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.
Formstack started as an online form builder in 2006 and has grown into a workflow suite: Formstack Forms (the builder), Formstack Documents (merge submissions into PDFs, Word files and contracts), and Formstack Sign (e-signature). The pitch is that one platform can take a request from intake form to generated document to signed agreement without code, which is why it sells mainly to operations, HR, healthcare and higher-ed teams.
The form builder itself is capable rather than flashy: drag-and-drop fields, conditional logic, multi-page forms, calculations, save-and-resume, payments (Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net and others), workflows with approvals, and 300+ integrations. Its Salesforce apps are a genuine differentiator — forms that read and write Salesforce records natively and can live inside Experience Cloud — and it offers HIPAA compliance, PCI and SOC 2 for regulated buyers.
Pricing
In each vendor's own terms; Microsoft Forms checked 2026-08-17, Formstack 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 | FFormstack | FFormBuilder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building | |||
| AI form generation from a prompt | YesCopilot draft; requires M365 / Copilot licence for full use | PartialAI features rolling out; not the core building flow | Yes |
| Drag-and-drop visual builder | PartialQuestion-list builder; reorder only | Yes | Yes |
| Template library | PartialSmall gallery of survey & quiz templates | YesHundreds, skewed to HR, healthcare, education | Yes300+ |
| Conditional logic / branching | PartialBasic branching; no complex rules | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-page / multi-step forms | PartialSections act as pages | Yes | YesPro |
| Calculations & scoring | PartialQuiz points & auto-grading only | Yes | YesCalculation field + auto-graded quizzes |
| File uploads | YesWork / school accounts only; files go to OneDrive | Yes2 GB on Forms · 10 GB Suite | Yes100 MB free · 1 GB Pro |
| Payment collection | No | YesStripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, Square & more | YesStripe — paid to your own account, no platform fee |
| E-signature field | No | YesSignature field; full e-sign via Formstack Sign | Yes |
| Design | |||
| Custom themes & branding | PartialThemes, header image, logo; layout fixed | YesThemes & CSS | YesPro |
| Remove vendor badge | NoMicrosoft footer always shown | YesPaid plans; no free tier | YesPro, $39 |
| Custom domain | No | YesPaid plans | 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 | NoNo free plan; 14-day trial | Partial100 / mo, overflow held |
| Over-limit responses kept (not rejected) | NoForm closes at limit | PartialPer-form submission caps; overage handled by upgrade | Yes |
| Email notifications & autoresponders | PartialOwner email; richer via Power Automate | Yes | Yes |
| Webhooks | PartialThrough Power Automate, not native | Yes | YesAll plans |
| Zapier / native integrations | PartialPower Automate native; Zapier trigger available | Yes300+ native + Zapier; deep Salesforce | Yes6,000+ apps |
| Built-in analytics (views, drop-off) | PartialResponse summary charts; no drop-off | YesSubmission analytics; conversion kit on higher tiers | Yes |
| CSV / spreadsheet export | YesExcel, live-linked | Yes | Yes |
| Team workspaces & collaboration | YesGroup forms via Microsoft 365 Groups / Teams | YesExtra builder seats cost more | Yes |
| Security | |||
| Password-protected forms | PartialRestrict to org sign-in; no public password | Yes | YesPro |
| HIPAA / BAA | YesCovered by Microsoft 365 BAA on eligible plans | YesAdd-on on Forms/Suite; included Salesforce & Enterprise | 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 Formstack's (Forms at $83 / month (annual, $99 monthly)). Both offer a free plan (200 responses / form · 400 forms · basic themes) and a 14-day trial 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.
Formstack offers a 14-day trial. Prices shown are per month billed annually; monthly billing is roughly 20% higher. Submission limits are per form. No free plan — 14-day free trial of Forms.
Microsoft Forms payments: No. Formstack payments: Yes (Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, Square & more). 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). Formstack HIPAA / BAA: Yes (Add-on on Forms/Suite; included Salesforce & Enterprise). 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. Formstack is a no-code workflow platform for mid-size and enterprise teams that bundles forms, document generation and e-signature, with a deep Salesforce integration. Microsoft Forms is best for organisations already licensed for Microsoft 365 that want zero-cost internal surveys and quizzes; Formstack is best for operations, HR and admissions teams that need forms to feed documents, approvals and e-signatures.
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 Formstack comparisons.
Last reviewed August 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.
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