15 Best alternatives to Google Forms in 2026 (tested & ranked)
When it comes to quick, simple online forms, Google Forms is the undisputed default. It's free, universally accessible, and you can spin up a basic survey in minutes. But is 'default' the same as 'best' for your business or project in 2026?
The answer is almost certainly no. Its limitations, especially regarding branding, advanced conditional logic, and integrated payment options, can severely limit your data collection efforts and hurt user experience.
We know how critical data collection is. That's why our dedicated team spent over 40 hours creating and deploying five unique form types (including a conditional logic survey, a lead gen form, and a product order form with payment) across the five leading free alternatives.
TL;DR List for Google Forms alternatives
- forms.app: Overall best value
- Microsoft Forms: Best for Office 365 integration
- Formplus: Best for field data collection and inspections
- Typeform: Best for design and user experience
- Pristo: Best for field data collection and inspections
- Tally: Best for unlimited free forms
- Cognito Forms: Best for advanced logic and workflow automation
- Zoho Forms: Best for businesses using the Zoho ecosystem
- Formstack: Best for enterprises and compliance-heavy workflows
- Wufoo: Best for simple, fast forms with payments
- SurveyMonkey: Best for professional surveys and analytics
- Paperform: Best for beautifully designed, page-like forms
- Fillout: Best for clean forms with collaboration
- 123FormBuilder: Best for templates and flexible use cases
- SurveySparrow: Best for conversational surveys and user engagement
First glance at Google Forms alternatives
| Tool | Best for | Standout Features | Entry Plan |
| forms.app | Overall best value (Free feature set) | Conditional Logic, Payments, & AI form creation. | [Free plan ✅] / $25 - Basic |
| Microsoft Forms | Businesses using the Office 365 ecosystem | Seamless Excel & Teams integration. | [Completely free ✅] |
| Formplus | Offline data collection | Offline capability, e-signatures & cloud storage integrations. | [Free plan ✅] / $25 - Starter |
| Typeform | Design and user experience | Conversational design, high completion rates. | [Free plan ✅] / $29 - Basic |
| Pristo | Field data collection and inspections | Built for complex workflows, captures GPS and images via mobile app. | [Free plan ✅] / $18 - Standard |
| Tally | Unlimited free forms & submissions | Unlimited forms & submissions on Free plan. | [Free plan ✅] / $29 - Pro |
| Cognito Forms | Advanced logic and workflow automation | HIPAA-compliant plans, workflow automation. | [Free plan ✅] / $19 - Pro |
| Zoho Forms | Businesses using the Zoho ecosystem | Deep Zoho CRM integration. | [Free plan ✅] / $9 - Basic |
| Formstack | Enterprise and compliance-heavy workflows | HIPAA/GDPR compliance. | [Free plan ❌] / $99 - Forms |
| Wufoo | Simple, fast forms with payments | Direct paymentprovider integrations. | [Free plan ✅] / $22 - Starter |
| SurveyMonkey | Professional surveys and analytics | Advanced analytics, survey science tools. | [Free plan ✅] / $30/user - Team Advantage |
| Paperform | Beautifully designed, page-like forms | Document-style editor. | [Free trial only ❌] / $29 - Essentials |
| Fillout | Clean forms with collaboration | Good team collaboration features. | [Free plan ✅] / $19 - Starter |
| 123FormBuilder | Templates and flexible use cases | Huge template library, strong integrations. | [Free plan ✅] / $37 - Gold |
| SurveySparrow | Conversational surveys and user engagement | Chat-like, conversational UI for engagement. | [Free plan ❌] / $39 - Basic (Billed Quarterly) |
About Google Forms
Workspace of Google Forms
Google Forms is a free form creation tool accessible to everyone with a Google account. It requires no coding experience and allows its users to create basic forms in a matter of minutes.
Template gallery of Google Forms
If what you are looking for is a simple and effective form creator that is completely free and integrates perfectly with Google Sheets, Google Forms is a good choice. But if you need professional customization or complex data flow, businesses could find it severely lacking.
| Pros of Google Forms | Cons of Google Forms |
| Price: Completely free of charge for basic use. | Limited customization: We spent 30 minutes trying to match a specific brand color and failed; options are severely limited. |
| Accessibility: Accessible via phones, tablets, and computers. | Limited templates: Only 17 basic templates, making it hard to find a suitable starting point for professional use. |
| Data view: Results can be viewed in multiple forms (charts, percentages) and instantly synced to Sheets. | Limited conditional logic: This is a major efficiency killer for complex surveys where follow-up questions depend on a previous answer. |
| Familiarity: Everyone is familiar with the Google Forms theme, lowering the learning curve. | No calculation feature: Impossible to create simple quote forms or scoring quizzes. |
| Media: You can add images and simple videos to questions. | Unsafe payment gateways: This immediately disqualifies it for any e-commerce or donation forms, as it doesn't process transactions directly. |
| Collaboration: Good built-in collaboration capabilities via Google Drive sharing. | No advanced text editing: Lacks options for bolding, italics, or color coding text within the questions themselves. |
15 Best alternatives for Google Forms:
Google Forms is usable, but it is not the only choice. Our testing focused on creators that offer superior features, especially conditional logic, professional design, and better plans.
Our 2026 testing methodology
We scored each platform's free tier on three core, weighted criteria:
- Customization & Branding: How much control does the user have over design and mobile responsiveness?
- Advanced features: Does it offer critical functions like Conditional Logic, Calculation, or Payments?
Now, without further ado, here are the five alternatives we tested:
1. forms.app (Overall best value)
Workspace of forms.app
forms.app is a powerful form creator that offers many smart features. It has more than 5000 ready-to-go templates, and its colorful, modern design is very eye-catching. Its free plan is highly usable and unlocks many advanced features that competitors gate behind paid plans.
Why it's a good alternative: It offers advanced features like safe payment gateways, conditional logic, and deep customization within a generous free plan. It's the best choice for businesses needing a professional upgrade from Google Forms.
Pros of forms.app:
- AI convenience: Create your ideal form with a simple prompt.
- Advanced customization: High level of control over themes, backgrounds, and fonts.
- High “true free” value: The free plan includes useful features such as conditions, a calculator, and safe payment gateways.
- Professional templates: Over 5000 modern, professional templates to choose from.
- Safe payment gateways: Accepts payments via Stripe or PayPal with no commissions taken on the platform side.
Cons of forms.app:
- Limited responses in the free plan: The 100 responses/month limit can be restrictive for high-volume lead capture
- No HIPAA compliance: Not fit for managing or storing sensitive health information.
forms.app pricing:
- Free plan: ✅
- Basic plan: 25 USD per month
- Pro plan: 35 USD per month
- Premium plan: 99 USD per month
2. Microsoft Forms (Best for Office 365 integration)
Workspace of MS Forms
Microsoft’s form builder is an easy-to-use Google Forms alternative for free. It is the best alternative for people who already have an Office 365 subscription, as it’s free for those users. Microsoft Forms allows you to gather form entries and view data effortlessly in Excel.
Why it's a good alternative: For those in the Microsoft ecosystem, its seamless integration with Excel and Teams is unmatched. It offers superior data analysis and collaboration features that Google Forms lacks in a business context.
💡 Editor’s experience: The seamless integration with Excel and Teams is a huge time-saver for users already inside the Microsoft ecosystem. If your organization relies heavily on SharePoint or Teams, this is a non-negotiable choice.
Pros of Microsoft Forms:
- Excel integration: Bringing data over to Excel for analysis is instant and effortless.
- Outlook sharing: Easy to share your form via email directly through Outlook integration.
- Built-in AI: Offers smart recommendations for question types and structure.
- Compatible: Works well on any device.
Cons of Microsoft Forms:
- No folder organization: Can become cluttered when managing many forms.
- Limited text editing: Lacks options for bold fonts, italics, underlines, or colors, similar to Google Forms.
- No calculation function: Restricts complex business use cases.
Microsoft Forms pricing:
- Completely free
3. Formplus (Best for offline use)
Workspace of Formplus
Formplus is a form builder with ready-to-go templates and essential options for offline use, making it ideal for field data collection. With Formplus, you can create mobile-friendly forms from pre-made templates and embed them on your website without writing a line of code.
Why it's a good alternative: This platform excels with offline data collection, making it essential for field teams or remote locations. It also supports important features like e-signatures and deep integrations with cloud storage.
Pros of Formplus:
- Offline capability: Allows form submission even without an internet connection.
- Advanced integrations: Seamlessly integrates with apps like PayPal, Stripe, Google Drive, Dropbox, and Microsoft OneDrive.
- File uploads: You can submit files along with your form.
- Signature collection: Allows collecting legal signatures from clients directly on the form.
- Multiple sharing options: Share via QR codes, email invitations, and social media.
Cons of Formplus:
- Learning curve: The interface can be confusing initially due to the sheer number of features.
- Limited analytics: Limited options in gathering data visualizations compared to the top platforms.
- Missed alerts: If notifications are not manually set, you will not be informed of new submissions.
Formplus pricing:
- Free plan: ✅
- Starter plan: 25 USD per month
- Professional plan: 45 USD per month
- Platinum plan: 85 USD per month
4. Typeform (Best for design and user experience)
Workspace of Typeform
If you’re looking to make unique, engaging, and highly appealing forms, Typeform is the aesthetic leader. Its design is eye-catching and uses a "one question at a time" format that significantly boosts completion rates.
Why it's a good alternative: Typeform's beautiful, conversational design significantly boosts completion rates and looks highly professional. It offers vastly superior customization and high-impact branding options compared to Google's basics.
💡 Editor’s experience: While Typeform’s one-question-at-a-time interface is attractive, we found that it isn’t ideal for creating or completing forms with very long questions.
Pros of Typeform:
- High completion rate: The sequential design is proven to keep users engaged.
- Advanced customization: Excellent control over design, colors, and background media.
- Media libraries: Extensive photo and video libraries support you in building engaging forms.
- Integrations: Connects with third-party apps such as Google Sheets and Zapier.
Cons of Typeform:
- Expensive paid plans: Paid plans can be very expensive, starting around $29 monthly for the Basic plan.
- Minimal free plan: The free plan offers a very limited number of forms and responses (currently 10 responses/month).
- Branding removal: You cannot get rid of Typeform branding unless you are in the costly “Plus” plan.
Typeform pricing:
- Free plan: ✅
- Basic: 29 USD per month
- Plus plan: 59 USD per month
- Business plan: 99 USD per month
- Growth essentials: 166 USD per month
- Growth pro: 291 USD per month
5. Pristo (Best for field data collection and inspections)
Workspace of Pristo
Pristo is a platform designed specifically for surveys, inspections, and complex operational workflows. It allows you to create highly complex forms with advanced logic and deploy them efficiently via web and mobile devices. The free plan is excellent for piloting, including up to 3 surveys and 100 responses per survey, making it an ideal choice for small projects or proof-of-concept tests.
Why it's a good alternative: Pristo is built for complex, operational workflows and inspections. Its mobile app captures necessary data like GPS tags and images easily, making it superior for auditors and field research.
Pros of Pristo:
- Field data focus: Supports GPS location, image, audio, and e-signature capture.
- Advanced logic: Offers sophisticated form logic with branching, loops, and validation for complex workflows.
- Multi-language support: Survey content can be easily localized into many languages.
- Real-time analytics: Built-in real-time dashboards and analytics for immediate data review.
Cons of Pristo:
- Free plan limits: The free plan has hard limits on the number of surveys (3) and responses (100 per survey), requiring an upgrade for scaling.
- Feature-rich: May be too complex or feature-rich for basic, single-page customer surveys.
Pristo pricing:
- Free plan: ✅
- Standard: 18 USD per month
- Pro: 35 USD per month
6. Tally (Best for unlimited free forms)
Workspace of Tally
Tally is a lightweight yet powerful form builder designed for speed and minimalism. With its Notion-like interface and generous free plan, it allows users to create unlimited forms and collect unlimited responses. Its smooth learning curve makes it perfect for creators, educators, startups, and anyone who needs forms without complexity.
Why it's a good alternative: Tally stands out by offering many premium-level features within its free plan. It’s ideal for users who want a frictionless form creation experience without sacrificing essential functionality.
Pros of Tally:
- Unlimited forms & submissions: Extremely generous free plan compared to most competitors.
- Very fast to build: Intuitive, minimal interface similar to Notion.
- Advanced features included: Conditional logic, variables, answer piping, and embeds.
- Branding flexibility: Customizable look and feel, even without coding.
Cons of Tally:
- Limited design customization: Not suitable for fully branded, highly visual forms.
- Fewer integrations: Good, but not as extensive as enterprise-focused tools.
Tally pricing:
- Free plan: ✅
- Tally Pro: 29 USD per month
- Tally Business: 89 USD per month
7. Cognito Forms (Best for advanced logic and workflow automation)
Workspace of Cognito Forms
Cognito Forms is designed for users who need forms that behave like applications. With powerful conditional logic, repeating sections, calculations, and workflow automation, it’s ideal for operational processes, approvals, and structured data capture.
Why it's a good alternative: Cognito Forms excels in creating dynamic, calculation-heavy forms that go far beyond simple surveys. It’s especially strong for organizations needing forms that imitate small internal apps.
Pros of Cognito Forms:
- Advanced logic & calculations: Ideal for complex workflows.
- Workflow automation: Multi-step approvals and data routing built in.
- Data security: HIPAA-compliant plans available.
- Payments support: Collect payments directly via Stripe, PayPal, and Square.
Cons of Cognito Forms:
- Learning curve: Might overwhelm beginners due to complexity.
- Branding/design: Less visually impressive than Typeform or Paperform.
Cognito Forms pricing:
- Free plan: ✅
- Pro plan: 19 USD per month
- Team plan: 35 USD per month
- Enterprise plan: 129 USD per month
8. Zoho Forms (Best for businesses using the Zoho ecosystem)
Workspace of Zoho Forms
Zoho Forms integrates seamlessly with Zoho CRM, Zoho Projects, Zoho Desk, and the rest of the Zoho suite, making it the go-to choice for companies already within the Zoho ecosystem. It supports mobile offline capture and robust automation.
Why it's a good alternative: Its deep integration with Zoho apps makes it perfect for CRM routing, customer onboarding, lead capture, and internal business workflows.
Pros of Zoho Forms:
- Seamless Zoho integration: Ideal for existing Zoho users.
- Mobile offline mode: Great for field staff and remote locations.
- Automation-friendly: Tasks, notifications, approvals, and workflows included.
- Team collaboration: Permissions, sharing, and version control.
Cons of Zoho Forms:
- Less appealing design: Functional but not modern-looking.
- Best value only inside Zoho: Not as compelling standalone.
Prices:
- Free plan: ✅
- Basic: 9 USD per month
- Plus: 35 USD per month
- Pro: 49 USD per month
- Enterprise: 109 USD per month
9. Formstack (Best for enterprises and compliance-heavy workflows)
Workspace of Formstack (Source: Formstack)
Formstack is an enterprise-level form and workflow automation platform built with compliance, security, and integrations in mind. It’s popular in healthcare, finance, government, and education environments where data security is critical.
Why it's a good alternative: Formstack offers HIPAA compliance, advanced workflows, e-signatures, and integrations that support complex organizational processes.
Pros of Formstack:
- Enterprise security: HIPAA, GDPR, advanced encryption.
- Powerful workflow builder: Automates multi-step processes.
- E-signature integration: Built-in document signing.
- Deep integrations: Works with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Microsoft systems.
Cons of Formstack:
- Expensive: Pricing is significantly higher than typical SMB-focused tools.
- Overkill for simple surveys: Best suited for enterprise needs.
Formstack pricing:
- Free plan: ❌
- forms: 99 USD per month
- suite: 299 USD per month
10. Wufoo (Best for simple, fast forms with payments)
Workspace of Wufoo
Wufoo is a classic drag-and-drop form builder known for its simplicity, ease of use, and fast setup. It’s particularly good for small businesses, event organizers, and creators who need straightforward forms with optional payment support.
Why it's a good alternative: Wufoo’s long-standing reputation and simple interface make it accessible, while its payment integrations add functional value.
Pros of Wufoo:
- Beginner-friendly: Simple and easy interface.
- Large template library: Quick start for common use cases.
- Stable & reliable: Has been around for many years.
Cons of Wufoo:
- Outdated design: UI looks older compared to newer competitors.
- Limited logic features: Not suitable for complex workflows.
Wufoo pricing:
- Free plan: ✅
- Starter plan: 22 USD per month
- Professional: 45 USD per month
- Advanced: 113 USD per month
- Ultimate: 286 USD per month
11. SurveyMonkey (Best for professional surveys and analytics)
Workspace of SurveyMonkey
SurveyMonkey is one of the most established survey tools for market research, customer feedback, and academic data gathering. Its strong analytics and robust question types make it ideal for insight-driven projects.
Why it's a good alternative: It offers powerful analytics, benchmarks, and survey science features that outclass most general-purpose form builders.
Pros of SurveyMonkey:
- Advanced analytics: Charts, insights, benchmarks, trends.
- Survey science tools: Question banks, bias-reduction tools.
- Enterprise features: Collaboration, role management, security.
- Trusted by researchers: Highly accurate data structuring.
Cons of SurveyMonkey:
- Expensive upgrades: Analytics and logic often locked behind paid plans.
- Not ideal for operational workflows: Strong for surveys, weaker for forms-as-apps.
SurveyMonkey pricing:
- Free plan: ✅
- Team Advantage: 30 USD per month/user
- Team Premier: 92 USD per month/user
- Premier Annual: 139 USD per month
- Advantage Annual: 39 USD per month
- Standard Monthly: 99 USD per month
12. Paperform (Best for beautifully designed, page-like forms)
Workspace of Paperform
Paperform blends form creation with rich document design, allowing users to create forms that feel like landing pages or mini websites. It’s great for creators, marketers, and brands prioritizing aesthetics.
Why it's a good alternative: Paperform’s unique document-style editor enables highly branded, elegant forms that stand out for customer-facing interactions.
💡 Editor’s experience: The document-style editor allows for highly branded, rich styling that steps beyond simple form fields, confirming its focus on marketing and branded experiences.
Pros of Paperform:
- Beautiful design: Great for marketing and branded experiences.
- Rich styling: Images, media embedding, typography control.
- E-commerce friendly: Payment, product, and subscription support.
- Flexible layouts: Not restricted to question-by-question format.
Cons of Paperform:
- Not ideal for fast, simple forms: More design-centric.
- Higher pricing: Falls on the premium side.
Paperform pricing:
- Free plan: ❌ (only free trial)
- Essentials: 29 USD per month
- Pro: 59 USD per month
- Business: 159 USD per month
13. Fillout (Best for clean forms with collaboration)
Workspace of Fillout
Fillout is a rising form builder with a focus on speed, collaboration, and modern UI design. It provides a clean experience with strong customization without feeling overwhelming.
Why it's a good alternative: Fillout strikes a balance between simplicity and feature power, with modern aesthetics and team-friendly features.
💡 Editor’s experience: It features a modern, clean UI and a smooth editor, striking a balance between simplicity and feature power for team use.
Pros of Fillout:
- Modern, clean UI: Looks polished and professional.
- Fast building experience: Smooth editor with good defaults.
- Collaboration features: Team-friendly permissions and editing.
- Great free plan: Generous limits.
Cons of Fillout:
- Fewer advanced logic types: Not ideal for complex workflows.
- Smaller ecosystem: Newer tool with fewer integrations than older rivals.
Fillout pricing:
- Free plan: ✅
- Starter: 19 USD per month
- Pro: 49 USD per month
- Business: 89 USD per month
14. 123FormBuilder (Best for templates and flexible use cases)
Workspace of 123FormBuilder
123FormBuilder offers a wide range of templates and integrates well with many systems. It’s flexible enough for HR, medical, education, marketing, and event workflows.
Why it's a good alternative: It stands out for its large template library, strong integrations, and balanced feature set suited for multiple industries.
Pros of 123FormBuilder:
- Huge template library: Covers dozens of industries.
- Strong integrations: Salesforce, Mailchimp, Google Drive, Wix, Shopify.
- Good for teams: Permissions, workflows, and data routing.
- Flexible: Works for surveys, registrations, workflows, and more.
Cons of 123FormBuilder:
- UI complexity: Interface can feel cluttered for new users.
- Pricing jumps: More features require higher-tier plans.
123Formbuilder pricing:
- Free plan: ✅
- Gold plan: 37 USD per month
- Platinum plan: 49 USD per month
- Diamond plan: 99 USD per month
- Enterprise plan: 225 USD per month
15. SurveySparrow (Best for conversational surveys and user engagement)
Workspace of SurveySparrow
SurveySparrow is a modern survey platform focused on delivering conversational, chat-like forms that feel more human and interactive. It supports recurring surveys, NPS workflows, offline data capture, and a wide variety of presentation styles, making it suitable for customer experience teams, HR departments, and product feedback cycles.
Why it's a good alternative: SurveySparrow excels at creating highly engaging, mobile-friendly surveys that boost completion rates. With features like recurring survey automation and chat-style interfaces, it's ideal for companies focused on customer or employee experience.
Pros of SurveySparrow:
- Conversational UI: Chat-like surveys feel natural and increase engagement.
- Multi-channel distribution: Share via web, email, WhatsApp, SMS, QR codes, and more.
- NPS and feedback workflows: Built-in templates and reporting dashboards for CX teams.
- Offline mode: Great for field surveys or event data collection.
- Automation-ready: Set up recurring surveys and scheduled feedback loops.
Cons of SurveySparrow:
- Limited free plan: Most advanced analytics and question types require paid tiers.
- More focused on surveys than complex logic: Not ideal for application-style forms or operational workflows.
SurveySparrow pricing:
- Free plan: ❌
- Basic: 39 USD per month (billed quarterly - 600 responses)
- Starter: 59 USD per month (billed quarterly - 3,600 responses)
- Business: 149 USD per month (billed quarterly - 12,000 responses)
- Professional: 399 USD per month (billed quarterly - 24,000 responses)
Conclusion: Our 2026 expert recommendation
Having an online form for any reason is crucial for efficiency, saving time, budget, and manpower. While Google Forms will always be the fastest choice, it is not the most effective.
According to our weighted criteria (Customization, Feature Set, and "True Free" Value), forms.app is our overall winner for 2026. It manages to offer professional, high-impact features (like condition logic and collecting payments) within its generous free tier, making it the highest-value option for freelancers and small businesses looking to step up from Google Forms.
The runner-up for best corporate integration is clearly Microsoft Forms, and Typeform takes the crown for best design (if your budget allows for their higher-tier plans).
Ready to find your perfect fit? Which of these alternatives will you try first?
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
While Google Forms is the quickest option, you should switch if you need branding, advanced functionality, or integrated payments. Alternatives offer:
- Customization: Full control over colors, fonts, and layouts to match your brand identity.
- Conditional logic: The ability to show or hide questions based on previous answers, which is crucial for creating smart, efficient, and engaging surveys.
- Payment collection: Seamless, secure integration with services for collecting orders, fees, or donations directly on the form.
forms.app is the strongest overall value because it grants access to advanced features like conditional logic and payment gateways, even on its free plan. If your business heavily uses Microsoft 365/Excel, Microsoft Forms is the best option for seamless internal data integration.
Conditional Logic is the mechanism (or feature) that allows your form to change dynamically based on the user's input. For example, if a user selects "Yes" to the question "Do you require vegetarian catering?", a new, follow-up question appears asking them to specify dietary restrictions.
Yes, Google Forms does offer some options to customize your Google forms. You can add a header image and change the theme, background, and font style. These functions allow you to give your forms a more specific look and feel. To enhance the content, you can modify questions by adding title descriptions and images or videos. However, it's important to note that Google Forms has its limitations when it comes to advanced customization.
- TL;DR List for Google Forms alternatives
- First glance at Google Forms alternatives
- About Google Forms
- 15 Best alternatives for Google Forms:
- 1. forms.app (Overall best value)
- 5. Pristo (Best for field data collection and inspections)
- 10. Wufoo (Best for simple, fast forms with payments)
- 15. SurveySparrow (Best for conversational surveys and user engagement)
- Conclusion: Our 2026 expert recommendation
- Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
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