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.
forms.app is a general-purpose builder for forms, surveys, quizzes and simple order forms. It ships a very large template gallery, 30+ field types, conditional logic, calculators, e-signatures, payment fields and its own AI assistant ("forms.app AI") that drafts a form from a prompt. Forms can be published as a standard page, a conversational one-question-at-a-time flow, or a pop-up, and every plan can connect to Google Sheets, Slack, Zapier and a growing native integration list.
Its pricing model is the interesting bit. Instead of metering responses, forms.app meters the number of forms and file storage: the free plan allows 5 forms with unlimited responses (subject to fair use) and 10 MB storage, Basic ($29 / mo, $19 annual) allows 25 forms and removes branding, Pro ($39 / mo, $29 annual) allows unlimited forms with 100 GB storage and a custom subdomain, and Premium ($79 / mo, $59 annual) adds a true custom domain and 1 TB. There is a 90-day refund guarantee and a 50% discount for non-profits and education.
Pricing
In each vendor's own terms; Cognito Forms checked 2026-08-17, forms.app 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 | fforms.app | FFormBuilder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building | |||
| AI form generation from a prompt | PartialAI assist for calculations, not full-form generation | Yesforms.app AI, all plans | Yes |
| Drag-and-drop visual builder | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Template library | Yes100+ | YesVery large gallery (thousands) | Yes300+ |
| Conditional logic / branching | YesFormula-based show/hide, require, validate | YesAll plans | Yes |
| Multi-page / multi-step forms | Yes | Yes | YesPro |
| Calculations & scoring | YesSpreadsheet-style expressions, repeating sections | YesCalculator & quiz scoring | YesCalculation field + auto-graded quizzes |
| File uploads | Yes100 MB free · 1 GB Pro · 10 GB Team | Yes10 MB storage free · 10 GB–1 TB paid | Yes100 MB free · 1 GB Pro |
| Payment collection | YesStripe, Square, PayPal; 1% fee on Individual & Pro | YesStripe & PayPal, all plans | YesStripe — paid to your own account, no platform fee |
| E-signature field | YesPro and up | YesAll plans | Yes |
| Design | |||
| Custom themes & branding | YesStyles & CSS on paid plans | YesThemes free; custom CSS on Pro | YesPro |
| Remove vendor badge | YesPro, $19 / mo annual | YesBasic, $29 / mo | YesPro, $39 |
| Custom domain | PartialEmbed on your domain; no custom hosted domain | YesPremium, $79 / mo (subdomain on Pro) | Yes |
| Embed on any site | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Data & workflow | |||
| Free-plan monthly responses | Partial100 / mo, overflow locked | YesUnlimited (fair use), 5 forms | Partial100 / mo, overflow held |
| Over-limit responses kept (not rejected) | PartialLocked 30 days, then deleted unless you upgrade | YesNo response cap to exceed | Yes |
| Email notifications & autoresponders | Yes | YesCustomised emails on paid plans | Yes |
| Webhooks | YesJSON webhooks + Power Automate | YesWebhooks; public API on roadmap | YesAll plans |
| Zapier / native integrations | YesZapier, Make, Power Automate | YesZapier, Make, Sheets, Slack + natives | Yes6,000+ apps |
| Built-in analytics (views, drop-off) | PartialEntry reporting; no view / drop-off funnel | PartialBasic stats free; drop-off on Pro | Yes |
| CSV / spreadsheet export | YesExcel, CSV, PDF | Yes | Yes |
| Team workspaces & collaboration | Yes2 users Pro · 5 Team · 20 Enterprise | YesUnlimited team members | Yes |
| Security | |||
| Password-protected forms | PartialVia workflow roles / private links | YesPassword / access controls | YesPro |
| HIPAA / BAA | YesEnterprise, $129 / mo | NoNo BAA offered | PartialHIPAA plan coming soon |
| GDPR tooling & DPA | Yes | YesEU company, GDPR tooling | 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 forms.app's (Basic at $29 / month ($19 annual)). Both offer a free plan (100 entries / mo · 1 user · 100 MB · Cognito branding · 1% payment fee) and a free plan (5 forms · unlimited responses (fair use) · 10 MB storage · AI, logic, payments, signatures · forms.app branding) 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.
forms.app offers a free plan (5 forms · unlimited responses (fair use) · 10 MB storage · AI, logic, payments, signatures · forms.app branding). Monthly prices shown; annual billing is roughly a third less (Basic $19, Pro $29, Premium $59 per month). Responses are unlimited on all plans within fair use — forms.app meters forms and storage instead. Check vendor pricing for current numbers.
Cognito Forms payments: Yes (Stripe, Square, PayPal; 1% fee on Individual & Pro). forms.app payments: Yes (Stripe & PayPal, all plans). 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). forms.app 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. forms.app is a broad, template-heavy form and survey builder that prices by number of forms and storage rather than responses, with an AI generator and payments on every plan including free. Cognito Forms is best for order, quote and registration forms with line items and live totals; forms.app is best for small businesses and educators who need a lot of responses on a handful of forms without paying.
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 forms.app comparisons.
Last reviewed August 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.
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