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Marketing · head to head

CleverTap vs Paperform

CleverTap logo

CleverTap

Marketing

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

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Paperform logo

Paperform

Surveys

Forms that feel like you

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Paperform has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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.; Paperform free plan limited to 30 submissions per month
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CleverTap and Paperform actually diverge.

Attributes where CleverTap and Paperform differ
AttributeCleverTapPaperform
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, REST APIWeb
CategoryMarketingSurveys

Identical on both: 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 Paperform

Nothing recorded that CleverTap does not also cover.

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 Paperform
  • Reactivating lapsed users with push and WhatsApp sequences triggered by behaviour rather than by list membershipnot Paperform
  • Running holdout tests to prove that lifecycle messaging causes retention rather than correlating with itnot Paperform
  • Consolidating a separate analytics tool and a separate messaging tool into a single event pipelinenot Paperform

Paperform

  • Creating multi-step application forms with conditional field displaynot CleverTap
  • Building payment collection forms for online invoicingnot CleverTap
  • Setting up appointment scheduling with calendar integrationnot CleverTap
  • Collecting customer signatures on contracts and agreementsnot 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.

Paperform

  • Free plan limited to 30 submissions per month
  • Additional submissions beyond plan limits incur overage fees
  • Custom domains require additional $20 per month fee on Pro plan

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

Paperform

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 user
    • 30 submissions per month
    • 5 payment submissions per month
  • Essentials$24/month
    • 1 user
    • 1,200 submissions per year
    • 240 payment submissions per year
  • Pro$49/month
    • 3 users
    • 12,000 submissions per year
    • 3,000 payment submissions per year
  • Business$99/month
    • 5 users plus $9 per additional user (up to 25)
    • 120,000 submissions per year
    • 30,000 payment submissions per year

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 Paperform if

  • You want to start without paying.
Paperform review

Questions people ask

Is CleverTap or Paperform better?
Neither clearly leads. CleverTap starts at On request and Paperform at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CleverTap or Paperform?
Paperform has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for CleverTap and Free for Paperform.
Does CleverTap or Paperform run on more platforms?
CleverTap runs on Web, iOS, Android, REST API. Paperform runs on Web.
Can I use Paperform for free?
Yes. Paperform has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. CleverTap starts at On request.
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 Paperform is typically brought in for.
What can CleverTap do that Paperform cannot?
CleverTap covers Cross-channel journeys, Product analytics, TesseractDB, Clever.AI.

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.

Paperform: Is there a free version of Paperform?

Yes, Paperform offers a free plan with 1 user, 30 submissions per month, and 100 MB storage at no cost.

Source
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.

Paperform: Does Paperform offer a free trial for paid plans?

Paperform offers a 7-day unrestricted trial for all paid plans without requiring a credit card.

Source
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.

Paperform: What payment processing options does Paperform support?

All Paperform plans include payment processing via Stripe, Square, Braintree, or PayPal.

Source
Paperform: When does Paperform charge for custom domains?

Custom domains are available on the Pro and Business plans, with an additional $20 per month fee for this feature.

Source
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