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
Microsoft Forms is the survey and quiz builder that ships with Microsoft 365. It started in Office 365 Education as a quiz tool for teachers and has since become the default way Microsoft shops collect feedback, run polls in Teams meetings, and grade simple quizzes. Anyone with a personal Microsoft account can use it free; work and school accounts get it as part of their Microsoft 365 licence.
The builder is deliberately simple: a handful of question types (choice, text, rating, date, ranking, Likert, Net Promoter Score, file upload), basic branching, themes, and automatic response charts. Its real advantage is the plumbing around it — responses land in Excel with one click, forms can be dropped into Teams, SharePoint, OneNote and PowerPoint, and Power Automate can trigger a flow on every submission. Copilot can now draft a form from a prompt inside Microsoft 365.
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.
Pricing
In each vendor's own terms; Microsoft Forms checked 2026-08-17, Cognito Forms 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 | MMicrosoft Forms | CCognito Forms | FFormBuilder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building | |||
| AI form generation from a prompt | YesCopilot draft; requires M365 / Copilot licence for full use | PartialAI assist for calculations, not full-form generation | Yes |
| Drag-and-drop visual builder | PartialQuestion-list builder; reorder only | Yes | Yes |
| Template library | PartialSmall gallery of survey & quiz templates | Yes100+ | Yes300+ |
| Conditional logic / branching | PartialBasic branching; no complex rules | YesFormula-based show/hide, require, validate | Yes |
| Multi-page / multi-step forms | PartialSections act as pages | Yes | YesPro |
| Calculations & scoring | PartialQuiz points & auto-grading only | YesSpreadsheet-style expressions, repeating sections | YesCalculation field + auto-graded quizzes |
| File uploads | YesWork / school accounts only; files go to OneDrive | Yes100 MB free · 1 GB Pro · 10 GB Team | Yes100 MB free · 1 GB Pro |
| Payment collection | No | YesStripe, Square, PayPal; 1% fee on Individual & Pro | YesStripe — paid to your own account, no platform fee |
| E-signature field | No | YesPro and up | Yes |
| Design | |||
| Custom themes & branding | PartialThemes, header image, logo; layout fixed | YesStyles & CSS on paid plans | YesPro |
| Remove vendor badge | NoMicrosoft footer always shown | YesPro, $19 / mo annual | YesPro, $39 |
| Custom domain | No | PartialEmbed on your domain; no custom hosted domain | Yes |
| Embed on any site | Yesiframe; native in Teams, SharePoint, Sway | Yes | Yes |
| Data & workflow | |||
| Free-plan monthly responses | Partial200 per form (personal); unlimited in practice on M365 work accounts | Partial100 / mo, overflow locked | Partial100 / mo, overflow held |
| Over-limit responses kept (not rejected) | NoForm closes at limit | PartialLocked 30 days, then deleted unless you upgrade | Yes |
| Email notifications & autoresponders | PartialOwner email; richer via Power Automate | Yes | Yes |
| Webhooks | PartialThrough Power Automate, not native | YesJSON webhooks + Power Automate | YesAll plans |
| Zapier / native integrations | PartialPower Automate native; Zapier trigger available | YesZapier, Make, Power Automate | Yes6,000+ apps |
| Built-in analytics (views, drop-off) | PartialResponse summary charts; no drop-off | PartialEntry reporting; no view / drop-off funnel | Yes |
| CSV / spreadsheet export | YesExcel, live-linked | YesExcel, CSV, PDF | Yes |
| Team workspaces & collaboration | YesGroup forms via Microsoft 365 Groups / Teams | Yes2 users Pro · 5 Team · 20 Enterprise | Yes |
| Security | |||
| Password-protected forms | PartialRestrict to org sign-in; no public password | PartialVia workflow roles / private links | YesPro |
| HIPAA / BAA | YesCovered by Microsoft 365 BAA on eligible plans | YesEnterprise, $129 / mo | PartialHIPAA plan coming soon |
| GDPR tooling & DPA | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SSO / SAML | YesEntra ID on all M365 plans | 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
Microsoft Forms's entry paid plan (Microsoft 365 Personal at $9.99 / month) is cheaper than Cognito Forms's (Pro at $19 / month (annual, $24 monthly)). Both offer a free plan (200 responses / form · 400 forms · basic themes) and a free plan (100 entries / mo · 1 user · 100 MB · Cognito branding · 1% payment fee) respectively. Note the plans differ in limits — see the tables above. FormBuilder Pro, for reference, is $39 / month for 10,000 responses.
Microsoft Forms offers a free plan (200 responses / form · 400 forms · basic themes). Forms is never sold on its own — it comes with a Microsoft account or a Microsoft 365 seat. Prices below are per user per month on annual billing; response caps are per form, not per month.
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.
Microsoft Forms payments: No. Cognito Forms payments: Yes (Stripe, Square, PayPal; 1% fee on Individual & Pro). FormBuilder collects Stripe payments to your own account with no platform fee on every plan, including free.
Microsoft Forms HIPAA / BAA: Yes (Covered by Microsoft 365 BAA on eligible plans). Cognito Forms HIPAA / BAA: Yes (Enterprise, $129 / mo). FormBuilder's HIPAA plan with BAA ($99 / month) is currently rolling out.
Microsoft Forms is microsoft's built-in survey, quiz and poll tool — free with a Microsoft account and bundled into every Microsoft 365 business and education plan. Cognito Forms is a power-user form builder built for order forms, registrations and applications that need calculations, repeating sections, payments and approval workflows. Microsoft Forms is best for organisations already licensed for Microsoft 365 that want zero-cost internal surveys and quizzes; Cognito Forms is best for order, quote and registration forms with line items and live totals.
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 Microsoft Forms and FormBuilder vs Cognito Forms comparisons.
Last reviewed August 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.
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