Microsoft Forms is the natural choice for organizations already paying for Microsoft 365, given its native Excel, Teams, and SharePoint integration and…
Best for: Teams wanting workflow automation, offline mobile data collection, and a wide integration ecosystem.
At a Glance
Cognito Forms
Microsoft Forms
Zoho Forms
Primary category
Forms
Forms
Forms
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Freemium
Freemium
freemium
Starting price
Free (Pro from $19.20/month billed annually)
Free
$0
Free plan
Yes
Yes
Yes
Free trial
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Platforms
Web
Web
Not documented
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Not documented
Yes
Public API
Yes
Not documented
Not documented
Standout Differences
Bundled free with Microsoft 365
Microsoft Forms comes at no extra cost with any Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscription and includes automatic quiz grading, making it a strong default for schools and organizations already inside the Microsoft ecosystem.
Microsoft Forms
No payment collection on Microsoft Forms
Unlike Cognito Forms and Zoho Forms, Microsoft Forms does not support collecting payments directly through a form, which rules it out for registration or order forms that need to charge respondents.
Microsoft Forms, Cognito Forms, Zoho Forms
Zoho Forms leads on integration breadth
Zoho Forms supports offline mobile data collection with geolocation and QR scanning plus more than 150 integrations, ahead of both Cognito Forms and Microsoft Forms on ecosystem reach outside their respective home platforms.
Zoho Forms
Cognito Forms keeps logic and payments in one free tier
Cognito Forms combines conditional logic, cost calculations, and payment acceptance in a plan that is free forever, without requiring a Microsoft 365 subscription or a Zoho ecosystem buy-in.
Cognito Forms
Feature-by-Feature
Core Building
Feature
Cognito Forms
Microsoft Forms
Zoho Forms
Conditional logic or branching
Available
Available
Not documented
Payment collection
Available
Unavailable
Available
Automatic quiz grading
Not documented
Available
Not documented
Compliance and Data
Feature
Cognito Forms
Microsoft Forms
Zoho Forms
HIPAA-compliant configuration
Available
Not documented
Available
Offline mobile data collection
Not documented
Not documented
Available
Integrations and Access
Feature
Cognito Forms
Microsoft Forms
Zoho Forms
Permanent free plan
Available
Available
Available
Native productivity-suite integration
Unavailable
Available
Available
Third-party integration breadth
Limited
Limited
Available
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Cognito Forms
Individual — Free N/A
Pro — $24/month ($19.20/month billed annually) Monthly or annual
Team — $49/month ($39.20/month billed annually) Monthly or annual
Enterprise — $174/month ($129.60/month billed annually) Monthly or annual
Microsoft Forms
Free Personal — Free N/A
Microsoft 365 Personal — ~$6-$10/month Monthly
Microsoft 365 Apps for Business / Education — Included in Microsoft 365 business/education licensing Monthly or annual
Zoho Forms
Free — $0 n/a
Basic — $10 monthly
Standard — $25 monthly
Professional — $50 monthly
Premium — $90 monthly
Pros & Cons
Cognito Forms
Pros
Genuinely usable free plan with unlimited forms and payment acceptance, not just a trial
Conditional logic and calculations rival more expensive form tools without requiring code
Built-in payment processing simplifies registration and order forms
HIPAA-compliant configuration available for healthcare and sensitive-data use cases
Cons
Entry volume and storage limits scale with price, which can force upgrades for growing organizations
Higher-end collaboration features (client portal, approvals, SSO) are locked to Team and Enterprise tiers
Guest user allowances are capped even on paid plans
Smaller integration ecosystem compared to larger form/survey platforms
Microsoft Forms
Pros
Included at no extra cost with any Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscription
Deep native integration with Excel, Teams, SharePoint, and Power Automate
Automatic quiz grading makes it a strong fit for schools already on Microsoft 365
Simple, low-friction interface for building quick surveys and forms
GDPR-compliant, supporting deployment across European organizations
Cons
Free personal plan is capped at 200 responses per form
Limited to eight question types compared to more flexible dedicated survey tools
No custom branding on lower-tier plans
No advanced analytics, open-text sentiment analysis, or offline data collection
No dedicated customer support channel
Zoho Forms
Pros
Free-forever plan available for basic form building needs
Workflow automation and approvals go beyond simple survey tools
Offline mobile data collection with geolocation and QR code scanning
Wide integration ecosystem, including Salesforce and Google Sheets
HIPAA compliance available for healthcare and regulated use cases
Cons
HIPAA compliance is limited to the top-tier Premium plan at 90 dollars per month
Approval workflows and multi-user access require at least the Standard plan
Submission limits on lower plans may not suit high-volume form use
Full value depends on pairing with other Zoho apps for advanced workflows
Use Cases
Choose Cognito Forms: Small businesses needing a standalone free form builder with conditional logic, calculations, and payment collection.
Choose Microsoft Forms: Organizations already on Microsoft 365 that want forms and quizzes tightly integrated with Excel, Teams, and SharePoint.
Choose Zoho Forms: Teams wanting workflow automation, offline mobile data collection, and a wide integration ecosystem.
Cognito Forms
Event registration with payment — An organization builds a registration form with conditional pricing logic and collects payment directly through the form.
Healthcare intake forms — A clinic uses HIPAA-compliant form configuration to collect patient intake information securely.
Microsoft Forms
Classroom quizzes and assessments — Teachers create auto-graded quizzes that push directly into Teams assignments, replacing the need for a separate quiz tool.
Employee and event feedback surveys — Organizations collect feedback or event registrations with responses flowing directly into Excel for reporting.
Automated workflow triggers — Teams use form submissions to kick off Power Automate workflows, such as approval routing or SharePoint list updates.
Zoho Forms
Customer and lead data collection — Building forms to capture leads, customer feedback, or registration details and route them into a CRM or spreadsheet.
Internal approval workflows — Automating multi-step approval processes such as leave requests or purchase approvals using conditional logic.
Field and offline data collection — Gathering data on-site with geolocation tagging and QR code scanning, even without an internet connection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Microsoft Forms free to use?
Yes, it is included at no extra cost with any Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscription, and it also has a limited free personal plan capped at 200 responses per form.
Which of these three supports automatic quiz grading?
Microsoft Forms, which is a common reason schools already on Microsoft 365 choose it for quizzes and assessments.
Which has the widest integration ecosystem?
Zoho Forms, with more than 150 integrations, ahead of Cognito Forms' Zapier and webhook integrations and Microsoft Forms' Power Automate and SharePoint focus.
Can I collect payments through Microsoft Forms?
No, Microsoft Forms does not support payment collection, unlike Cognito Forms and Zoho Forms, which both accept payments directly through forms.
Which is best for collecting data offline in the field?
Zoho Forms, with offline mobile data collection including geolocation and QR code scanning.
Is HIPAA compliance available on any of these?
Yes, on Cognito Forms Enterprise and Zoho Forms Premium. HIPAA compliance is not documented for Microsoft Forms.