Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Cost of Magpi

Joel Selanikio ... posted this on March 02, 2012 13:05

Note: in January 2013, EpiSurveyor changed its name to Magpi.

Data Collection

With Magpi, you'll save a LOT of money over either paper-based data collection or other electronic systems. In a 2011 report, the World Bank documented a 71% decrease in data collection costs compared to paper, with improved quality.

That's because Magpi is so simple to use that you won't need programmers or consultants. You just need to know what data you would like to collect.

Our Totally Free version is better than most custom solutions. Sign up and start using Magpi immediately: you could be collecting mobile data today. No catch, and no time limit: we want you to collect data!

If you need more power or advanced functions, the paid ''pro' and 'enterprise' versions of Magpi are dramatically less expensive than other commercial programs – in some cases more than 60% less expensive. And they have features like SMS data entry, unlimited storage online, and access to our API.

With Magpi, there's never any need to spend money on technical personnel, and no servers to set up; you can securely design forms and view data from any connected computer -- even in an internet cafe. And with our completely transparent pricing you know exactly what it will cost, before you start: no surprises!

Click here to view an online calculator to determine the best account for you, based on your estimated volume of data collection per year.

Messaging

New in January 2014: text and audio messaging with Magpi. Just as with mobile data collection, Magpi lets anyone set up a mobile messaging system with SMS/text messages OR audio messages (which ring the phone of the recipient and play a message) affordably and easily from their desktop. NO need to meet with local carriers. NO need for programmers or technology consultants. NO need for an account with aggregator/gateway companies.

With Magpi messaging, you can be sending time, automated text messages to Cambodia, or audio messages to Botswana, in just minutes at pennies per message! And just as with our data collection, with Magpi's transparent pricing, you know exactly what it will cost before you start!

Pricing

Click here to read more about what is not included in the free version.

Click here to learn about optional training costs.

Click here to learn what constitutes an 'upload' for the chart above.

Please note that the fastest and easiest way to pay for a Magpi Pro or Enterprise account, or for additional upload or messaging credits, is to use a credit card: all purchases are activated immediately. For non-credit card transactions of less than US $1000, a $50 processing fee will be applied.

Melissa Kanyi ...posted this on April 14, 2012 18:20

Although the Magpi free account is a great system, of course DataDyne will not pay for your phones, or your airtime, or the data plan required for you to upload data to our web system. We also won't buy you a computer (although you can always access Magpi from an internet cafe!).

And things that are not part of the free version include:

a Pro or Enterprise account at www.magpi.com -- Pro and Enterprise accounts remove the 500 record-per-form limit, the 20 form limit per userid, the 6,000 uploads per year limit, and the 100 question limit per form. An Enterprise account is needed to use our API, which allows larger organizations to automate thier access to their Magpi data from another piece of software. If you're planning to use the API, or to collect thousands and thousands of records from many, many users, then at least one of those users needs to have a Enterprise account. The Pro and Enterprise accounts also allows for priority 24-hour email tech support.

Text-to-speech or recorded audio messaging – Pro and Enterprise accounts allow SMS and also text-to-speech and recorded audio messaging. They also include 500 or 1000 messaging credits, respectively. For more information, click here.

custom reports -- please contact us if you would like any custom reports created. These custom reports will work with the data you collect in your forms, letting you run them at the press of a button on whatever data you've collected. Custom reports require a Pro or Enterprise account. The cost of customized reports depends on the complexity and length of the report. Please contact support@datadyne.org for more info.

phone/skype/ground support or training -- if your work with Magpi requires phone/skype/ground support, training, or other extra work on our part, we'll have to charge you for it (but don't worry: we'll plow the money right back into improvements for Magpi that will benefit you and everyone else).

Melissa Kanyi ... posted this on March 30, 2012 20:26

Magpi pricing determines the number of 'uploads' that are allowed into the Magpi servers (see our pricing page for more details).

Sometimes we use many words to describe the same thing. Generally an 'upload' is when you transfer the data from one completed form to our servers.

Other words or phrases used to describe the same thing include 'record', 'data record', and 'a completed form's data'. All of these expressions typically mean the data from one household, or from one respondent to a survey.

Note that the data from one completed form counts as a single upload, no matter how many questions in the form (free users are limited to 100 questions; paid users are limited only by their phone's memory).

Note also that the annual upload limit of 5000 for free users is separate from the storage limit of 500 records total stored on our servers for each free users: the first is a measure of 'throughput', while the second is a limit on storage at any one time.