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Surveys · head to head

Gravity Forms vs SurveyCTO

Gravity Forms logo

Gravity Forms

Surveys

The most trusted WordPress forms plugin

From
$59/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SurveyCTO logo

SurveyCTO

Surveys

Offline field survey platform priced by submissions rather than seats, built for research data quality

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only SurveyCTO has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Gravity Forms basic license covers only 1 site and renews at $59/year after a discounted $44 first year; SurveyCTO pricing is by submission volume, forms and storage rather than by users, so a small team running continuous high-volume collection can pay more than a 200-person survey team that runs for six weeks
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gravity Forms and SurveyCTO actually diverge.

Attributes where Gravity Forms and SurveyCTO differ
AttributeGravity FormsSurveyCTO
Starting price$59/yearFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer month by submission volume
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Android, iOS

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 Gravity Forms

Nothing recorded that SurveyCTO does not also cover.

Only in SurveyCTO

  • Offline collection
  • XLSForm authoring
  • Automated quality checks
  • Audio auditing
  • Case management
  • Random assignment
  • Server region selection

What people use each for

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

Gravity Forms

  • WordPress form building and lead capturenot SurveyCTO
  • E-commerce payment form processingnot SurveyCTO
  • Multi-site form managementnot SurveyCTO

SurveyCTO

  • A household survey with 200 enumerators across a country where paying per seat would cost more than the fieldworknot Gravity Forms
  • An impact evaluation that needs audio auditing and timing metadata to prove interviews were conducted as reportednot Gravity Forms
  • A panel study revisiting the same households annually and needing offline case assignment to find them againnot Gravity Forms
  • A statistics unit that must keep data inside a specific region and produce a SOC 2 report for its fundernot Gravity Forms

Where each one falls short

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

Gravity Forms

  • Basic license covers only 1 site and renews at $59/year after a discounted $44 first year
  • Pro license is capped at 3 sites; using it on more requires the Elite tier at $259/year renewal
  • Marketing integrations like HubSpot and Mailchimp are Basic-tier only, while payment and workflow add-ons (Stripe, Zapier, Trello) require Pro or above

SurveyCTO

  • Pricing is by submission volume, forms and storage rather than by users, so a small team running continuous high-volume collection can pay more than a 200-person survey team that runs for six weeks
  • Forms are authored in XLSForm spreadsheet syntax, which is precise and versionable but has a real learning curve, and organisations without someone comfortable in it stall at form design
  • Overage is charged at 100 US dollars per 1,000 extra submissions, which is easy to trigger on the Basic tier at 5,000 a month and produces surprise invoices during an active field round
  • Server region selection only appears on the Pro tier and a custom GDPR data processing agreement only on Advanced, so European data protection requirements push the price to at least 315 and often 630 dollars a month regardless of volume
  • It is built for structured research fieldwork, not for business process forms, so it has no dispatch, no invoicing and no formatted document output, and a field service business would be buying the wrong tool

Pricing, plan by plan

Gravity Forms

$59/year
  • Basic$59/year
    • 1 site license
    • 20+ integrations including HubSpot, Mailchimp, Active Campaign
  • Pro$159/year
    • 3 site licenses
    • Payment processing with Stripe, Square, PayPal
    • 15+ Pro-level add-ons
  • Elite$259/year
    • Unlimited site licenses
    • All add-ons included
    • Advanced features: User Registration, Conversational Forms, Signature, Survey

SurveyCTO

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • Permanent free subscription for testing and training
    • 10 forms
    • 200 monthly submissions
  • Basic$225/month
    • Billed annually, 250 USD month to month
    • 100 forms
    • 10 GB storage
  • Pro$315/month
    • Billed annually, 350 USD month to month
    • 500 forms
    • 25 GB storage
  • Advanced$630/month
    • Billed annually, 700 USD month to month
    • Unlimited forms, storage and submissions
    • Advanced offline case management

Which should you pick?

Choose Gravity Forms if

Nothing in the data separates Gravity Forms from SurveyCTO on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Gravity Forms review

Choose SurveyCTO if

  • You need offline collection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Android, iOS.
  • You also want xlsform authoring.
SurveyCTO review

Questions people ask

Is Gravity Forms or SurveyCTO better?
Neither clearly leads. Gravity Forms starts at $59/year and SurveyCTO at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gravity Forms or SurveyCTO?
SurveyCTO has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $59/year for Gravity Forms and Free for SurveyCTO.
Does Gravity Forms or SurveyCTO run on more platforms?
Gravity Forms runs on Web. SurveyCTO runs on Web, Android, iOS.
Can I use SurveyCTO for free?
Yes. SurveyCTO has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Gravity Forms starts at $59/year.
What is Gravity Forms best used for?
Gravity Forms is most often used for wordpress form building and lead capture, e-commerce payment form processing, multi-site form management. Of those, wordpress form building and lead capture and e-commerce payment form processing are not what SurveyCTO is typically brought in for.
What can Gravity Forms do that SurveyCTO cannot?
SurveyCTO covers Offline collection, XLSForm authoring, Automated quality checks, Audio auditing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Gravity Forms: What is the cheapest Gravity Forms plan?

The Basic plan is $59/year and includes 1 site license with 20+ integrations. The Elite plan at $259/year offers unlimited sites and all add-ons.

Source
SurveyCTO: Do I pay per enumerator?

No. Users and devices are unlimited on every paid tier. You pay for monthly submissions, forms and storage.

Gravity Forms: Can I process payments with Gravity Forms?

Yes. Payment processing with Stripe, Square, and PayPal is included in the Pro ($159/year) and Elite ($259/year) plans, but not in the Basic plan.

Source
SurveyCTO: Is there a free version?

Yes, a permanent community subscription with 10 forms, 200 monthly submissions and 200 MB of storage, intended for testing and training rather than production.

Gravity Forms: How many sites can I use Gravity Forms on?

The Basic plan covers 1 site, Pro covers 3 sites, and Elite covers unlimited sites. All pricing is annual subscription.

Source
SurveyCTO: What happens if I exceed my submissions?

Extra credits are 100 US dollars per 1,000, with discounts of 20 per cent or more at volume. Plan the tier around your peak field month, not your average.

SurveyCTO: Can I choose where the data is stored?

Only on Pro and above. If data residency matters, budget for at least the Pro tier.

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