Surveys · head to head
Microsoft Forms vs Retool
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
- 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.; Retool builders and internal users are billed as separate seat types, so the true cost depends on the mix rather than the headcount
- They diverge on capability: Microsoft Forms covers Bundled licensing, Retool covers Drag-and-drop builder.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Microsoft Forms and Retool actually diverge.
| Attribute | Microsoft Forms | Retool |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Included with Microsoft 365, not sold separately | subscription |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, Self-hosted |
| Founded | Unknown | 2017 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Microsoft Forms
- Bundled licensing
- Very high response ceiling
- File upload questions
- Co-authoring
- eDiscovery coverage
- Surveys Agent in Copilot
Only in Retool
- Drag-and-drop builder
- Database integration
- REST API
- Real-time data binding
- Workflow automation
- Custom code
- Version control
- 200+ integrations
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 Retool
- Education settings where quizzes need automatic grading and results in Excel without procurement approvalnot Retool
- Quick polls inside Microsoft Teams where the response data should stay in the same tenant as everything elsenot Retool
- Any case where the deciding factor is that no purchase order is requirednot Retool
Retool
- Building internal admin tools and dashboards over existing databases and APIsnot Microsoft Forms
- Giving operations teams a UI for data they would otherwise query by handnot 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.
Retool
- Builders and internal users are billed as separate seat types, so the true cost depends on the mix rather than the headcount
- The free plan is capped at 5 users, 500 workflow runs a month and 5 GB of database capacity
- Audit logging, permission controls, portals and custom branding all require the Business plan at $50 per builder per month billed annually
- External user access is Business only, and is charged in bands above 50 users
- Self hosted deployments mirror the cloud tiers but need Enterprise for unlimited users and SSO
Pricing, plan by plan
Microsoft Forms
Free- Free consumer Microsoft accountFree
- 200 responses per form
- 400 forms per account, including the recycle bin
- 200 questions per form
- Paid consumer Microsoft account$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
Retool
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited web and mobile apps
- 500 workflow runs monthly
- 5GB database capacity
- Team$10/month
- Builders: $10/month (annual) or $12/month (monthly)
- Internal users: $5/month (annual) or $7/month (monthly)
- 5,000 workflow runs monthly
- Business$50/month
- Builders: $50/month (annual) or $65/month (monthly)
- Internal users: $15/month (annual) or $18/month (monthly)
- Audit logging
- Enterprise$null/contact sales
- Custom pricing
- SSO integration
- Unlimited users
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.
Choose Retool if
- You need drag-and-drop builder.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Self-hosted.
- You also want database integration.
Questions people ask
- Is Microsoft Forms or Retool better?
- Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Forms starts at Free and Retool at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Microsoft Forms or Retool?
- Microsoft Forms starts at Free and Retool at Free.
- Does Microsoft Forms or Retool run on more platforms?
- Microsoft Forms runs on Web, iOS, Android. Retool runs on Web, Self-hosted.
- 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 Retool is typically brought in for.
- What can Microsoft Forms do that Retool cannot?
- Microsoft Forms covers Bundled licensing, Very high response ceiling, File upload questions, Co-authoring. Retool covers Drag-and-drop builder, Database integration, REST API, Real-time data binding.
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.
Retool: How much does Retool cost?
Retool offers a free tier. Paid cloud plans start at $10/month (Team - builders) or $5/month (Team - internal users), $50/month (Business - builders) or $15/month (Business - internal users). Enterprise pricing is custom. Annual billing provides 20% savings.
SourceMicrosoft 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.
Retool: What is the difference between builders and internal users?
Builders are users who create applications in Retool, while internal users are those who only access and use the applications. Internal users cost significantly less than builders on all paid tiers.
SourceMicrosoft 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.
Retool: Can I self-host Retool?
Yes, Free, Team, and Business tiers support self-hosting with comparable features to cloud versions. Enterprise is required for unlimited users, SSO, and advanced self-host features.
SourceMicrosoft 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.
Retool: What are AI credits and how do they work?
AI credits are used for app building and AI actions. Free tier includes 250 monthly credits, Team includes 1,000, and Business includes 3,000. Credits renew monthly without carryover and are pooled at the organization level.
SourceRelated pages
More on Microsoft Forms
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