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Surveys · head to head

Microsoft Forms vs Mouseflow

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
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Mouseflow logo

Mouseflow

Research

Session replay and heatmaps

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Mouseflow the free plan is 500 sessions a month, one website and one month of data retention
  • They diverge on capability: Microsoft Forms covers Bundled licensing, Mouseflow covers Session Replay.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Microsoft Forms and Mouseflow differ
AttributeMicrosoft FormsMouseflow
Pricing modelIncluded with Microsoft 365, not sold separatelysubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
CategorySurveysResearch
FoundedUnknown2009

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 Microsoft Forms

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

Only in Mouseflow

  • Session Replay
  • 6 Types of Heatmaps
  • Funnels
  • Form Analytics
  • User Feedback
  • Google Analytics
  • Segment
  • HubSpot

What people use each for

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

Microsoft Forms

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

Mouseflow

  • Session replay to watch how visitors use a pagenot Microsoft Forms
  • Click, scroll and geographic heatmapsnot Microsoft Forms
  • Conversion funnel and form analyticsnot Microsoft Forms
  • Friction detection on problem pagesnot Microsoft Forms
  • On-site feedback surveysnot Microsoft Forms

Where each one falls short

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

Mouseflow

  • The free plan is 500 sessions a month, one website and one month of data retention
  • Data retention is tiered, from 1 month on free to 12 months on Premium at $319 a month
  • Essential at $25 a month covers a single website project
  • SSO, custom privacy settings and priority support are on the higher tiers only
  • The 14 day money-back guarantee applies to annual subscriptions and excludes Enterprise

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Mouseflow

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 500 monthly sessions
    • 1 website project
    • 1 conversion funnel
  • Essential$25/month
    • 5,000 monthly sessions
    • 1 website project
    • 1 conversion funnel
  • Advanced$109/month
    • 25,000 monthly sessions
    • 2 website projects
    • 5 conversion funnels
  • Premium$319/month
    • 100,000 monthly sessions
    • 5 website projects
    • 10 conversion funnels

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Mouseflow if

  • You need session replay.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want 6 types of heatmaps.
Mouseflow review

Questions people ask

Is Microsoft Forms or Mouseflow better?
Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Forms starts at Free and Mouseflow at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Forms or Mouseflow?
Microsoft Forms starts at Free and Mouseflow at Free.
Does Microsoft Forms or Mouseflow run on more platforms?
Microsoft Forms runs on Web, iOS, Android. Mouseflow runs on Web.
Can I use Microsoft Forms for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Microsoft Forms best used for?
Microsoft Forms is most often used for internal surveys and quizzes inside an organisation that already pays for microsoft 365 and does not want a second vendor contract, education settings where quizzes need automatic grading and results in excel without procurement approval, quick polls inside microsoft teams where the response data should stay in the same tenant as everything else, any case where the deciding factor is that no purchase order is required. Of those, internal surveys and quizzes inside an organisation that already pays for microsoft 365 and does not want a second vendor contract and education settings where quizzes need automatic grading and results in excel without procurement approval are not what Mouseflow is typically brought in for.
What can Microsoft Forms do that Mouseflow cannot?
Microsoft Forms covers Bundled licensing, Very high response ceiling, File upload questions, Co-authoring. Mouseflow covers Session Replay, 6 Types of Heatmaps, Funnels, Form Analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Mouseflow: Is there a free version of Mouseflow?

Yes, Mouseflow offers a free plan with up to 500 monthly sessions, 1 website project, and 1-month data retention.

Source
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.

Mouseflow: What is the most popular Mouseflow plan?

The Advanced plan at $109/month is marked as most popular, offering 25,000 monthly sessions and 6 months of data retention.

Source
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.

Mouseflow: Does Mouseflow offer annual billing discounts?

Yes, Mouseflow offers up to 35% savings when billed annually instead of monthly, and provides a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Source
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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Related pages

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