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
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.
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; SurveyMonkey 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 | SSurveyMonkey | PPaperform | FFormBuilder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building | |||
| AI form generation from a prompt | YesBuild with AI, on all plans | YesAI form builder + AI calculations assistant | Yes |
| Drag-and-drop visual builder | PartialQuestion-list builder with drag reordering | PartialDocument-style editor; blocks, not a canvas | Yes |
| Template library | YesHundreds, research-focused | Yes700+ | Yes300+ |
| Conditional logic / branching | YesSkip logic Standard+; advanced logic Advantage+ | YesQuestions, content, emails & summaries | Yes |
| Multi-page / multi-step forms | Yes | Yes | YesPro |
| Calculations & scoring | PartialQuiz scoring; no calculated fields | YesCalculations field & scoring | YesCalculation field + auto-graded quizzes |
| File uploads | YesPaid plans only | Yes100 MB free · 1 GB Essentials · 10 GB Pro | Yes100 MB free · 1 GB Pro |
| Payment collection | YesStripe, Advantage+ | 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 | YesCustom design Standard+; premium themes Advantage+ | YesThemes free; custom CSS on Pro | YesPro |
| Remove vendor badge | PartialCustom footer on paid; full white-label on Premier, $139 / mo | YesPro, $49 / mo | YesPro, $39 |
| Custom domain | PartialCustom subdomain, Enterprise | 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 | PartialSmall per-survey cap; over-limit responses deleted | Partial30 / mo | Partial100 / mo, overflow held |
| Over-limit responses kept (not rejected) | NoOver-limit responses deleted; $0.15 each on paid plans | NoUpgrade or buy top-ups to avoid disruption | Yes |
| Email notifications & autoresponders | YesEmail invitations Standard+ | Yes | Yes |
| Webhooks | YesVia API / paid plans | YesPro and above | YesAll plans |
| Zapier / native integrations | Yes200+ integrations + Zapier | Yes2,000+ via native, Zapier & Make | Yes6,000+ apps |
| Built-in analytics (views, drop-off) | YesStrongest in class: filters, crosstabs, significance | YesPaperform Analytics on Pro+ | Yes |
| CSV / spreadsheet export | YesPaid plans only | Yes | Yes |
| Team workspaces & collaboration | YesTeam plans, 3-user minimum | Yes3 users on Pro; 5 + $9 / user on Business | Yes |
| Security | |||
| Password-protected forms | YesPaid plans | YesPaid plans | YesPro |
| HIPAA / BAA | YesEnterprise only | 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
Paperform's entry paid plan (Essentials at $24 / month (annual)) is cheaper than SurveyMonkey's (Standard Monthly at $99 / month (monthly)). Both offer a free plan (30 submissions / mo · unlimited forms · 1 user · 100 MB · Paperform branding · 5 payment submissions / mo) 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.
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.
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.
SurveyMonkey payments: Yes (Stripe, Advantage+). 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.
SurveyMonkey HIPAA / BAA: Yes (Enterprise only). Paperform HIPAA / BAA: No (No BAA offered). FormBuilder's HIPAA plan with BAA ($99 / month) is currently rolling out.
SurveyMonkey is the long-running survey platform for market research, customer feedback and employee engagement, with a large question bank and serious analysis tools. 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. SurveyMonkey is best for market researchers and CX teams who need statistical analysis, crosstabs and open-text theming; 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 SurveyMonkey 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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