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.
Paperform takes a different approach from most builders: you write a form the way you would write a document. Headings, images, paragraphs and questions live in one free-flowing editor, so a Paperform can double as a landing page, a product page or a booking page. That editing model is the product's identity — it produces attractive, content-rich forms without a separate page builder.
Its commercial features are unusually deep for a form tool. Native payments through Stripe, Square, PayPal, Braintree and Mollie, a product catalogue with quantities and coupons, appointment scheduling, calculations, and an AI calculations assistant make it a genuine fit for taking orders, deposits and registrations. It also ships a sibling e-signature product, Papersign, plus a native integrations catalogue alongside Zapier and Make.
Pricing
In each vendor's own terms; Cognito Forms checked 2026-08-17, Paperform checked 2026-08-17. 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 | PPaperform | FFormBuilder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building | |||
| AI form generation from a prompt | PartialAI assist for calculations, not full-form generation | YesAI form builder + AI calculations assistant | Yes |
| Drag-and-drop visual builder | Yes | PartialDocument-style editor; blocks, not a canvas | Yes |
| Template library | Yes100+ | Yes700+ | Yes300+ |
| Conditional logic / branching | YesFormula-based show/hide, require, validate | YesQuestions, content, emails & summaries | Yes |
| Multi-page / multi-step forms | Yes | Yes | YesPro |
| Calculations & scoring | YesSpreadsheet-style expressions, repeating sections | YesCalculations field & scoring | YesCalculation field + auto-graded quizzes |
| File uploads | Yes100 MB free · 1 GB Pro · 10 GB Team | Yes100 MB free · 1 GB Essentials · 10 GB Pro | Yes100 MB free · 1 GB Pro |
| Payment collection | YesStripe, Square, PayPal; 1% fee on Individual & Pro | YesStripe, Square, PayPal, Braintree, Mollie; products & coupons | YesStripe — paid to your own account, no platform fee |
| E-signature field | YesPro and up | YesSignature field; Papersign for documents | Yes |
| Design | |||
| Custom themes & branding | YesStyles & CSS on paid plans | YesThemes free; custom CSS on Pro | YesPro |
| Remove vendor badge | YesPro, $19 / mo annual | YesPro, $49 / mo | YesPro, $39 |
| Custom domain | PartialEmbed on your domain; no custom hosted domain | Partial+$20 / mo per domain on Pro; 1 included on Business | Yes |
| Embed on any site | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Data & workflow | |||
| Free-plan monthly responses | Partial100 / mo, overflow locked | Partial30 / mo | Partial100 / mo, overflow held |
| Over-limit responses kept (not rejected) | PartialLocked 30 days, then deleted unless you upgrade | NoUpgrade or buy top-ups to avoid disruption | Yes |
| Email notifications & autoresponders | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Webhooks | YesJSON webhooks + Power Automate | YesPro and above | YesAll plans |
| Zapier / native integrations | YesZapier, Make, Power Automate | Yes2,000+ via native, Zapier & Make | Yes6,000+ apps |
| Built-in analytics (views, drop-off) | PartialEntry reporting; no view / drop-off funnel | YesPaperform Analytics on Pro+ | Yes |
| CSV / spreadsheet export | YesExcel, CSV, PDF | Yes | Yes |
| Team workspaces & collaboration | Yes2 users Pro · 5 Team · 20 Enterprise | Yes3 users on Pro; 5 + $9 / user on Business | Yes |
| Security | |||
| Password-protected forms | PartialVia workflow roles / private links | YesPaid plans | YesPro |
| HIPAA / BAA | YesEnterprise, $129 / mo | NoNo BAA offered | PartialHIPAA plan coming soon |
| GDPR tooling & DPA | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SSO / SAML | YesEnterprise | YesBusiness only | 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 Paperform's (Essentials at $24 / month (annual)). Both offer a free plan (100 entries / mo · 1 user · 100 MB · Cognito branding · 1% payment fee) and a free plan (30 submissions / mo · unlimited forms · 1 user · 100 MB · Paperform branding · 5 payment submissions / mo) 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.
Paperform offers a free plan (30 submissions / mo · unlimited forms · 1 user · 100 MB · Paperform branding · 5 payment submissions / mo). Prices shown are per month billed annually; month-to-month billing is higher. Submission limits are pooled per year, with paid top-ups available. 7-day free trial on paid plans.
Cognito Forms payments: Yes (Stripe, Square, PayPal; 1% fee on Individual & Pro). Paperform payments: Yes (Stripe, Square, PayPal, Braintree, Mollie; products & coupons). 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). Paperform 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. Paperform is a document-style form builder where you type a form like a page — great for order forms, bookings and payments, priced by yearly submissions. Cognito Forms is best for order, quote and registration forms with line items and live totals; Paperform is best for small businesses selling products, taking bookings or collecting deposits through a form.
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 Paperform comparisons.
Last reviewed August 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.
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