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Surveys · head to head

Google Forms vs Onclusive

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
Onclusive logo

Onclusive

Marketing

Media monitoring, journalist database and PR measurement assembled from six acquired companies

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Google Forms has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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.; Onclusive onclusive was assembled from at least six acquired companies inside about a year, and users still encounter different interfaces, inconsistent data definitions and separate support paths depending on which module they are in, so training and internal reporting are harder than a single-product vendor.
  • They diverge on capability: Google Forms covers Bundled with every Workspace edition, Onclusive covers Global media monitoring.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Google Forms and Onclusive differ
AttributeGoogle FormsOnclusive
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelIncluded with Google Workspace, not sold separatelyquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, 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 Google Forms

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

Only in Onclusive

  • Global media monitoring
  • Broadcast monitoring
  • Social listening
  • Media contacts database
  • Newsroom and press office
  • Sentiment and tone analysis
  • Share of voice reporting
  • Crisis detection

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 Onclusive
  • Internal data collection that must land in a Google Sheet for onward analysis without any export stepnot Onclusive
  • Organisations that want a form tool with zero incremental cost and no procurement conversationnot Onclusive
  • Simple public surveys where no respondent sign-in is required and no file uploads are involvednot Onclusive

Onclusive

  • A multinational communications team that needs print, broadcast and online coverage across twenty markets reported in one dashboard rather than through three regional vendorsnot Google Forms
  • A public affairs team that must evidence share of voice against named competitors for a quarterly board reportnot Google Forms
  • A PR agency running press office and media enquiry workflow for several client brands from one systemnot Google Forms
  • A corporate affairs function that needs early warning on a coverage spike outside its own time zone, with broadcast clips retrievable for legal reviewnot 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.

Onclusive

  • Onclusive was assembled from at least six acquired companies inside about a year, and users still encounter different interfaces, inconsistent data definitions and separate support paths depending on which module they are in, so training and internal reporting are harder than a single-product vendor.
  • Pricing is not published and is scoped by market coverage, source count and user seats, which makes competitive benchmarking difficult and means renewal increases are hard to challenge without a parallel quote from Cision or Meltwater.
  • Broadcast monitoring coverage is uneven by country, so a global contract can look complete on paper while a specific market you care about has thin local radio or regional television coverage; verify your priority markets by name before signing.
  • The company carries private-equity ownership and acquisition-related debt financing, which historically in this category has meant pressure on support headcount and above-inflation renewal pricing rather than product investment.
  • Automated sentiment classification on news copy remains error-prone, especially for irony, quoted criticism and industry jargon, so teams reporting sentiment to executives generally need a human review step that erodes the labour saving the tool was bought for.

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

Onclusive

On request
  • Onclusive$undefined/year
    • Global media monitoring
    • Broadcast and print coverage
    • Onclusive Social listening

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 Onclusive if

  • You need global media monitoring.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
  • You also want broadcast monitoring.
Onclusive review

Questions people ask

Is Google Forms or Onclusive better?
Neither clearly leads. Google Forms starts at Free and Onclusive at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Google Forms or Onclusive?
Google Forms has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Google Forms and On request for Onclusive.
Does Google Forms or Onclusive run on more platforms?
Google Forms runs on Web, iOS, Android. Onclusive runs on Web, iOS, Android, API.
Can I use Google Forms for free?
Yes. Google Forms has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Onclusive starts at On request.
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 Onclusive is typically brought in for.
What can Google Forms do that Onclusive cannot?
Google Forms covers Bundled with every Workspace edition, Linked Sheets responses, Per-unit external sharing controls, Auto-close. Onclusive covers Global media monitoring, Broadcast monitoring, Social listening, Media contacts database.

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.

Onclusive: Is Onclusive one product or several?

Several. It was formed from Kantar Reputation Intelligence, PRgloo and the original Onclusive in January 2022, then absorbed Critical Mention and Digimind later that year, and the modules retain distinguishable lineages.

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.

Onclusive: Who owns it?

Symphony Technology Group, a US private equity firm, with debt financing on the Critical Mention acquisition from Stellus Capital Management.

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.

Onclusive: What happened to Digimind?

Digimind was acquired in July 2022 and rebranded as Onclusive Social in October 2022. If social listening is your main requirement, that is the platform you are evaluating.

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.

Onclusive: Does it publish pricing?

No. Contracts are annual and quoted according to markets monitored, sources covered and seat count.

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