Comparison

ArcGIS Survey123 vs GaugeWatcher

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

ArcGIS Survey123

Capture precise, location-aware data in the field using smart forms, even offline. Seamlessly sync collected information with your ArcGIS platform for real-time analysis and decision-making. Ideal for public feedback, inspections, and documenting field conditions.

Highlights
  • Smart forms for data collection
  • Offline data capture and syncing
  • Location-aware data with GPS
  • Support for various question types
  • Photo and audio attachments
  • Data validation and skip logic
  • Integration with ArcGIS platform
Features
Read full description

Smart forms and surveys for digital data collection. ArcGIS Survey123 helps mobile workers collect field data with speed and precision. Capture location-aware survey responses anytime, anywhere—even offline—and sync seamlessly with your ArcGIS platform for real-time analysis and decision-making. From gathering public feedback to conducting inspections or documenting field conditions, Survey123 helps ensure data capture is efficient and reliable. ArcGIS is available on your desktop, in a browser, and on smartphones or tablets. Survey123 is Esri's form-centric app on mobile devices. Note: Survey123 is designed for organizational use. This app requires you have an ArcGIS organizational account to collect and update data. Public surveys shared by organizations can be accessed without sign in for crowd sourcing or citizen science purposes. Collect and submit data with precision: - Capture data using a wide variety of question types including text, map, choice lists, dates, photos, signatures, and barcodes. - Collect data online or offline and sync when connected. - Capture location information using device GPS. - Use maps in surveys to select points. - Apply skip logic, calculations, and data validation to ensure high-quality responses. - Attach photos and audio to survey responses. - Create multilingual surveys. Work securely with your organization: - Securely connect to your ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise organization. - Submit surveys to trigger feature service webhooks that automate downstream workflows. Collaborate and analyze results: - Access and complete publicly shared surveys in the field without needing to sign in, allowing you to provide feedback or contribute data for crowd sourcing projects. - Integrate data submitted from the Survey123 field app with ArcGIS Dashboards, ArcGIS Experience Builder, and other ArcGIS solutions to enhance visualization and analysis. - Submit reliable survey data to support professional reports, which can be generated using customizable report templates on the Survey123 website. - Submit survey data in the field to make it available for export in formats such as CSV, Excel, shapefile, or file geodatabase through the Survey123 website, ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise.

About

GaugeWatcher

Access real-time river flow data without needing an account or encountering advertisements. Discover nearby gauges, monitor flow rates, and save your preferred locations for quick access.

Highlights
  • Real-time river flow data
  • Discover nearby gauges
  • Check flow rates
  • Bookmark favorite gauges
  • No signup required
  • Ad-free experience
Features
Read full description

Simple river flow data. No signup required. No ads. No fluff. Find nearby gauges, check flow rates, bookmark favorites. That's it.

Screenshots

ArcGIS Survey1234 screens
GaugeWatcher4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: GaugeWatcher at 67% against ArcGIS Survey123's 12%. GaugeWatcher also leads on rating (3.8 vs 2.8) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). ArcGIS Survey123's advantage is ratings volume (219 vs 9) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

GaugeWatcher holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcGIS Survey123 has 219 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 12% of ArcGIS Survey123's written reviews are positive against 67% of GaugeWatcher's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ArcGIS Survey123 ships an update every 2 months, GaugeWatcher every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ArcGIS Survey123 versus GaugeWatcher: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArcGIS Survey123GaugeWatcher
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.8 (219 ratings)3.8 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews12.1% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings219 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size221 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperESRIAndrew Althage

Customer experience

ArcGIS Survey123

All ratings212 ratings
Positive39.6%
Neutral9.4%
Negative50.9%
Written reviews91 reviews
Positive12.1%
Neutral15.4%
Negative72.5%

GaugeWatcher

All ratings9 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral11.1%
Negative22.2%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

ArcGIS Survey123

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • Continuous location services polling even when app is closed
  • iPhone 17 photo capture causes complete app crash
  • Keyboard hangs during form data entry
  • App crashes on login attempts
  • Submit checkbox occluded by keyboard
Show 11 more
  • Unknown error messages on photo/data submission
  • Geopoint displays incorrect location (Africa/Atlantic Ocean)
  • Paste answers from favorites feature broken
  • External CSV calculations not functioning after updates
  • Rating option displays radio buttons with misaligned star images
  • Map library shows no compatible maps found
  • Related tables cause send/edit failures
  • Refresh loop when exiting surveys
  • Account creation paradox (need account to create account)
  • Federated credential sign-in not supported
  • Duo 2FA not displaying properly in embedded browser

Requested features

12 requests
  • Edit sent survey data capability
  • Multiple photo selection from library
  • Magic keyboard trackpad support for iPad
  • Previous answers dropdown for repeated data entry
  • Desktop/web-based survey completion
Show 7 more
  • Submit button always visible (not hidden by keyboard)
  • macOS app compatibility
  • Video selection from photo library
  • Note section for additional details
  • Arabic language support
  • Improved keyboard handling and exit mechanisms
  • Most recent surveys shown first by default

GaugeWatcher

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

ArcGIS Survey123

No in-app purchases

None

GaugeWatcher

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ArcGIS Survey123 free?
ArcGIS Survey123 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is GaugeWatcher free?
GaugeWatcher is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ArcGIS Survey123 or GaugeWatcher?
GaugeWatcher is rated higher. ArcGIS Survey123 averages 2.8 out of 5 from 219 ratings, while GaugeWatcher averages 3.8 from 9 ratings.
Do ArcGIS Survey123 or GaugeWatcher have ads?
Neither ArcGIS Survey123 nor GaugeWatcher shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ArcGIS Survey123 or GaugeWatcher?
ArcGIS Survey123 ships an update every 2 months, and GaugeWatcher every 9 days. Most recently, ArcGIS Survey123 was updated on October 28, 2026 and GaugeWatcher on October 25, 2026.

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