Who owns your field data: lock-in and the cost of leaving
The real cost of software shows up on the day you decide to leave it.
Field takeaways
- You must be able to export in open formats.
- On-device storage reduces account dependency.
- Lock-in can exist in free products too.
- Measure the cost of leaving while you are buying.
- Verify a few times a year that backups still open.
Lock-in has nothing to do with price
A free product can lock you in too: if it only lets you reach the data through its own interface, restricts export, or stores it in a closed format. Free to use does not mean free to leave.
One question: can you export all of it
Measurements, layer structure, photos, notes and attributes. If you can take all of that out in open formats, the data is yours. If you can export the geometry but leave the photos and notes behind, half the work stays inside that product.
What on-device storage means
Data stored on the device by default, cloud sync as an option, and the ability to work without creating an account are three concrete features that reduce dependency. In MapLab Survey measurements are stored on the device and cloud sync is optional.
Measure the cost of leaving up front
While evaluating a product, create a project, fill it and try to export the whole thing. That ten-minute test is a rehearsal of the migration you may face in two years, and the result can change your buying decision.
A backup is not a backup until it opens
Open your exported files on another device a few times a year. A backup nobody has ever opened reveals its problem on exactly the day you need it.
Try these steps on your own phone.
MapLab Survey handles RTK/GNSS point capture, drawing, area and volume calculations and coordinate conversion, then exports to DXF, KML/KMZ, GeoJSON, Shapefile, GeoPackage, NCZ or CSV. Capture, calculation and export work offline. Live NTRIP corrections and online basemaps need a connection.
Frequently asked questions
Can a free product lock you in?
Yes; what matters is not price but whether you can export in open formats.
What should I be able to export?
Geometry, layer structure, attributes, photos and notes — all of it.
Why does on-device storage matter?
It reduces dependency on an account and a connection, and keeps the data with you.
How do I measure the cost of leaving?
Create a test project and try to export the whole thing.
Technical references
The field guidance in this article is aligned with the technical and official references below.
Related: Free alternative checklist · Project file sharing · Field data backup · MapLab Survey