Softwr

Marketing · head to head

Countly vs Microsoft Forms

Countly logo

Countly

Marketing

Product analytics for mobile and web

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
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
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Countly the private cloud plan starts at $175 a month and is described as usage based without stating the unit; 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: Countly covers Event tracking, Microsoft Forms covers Bundled licensing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Countly and Microsoft Forms differ
AttributeCountlyMicrosoft Forms
Pricing modelsubscriptionIncluded with Microsoft 365, not sold separately
PlatformsWeb, Mobile, ApiWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryMarketingSurveys
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Countly

  • Event tracking
  • Crash reporting
  • Analytics dashboard
  • User retention
  • Open-source
  • Cloud deployment
  • On-premise deployment
  • Web support

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.

Countly

  • Product analytics for mobile and web applicationsnot Microsoft Forms
  • Self hosting analytics where data cannot leave the organisationnot 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 Countly
  • Education settings where quizzes need automatic grading and results in Excel without procurement approvalnot Countly
  • Quick polls inside Microsoft Teams where the response data should stay in the same tenant as everything elsenot Countly
  • Any case where the deciding factor is that no purchase order is requirednot Countly

Where each one falls short

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

Countly

  • The private cloud plan starts at $175 a month and is described as usage based without stating the unit
  • No event cap, data point limit or user limit is published for either paid plan
  • The self hosted Enterprise edition is custom priced and billed annually
  • Adaptivity and intelligence features are separately priced add ons on the cheaper plan

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

Countly

Free
  • Flex (Private Cloud)$175/month
    • Usage-based pricing (not seat-based)
    • Advanced Analytics included
    • Adaptivity and Intelligence available as add-ons
  • Enterprise (Self-Hosted)$null/mo
    • Custom pricing, requires demo booking
    • All capabilities included
    • Deploy on your infrastructure

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 Countly if

  • You need event tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Api.
  • You also want crash reporting.
Countly 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 Countly or Microsoft Forms better?
Neither clearly leads. Countly starts at Free and Microsoft Forms at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Countly or Microsoft Forms?
Countly starts at Free and Microsoft Forms at Free.
Does Countly or Microsoft Forms run on more platforms?
Countly runs on Web, Mobile, Api. Microsoft Forms runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Countly for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Countly best used for?
Countly is most often used for product analytics for mobile and web applications, self hosting analytics where data cannot leave the organisation. Of those, product analytics for mobile and web applications and self hosting analytics where data cannot leave the organisation are not what Microsoft Forms is typically brought in for.
What can Countly do that Microsoft Forms cannot?
Countly covers Event tracking, Crash reporting, Analytics dashboard, User retention. Microsoft Forms covers Bundled licensing, Very high response ceiling, File upload questions, Co-authoring.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Countly: How much does Countly cost?

Countly's Flex plan (private cloud) starts at $175/month with pay-as-you-go cancellation. Enterprise (self-hosted) requires custom pricing and annual billing. Both plans include advanced analytics, and Flex offers a 14-day free trial.

Source
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.

Countly: What is the difference between Countly Flex and Enterprise plans?

Flex uses usage-based pricing on Countly's cloud with monthly billing. Enterprise requires custom pricing and annual billing, but allows self-hosting on your infrastructure with zero vendor access to data, dedicated support, and included SLA.

Source
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.

Countly: Can I add Adaptivity and Intelligence to Countly Flex?

Yes, Adaptivity and Intelligence suites can be added to Flex as needed. Both are included standard with Enterprise plans.

Source
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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