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Surveys · head to head

Device Magic vs Tally

Device Magic logo

Device Magic

Surveys

Offline mobile forms for field crews, quote-only with a three user minimum, now under GoCanvas

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tally logo

Tally

Surveys

Form builder with unlimited forms and responses on the free plan, edited like a text document

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Tally has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Device Magic neither plan publishes a price and both carry a three user minimum billed annually, so a two-person business cannot buy it at all and a small firm cannot benchmark the quote against published competitors; Tally built-in analysis is limited to basic summaries, so any real analysis means exporting responses to a spreadsheet or database.
  • They diverge on capability: Device Magic covers Fully offline capture, Tally covers Document-style editor.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Device Magic and Tally actually diverge.

Attributes where Device Magic and Tally differ
AttributeDevice MagicTally
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteFree tier, paid for branding and team features
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebWeb

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 Device Magic

  • Fully offline capture
  • Formatted PDF output
  • Destinations
  • Dispatch and scheduling
  • Resource data
  • Conditional logic
  • White labelling

Only in Tally

  • Document-style editor
  • Unlimited free responses
  • Conditional logic and calculations
  • Payment collection
  • Notion and Airtable sync
  • Custom domains

What people use each for

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

Device Magic

  • A mechanical contractor whose service certificates must reach the customer as a specific PDF layout immediately after the visitnot Tally
  • An inspection crew working in basements and rural sites where there is no signal for most of the working daynot Tally
  • A utility that needs the day's jobs dispatched to named engineers with the right form attached to each onenot Tally
  • A business replacing carbon-copy job sheets where the office currently re-keys every sheet into an accounting systemnot Tally

Tally

  • A startup collecting waitlist or beta signups that will grow well past a free response cap elsewherenot Device Magic
  • A small team that wants form submissions landing directly in Notion or Airtablenot Device Magic
  • A charity or community group running a public consultation with no software budgetnot Device Magic
  • A quick internal request or intake form that needs to exist within the hournot Device Magic

Where each one falls short

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

Device Magic

  • Neither plan publishes a price and both carry a three user minimum billed annually, so a two-person business cannot buy it at all and a small firm cannot benchmark the quote against published competitors
  • Device Magic is now part of GoCanvas, which sells an overlapping mobile forms product, so buyers should ask directly about long-term investment in Device Magic before signing a multi-year term
  • Per user per month pricing means seasonal and occasional field staff consume full seats, and businesses with a large casual crew pay for licences that are used a few weeks a year
  • It captures and delivers data but does not manage the work itself, so there is no job costing, no scheduling depth and no invoicing, and it usually sits alongside a field service management system rather than replacing one
  • PDF layout control is the main reason to buy it and is also the most fiddly part of the product; complex certificate layouts take real configuration effort and are not something a field supervisor will maintain

Tally

  • Built-in analysis is limited to basic summaries, so any real analysis means exporting responses to a spreadsheet or database.
  • There is no offline data collection, which rules it out for field research or events without reliable connectivity.
  • The company is very small and bootstrapped, so support is email and documentation with no account management, and some procurement processes will reject that.
  • Advanced research features such as quotas, randomisation and panel integration are absent, so it is a form builder rather than a research instrument.
  • Design control is deliberately narrow, so brands that need pixel-level form styling will find the theming options constraining even on the paid tier.

Pricing, plan by plan

Device Magic

On request
  • Max$undefined/month
    • Per user per month, billed annually
    • Three user minimum
    • Unlimited forms and submissions
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Per user per month, billed annually
    • Three user minimum
    • Everything in Max

Tally

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited forms, questions and responses
    • Conditional logic, calculations and file uploads
    • Integrations including Notion, Google Sheets and webhooks
  • Tally Pro$29/month
    • Remove Tally branding
    • Custom domains and form redirects
    • Team workspaces and collaboration

Which should you pick?

Choose Device Magic if

  • You need fully offline capture.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want formatted pdf output.
Device Magic review

Choose Tally if

  • You need document-style editor.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want unlimited free responses.
Tally review

Questions people ask

Is Device Magic or Tally better?
Neither clearly leads. Device Magic starts at On request and Tally at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Device Magic or Tally?
Tally has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Device Magic and Free for Tally.
Does Device Magic or Tally run on more platforms?
Device Magic runs on iOS, Android, Web. Tally runs on Web.
Can I use Tally for free?
Yes. Tally has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Device Magic starts at On request.
What is Device Magic best used for?
Device Magic is most often used for a mechanical contractor whose service certificates must reach the customer as a specific pdf layout immediately after the visit, an inspection crew working in basements and rural sites where there is no signal for most of the working day, a utility that needs the day's jobs dispatched to named engineers with the right form attached to each one, a business replacing carbon-copy job sheets where the office currently re-keys every sheet into an accounting system. Of those, a mechanical contractor whose service certificates must reach the customer as a specific pdf layout immediately after the visit and an inspection crew working in basements and rural sites where there is no signal for most of the working day are not what Tally is typically brought in for.
What can Device Magic do that Tally cannot?
Device Magic covers Fully offline capture, Formatted PDF output, Destinations, Dispatch and scheduling. Tally covers Document-style editor, Unlimited free responses, Conditional logic and calculations, Payment collection.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Device Magic: What does Device Magic cost?

It does not publish prices. Both the Max and Enterprise plans are per user per month billed annually with a three user minimum, and you get a figure from sales.

Tally: Is the free plan really unlimited?

Yes for forms, questions and responses. The paid tier sells branding removal, custom domains and team features rather than volume.

Device Magic: Who owns Device Magic?

It is part of GoCanvas, which also sells a competing mobile forms product.

Tally: Is Tally suitable for research surveys?

Only simple ones. It has logic and calculations but no quotas, randomisation or panel management.

Device Magic: Does it work with no signal?

Yes, that is the main use case. Forms and reference data are held on the device and submissions sync when connectivity returns.

Tally: Is it GDPR compliant?

Tally is a European company operating under GDPR, and buyers with strict requirements should request the data processing agreement before rollout.

Device Magic: Is there a submission limit?

No. Both plans list unlimited forms, unlimited submissions and unlimited lifetime data storage, so the cost variable is seats.

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