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Marketing · head to head

Attribution vs Microsoft Forms

A

Attribution

Marketing

First-party data marketing attribution platform

From
$2000/month
Free plan
No
Visit AttributionFull review
Microsoft Forms logo

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
Free plan
Yes
Visit Microsoft FormsFull review

The short version

  • Attribution is a modern marketing attribution platform.
  • Microsoft Forms is free; Attribution starts at $2000/mo.
  • Only Attribution lists first-party data attribution; only Microsoft Forms lists bundled licensing.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Attribution and Microsoft Forms actually diverge.

Attributes where Attribution and Microsoft Forms differ
AttributeAttributionMicrosoft Forms
Starting price$2000/monthFree
Pricing modelSubscriptionIncluded with Microsoft 365, not sold separately
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, APIWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryMarketingSurveys

Not yet recorded: founded for Microsoft Forms.

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 Attribution

  • First-party data attribution
  • Multi-touch attribution
  • Privacy-compliant tracking
  • Real-time insights
  • Conversion tracking
  • Channel attribution
  • Custom reporting
  • API access

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.

Attribution

  • Marketing attributionnot Microsoft Forms
  • ROI trackingnot Microsoft Forms
  • Privacy-compliant trackingnot Microsoft Forms
  • First-party datanot 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 Attribution
  • Education settings where quizzes need automatic grading and results in Excel without procurement approvalnot Attribution
  • Quick polls inside Microsoft Teams where the response data should stay in the same tenant as everything elsenot Attribution
  • Any case where the deciding factor is that no purchase order is requirednot Attribution

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Attribution

Nothing recorded yet. See the Attribution review.

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

Attribution

$2000/month
  • Starter$2,000/mo
    • Up to 5 channels
    • Basic attribution
    • Monthly reports
  • Professional$5,000/mo
    • Unlimited channels
    • Advanced attribution
    • Weekly reports
  • EnterpriseOn request
    • Custom implementation
    • Real-time attribution
    • Dedicated support

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 accountOn request
    • Included in the subscription price, not sold separately
    • 1,000 responses per form
    • 400 forms per account
  • Microsoft 365 work or school licenceOn request
    • 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 DoDOn request
    • 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 Attribution if

  • You need first-party data attribution.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
  • You also want multi-touch attribution.
Attribution review

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.
Microsoft Forms review

Questions people ask

Is Attribution or Microsoft Forms better?
Neither clearly leads. Attribution starts at $2000/month and Microsoft Forms at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Attribution or Microsoft Forms?
Microsoft Forms has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $2000/month for Attribution and Free for Microsoft Forms.
Does Attribution or Microsoft Forms run on more platforms?
Attribution runs on Web, iOS, Android, API. 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. Attribution starts at $2000/month.
What is Attribution best used for?
Attribution is most often used for marketing attribution, roi tracking, privacy-compliant tracking, first-party data. Of those, marketing attribution and roi tracking are not what Microsoft Forms is typically brought in for.
What can Attribution do that Microsoft Forms cannot?
Attribution covers First-party data attribution, Multi-touch attribution, Privacy-compliant tracking, Real-time insights. Microsoft Forms covers Bundled licensing, Very high response ceiling, File upload questions, Co-authoring.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

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.

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.

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