Ila Earth vs. ArcGIS Survey123
An honest side-by-side look at how a purpose-built Infrastructure Survey & Asset Integrity Platform compares to a generic GIS form tool.
| Capability | Ila Earth | ArcGIS Survey123 |
|---|---|---|
| Offline-first capture on Android | Yes | Yes (Esri ecosystem) |
| iOS field app | Not in current roadmap | Yes |
| KML / KMZ pipeline route import | Yes | Limited |
| Asset integrity workflows | Built-in | Custom form |
| CP data capture (general) | Built-in | Custom XLSForm |
| CIPS validation against NACE SP0169 | Roadmap | Custom XLSForm |
| DCVG %IR calculation | Roadmap | Custom formula |
| ICCP monitoring | In development | Custom form |
| Soil resistivity math | In development | Not supported |
| Excel alignment sheet export | Yes | Manual export |
| PDF engineering report | Yes (standard templates) | Custom template |
| Audit log explorer | In development | Not built-in |
| SSO (SAML / OIDC) | Roadmap | Via Esri |
| Pricing | Free during Early Access | Paid (Esri stack) |
When Survey123 makes sense
You are already deep in the Esri ecosystem, your team has GIS expertise, your surveys are not CP-specific, and you have the in-house capability to build and maintain XLSForms. You can build a working CP workflow in Survey123 — it just takes longer, costs more, and you'll maintain the validation logic yourself.
When Ila Earth makes sense
Cathodic protection, pipeline integrity, and infrastructure surveys are your core work. You want a purpose-built platform with offline-first capture, asset workflows, and engineering reports out of the box. You value being able to onboard in days, not months — and you are happy to be on a public roadmap with a team that ships iteratively.
Run a side-by-side pilot.
We'll set you up with Ila Earth on one of your live projects so you can compare against your current workflow.
Request Early Access