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.
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; Microsoft 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 | MMicrosoft Forms | PPaperform | FFormBuilder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building | |||
| AI form generation from a prompt | YesCopilot draft; requires M365 / Copilot licence for full use | YesAI form builder + AI calculations assistant | Yes |
| Drag-and-drop visual builder | PartialQuestion-list builder; reorder only | PartialDocument-style editor; blocks, not a canvas | Yes |
| Template library | PartialSmall gallery of survey & quiz templates | Yes700+ | Yes300+ |
| Conditional logic / branching | PartialBasic branching; no complex rules | YesQuestions, content, emails & summaries | Yes |
| Multi-page / multi-step forms | PartialSections act as pages | Yes | YesPro |
| Calculations & scoring | PartialQuiz points & auto-grading only | YesCalculations field & scoring | YesCalculation field + auto-graded quizzes |
| File uploads | YesWork / school accounts only; files go to OneDrive | Yes100 MB free · 1 GB Essentials · 10 GB Pro | Yes100 MB free · 1 GB Pro |
| Payment collection | No | YesStripe, Square, PayPal, Braintree, Mollie; products & coupons | YesStripe — paid to your own account, no platform fee |
| E-signature field | No | YesSignature field; Papersign for documents | Yes |
| Design | |||
| Custom themes & branding | PartialThemes, header image, logo; layout fixed | YesThemes free; custom CSS on Pro | YesPro |
| Remove vendor badge | NoMicrosoft footer always shown | YesPro, $49 / mo | YesPro, $39 |
| Custom domain | No | Partial+$20 / mo per domain on Pro; 1 included on Business | 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 | Partial30 / mo | Partial100 / mo, overflow held |
| Over-limit responses kept (not rejected) | NoForm closes at limit | NoUpgrade or buy top-ups to avoid disruption | Yes |
| Email notifications & autoresponders | PartialOwner email; richer via Power Automate | Yes | Yes |
| Webhooks | PartialThrough Power Automate, not native | YesPro and above | YesAll plans |
| Zapier / native integrations | PartialPower Automate native; Zapier trigger available | Yes2,000+ via native, Zapier & Make | Yes6,000+ apps |
| Built-in analytics (views, drop-off) | PartialResponse summary charts; no drop-off | YesPaperform Analytics on Pro+ | Yes |
| CSV / spreadsheet export | YesExcel, live-linked | Yes | Yes |
| Team workspaces & collaboration | YesGroup forms via Microsoft 365 Groups / Teams | Yes3 users on Pro; 5 + $9 / user on Business | Yes |
| Security | |||
| Password-protected forms | PartialRestrict to org sign-in; no public password | YesPaid plans | YesPro |
| HIPAA / BAA | YesCovered by Microsoft 365 BAA on eligible plans | NoNo BAA offered | PartialHIPAA plan coming soon |
| GDPR tooling & DPA | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SSO / SAML | YesEntra ID on all M365 plans | 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
Microsoft Forms's entry paid plan (Microsoft 365 Personal at $9.99 / month) is cheaper than Paperform's (Essentials at $24 / month (annual)). Both offer a free plan (200 responses / form · 400 forms · basic themes) 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.
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.
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.
Microsoft Forms payments: No. 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.
Microsoft Forms HIPAA / BAA: Yes (Covered by Microsoft 365 BAA on eligible plans). Paperform HIPAA / BAA: No (No BAA offered). 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. 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. Microsoft Forms is best for organisations already licensed for Microsoft 365 that want zero-cost internal surveys and quizzes; 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 Microsoft 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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