Google Forms is the best software for making forms for most readers because it costs nothing with a Google account, collects unlimited responses, and sends results straight to Sheets, while Jotform is the best full-featured builder and Typeform is the best for conversational lead forms. The real cost driver is the response cap, not the form count: Typeform Basic and Jotform Starter each allow only 100 replies a month, so a busy form can outgrow a cheap plan. Wufoo charges 5 cents for every entry above the monthly limit on a plan, a fee most roundups skip, and its public release notes have not listed a new update since August 2020.- Cognito Forms is the cheapest route to calculations and payments, with Pro at 19 dollars a month billed annually, while Formstack starts at 83 dollars a month billed annually with no permanent free plan.
Pick by volume first, then by design. A contact form that gets 20 replies a month fits any free plan, while a registration form that gets 2,000 replies needs a plan with a high entry cap or no cap at all.
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Best software for making forms: comparison table
Swipe the table sideways on a phone to see every column.
| # | Name | Best for | Starting price | Free plan / trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Google Forms | Simple free forms and surveys | $0 per month | Yes | Visit |
| 2 | Microsoft Forms | Teams and schools on Microsoft 365 | $0 per month | Yes | Visit |
| 3 | Jotform | All-round form building with templates | $34 per month | Yes | Visit |
| 4 | Typeform | Conversational forms and lead capture | $28 per month | Yes | Visit |
| 5 | Cognito Forms | Calculated quotes and order forms | $19 per month | Yes | Visit |
| 6 | Zoho Forms | Zoho CRM and Zoho app users | $10 per month | Yes | Visit |
| 7 | Wufoo | Simple hosted forms with reports | $16.25 per month | Yes | Visit |
| 8 | Formstack | Regulated teams needing workflows and signatures | $83 per month | Free trial (14 days) | Visit |
The 8 best best software for making forms, in detail
Google Forms
Best for: Simple free forms and surveys
Google Forms is the simplest way to make a form that works. You add multiple choice, checkbox, short answer, and file upload questions, then share a link or embed the form on a page. Responses land in a linked Google Sheet with no monthly cap on the number of replies, which is rare among free plans.
- The limits show up when a form needs to do more than collect answers.
- Google Forms has no built-in payment field, so an order form needs a separate checkout link, and its themes are basic next to Typeform or Jotform.
- Choose Google Forms when cost matters most and the form is a survey, a sign-up sheet, or an internal poll.
- Choose something else when you need payments, calculations, or a form that matches a brand exactly.
Pros
- No cost with a Google account
- unlimited responses
- results flow into Google Sheets
Cons
- No payment collection built in
- limited design control and no advanced logic on the free tier
Microsoft Forms
Best for: Teams and schools on Microsoft 365
Microsoft Forms is the free form tool inside the Microsoft account system, and it fits teams that already live in Teams, Outlook, and Excel. You can make a survey, a poll, or a quiz, share it by link, and watch responses arrive in a workbook. A personal Microsoft account is enough to start, and a work or school account adds sharing controls for an organisation.
- The tool stays deliberately simple, and that is both its strength and its limit.
- There is no payment field, no calculation field, and no approval workflow, so an order form or a quote form needs another tool.
- Choose Microsoft Forms when your team already uses Microsoft 365 and needs quick polls, quizzes, and internal surveys.
- Choose Jotform or Cognito Forms when the form must take money, calculate a total, or route an approval.
Pros
- No cost with a Microsoft account
- results flow into Excel
- built-in quiz scoring
Cons
- No payment collection built in
- fewer templates and third-party integrations than Jotform
Jotform
Best for: All-round form building with templates
Jotform is the widest all-round builder in this list. The template library covers registrations, applications, orders, bookings, and feedback, and the drag-and-drop editor adds conditional logic, calculations, file uploads, and payment fields. The free Starter plan gives 5 active forms, 100 submissions a month, 10,000 form views a month, and 100 MB of upload space.
- Bronze costs 34 dollars a month billed annually, or 39 dollars month to month, and raises the limits to 25 forms, 1,000 submissions a month, and 1 GB
- Silver costs 39 dollars a month billed annually and allows 50 forms and 2,500 submissions a month, while Gold costs 99 dollars a month billed annually
- HIPAA features start on Gold, which matters for health intake forms.
- One limit to note is that Bronze, Silver, and Gold each allow only one user, so a team that needs several builders must move to Enterprise, which is q
Pros
- More than 10,000 templates
- Starter plan is free with 5 forms
- payment and e-signature fields included
Cons
- Starter allows only 100 submissions a month
- only one user on Bronze, Silver, and Gold
Typeform
Best for: Conversational forms and lead capture
Typeform shows one question at a time, which suits lead capture, applications, and research surveys. Every plan includes unlimited forms and unlimited questions, so the price is set by monthly responses and seats, not by how many forms you build. The free plan allows 10 responses a month across the whole account.
- Basic costs 28 dollars a month billed annually, or 39 dollars month to month, for 100 responses a month and one user.
- Plus costs 56 dollars a month billed annually for 1,000 responses a month and three users, with Typeform branding removed.
- Business costs 91 dollars a month billed annually for 10,000 responses a month and five users.
- Growth Flow, the lead generation tier, costs 266 dollars a month billed annually for 10,000 responses a month with enrichment and follow-up tools.
Pros
- One-question-at-a-time layout lifts completion
- unlimited forms on every plan
- strong logic and branding options
Cons
- Free plan allows only 10 responses a month
- Basic allows only 100 responses a month and one user
Cognito Forms
Best for: Calculated quotes and order forms
Cognito Forms is the cheapest way to build a form that calculates a price and takes a payment. Every plan, including the free Individual plan, allows unlimited forms, and the free plan includes calculations, conditional logic, e-signatures, and Stripe payments, with 100 entries a month and 100 MB of storage. Pro costs 19 dollars a month billed annually, or 24 dollars month to month, for 2,000 entries a month, two users, and 1 GB of storage.
- Team costs 39 dollars a month billed annually for 10,000 entries a month, five users, and 10 GB of storage.
- Enterprise costs 129 dollars a month billed annually for unlimited entries, 20 users, 100 GB of storage, HIPAA features, and single sign-on.
- One detail to check before you build is the payment fee: Cognito Forms adds its own 2 percent fee on top of processing costs on the free plan, and 1 p
- Direct Stripe, Square, and PayPal connections are also held back until Team.
Pros
- Unlimited forms on every plan
- calculations and payments on the free plan
- low entry price
Cons
- Free plan adds a 2 percent fee on payments
- PayPal and Square need Team or higher
Zoho Forms
Best for: Zoho CRM and Zoho app users
Zoho Forms is the form builder inside the Zoho suite of more than 50 business apps, and its main strength is the native link to Zoho CRM, Zoho Desk, and Zoho Projects, with no third-party connector needed. The free plan allows 3 forms, 500 submissions a month, and 200 MB of storage for one user. Basic costs 10 dollars a month billed annually, or 12 dollars month to month, for unlimited forms, 10,000 submissions a month, and 500 MB of storage.
- Standard costs 25 dollars a month billed annually for 25,000 submissions a month, 10 users, and 2 GB of storage, with approval workflows and payments.
- Professional costs 50 dollars a month billed annually for 75,000 submissions a month and 25 users, and Premium costs 90 dollars a month billed annuall
- Outside the Zoho ecosystem the tool is still capable, but its best value comes from the CRM link.
- Choose Zoho Forms when your team already runs Zoho CRM or Zoho Desk.
Pros
- Native links to Zoho CRM, Desk, and Projects
- unlimited forms on subscription plans
- low entry price
Cons
- Free plan allows only 3 forms and 500 submissions a month
- best value sits inside the Zoho ecosystem
Wufoo
Best for: Simple hosted forms with reports
Wufoo is one of the oldest form builders still running, founded in 2006 and owned by SurveyMonkey since 2011, and it keeps the formula simple: build a form, share a link, read the reports. The free plan allows 5 forms, 100 entries a month, 10 fields per form, and one user. Starter costs 16.25 dollars a month billed annually, or 19 dollars month to month, for 10 forms, 1,000 entries a month, and 1 GB of file uploads.
- Professional costs 33.25 dollars a month billed annually for unlimited forms, 5,000 entries a month, five users, and payment fields.
- Two facts set Wufoo apart from the rest of this list.
- First, every entry above the monthly limit costs 5 cents, so a spike of 10,000 extra entries adds 500 dollars to the bill, which is a real risk for a
- Second, its public release notes have not listed a new update since August 2020.
Pros
- Simple builder with strong reports
- free plan with 5 forms
- payment fields from Professional up
Cons
- Entries above the limit cost 5 cents each
- no CAPTCHA or spam prevention feature on any published plan
Formstack
Best for: Regulated teams needing workflows and signatures
Formstack is the most expensive entry point in this list, and it earns that price only when a team needs forms plus documents and signatures in one system. The Forms plan costs 83 dollars a month billed annually, or 99 dollars month to month, for one builder user, 25 forms, 1,000 submissions per form, and 2 GB of storage, with conditional logic and workflows. The Suite plan costs 250 dollars a month billed annually, or 299 dollars month to month, for three builder users, 100 forms, 5,000 submissions per form, and 10 GB of storage, plus Formstack Documents and Formstack Sign with unlimited e-signatures.
- There is no permanent free plan, only a 14-day free trial with no card required, which is a clear difference from every other tool here.
- HIPAA features are also not included on Forms or Suite and need an add-on or a higher tier, so a health team must confirm that cost before buying.
- Extra builder users cost 20 dollars a month each beyond the included seats.
- Choose Formstack when intake must flow into a generated document and a signed record without a second vendor.
Pros
- Forms, documents, and e-signatures in one Suite plan
- workflow automation and approvals
- Salesforce options
Cons
- No permanent free plan
- Forms plan allows only one builder user and 25 forms
How we chose
We picked tools with a live form builder, a published pricing page, and a free plan or a free trial, then compared the entry price, the monthly response or entry cap, the form limit, and the user limit. Prices and plan limits come from official vendor pricing pages and docs opened on 2026-11-12, with search results citing those pages where a direct page load was blocked. We did not test any tool hands-on.
Pick by volume and budget
| Monthly volume | Best pick | Entry cost | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 100 replies | Google Forms | $0 per month | No cap on responses and no cost |
| 100 to 1,000 replies | Cognito Forms Pro | $19 per month (billed annually) | 2,000 entries a month with calculations |
| 1,000 to 2,500 replies | Jotform Silver | $39 per month (billed annually) | 2,500 submissions a month and 50 forms |
| Design-led lead forms | Typeform Plus | $56 per month (billed annually) | 1,000 responses a month with no branding |
| Zoho CRM teams | Zoho Forms Standard | $25 per month (billed annually) | 25,000 submissions a month and approvals |
| Regulated workflows | Formstack Suite | $250 per month (billed annually) | Documents and signatures in one plan |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best software for making forms?
Google Forms is the best software for making forms for most readers because it is free, has no response cap, and sends results to Sheets. Jotform is the best all-round subscription builder for teams that need templates, payments, and logic, and Typeform is the best for conversational lead forms where completion matters more than volume.
How much does form software cost?
Form software costs from 0 dollars a month for Google Forms and Microsoft Forms to 83 dollars a month billed annually for Formstack Forms. Entry subscription plans in this list run from 10 dollars a month billed annually for Zoho Forms Basic to 34 dollars a month billed annually for Jotform Bronze.
Which is best for a small business on a budget?
Cognito Forms Pro is the best budget pick for a small business that needs calculations or payments, at 19 dollars a month billed annually for 2,000 entries a month. Google Forms is the best free pick, and Jotform Bronze at 34 dollars a month billed annually is the best budget pick for many templates.
Which form builder is best for taking payments?
Cognito Forms is the best for taking payments at a low price because it includes Stripe payments on its free plan and calculations on every plan, though it adds a 2 percent fee on free plan payments. Jotform includes payment fields from Bronze up, and Wufoo adds payment fields from Professional at 33.25 dollars a month billed annually.
Can I make forms for free?
Yes. Google Forms and Microsoft Forms are free with a personal account and no response cap is published for either. Jotform, Typeform, Cognito Forms, Zoho Forms, and Wufoo all offer a free plan with a monthly cap, while Formstack offers only a 14-day free trial.
Which is best for a team that already uses Zoho CRM?
Zoho Forms is the best pick for a Zoho CRM team because form replies feed straight into Zoho CRM, Desk, and Projects with no connector. Standard adds approvals and payments for 10 users at 25 dollars a month billed annually.
Sources
- https://forms.google.com/
- https://forms.office.com/
- https://www.jotform.com/
- https://www.jotform.com/pricing/
- https://www.typeform.com/
- https://www.typeform.com/pricing/
- https://www.cognitoforms.com/
- https://www.cognitoforms.com/pricing
- https://www.zoho.com/forms/
- https://www.zoho.com/forms/pricing.html
- https://www.wufoo.com/
- https://www.wufoo.com/pricing/
- https://www.formstack.com/
- https://www.formstack.com/pricing
Prices and features were read on each company’s own website in November 2026. They change often, so confirm the current offer on the official site before you sign up or buy.