QField is an open-source mobile and desktop app that brings QGIS projects into the field for offline geospatial data collection, editing, and navigation, with optional cloud synchronization so teams can capture accurate survey data anywhere.
QField is a fieldwork companion for QGIS. A GIS specialist prepares layers, symbology, and attribute forms inside QGIS, packages the project with the QFieldSync plugin, and copies it to a phone, tablet, or laptop. Field staff then open the project and work directly on the map: drawing points, lines, and polygons, filling in forms, attaching photos, and checking positions against a live GPS feed. Everything runs offline by default, so basemaps and layers stay available far from any signal. Once the survey is finished, the edited project returns to QGIS or synchronizes through QFieldCloud, where changes are merged and reviewed by the office team.
Because the project travels intact, the app behaves like a trimmed-down QGIS rather than a separate data-entry tool. The same layer styles, label rules, value maps, and constraints configured in the office still apply in the field, which keeps collected records consistent across different surveyors and devices. Multi-language projects let one setup serve crews working in different languages, and plugins add capabilities such as XLSForm conversion or live default values pulled from a remote service. For crews who mainly need to browse reference data between surveys, a desktop virtual globe such as Marble covers global imagery differently; QField stays focused on editing and capturing records tied to a survey schema.
Field teams adopt QField because it removes the usual gap between survey design and survey execution. Configuration happens once in QGIS, so a project manager can lock down field names, required values, and pick lists before anyone leaves the office, and the resulting records arrive clean instead of needing hours of cleanup. Offline operation means no lost work in forests, tunnels, rural catchments, or construction sites with no coverage, and the local project copy keeps working when the network drops mid-form. High-precision positioning support lets surveyors pair the device with external GNSS receivers and correction services, so asset locations meet the accuracy a cadastral or utility survey demands. On collaborative jobs, cloud synchronization shortens the loop between field and office: supervisors see incoming features, can spot gaps while crews are still on site, and reassign work the same day. Being open source also means no per-seat licence negotiation, direct use of existing QGIS data, and a workflow the team can inspect and adapt.
Key capabilities and highlights.
Use the QFieldSync plugin to bundle a QGIS project, its layers, and the basemaps you need into a single folder, then copy it to a phone, tablet, or laptop. The whole survey then runs without a connection, so remote sites stay fully workable.
Attribute forms, value maps, constraints, and relation reference widgets designed in QGIS carry over unchanged, so field entry follows the same naming rules, pick lists, and validation as the office database. That consistency saves hours of post-survey cleaning and keeps records comparable across crews.
Use the built-in receiver or pair an external Bluetooth GNSS device, apply NTRIP correction streams, and log positions with the accuracy a cadastral, utility, or forestry survey requires. Accuracy indicators stay visible on the map while you record, so weak fixes are caught in the field rather than back at the desk.
Push and pull project changes across a team with per-project permissions, so several surveyors can cover one job without emailing folders back and forth. Supervisors see incoming features as they arrive, assign follow-up work the same day, and let the service reconcile overlapping edits at synchronisation time.
Draw and edit points, lines, and polygons, measure distances and areas directly on the map, and use coordinate geometry to stake out offsets, bearings, and intersections. The behaviour mirrors familiar QGIS digitizing tools, so trained staff can start capturing features with almost no learning curve.
Follow a route to a target feature, record travelled tracks for later review, and trigger alerts when the device enters or leaves a defined area on the project map. Together these tools guide crews to the right plot and leave evidence that the ground was actually covered.
Capture pictures, audio, video, or sketches and store them with the feature they describe, with EXIF metadata written into the record so each observation stays traceable. Attached imagery makes condition reports, defect logs, and site inspections far easier to verify long after the crew has left.
Inspect terrain in a 3D map view, run selected processing algorithms without a connection, and export layouts or reports to PDF while still on site. Questions that once waited for the return trip, such as how a slope or boundary really looks, can be answered at the plot edge.
Browse historical releases and previous builds.
Common questions about QField.
The app itself is free and open source, released under the GNU GPL, so you can install it on as many devices as your fieldwork requires without a licence fee. QFieldCloud, the optional synchronization service for teams, offers a free community plan alongside paid plans for larger organizations and extra storage.
Yes. Offline operation is the default: basemaps, layers, and forms are loaded onto the device before departure, and the whole session runs without a network. Changes are stored locally and can be sent to QGIS or QFieldCloud once a connection is available again.
QField is available for Android and iOS on mobile devices, and for Windows, macOS, and Linux on desktop and tablet-style computers. The same packaged project can be used across those platforms, which helps when mixed devices are in the same crew.
Most workflows start in QGIS, where layers, styles, and attribute forms are configured and then packaged for the field. The app can also create a simple project on the device, but full form configuration and symbology work are done in QGIS.
Yes. The app supports external GNSS devices connected over Bluetooth or USB and can apply NTRIP correction streams, which is how surveyors reach the sub-metre or centimetre accuracy that professional asset and cadastral work demands.
You can copy the packaged project folder back to a computer and apply the field edits with the QFieldSync plugin, or let QFieldCloud synchronize the changes and then pull them into the desktop project. Both routes keep the original layer structure intact.
Yes, when the project is hosted on QFieldCloud. Each surveyor works on a local copy and synchronizes changes, and the service reconciles the incoming edits so the team shares one current dataset instead of scattering duplicate files.
No. Forms are built with QGIS widgets and expressions, and constraints are configured through the standard interface. Optional plugins and expression-based defaults extend what a form can do, but a working survey project can be assembled without writing code.
QField is an open-source mobile and desktop app that brings QGIS projects into the field for offline geospatial data collection, editing, and navigation, with optional cloud synchronization so teams can capture accurate survey data anywhere.
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