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Surveys · head to head

Formstack vs Google Forms

Formstack logo

Formstack

Surveys

Form builder with document generation and e-signature

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Google Forms logo

Google Forms

Surveys

Survey tool bundled with Google Workspace that cannot be disabled separately from Drive and Docs

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Google Forms has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Formstack more expensive than form builders that only collect, which is the fair comparison for simple use; Google Forms forms has no service toggle of its own and is governed by the Drive and Docs service, so an administrator cannot disable it for an organisational unit without also disabling Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drive for those same users.
  • They diverge on capability: Formstack covers Form builder, Google Forms covers Bundled with every Workspace edition.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Formstack and Google Forms actually diverge.

Attributes where Formstack and Google Forms differ
AttributeFormstackGoogle Forms
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelTiered monthly subscription published on the vendor site; HIPAA-capable plans priced separatelyIncluded with Google Workspace, not sold separately
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, CloudWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: 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 Formstack

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

Only in Google Forms

  • Bundled with every Workspace edition
  • Linked Sheets responses
  • Per-unit external sharing controls
  • Auto-close
  • Gemini assistance
  • Locked mode quizzes

What people use each for

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

Formstack

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

Google Forms

  • Schools and universities running quizzes and collecting coursework where Workspace is already the standardnot Formstack
  • Internal data collection that must land in a Google Sheet for onward analysis without any export stepnot Formstack
  • Organisations that want a form tool with zero incremental cost and no procurement conversationnot Formstack
  • Simple public surveys where no respondent sign-in is required and no file uploads are involvednot Formstack

Where each one falls short

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

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

Google Forms

  • Forms has no service toggle of its own and is governed by the Drive and Docs service, so an administrator cannot disable it for an organisational unit without also disabling Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drive for those same users.
  • Data Regions covers Forms only for data at rest and not during processing, Business Starter gets no data regions at all, and Forms is excluded from client-side encryption and unmentioned in Assured Controls, so the residency guarantees are weaker than for Gmail or Drive.
  • Google Vault has no Forms-specific retention rule, hold or export, reaching forms only as Drive files, which means survey responses are reliably retainable only when they are routed to a linked Google Sheet.
  • Adding a file upload question requires every respondent to sign in to a Google account, which destroys anonymity and excludes anyone without one, and uploaded files consume the form owner personal Drive quota rather than an organisational pool.
  • File uploads are disabled when a form lives in a shared drive, so the ownership pattern that survives a staff departure and the upload feature are mutually exclusive, and a deleted owner Drive files are recoverable for only twenty days.

Pricing, plan by plan

Formstack

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Formstack review.

Google Forms

Free
  • Personal Google accountFree
    • Free with any personal Google account
    • 300 pieces of content per form, counting questions, descriptions, images and videos
    • 75 sections per form
  • Google Workspace Business Starter$undefined/year
    • Included in the subscription price, not sold separately
    • No data regions coverage at all at this tier
    • Forms governed by the Drive and Docs service toggle
  • Business Standard, Business Plus, Frontline Standard, Education Standard, Enterprise Essentials$undefined/year
    • Included in the subscription price, not sold separately
    • Fundamental data regions, one organisation-wide at-rest policy
    • Forms covered at rest only, not during processing
  • Frontline Plus, Enterprise Plus, or the Data Regions add-on$undefined/year
    • Included in the subscription price, not sold separately
    • Enterprise data regions with per-unit and per-group policies
    • Forms still excluded from client-side encryption and unnamed in Assured Controls

Which should you pick?

Choose Formstack if

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

Choose Google Forms if

  • You need bundled with every workspace edition.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want linked sheets responses.
Google Forms review

Questions people ask

Is Formstack or Google Forms better?
Neither clearly leads. Formstack starts at On request and Google Forms at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Formstack or Google Forms?
Google Forms has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Formstack and Free for Google Forms.
Does Formstack or Google Forms run on more platforms?
Formstack runs on Web, Cloud. Google Forms runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Google Forms for free?
Yes. Google Forms has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Formstack starts at On request.
What is Formstack best used for?
Formstack is most often used for processes where a submitted form must become a signed document, regulated intake needing hipaa-capable handling, salesforce shops wanting forms and documents inside the crm. Of those, processes where a submitted form must become a signed document and regulated intake needing hipaa-capable handling are not what Google Forms is typically brought in for.
What can Formstack do that Google Forms cannot?
Formstack covers Form builder, Document generation, E-signature, Workflow routing. Google Forms covers Bundled with every Workspace edition, Linked Sheets responses, Per-unit external sharing controls, Auto-close.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Google Forms: Can I buy Google Forms separately?

No. It is bundled with Drive and the Docs editors in every Workspace edition and is free with a personal Google account. There is no standalone SKU.

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.

Google Forms: How many responses can one form take?

Google publishes no limit. The practical ceiling is the linked Google Sheet at ten million cells. The documented 300 figure is pieces of content per form, not questions and not responses.

Formstack: Is it HIPAA compliant?

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

Google Forms: Can I turn Forms off but keep Drive?

No. Forms is controlled by the Drive and Docs service toggle. You can restrict external sharing of forms per organisational unit, but you cannot disable Forms alone.

Google Forms: Are responses covered by Vault?

Only as Drive files. There is no Forms-specific hold or export, so route responses to a linked Sheet if they need to be retained or produced in discovery.

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Related pages

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