Surveys · head to head
Microsoft Forms vs Simple Analytics
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
Simple Analytics
Marketing
Privacy-friendly analytics without cookies
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
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.; Simple Analytics the free plan requires a Simple Analytics badge on your site and is limited to 1 user, 5 websites and 30 days of history
- They diverge on capability: Microsoft Forms covers Bundled licensing, Simple Analytics covers Page view tracking.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Microsoft Forms and Simple Analytics actually diverge.
| Attribute | Microsoft Forms | Simple Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Included with Microsoft 365, not sold separately | freemium |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web |
| Category | Surveys | Marketing |
| Founded | Unknown | 2016 |
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 Simple Analytics
- Page view tracking
- Goal tracking
- Real-time analytics
- Privacy-focused
- GDPR compliant
- Cloud deployment
- Web support
- English language support
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 Simple Analytics
- Education settings where quizzes need automatic grading and results in Excel without procurement approvalnot Simple Analytics
- Quick polls inside Microsoft Teams where the response data should stay in the same tenant as everything elsenot Simple Analytics
- Any case where the deciding factor is that no purchase order is requirednot Simple Analytics
Simple Analytics
- Cookie-free website analytics that avoids a consent bannernot Microsoft Forms
- Keeping visitor data hosted in the EU for GDPR purposesnot Microsoft Forms
- Replacing or running alongside Google Analytics with a single-page dashboardnot 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.
Simple Analytics
- The free plan requires a Simple Analytics badge on your site and is limited to 1 user, 5 websites and 30 days of history
- Data older than 30 days is automatically deleted on the free plan
- The paid plan starts at $20 per month for 100,000 pageviews and includes only 1 user, with each extra user costing another $20 per month
- Single Sign-On, role-based access, SOC 2 documentation, an SLA and raw data export are Enterprise features quoted only by demo request
- On yearly plans, exceeding your estimated limit gives you one week to raise it before Simple Analytics raises it for you
- Paying by Bitcoin adds 10% and is only offered on yearly billing
- Bank transfer is only available for bills from $500 and adds 10% in banking and service fees
- Unlimited pageviews on the free plan are subject to a fair use policy rather than a stated number
Pricing, plan by plan
Microsoft Forms
Free- Free consumer Microsoft accountFree
- 200 responses per form
- 400 forms per account, including the recycle bin
- 200 questions per form
- Paid consumer Microsoft account$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
Simple Analytics
Free- FreeFree
- 30-day data retention
- Fair use policy applies
- Unlimited pageviews within fair use
- Self-Serve$20/month
- Monthly or annual billing (2 months free with yearly)
- 1 user included; additional users $20/month each
- Up to 5 sites per user
- Enterprise$null/custom
- Custom pricing available upon demo request
- Traffic recovery (20-60% of invisible traffic)
- Raw data access
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 Simple Analytics if
- You need page view tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want goal tracking.
Questions people ask
- Is Microsoft Forms or Simple Analytics better?
- Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Forms starts at Free and Simple Analytics at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Microsoft Forms or Simple Analytics?
- Microsoft Forms starts at Free and Simple Analytics at Free.
- Does Microsoft Forms or Simple Analytics run on more platforms?
- Microsoft Forms runs on Web, iOS, Android. Simple Analytics 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 Simple Analytics is typically brought in for.
- What can Microsoft Forms do that Simple Analytics cannot?
- Microsoft Forms covers Bundled licensing, Very high response ceiling, File upload questions, Co-authoring. Simple Analytics covers Page view tracking, Goal tracking, Real-time analytics, Privacy-focused.
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.
Simple Analytics: How much does Simple Analytics cost?
Simple Analytics offers a free plan forever and a Self-Serve plan at $20/month per user (or $240/year with 2 months free). Enterprise pricing is available upon request.
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.
Simple Analytics: What currencies does Simple Analytics accept?
Simple Analytics accepts Euros, US Dollars, and British Pounds. Payment methods include credit/debit cards, Bitcoin (with +10% fee), Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Bank transfers are available for invoices $500+, with 10% additional fees applied.
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.
Simple Analytics: How long is the free trial?
Simple Analytics offers a 14-day free trial that requires no credit card to start.
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.
Simple Analytics: Can I cancel Simple Analytics anytime?
Yes. You can cancel your subscription at any moment without penalties or notice requirements.
SourceRelated pages
More on Microsoft Forms
More on Simple Analytics
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