Top 5 online form builders for seamless data collection

Key findings

  • Online form builders simplify data collection through automation and insights. Google Forms and Microsoft Forms are the frontrunners.
  • Jotform offers extensive features and integrations, while Typeform focuses on visually appealing design aesthetics.
  • Paperform combines document editing with form creation features and is perfect for surveys, tests and payments.



The days of cumbersome paper forms and manual data entry are long gone. There are numerous online form builders available. These tools streamline the process and enable seamless data collection, automation, and valuable insights. Whether you are conducting surveys, creating a quiz form for students, managing registrations, or collecting customer feedback, the right online form builder can help you get the job done efficiently.

In this post, we take a look at some of the best digital form creation apps that offer a user-friendly interface, robust features, and third-party integrations to make data collection a breeze.

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5 Google Forms

Google Forms user interface


The inclusion of Google Forms here should come as no surprise to anyone. It is one of the most popular Google Workspace tools in startups and the education sector. It can be an ideal option for anyone looking for a free, easy-to-use and efficient way to create and manage forms online.

The simplicity of Google Forms, coupled with its robust Google Workspace integration and real-time collaboration, makes it a top-notch option for all types of data collection. Google Forms also has a decent library of templates that will get you up and running in no time.

Other add-ons worth mentioning include customization options that let you change the look and feel of your boring forms with themes, images, and colors. It also offers data collection and analysis via Google Sheets, add-ons to extend functionality, seamless sharing, and native mobile apps. However, if you are looking for more customization options for your complex forms or workflows, Google Forms can be disappointing at times.


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4 Microsoft Forms

Like Google Forms, Microsoft Forms is a web-based form builder that thrives in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Similar to other Microsoft 365 apps, Microsoft Forms received a beautiful user interface with rounded elements that look more modern and up-to-date compared to other competitors.

Microsoft has an excellent template gallery to help you get started. You can check out the most popular templates above, even some premium templates, plus more options in their respective categories. Whether you want to create a teacher feedback survey, a Christmas party invitation, or a simple English grammar test, you won't have a hard time getting started with Microsoft Forms.


Based on what you create, Microsoft Forms also offers various recommendations to improve your digital form. It supports different types of questions, branching and logic to customize the form based on user responses, integration with other Microsoft 365 apps, seamless sharing, and more.

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3 Jotform

Jotform Home

So far, we've only talked about some free form builders that focus on simplicity. If you're looking for a powerful and versatile solution, try Jotform. It's known for rich features, customization options, an extensive template library, automation, and conditional logic.


Jotforms, for example, offers over 10,000 templates to choose from. These templates are divided into multiple categories, industries, and professions. Jotform also shines when it comes to third-party app integration. You can connect your form with Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, PayPal Personal, Google Drive, DocuSign, and more.

Like other tools, you can enable Jotform Sign automation to convert signed submissions into PDF documents. In addition to basic form elements like address, phone number, and payment buttons, you can further customize forms with special widgets from the extensive widget library. The possibilities are endless here. Paid plans start at $39 per month and unlock more forms, monthly submissions, and other extras for your account.

Online Form Builder 1

2 Type form

Typeform homepage


Typeform has perfected the user experience and design aesthetic. If you want to create visually appealing forms that engage respondents and encourage them to fill them out, Typeform is the way to go. Suitable for individuals, small businesses, and large enterprises, it offers clever solutions for surveys, quizzes, lead generation, and more.

When you create a new form, you have the option to generate custom questions using AI. You need to suggest the type of form you want to create and let Typeform generate one of the usual questions. You can always add specific questions based on your preferences.

In addition to the standard form content, you can add short text, instructions, addresses, videos, and a number of other elements to your digital form. Typeform also supports integrations with over 73 applications such as Sheets, Notion, Mailchimp, Slack, Airtable, and more. With a paid plan, there is the option to create a brand kit to ensure a consistent look and feel across all your forms. The paid plan starts at $59 per month.


While Typeform does its job with style, the interface is quite unusual, so if you're coming from Google Forms or Microsoft Forms, it might take some time to get used to.

Online Form Builder 2

1 Paper form

Paperform homepage

Source: Paperform

When it comes to aesthetics, Paperform is no different to Typeform. It is the perfect combination of a document editor and a form builder. Whether you want to create surveys, write tests, collect payments, or create a roommate agreement, Paperform can be your one-stop solution to get the job done in a jiffy.

It uses a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, a number of customization options to change layouts, colors, themes, images, layouts, question types and logic, payment integration with leading companies like PayPal and Square, automation, analytics and more.


Paperform offers over 700 templates, or you can always create a new one from scratch. However, there is no free plan. They have a 14-day free trial, after which pricing starts at $29 per month.

Online Form Builder 3

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Say goodbye to manual data entry

Your complex workflow may require a smarter, more efficient way to collect and tabulate information. While Google Forms and Microsoft Forms are good enough for most, you can also try other paid solutions if you want to unlock more features and templates.

If you don't want to use another separate app in your workflow, you can try one of the Excel templates that help you create interactive forms and databases in no time.

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