Surveys · head to head
Alchemer vs Microsoft Forms
Alchemer
Surveys
Survey and feedback platform for research teams
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Microsoft Forms
Surveys
Survey tool bundled into Microsoft 365 with no standalone price, where the real constraints are tenant policy, residency and admin visibility
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Microsoft Forms has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Alchemer more expensive than the simple form builders, which is the fair comparison for a short survey; Microsoft Forms the Advanced Data Residency add-on explicitly does not cover Microsoft Forms, so a tenant that has paid for regional residency still has its survey responses provisioned according to best-effort guidance rather than a contractual commitment.
- They diverge on capability: Alchemer covers Deep question logic, Microsoft Forms covers Bundled licensing.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Alchemer and Microsoft Forms actually diverge.
| Attribute | Alchemer | Microsoft Forms |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | Tiered annual subscription published on the vendor site | Included with Microsoft 365, not sold separately |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, Cloud | Web, iOS, Android |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Surveys).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Alchemer
- Deep question logic
- Wide question types
- Workflow automation
- Integrations
- Panel and distribution
- Reporting
Only in Microsoft Forms
- Bundled licensing
- Very high response ceiling
- File upload questions
- Co-authoring
- eDiscovery coverage
- Surveys Agent in Copilot
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Alchemer
- Research questionnaires too conditional for a simple form buildernot Microsoft Forms
- Teams needing survey data routed into Salesforce or a warehousenot Microsoft Forms
- Organisations wanting research depth without enterprise experience-platform pricingnot Microsoft Forms
Microsoft Forms
- Internal surveys and quizzes inside an organisation that already pays for Microsoft 365 and does not want a second vendor contractnot Alchemer
- Education settings where quizzes need automatic grading and results in Excel without procurement approvalnot Alchemer
- Quick polls inside Microsoft Teams where the response data should stay in the same tenant as everything elsenot Alchemer
- Any case where the deciding factor is that no purchase order is requirednot Alchemer
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Alchemer
- More expensive than the simple form builders, which is the fair comparison for a short survey
- The interface carries a long product history and is less immediately friendly than newer tools
- Advanced logic is powerful and correspondingly easy to misconfigure, and testing a complex survey is real work
- Named Alchemer since 2020, so much of the searchable material still says SurveyGizmo
Microsoft Forms
- The Advanced Data Residency add-on explicitly does not cover Microsoft Forms, so a tenant that has paid for regional residency still has its survey responses provisioned according to best-effort guidance rather than a contractual commitment.
- Above 50,000 responses a form degrades sharply: only CSV export continues to work, while summary charts, viewing individual responses, printing, shared summary links and manual quiz grading all stop.
- Forms belonging to an account that is hard deleted, or deleted more than thirty days earlier, are not recoverable at all, so an unmanaged leaver process destroys survey data silently.
- The administrator settings that govern external sharing, template sharing and result summary sharing are only available to education and Microsoft 365 Apps for business customers, leaving many commercial tenants without the controls the documentation describes.
- A summary sharing link that has already been created continues to work for anyone inside or outside the organisation even after the form is restricted, so tightening permissions does not close an existing leak unless the link is deleted explicitly.
Pricing, plan by plan
Alchemer
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Alchemer review.
Microsoft Forms
Free- Free consumer Microsoft accountFree
- 200 responses per form
- 400 forms per account, including the recycle bin
- 200 questions per form
- Paid consumer Microsoft account$undefined/year
- Included in the subscription price, not sold separately
- 1,000 responses per form
- 400 forms per account
- Microsoft 365 work or school licence$undefined/year
- Included in the subscription price, not sold separately
- 5,000,000 responses per form
- Included in Business Basic, Standard, Premium, Office 365 E1, E3, E5 and Microsoft 365 F3
- Government GCC High and DoD$undefined/year
- Included in the subscription price, not sold separately
- 50,000 responses per form
- No email notification, video insert, Bing image search or phishing protection
Which should you pick?
Choose Alchemer if
- You need deep question logic.
- You work on Web, Cloud.
- You also want wide question types.
Choose Microsoft Forms if
- You need bundled licensing.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want very high response ceiling.
Questions people ask
- Is Alchemer or Microsoft Forms better?
- Neither clearly leads. Alchemer starts at On request and Microsoft Forms at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Alchemer or Microsoft Forms?
- Microsoft Forms has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Alchemer and Free for Microsoft Forms.
- Does Alchemer or Microsoft Forms run on more platforms?
- Alchemer runs on Web, Cloud. Microsoft Forms runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- Can I use Microsoft Forms for free?
- Yes. Microsoft Forms has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Alchemer starts at On request.
- What is Alchemer best used for?
- Alchemer is most often used for research questionnaires too conditional for a simple form builder, teams needing survey data routed into salesforce or a warehouse, organisations wanting research depth without enterprise experience-platform pricing. Of those, research questionnaires too conditional for a simple form builder and teams needing survey data routed into salesforce or a warehouse are not what Microsoft Forms is typically brought in for.
- What can Alchemer do that Microsoft Forms cannot?
- Alchemer covers Deep question logic, Wide question types, Workflow automation, Integrations. Microsoft Forms covers Bundled licensing, Very high response ceiling, File upload questions, Co-authoring.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Alchemer: What does Alchemer cost?
Tiered annual subscriptions published on the vendor site. Check current rates there.
Microsoft Forms: Can I buy Microsoft Forms on its own?
No. It exists only as a service plan inside Microsoft 365, Office 365 and education or government SKUs, or free with a consumer Microsoft account. There is no standalone product to purchase.
Alchemer: Is Alchemer the same as SurveyGizmo?
Yes. SurveyGizmo was renamed Alchemer in 2020, which is why older reviews and documentation use the former name.
Microsoft Forms: Where are responses stored?
In the United States for most tenants, in the EU and EFTA region for EU tenants, and in Australia only for Forms provisioned after October 2022. Microsoft states this is guidance, not a residency commitment.
Alchemer: When is it worth more than a simple form builder?
When the questionnaire has real conditional logic, or when responses need to route into Salesforce or a data warehouse.
Microsoft Forms: Can an administrator read someone else responses?
Not while that user account is active; ownership transfer is refused. Yes once the account is disabled or deleted, and yes through premium eDiscovery, which is still labelled preview.
Microsoft Forms: How do I turn Forms off for the organisation?
Disable both the Microsoft Forms and the Office Hive enterprise applications in Entra ID, or clear the Forms checkbox per user. Both applications must be disabled for it to take effect.
Related pages
More on Microsoft Forms
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