These three form builders serve very different buyers: Formstack is the compliance- and workflow-heavy choice for regulated organizations, Microsoft Forms is…
Subscription (tiered plans plus custom Enterprise and Salesforce pricing) · From $83/month (Forms plan, billed annually)
Best for: Regulated enterprises, such as healthcare, finance, or government, that need HIPAA- and PCI-compliant forms bundled with document generation and e-signature workflows.
Best for: Organizations already on Microsoft 365 that want free surveys and quizzes tightly integrated with Excel, Teams, SharePoint, and Power Automate.
Best for: Small businesses and creators who want a flexible, document-style form builder that can double as a landing page, product page, or payment-enabled order form.
At a Glance
Formstack
Microsoft Forms
Paperform
Primary category
Forms
Forms
Forms
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Subscription (tiered plans plus custom Enterprise and Salesforce pricing)
Freemium
Freemium
Starting price
$83/month (Forms plan, billed annually)
Free
Free (paid plans from $24/month)
Free plan
Not documented
Yes
Not documented
Free trial
Yes
Not documented
Yes
Platforms
Web
Web
Web
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Public API
Yes
Not documented
Yes
Standout Differences
Compliance and workflow depth favors Formstack
Formstack offers HIPAA- and PCI-compliant form configurations plus bundled document generation and e-signatures through Formstack Documents and Formstack Sign, features neither Microsoft Forms nor Paperform document.
Formstack
Microsoft Forms costs nothing extra inside Microsoft 365
Microsoft Forms is included with any Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscription and integrates natively with Excel, Teams assignments, SharePoint, and Power Automate, though its free personal plan caps at 200 responses per form.
Microsoft Forms
Paperform's editor behaves like a document, not a grid
Paperform lets users build forms as flowing documents with inline images, video, and payment blocks, and includes a calculation engine for quotes and pricing, a design paradigm neither Formstack nor Microsoft Forms offers.
Paperform
Free access differs sharply across the three
Microsoft Forms and Paperform both offer free ways to get started (free with a Microsoft account, or a 30-submission/month free plan), while Formstack has no permanent free plan, only a 14-day trial of its Forms product.
Microsoft Forms, Paperform, Formstack
Feature-by-Feature
Core Form Building
Feature
Formstack
Microsoft Forms
Paperform
Conditional branching logic
Available
Available
Available
Document-style, word-processor editor
Unavailable
Unavailable
Available
Specialized Capabilities
Feature
Formstack
Microsoft Forms
Paperform
Automatic quiz grading
Not documented
Available
Not documented
Built-in payment collection
Available
Unavailable
Available
Compliance and Enterprise
Feature
Formstack
Microsoft Forms
Paperform
HIPAA- and PCI-compliant configurations
Available
Unavailable
Unavailable
Native Salesforce integration
Available
Unavailable
Unavailable
Access and Ecosystem
Feature
Formstack
Microsoft Forms
Paperform
Permanent free plan
Unavailable
Available
Available
Native Microsoft 365 ecosystem integration
Unavailable
Available
Unavailable
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Formstack
Forms — $83/month (annual) or $99/month (monthly) Monthly or annual
Suite — $250/month (annual) or $299/month (monthly) Monthly or annual
Microsoft 365 Apps for Business / Education — Included in Microsoft 365 business/education licensing Monthly or annual
Paperform
Free — $0 monthly
Essentials — $24/month ($288/year billed annually) monthly or annual
Pro — $49/month ($588/year billed annually) monthly or annual
Business — $99/month ($1,188/year billed annually) monthly or annual
Enterprise — Custom (contact sales) annual
Pros & Cons
Formstack
Pros
Broad feature set spanning forms, document generation, and e-signatures in one platform
Strong compliance credentials, including HIPAA- and PCI-compliant form configurations
Deep native Salesforce integration for enterprise CRM-driven workflows
Nearly two decades of operating history and a large integration ecosystem
Cons
No permanent free plan, only a 14-day free trial of the core Forms product
Entry-level pricing is higher than lightweight competitors like Google Forms or Wufoo
Suite and Enterprise pricing can become expensive for organizations needing high usage limits
Recent corporate rebrand to Intellistack may create short-term confusion about the product's ownership
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
Paperform
Pros
Flexible document-style editor supports rich content, not just simple fields
Multiple payment gateways included on all paid plans, not limited to the top tier
Built-in calculation engine handles complex pricing and quoting logic
Forms can double as landing pages or product pages, reducing the need for a separate site
Generous free plan for testing before upgrading
Cons
Free plan submission limit (30/month) is low for active use
Custom domain requires the Pro tier or above
Smaller integration ecosystem than larger competitors like Jotform
Learning curve to fully use calculation and conditional-logic features
Annual submission caps on paid tiers can require plan upgrades as usage grows
Use Cases
Choose Formstack: Regulated enterprises, such as healthcare, finance, or government, that need HIPAA- and PCI-compliant forms bundled with document generation and e-signature workflows.
Choose Microsoft Forms: Organizations already on Microsoft 365 that want free surveys and quizzes tightly integrated with Excel, Teams, SharePoint, and Power Automate.
Choose Paperform: Small businesses and creators who want a flexible, document-style form builder that can double as a landing page, product page, or payment-enabled order form.
Formstack
HR onboarding and internal workflows — HR teams collect new-hire paperwork and route it through approval workflows without manual data entry.
HIPAA-compliant patient intake — Healthcare organizations collect patient intake data through compliant, secure online forms.
Nonprofit donation and event registration — Nonprofits collect donations and manage event registrations with payment processing built into the form.
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.
Paperform
Selling products through an order form — Build a payment-enabled order form that also functions as a product landing page.
Lead-capture landing pages — Create standalone landing pages with embedded forms without needing a separate website.
Scored quizzes and surveys — Use conditional logic and calculations to build interactive quizzes or assessments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which of these three form builders is completely free?
Microsoft Forms is free with any Microsoft account (with higher response caps for Microsoft 365 subscribers), and Paperform offers a free plan limited to 30 submissions per month. Formstack has no permanent free plan, only a 14-day free trial of its Forms product.
Which is best for HIPAA-compliant data collection?
Formstack, since it explicitly offers HIPAA- and PCI-compliant form configurations. Neither Microsoft Forms nor Paperform documents HIPAA compliance.
Can Microsoft Forms handle document generation and e-signatures like Formstack?
No. Microsoft Forms can trigger downstream workflows through Power Automate, but it does not include native document generation or e-signature tools, both of which Formstack bundles in via Formstack Documents and Formstack Sign.
Which tool is best if I want the form to double as a landing or order page?
Paperform, thanks to its document-style editor that lets you mix form fields with images, video, and payment blocks in a single flowing page.
Do any of these integrate with Salesforce?
Formstack has native, purpose-built Salesforce integration, including progressive data capture and dynamic prefill. Microsoft Forms and Paperform do not document Salesforce integration.