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Marketing · head to head

CleverTap vs Formstack

CleverTap logo

CleverTap

Marketing

Mobile-first engagement and retention analytics billed on monthly active users

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Formstack logo

Formstack

Surveys

Form builder with document generation and e-signature

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: CleverTap the platform assumes the mobile app is the main surface, so teams whose lifecycle runs mostly through the browser or through long B2B email sequences pay for capability they will not use.; Formstack more expensive than form builders that only collect, which is the fair comparison for simple use
  • They diverge on capability: CleverTap covers Cross-channel journeys, Formstack covers Form builder.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CleverTap and Formstack actually diverge.

Attributes where CleverTap and Formstack differ
AttributeCleverTapFormstack
Pricing modelquoteTiered monthly subscription published on the vendor site; HIPAA-capable plans priced separately
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, REST APIWeb, Cloud
CategoryMarketingSurveys

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 CleverTap

  • Cross-channel journeys
  • Product analytics
  • TesseractDB
  • Clever.AI
  • Experiments
  • Web and app personalisation

Only in Formstack

  • Form builder
  • Document generation
  • E-signature
  • Workflow routing
  • Salesforce integration
  • Compliance features

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

CleverTap

  • A consumer app with millions of installs but low monthly activity that does not want to pay for dormant profilesnot Formstack
  • Reactivating lapsed users with push and WhatsApp sequences triggered by behaviour rather than by list membershipnot Formstack
  • Running holdout tests to prove that lifecycle messaging causes retention rather than correlating with itnot Formstack
  • Consolidating a separate analytics tool and a separate messaging tool into a single event pipelinenot Formstack

Formstack

  • Processes where a submitted form must become a signed documentnot CleverTap
  • Regulated intake needing HIPAA-capable handlingnot CleverTap
  • Salesforce shops wanting forms and documents inside the CRMnot CleverTap

Where each one falls short

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

CleverTap

  • The platform assumes the mobile app is the main surface, so teams whose lifecycle runs mostly through the browser or through long B2B email sequences pay for capability they will not use.
  • Billing on monthly active users is cheaper for dormant-heavy bases but more expensive for products with high activity rates, and the definition of an active user is set in the contract rather than by you.
  • Event volume caps sit alongside the user caps, so a chatty instrumentation plan can trigger overage charges that are negotiated rather than published.
  • Deliverability support for email is thinner than at dedicated email providers, and teams sending high email volumes often keep a separate ESP for the largest campaigns.
  • Segmentation quality depends entirely on the event taxonomy, so without an owner who governs event naming the reports and segments diverge from reality within a couple of releases.

Formstack

  • More expensive than form builders that only collect, which is the fair comparison for simple use
  • Document generation and signature sit in higher tiers, so the headline price is not the working price
  • The interface has accumulated features over a long life and shows it
  • Overkill where a form only needs to collect an answer

Pricing, plan by plan

CleverTap

On request
  • Essentials$undefined/year
    • Billed on monthly active users rather than stored profiles
    • Push, in-app and web messaging
    • Standard segmentation and analytics
  • Advanced$undefined/year
    • Adds email, SMS and WhatsApp channels
    • Journey orchestration and experiments
    • Higher event and MAU allowances
  • Cutting Edge$undefined/year
    • Full AI and personalisation modules
    • Extended data retention
    • Dedicated technical account management

Formstack

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Formstack review.

Which should you pick?

Choose CleverTap if

  • You need cross-channel journeys.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, REST API.
  • You also want product analytics.
CleverTap review

Choose Formstack if

  • You need form builder.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want document generation.
Formstack review

Questions people ask

Is CleverTap or Formstack better?
Neither clearly leads. CleverTap starts at On request and Formstack at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CleverTap or Formstack?
CleverTap starts at On request and Formstack at On request.
Does CleverTap or Formstack run on more platforms?
CleverTap runs on Web, iOS, Android, REST API. Formstack runs on Web, Cloud.
What is CleverTap best used for?
CleverTap is most often used for a consumer app with millions of installs but low monthly activity that does not want to pay for dormant profiles, reactivating lapsed users with push and whatsapp sequences triggered by behaviour rather than by list membership, running holdout tests to prove that lifecycle messaging causes retention rather than correlating with it, consolidating a separate analytics tool and a separate messaging tool into a single event pipeline. Of those, a consumer app with millions of installs but low monthly activity that does not want to pay for dormant profiles and reactivating lapsed users with push and whatsapp sequences triggered by behaviour rather than by list membership are not what Formstack is typically brought in for.
What can CleverTap do that Formstack cannot?
CleverTap covers Cross-channel journeys, Product analytics, TesseractDB, Clever.AI. Formstack covers Form builder, Document generation, E-signature, Workflow routing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CleverTap: Does CleverTap charge for users who stopped opening the app?

No. Billing is on monthly active users, so a dormant account stops counting without you deleting anything, which is the opposite of contact-based email pricing.

Formstack: What does Formstack cost?

It publishes tiered monthly pricing; document generation and e-signature sit in higher tiers, and HIPAA-capable plans are priced separately.

CleverTap: Can it replace a product analytics tool?

For funnels, cohorts and retention it usually can. For exploratory analysis across many custom properties, teams tend to keep a warehouse copy and query it directly.

Formstack: What makes it different from a plain form builder?

It generates documents from submissions and collects signatures on them, which is the step that otherwise involves retyping form data into a template.

CleverTap: What happened to Leanplum customers?

CleverTap acquired Leanplum in 2022 and migrated customers onto its own platform, so Leanplum contracts are not a live option.

Formstack: Is it HIPAA compliant?

It offers HIPAA-capable plans for regulated data. That is a plan-level feature, not the default.

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