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Marketing · head to head

Iterable vs Microsoft Forms

Iterable logo

Iterable

Marketing

The AI customer engagement platform global brands trust to create experiences that drive growth…

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Microsoft Forms logo

Microsoft Forms

Surveys

Survey tool bundled into Microsoft 365 with no standalone price, where the real constraints are tenant policy, residency and admin visibility

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Microsoft Forms has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Iterable no pricing information published on their site - contact sales required; Microsoft Forms the Advanced Data Residency add-on explicitly does not cover Microsoft Forms, so a tenant that has paid for regional residency still has its survey responses provisioned according to best-effort guidance rather than a contractual commitment.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Iterable and Microsoft Forms actually diverge.

Attributes where Iterable and Microsoft Forms differ
AttributeIterableMicrosoft Forms
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteIncluded with Microsoft 365, not sold separately
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryMarketingSurveys

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 Iterable

Nothing recorded that Microsoft Forms does not also cover.

Only in Microsoft Forms

  • Bundled licensing
  • Very high response ceiling
  • File upload questions
  • Co-authoring
  • eDiscovery coverage
  • Surveys Agent in Copilot

What people use each for

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

Iterable

  • Personalizing customer journeys across all channelsnot Microsoft Forms
  • Optimizing retention through lifecycle messagingnot Microsoft Forms
  • Driving upsells with intelligent segmentationnot Microsoft Forms
  • Adapting campaigns based on real-time behaviornot Microsoft Forms

Microsoft Forms

  • Internal surveys and quizzes inside an organisation that already pays for Microsoft 365 and does not want a second vendor contractnot Iterable
  • Education settings where quizzes need automatic grading and results in Excel without procurement approvalnot Iterable
  • Quick polls inside Microsoft Teams where the response data should stay in the same tenant as everything elsenot Iterable
  • Any case where the deciding factor is that no purchase order is requirednot Iterable

Where each one falls short

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

Iterable

  • no pricing information published on their site - contact sales required

Microsoft Forms

  • The Advanced Data Residency add-on explicitly does not cover Microsoft Forms, so a tenant that has paid for regional residency still has its survey responses provisioned according to best-effort guidance rather than a contractual commitment.
  • Above 50,000 responses a form degrades sharply: only CSV export continues to work, while summary charts, viewing individual responses, printing, shared summary links and manual quiz grading all stop.
  • Forms belonging to an account that is hard deleted, or deleted more than thirty days earlier, are not recoverable at all, so an unmanaged leaver process destroys survey data silently.
  • The administrator settings that govern external sharing, template sharing and result summary sharing are only available to education and Microsoft 365 Apps for business customers, leaving many commercial tenants without the controls the documentation describes.
  • A summary sharing link that has already been created continues to work for anyone inside or outside the organisation even after the form is restricted, so tightening permissions does not close an existing leak unless the link is deleted explicitly.

Pricing, plan by plan

Iterable

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Iterable review.

Microsoft Forms

Free
  • Free consumer Microsoft accountFree
    • 200 responses per form
    • 400 forms per account, including the recycle bin
    • 200 questions per form
  • Paid consumer Microsoft account$undefined/year
    • Included in the subscription price, not sold separately
    • 1,000 responses per form
    • 400 forms per account
  • Microsoft 365 work or school licence$undefined/year
    • Included in the subscription price, not sold separately
    • 5,000,000 responses per form
    • Included in Business Basic, Standard, Premium, Office 365 E1, E3, E5 and Microsoft 365 F3
  • Government GCC High and DoD$undefined/year
    • Included in the subscription price, not sold separately
    • 50,000 responses per form
    • No email notification, video insert, Bing image search or phishing protection

Which should you pick?

Choose Iterable if

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

Iterable review

Choose Microsoft Forms if

  • You need bundled licensing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want very high response ceiling.
Microsoft Forms review

Questions people ask

Is Iterable or Microsoft Forms better?
Neither clearly leads. Iterable starts at On request and Microsoft Forms at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Iterable or Microsoft Forms?
Microsoft Forms has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Iterable and Free for Microsoft Forms.
Does Iterable or Microsoft Forms run on more platforms?
Iterable runs on Web. Microsoft Forms runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Microsoft Forms for free?
Yes. Microsoft Forms has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Iterable starts at On request.
What is Iterable best used for?
Iterable is most often used for personalizing customer journeys across all channels, optimizing retention through lifecycle messaging, driving upsells with intelligent segmentation, adapting campaigns based on real-time behavior. Of those, personalizing customer journeys across all channels and optimizing retention through lifecycle messaging are not what Microsoft Forms is typically brought in for.
What can Iterable do that Microsoft Forms cannot?
Microsoft Forms covers Bundled licensing, Very high response ceiling, File upload questions, Co-authoring.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Iterable: How much does Iterable cost?

Iterable does not publish pricing on their website. Interested customers must contact their sales team, book a demo, or request a quote through their website for pricing information.

Source
Microsoft Forms: Can I buy Microsoft Forms on its own?

No. It exists only as a service plan inside Microsoft 365, Office 365 and education or government SKUs, or free with a consumer Microsoft account. There is no standalone product to purchase.

Microsoft Forms: Where are responses stored?

In the United States for most tenants, in the EU and EFTA region for EU tenants, and in Australia only for Forms provisioned after October 2022. Microsoft states this is guidance, not a residency commitment.

Microsoft Forms: Can an administrator read someone else responses?

Not while that user account is active; ownership transfer is refused. Yes once the account is disabled or deleted, and yes through premium eDiscovery, which is still labelled preview.

Microsoft Forms: How do I turn Forms off for the organisation?

Disable both the Microsoft Forms and the Office Hive enterprise applications in Entra ID, or clear the Forms checkbox per user. Both applications must be disabled for it to take effect.

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