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Surveys · head to head

Google Forms vs Lucky Orange

Google Forms logo

Google Forms

Surveys

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

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Lucky Orange logo

Lucky Orange

Marketing

All-in-one conversion optimization

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Lucky Orange session-based pricing scales poorly during traffic spikes or successful campaigns
  • They diverge on capability: Google Forms covers Bundled with every Workspace edition, Lucky Orange covers Heatmaps.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Google Forms and Lucky Orange actually diverge.

Attributes where Google Forms and Lucky Orange differ
AttributeGoogle FormsLucky Orange
Pricing modelIncluded with Google Workspace, not sold separatelyUnknown
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
CategorySurveysMarketing
FoundedUnknown2012

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 Google Forms

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

Only in Lucky Orange

  • Heatmaps
  • Session Recordings
  • Live Chat
  • Surveys
  • Form Analytics
  • Shopify
  • WordPress
  • BigCommerce

What people use each for

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

Google Forms

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

Lucky Orange

  • User experience analysisnot Google Forms
  • Bug reproductionnot Google Forms
  • Conversion optimizationnot Google Forms
  • Customer journey mappingnot Google Forms
  • Usability testingnot Google Forms

Where each one falls short

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

Lucky Orange

  • Session-based pricing scales poorly during traffic spikes or successful campaigns
  • Lacks A/B testing capabilities that competitors like Crazy Egg offer
  • Less privacy-focused than Hotjar for session recording data

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Lucky Orange

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 100 monthly sessions
    • 30 days data retention
    • Basic features
  • Build$32/month
    • 5,000 monthly sessions
    • Live chat
    • Heatmaps
  • Grow$72/month
    • 15,000 monthly sessions
    • All Build features
  • Expand$184/month
    • 50,000 monthly sessions
    • All features

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Lucky Orange if

  • You need heatmaps.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want session recordings.
Lucky Orange review

Questions people ask

Is Google Forms or Lucky Orange better?
Neither clearly leads. Google Forms starts at Free and Lucky Orange at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Google Forms or Lucky Orange?
Google Forms starts at Free and Lucky Orange at Free.
Does Google Forms or Lucky Orange run on more platforms?
Google Forms runs on Web, iOS, Android. Lucky Orange runs on Web.
Can I use Google Forms for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Google Forms best used for?
Google Forms is most often used for schools and universities running quizzes and collecting coursework where workspace is already the standard, internal data collection that must land in a google sheet for onward analysis without any export step, organisations that want a form tool with zero incremental cost and no procurement conversation, simple public surveys where no respondent sign-in is required and no file uploads are involved. Of those, schools and universities running quizzes and collecting coursework where workspace is already the standard and internal data collection that must land in a google sheet for onward analysis without any export step are not what Lucky Orange is typically brought in for.
What can Google Forms do that Lucky Orange cannot?
Google Forms covers Bundled with every Workspace edition, Linked Sheets responses, Per-unit external sharing controls, Auto-close. Lucky Orange covers Heatmaps, Session Recordings, Live Chat, Surveys.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Lucky Orange: What is Lucky Orange's pricing based on?

Lucky Orange uses session-based pricing tiers. The Free plan tracks 100 monthly sessions; Build plan ($32/mo) tracks 5,000 sessions; Grow ($72/mo) tracks 15,000 sessions, up to Scale ($839/mo) for 300,000 sessions.

Source
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.

Lucky Orange: Does Lucky Orange include live chat?

Yes, unlike pure heatmap tools, Lucky Orange includes live chat with canned responses, operator transfers, co-browsing, and typing preview in all paid plans.

Source
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.

Lucky Orange: Can I get a 7-day free trial?

Yes, Lucky Orange offers a 7-day free trial with all features on every plan and no credit card required to start.

Source
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.

Lucky Orange: Does Lucky Orange track session recordings?

Yes, Lucky Orange provides dynamic heatmaps and visitor session recordings showing customer behavior, including drop-offs in conversion funnels.

Source
Lucky Orange: How is Lucky Orange different from Hotjar?

Lucky Orange combines heatmaps with integrated live chat for real-time support, while Hotjar focuses more on feedback collection and UX research with better privacy defaults.

Source
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