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Surveys · head to head

Fillout vs Optimove

Fillout logo

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
Free plan
Yes
Optimove logo

Optimove

Marketing

Retention marketing platform that forces control groups and reports uplift per customer

From
On request
Free plan
No

The short version

  • Only Fillout has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Optimove it requires a customer-level data feed with transactions before it does anything useful, and mapping that feed typically takes weeks of joint work rather than days.
  • They diverge on capability: Fillout covers Unlimited seats and forms, Optimove covers Customer modelling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fillout and Optimove actually diverge.

Attributes where Fillout and Optimove differ
AttributeFilloutOptimove
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelPer month by response countquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, iOS, Android, REST API
CategorySurveysMarketing

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 Fillout

  • Unlimited seats and forms
  • Database read and write
  • Soft response limits
  • Conditional logic and calculations
  • EU hosting
  • REST API and webhooks

Only in Optimove

  • Customer modelling
  • Mandatory control groups
  • Optibot
  • Multichannel orchestration
  • Self-optimising campaigns
  • Realtime triggers

What people use each for

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

Fillout

  • A team already running on Airtable or Notion that wants forms which update existing records rather than appending new rowsnot Optimove
  • An organisation with many occasional form builders, where per-seat pricing elsewhere would cost more than the forms are worthnot Optimove
  • Replacing a survey tool, a scheduling tool and a payment link with one form that does all threenot Optimove
  • Public forms that must keep collecting through an unexpected traffic spike rather than shutting off at a quotanot Optimove

Optimove

  • An operator that has to prove incremental revenue from retention marketing to a finance committeenot Fillout
  • Segmenting a customer base by predicted value and lifecycle stage rather than by campaign list membershipnot Fillout
  • Running hundreds of small always-on campaigns where per-campaign uplift decides which survivenot Fillout
  • Coordinating retention messaging with paid audience suppression so lapsed customers are not paid for twicenot Fillout

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Optimove

  • It requires a customer-level data feed with transactions before it does anything useful, and mapping that feed typically takes weeks of joint work rather than days.
  • Pricing is based on tracked customers, so an inflated database of accounts that will never return costs money exactly like an unpruned email list does.
  • The modelling layer is largely opaque, so when a lifecycle stage assignment looks wrong there is limited ability to inspect why beyond vendor support.
  • The interface is dense and built for daily operators, and occasional users typically never become independent in it.
  • Email delivery is through bundled or third-party sending infrastructure rather than an in-house ESP, which adds a party to any deliverability investigation.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Optimove

On request
  • Optimove$undefined/year
    • Priced by number of tracked customers
    • Channel modules and Kumulos-derived mobile messaging licensed separately
    • Annual contract including onboarding services

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.

Choose Optimove if

  • You need customer modelling.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, REST API.
  • You also want mandatory control groups.

Questions people ask

Is Fillout or Optimove better?
Neither clearly leads. Fillout starts at Free and Optimove at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fillout or Optimove?
Fillout has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Fillout and On request for Optimove.
Does Fillout or Optimove run on more platforms?
Fillout runs on Web, API. Optimove runs on Web, iOS, Android, REST API.
Can I use Fillout for free?
Yes. Fillout has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Optimove starts at On request.
What is Fillout best used for?
Fillout is most often used for a team already running on airtable or notion that wants forms which update existing records rather than appending new rows, an organisation with many occasional form builders, where per-seat pricing elsewhere would cost more than the forms are worth, replacing a survey tool, a scheduling tool and a payment link with one form that does all three, public forms that must keep collecting through an unexpected traffic spike rather than shutting off at a quota. Of those, a team already running on airtable or notion that wants forms which update existing records rather than appending new rows and an organisation with many occasional form builders, where per-seat pricing elsewhere would cost more than the forms are worth are not what Optimove is typically brought in for.
What can Fillout do that Optimove cannot?
Fillout covers Unlimited seats and forms, Database read and write, Soft response limits, Conditional logic and calculations. Optimove covers Customer modelling, Mandatory control groups, Optibot, Multichannel orchestration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Fillout: 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.

Optimove: Why does it insist on control groups?

Because uplift is the reported metric. Without a holdout the platform cannot attribute revenue, and the reporting that justifies the licence stops working.

Fillout: 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.

Optimove: Is it only for iGaming?

No, but that is where its density of customers and its default lifecycle models are strongest. Subscription retail and financial services are the other common verticals.

Fillout: 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.

Optimove: Can it send email itself?

It orchestrates and personalises, then sends through connected delivery infrastructure. Deliverability remains a shared responsibility with that provider.

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.

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