Two popular form builders compared on the same 25-row feature matrix and pricing, with FormBuilder shown as a third column so you can see another option to consider.
Overview
Cognito Forms started as a side product of a software consultancy and still feels like it was built by developers for people who need forms to do real work. Its calculated fields use a spreadsheet-style expression language, repeating sections let respondents add unlimited line items, and data lookups can pull values from other forms. Order forms, event registrations, quotes and applications are its natural habitat.
On top of the builder it layers a workflow engine: entries move through statuses, roles decide who can view or edit which fields, approvals can be routed by email, and Save & Resume plus a Client Portal let people come back to unfinished submissions. Payments (Stripe, Square, PayPal) are first-class, including subscriptions and payment-on-approval, and document generation can merge entries into PDFs.
FormGrid is an independent form and survey builder whose pitch is looks and logic for free. The free plan includes unlimited forms and unlimited responses, an AI assistant that drafts a form (questions, logic and design) from a text description, custom themes, a flexible grid layout system, and a fairly deep logic set — conditional questions, repeatable sections, answer piping, calculations, hidden fields and page navigation. Responses land in a built-in analytics dashboard with CSV / XLSX export.
The paid tiers are about working with other people and looking like yourself. Plus ($29 / month as listed by third-party directories; annual billing saves up to 34%) adds team collaboration, custom emails, a custom domain, hiding the FormGrid badge, 30-day version history and 100 MB uploads. Business ($79 / month) adds workspaces, roles and permissions, 90-day history and 1 GB uploads. Integrations cover Zapier, Make, Airtable, Notion, Google Sheets and webhooks. Data is hosted in Europe and the product is GDPR-oriented.
Pricing
In each vendor's own terms; Cognito Forms checked 2026-08-17, FormGrid checked 2026-08-18. FormBuilder: free plan (5 forms, 100 responses / mo) and Pro at $39 / month or $390 / year.
Feature comparison
25 capabilities across building, design, data workflow and security.
| Feature | CCognito Forms | FFormGrid | FFormBuilder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building | |||
| AI form generation from a prompt | PartialAI assist for calculations, not full-form generation | YesDraft & edit with AI, free | Yes |
| Drag-and-drop visual builder | Yes | YesGrid layout system | Yes |
| Template library | Yes100+ | YesThemes & templates | Yes300+ |
| Conditional logic / branching | YesFormula-based show/hide, require, validate | YesFree, incl. piping & hidden fields | Yes |
| Multi-page / multi-step forms | Yes | YesPage navigation, free | YesPro |
| Calculations & scoring | YesSpreadsheet-style expressions, repeating sections | YesCalculations, free | YesCalculation field + auto-graded quizzes |
| File uploads | Yes100 MB free · 1 GB Pro · 10 GB Team | Yes10 MB free · 100 MB Plus · 1 GB Business | Yes100 MB free · 1 GB Pro |
| Payment collection | YesStripe, Square, PayPal; 1% fee on Individual & Pro | NoNot an advertised feature | YesStripe — paid to your own account, no platform fee |
| E-signature field | YesPro and up | YesSignature field listed | Yes |
| Design | |||
| Custom themes & branding | YesStyles & CSS on paid plans | YesCustom themes free | YesPro |
| Remove vendor badge | YesPro, $19 / mo annual | YesPlus | YesPro, $39 |
| Custom domain | PartialEmbed on your domain; no custom hosted domain | YesPlus | Yes |
| Embed on any site | Yes | YesEmbeds & pop-ups | Yes |
| Data & workflow | |||
| Free-plan monthly responses | Partial100 / mo, overflow locked | YesUnlimited | Partial100 / mo, overflow held |
| Over-limit responses kept (not rejected) | PartialLocked 30 days, then deleted unless you upgrade | YesNo cap to exceed | Yes |
| Email notifications & autoresponders | Yes | YesNotifications free; custom emails on Plus | Yes |
| Webhooks | YesJSON webhooks + Power Automate | Yes | YesAll plans |
| Zapier / native integrations | YesZapier, Make, Power Automate | YesZapier, Make, Airtable, Notion, Sheets | Yes6,000+ apps |
| Built-in analytics (views, drop-off) | PartialEntry reporting; no view / drop-off funnel | YesBuilt-in dashboard | Yes |
| CSV / spreadsheet export | YesExcel, CSV, PDF | YesCSV / XLSX | Yes |
| Team workspaces & collaboration | Yes2 users Pro · 5 Team · 20 Enterprise | YesCollaboration on Plus; workspaces & roles on Business | Yes |
| Security | |||
| Password-protected forms | PartialVia workflow roles / private links | PartialNot listed; check vendor | YesPro |
| HIPAA / BAA | YesEnterprise, $129 / mo | NoNo BAA offered | PartialHIPAA plan coming soon |
| GDPR tooling & DPA | Yes | YesEU hosting, GDPR-oriented | Yes |
| SSO / SAML | YesEnterprise | No | PartialEnterprise |
Another option to consider
AI-first form builder with a generous free plan, held (never lost) responses, and 6,000+ integrations. Describe the form you need, the AI drafts it, and you refine it with logic, multi-page layouts, uploads, signatures and Stripe payments. Free plan: 5 forms and 100 responses a month with overflow held, never lost. Pro: $39 / month for 100 forms and 10,000 responses with the badge removed.
Questions
Cognito Forms's entry paid plan (Pro at $19 / month (annual, $24 monthly)) is cheaper than FormGrid's (Plus at $29 / month (per directories)). Both offer a free plan (100 entries / mo · 1 user · 100 MB · Cognito branding · 1% payment fee) and a free plan (Unlimited forms & responses · AI drafting · custom themes · logic · 10 MB uploads · unlimited team members · FormGrid badge) respectively. Note the plans differ in limits — see the tables above. FormBuilder Pro, for reference, is $39 / month for 10,000 responses.
Cognito Forms offers a free plan (100 entries / mo · 1 user · 100 MB · Cognito branding · 1% payment fee). Prices shown at annual billing; monthly billing is roughly 20-25% higher. Entry limits are per organisation per month; all plans include unlimited forms.
FormGrid offers a free plan (Unlimited forms & responses · AI drafting · custom themes · logic · 10 MB uploads · unlimited team members · FormGrid badge). The vendor pricing page shows plan contents but the dollar amounts we could confirm come from third-party listings (Plus $29, Business $79 per month); annual billing is advertised as saving up to 34%. Check vendor pricing before deciding.
Cognito Forms payments: Yes (Stripe, Square, PayPal; 1% fee on Individual & Pro). FormGrid payments: No (Not an advertised feature). FormBuilder collects Stripe payments to your own account with no platform fee on every plan, including free.
Cognito Forms HIPAA / BAA: Yes (Enterprise, $129 / mo). FormGrid HIPAA / BAA: No (No BAA offered). FormBuilder's HIPAA plan with BAA ($99 / month) is currently rolling out.
Cognito Forms is a power-user form builder built for order forms, registrations and applications that need calculations, repeating sections, payments and approval workflows. FormGrid is a small, design-led form builder that gives away unlimited forms and responses with AI drafting, and charges only for team features, custom domains and badge removal. Cognito Forms is best for order, quote and registration forms with line items and live totals; FormGrid is best for designers, makers and small teams who want unusually pretty forms for free.
FormBuilder is worth a look if you want an AI generator that drafts forms from a sentence, 100 free responses a month with overflow held rather than lost, Stripe payments with no platform fee, and a flat $39 / month Pro plan for 10,000 responses. See our full FormBuilder vs Cognito Forms and FormBuilder vs FormGrid comparisons.
Last reviewed August 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.
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