connector ensures that geospatial workflows can still feed into or out of ArcGIS systems as needed.

Both platforms provide offline-capable mobile apps for field data collection. Survey123 stands out in GIS-heavy environments, but it lacks features such as calendar bookings, payment integration, and contextual form loading via BLE or NFC.

OneBlink offers all of the above, allowing asset inspections, safety checks, and permit requests to be enriched with triggers like RFID or QR scans. Thanks to its Esri connector, spatial data can still be central to the process - without sacrificing user experience.

Survey123 includes features like form versioning, regex validation, and archiving. But it doesn’t offer built-in virus scanning, templated emails, or auto-generated PDF receipts - all standard in OneBlink.

With OneBlink, inspection teams benefit from a more complete toolset, enabling secure, auditable, and user-friendly data collection with fewer external dependencies. Its ability to send data to ArcGIS ensures spatial fidelity remains intact.

ArcGIS Survey123 does not provide a dedicated SDK or environment controls. API use is limited to standard ArcGIS REST services in more expensive plans, and there’s no native option for hosting custom APIs or CDN-delivered assets.

OneBlink provides all of this - SDK access, dev/test/prod environments, API hosting, and more. With the Esri connector in place, developers can still push or pull spatial data from ArcGIS while building bespoke forms and automations around it.

Both platforms are ISO 27001 certified and support multi-factor authentication. However, ArcGIS Online is hosted in US-based Azure regions by default, limiting data sovereignty options for non-US users.

OneBlink provides AWS-based hosting with local data residency in Australia, Canada, or the US. For governments requiring in-region storage, this makes it easier to comply with sovereignty and privacy policies - while still supporting Esri integration when needed.

Survey123 offers partial WCAG 2.1 compliance, particularly in web forms. However, forms built using Survey123 Connect or rendered on mobile may fall short of full accessibility standards.

OneBlink ensures WCAG compliance by default across its public-facing forms - critical for councils, agencies, and regulatory teams. This makes it easier to deliver accessible, inclusive services without needing to sacrifice spatial data thanks to its Esri integration.