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
Google Forms is the default form tool for a large share of the internet because it costs nothing and is already there. Anyone with a Gmail account can build a form, quiz or survey in minutes, share a link, and watch responses land in a linked Google Sheet. There is no meaningful response cap on personal accounts, which is rare among free tools.
The builder is deliberately simple: a dozen or so question types, sections with "go to section based on answer" branching, quizzes with automatic grading and answer feedback, file uploads (respondents must be signed in to Google), collaborator sharing, and light theming with a header image, colour and font. Since 2025 Google has been adding Gemini features — a "help me create" prompt that drafts a form from a description — on paid Workspace tiers with Gemini included.
SurveyMonkey (owned by Momentive, which returned to the SurveyMonkey name) is one of the oldest and best-known online survey tools. Its core is a survey builder backed by a large question bank, hundreds of expert-written templates (NPS, CSAT, employee engagement, event feedback, market research) and a results dashboard that goes further than most form tools: filters, crosstabs, statistical significance, sentiment and thematic analysis of open-text answers.
Around the builder sits a research and feedback suite: SurveyMonkey Audience for buying respondents from a panel, always-on feedback programs, multilingual surveys, block randomisation, and integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Tableau, Zapier and roughly 200 other apps. Team plans add shared brand assets, roles and permissions; Enterprise adds SSO, governance and regional data centres.
Pricing
In each vendor's own terms; Google Forms checked 2026-08-17, SurveyMonkey 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 | GGoogle Forms | SSurveyMonkey | FFormBuilder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building | |||
| AI form generation from a prompt | PartialGemini "help me create" on paid Workspace tiers | YesBuild with AI, on all plans | Yes |
| Drag-and-drop visual builder | PartialQuestion list with reordering; no canvas or layout control | PartialQuestion-list builder with drag reordering | Yes |
| Template library | PartialA few dozen basic templates | YesHundreds, research-focused | Yes300+ |
| Conditional logic / branching | PartialGo-to-section branching only; no field-level show/hide | YesSkip logic Standard+; advanced logic Advantage+ | Yes |
| Multi-page / multi-step forms | YesSections | Yes | YesPro |
| Calculations & scoring | PartialQuiz auto-grading; no calculated fields | PartialQuiz scoring; no calculated fields | YesCalculation field + auto-graded quizzes |
| File uploads | YesRespondents must sign in to Google; 1 GB / form default | YesPaid plans only | Yes100 MB free · 1 GB Pro |
| Payment collection | No | YesStripe, Advantage+ | YesStripe — paid to your own account, no platform fee |
| E-signature field | No | No | Yes |
| Design | |||
| Custom themes & branding | PartialHeader image, colour & font only | YesCustom design Standard+; premium themes Advantage+ | YesPro |
| Remove vendor badge | NoGoogle footer cannot be removed | PartialCustom footer on paid; full white-label on Premier, $139 / mo | YesPro, $39 |
| Custom domain | No | PartialCustom subdomain, Enterprise | Yes |
| Embed on any site | Yesiframe | Yes | Yes |
| Data & workflow | |||
| Free-plan monthly responses | YesUnlimited | PartialSmall per-survey cap; over-limit responses deleted | Partial100 / mo, overflow held |
| Over-limit responses kept (not rejected) | YesNo cap to hit | NoOver-limit responses deleted; $0.15 each on paid plans | Yes |
| Email notifications & autoresponders | PartialOwner email per response; autoresponder needs Apps Script or add-on | YesEmail invitations Standard+ | Yes |
| Webhooks | PartialApps Script or third-party add-on | YesVia API / paid plans | YesAll plans |
| Zapier / native integrations | YesZapier, Make; native Sheets | Yes200+ integrations + Zapier | Yes6,000+ apps |
| Built-in analytics (views, drop-off) | PartialResponse summary charts; no views or drop-off | YesStrongest in class: filters, crosstabs, significance | Yes |
| CSV / spreadsheet export | YesGoogle Sheets, CSV | YesPaid plans only | Yes |
| Team workspaces & collaboration | YesCollaborators; shared drives on Workspace | YesTeam plans, 3-user minimum | Yes |
| Security | |||
| Password-protected forms | PartialRestrict to signed-in / org users only | YesPaid plans | YesPro |
| HIPAA / BAA | YesBAA via paid Workspace plans | YesEnterprise only | PartialHIPAA plan coming soon |
| GDPR tooling & DPA | YesWorkspace DPA | Yes | Yes |
| SSO / SAML | YesWorkspace | YesEnterprise | 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
Google Forms's entry paid plan (Business Starter at $7 / user / month (annual)) is cheaper than SurveyMonkey's (Standard Monthly at $99 / month (monthly)). Both offer a free plan (Unlimited forms & responses · 15 GB shared Drive storage · Google footer · no admin controls) and a free plan (Unlimited surveys · 10 questions / survey · limited responses / survey (widely reported as 25) · no exports, logic or custom design) respectively. Note the plans differ in limits — see the tables above. FormBuilder Pro, for reference, is $39 / month for 10,000 responses.
Google Forms offers a free plan (Unlimited forms & responses · 15 GB shared Drive storage · Google footer · no admin controls). Forms itself is free with any Google account. Business features come with a Google Workspace subscription, priced per user per month (annual commitment; monthly "Flexible" billing costs about 20% more). Google was running a 50%-off first-year promo for the first 20 seats through Nov 30, 2026.
SurveyMonkey offers a free plan (Unlimited surveys · 10 questions / survey · limited responses / survey (widely reported as 25) · no exports, logic or custom design). Individual plans are for 1 user. Advantage and Premier are billed annually; the Standard plan is the only monthly option. Responses over your allowance cost $0.15 each. Team plans (Team Advantage $30 / user / mo, Team Premier $92 / user / mo, 3-user minimum) are billed annually; Enterprise is custom.
Google Forms payments: No. SurveyMonkey payments: Yes (Stripe, Advantage+). FormBuilder collects Stripe payments to your own account with no platform fee on every plan, including free.
Google Forms HIPAA / BAA: Yes (BAA via paid Workspace plans). SurveyMonkey HIPAA / BAA: Yes (Enterprise only). FormBuilder's HIPAA plan with BAA ($99 / month) is currently rolling out.
Google Forms is google's free, no-frills form and survey tool — unlimited forms and responses for anyone with a Google account, wired straight into Sheets and Drive. SurveyMonkey is the long-running survey platform for market research, customer feedback and employee engagement, with a large question bank and serious analysis tools. Google Forms is best for anyone who needs a free survey or sign-up sheet in five minutes; SurveyMonkey is best for market researchers and CX teams who need statistical analysis, crosstabs and open-text theming.
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 Google Forms and FormBuilder vs SurveyMonkey comparisons.
Last reviewed August 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.
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