Surveys · head to head
Formstack vs Microsoft Forms
Formstack
Surveys
Form builder with document generation and e-signature
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
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
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Microsoft 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; 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.
- They diverge on capability: Formstack covers Form builder, Microsoft Forms covers Bundled licensing.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Formstack and Microsoft Forms actually diverge.
| Attribute | Formstack | Microsoft Forms |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | Tiered monthly subscription published on the vendor site; HIPAA-capable plans priced separately | Included with Microsoft 365, not sold separately |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, Cloud | Web, 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 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.
Formstack
- Processes where a submitted form must become a signed documentnot Microsoft Forms
- Regulated intake needing HIPAA-capable handlingnot Microsoft Forms
- Salesforce shops wanting forms and documents inside the CRMnot 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 Formstack
- Education settings where quizzes need automatic grading and results in Excel without procurement approvalnot Formstack
- Quick polls inside Microsoft Teams where the response data should stay in the same tenant as everything elsenot Formstack
- Any case where the deciding factor is that no purchase order is requirednot 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
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
Formstack
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Formstack 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 Formstack if
- You need form builder.
- You work on Web, Cloud.
- You also want document generation.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Formstack or Microsoft Forms better?
- Neither clearly leads. Formstack 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, Formstack or Microsoft Forms?
- Microsoft Forms has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Formstack and Free for Microsoft Forms.
- Does Formstack or Microsoft Forms run on more platforms?
- Formstack runs on Web, Cloud. 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. 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 Microsoft Forms is typically brought in for.
- What can Formstack do that Microsoft Forms cannot?
- Formstack covers Form builder, Document generation, E-signature, Workflow routing. Microsoft Forms covers Bundled licensing, Very high response ceiling, File upload questions, Co-authoring.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Formstack: Is it HIPAA compliant?
It offers HIPAA-capable plans for regulated data. That is a plan-level feature, not the default.
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.
Related pages
More on Microsoft Forms
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