Surveys · head to head
Cognito Forms vs Fillout
Fillout
Surveys
Form builder that reads and writes records in Airtable, Notion, HubSpot and Salesforce, with unlimited seats on every plan including the free one
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Cognito Forms individual free plan caps at 100 entries per month and 1 user; Fillout the Business plan is marketed with unlimited responses but the fair use policy names thresholds of 30,000 submissions a month, 250,000 in total, 500 forms per account and 50 GB of uploads a month, above which the vendor may limit or suspend features, so unlimited means unmetered rather than uncapped.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Cognito Forms and Fillout actually diverge.
| Attribute | Cognito Forms | Fillout |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | subscription | Per month by response count |
| Platforms | Web | Web, API |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Cognito Forms
Nothing recorded that Fillout does not also cover.
Only in Fillout
- Unlimited seats and forms
- Database read and write
- Soft response limits
- Conditional logic and calculations
- EU hosting
- REST API and webhooks
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Cognito Forms
- Building HIPAA-compliant data collection forms without codingnot Fillout
- Creating multi-step approval workflows for contract signingnot Fillout
- Collecting payments inline within customer intake formsnot Fillout
- Routing applications automatically based on responsesnot Fillout
Fillout
- A team already running on Airtable or Notion that wants forms which update existing records rather than appending new rowsnot Cognito Forms
- An organisation with many occasional form builders, where per-seat pricing elsewhere would cost more than the forms are worthnot Cognito Forms
- Replacing a survey tool, a scheduling tool and a payment link with one form that does all threenot Cognito Forms
- Public forms that must keep collecting through an unexpected traffic spike rather than shutting off at a quotanot Cognito Forms
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Cognito Forms
- Individual free plan caps at 100 entries per month and 1 user
- Pro plan ($24/mo monthly, $19/mo billed annually) still limits to 2 users and 2,000 entries per month
- HIPAA compliance and single sign-on are restricted to the Enterprise tier ($174/mo monthly, $129/mo annual)
Fillout
- The Business plan is marketed with unlimited responses but the fair use policy names thresholds of 30,000 submissions a month, 250,000 in total, 500 forms per account and 50 GB of uploads a month, above which the vendor may limit or suspend features, so unlimited means unmetered rather than uncapped.
- EU data residency begins on the Team plan at 250 USD per month, more than three times the Business price, and is not applied automatically; you must upgrade and then raise a support request to be moved.
- The Team plan is hidden behind a secondary tab that does not render without interaction, so buyers reading the pricing page see Business at 75 USD as the top self-serve tier and only discover the 250 USD step when they ask for single sign-on or EU hosting.
- The enterprise marketing page lists hosting in the United States, EU, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, but the security documentation and subprocessor list name only the United States and the EU, so three of those five regions should be confirmed in writing before they are relied on.
- The vendor is SOC 2 Type 2 but claims neither ISO 27001 nor HIPAA anywhere in its documentation, and it is angel-funded with no disclosed institutional round while the parent company now trades as Zite and ships a separate AI application builder.
Pricing, plan by plan
Cognito Forms
Free- IndividualFree
- 100 entries per month
- 1 user
- Cognito Forms branding included
- Pro$24/month
- 2000 entries per month
- 2 users
- Electronic signatures
- Team$49/month
- 10000 entries per month
- 5 users
- 5 guest access
- Enterprise$174/month
- Unlimited entries
- 20 users
- 20 guest access
Fillout
Free- FreeFree
- 1,000 responses per month
- Unlimited forms and unlimited seats
- 20 MB per file upload
- Starter$15/month
- 180 USD per year billed annually, a stated 20 percent saving on monthly billing
- 2,000 responses per month
- Unlimited forms and seats
- Pro$40/month
- 480 USD per year billed annually
- 5,000 responses per month
- Branding fully removed at this tier
- Business$75/month
- 900 USD per year billed annually
- Marketed as unlimited responses, subject to a fair use threshold near 30,000 per month
- 1 GB per file upload
Which should you pick?
Choose Fillout if
- You need unlimited seats and forms.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, API.
- You also want database read and write.
Questions people ask
- Is Cognito Forms or Fillout better?
- Neither clearly leads. Cognito Forms starts at Free and Fillout at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Cognito Forms or Fillout?
- Cognito Forms starts at Free and Fillout at Free.
- Does Cognito Forms or Fillout run on more platforms?
- Cognito Forms runs on Web. Fillout runs on Web, API.
- Can I use Cognito Forms for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Cognito Forms best used for?
- Cognito Forms is most often used for building hipaa-compliant data collection forms without coding, creating multi-step approval workflows for contract signing, collecting payments inline within customer intake forms, routing applications automatically based on responses. Of those, building hipaa-compliant data collection forms without coding and creating multi-step approval workflows for contract signing are not what Fillout is typically brought in for.
- What can Cognito Forms do that Fillout cannot?
- Fillout covers Unlimited seats and forms, Database read and write, Soft response limits, Conditional logic and calculations.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Cognito Forms: How much does Cognito Forms cost?
Cognito Forms offers a free Individual plan with 100 entries per month. Paid plans start at $24/month for the Pro plan, $49/month for the Team plan, and $174/month for the Enterprise plan. Annual prepayment provides up to 20% discount off monthly rates.
SourceFillout: Are seats really unlimited?
Yes. The vendor states there are no per-seat charges on any plan, including Free, and forms are unlimited too. Responses per month is the only meter below the Business tier.
Cognito Forms: What is the difference between Cognito Forms plans?
The Individual plan (free) includes 100 entries/month and 1 user. Pro adds electronic signatures and accommodates 2000 entries/month with 2 users. Team plan (Best Value) supports 10000 entries/month with 5 users and includes client portal and approvals. Enterprise provides unlimited entries, 20 users, and HIPAA compliance.
SourceFillout: What happens when I exceed my response quota?
Nothing breaks. Forms keep collecting, and you can upgrade, buy bulk submissions or wait for the monthly reset.
Cognito Forms: Does Cognito Forms have a free version?
Yes, Cognito Forms offers a free Individual plan that includes 100 entries per month, 1 user, unlimited forms, and payment processing capabilities. Higher-tier plans are available for increased capacity and features.
SourceFillout: Can I host respondent data in the EU?
Only from the Team plan at 250 USD per month, and only after contacting support to switch. Note that email and payment subprocessors remain in the United States regardless.
Fillout: Is the Business plan really unlimited responses?
It is unmetered, not uncapped. The fair use policy names roughly 30,000 submissions a month as the point at which the vendor may intervene, so treat that as the practical ceiling.
Related pages
More on Cognito Forms
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