Microsoft Forms is the default pick for teams already inside Microsoft 365 who want quick surveys and auto-graded quizzes tied to Excel and Teams, though it…
Best for: Teams needing workflow automation, offline mobile data collection, and a wide integration ecosystem.
At a Glance
HeyForm
Microsoft Forms
Zoho Forms
Primary category
Forms
Forms
Forms
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Freemium
Freemium
freemium
Starting price
Free; hosted plans from $15/month
Free
$0
Free plan
Yes
Yes
Yes
Free trial
Yes
Not documented
Not documented
Platforms
Web
Web
Not documented
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Yes
Not documented
Yes
Public API
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Standout Differences
Open source and self-hostable
HeyForm is the only one of the three built as an open-source project, letting technical teams self-host via Docker for full data ownership instead of relying on a vendor's hosted infrastructure.
HeyForm
Native Microsoft 365 integration and quiz grading
Microsoft Forms is bundled free with Microsoft 365 and offers automatic quiz grading plus direct Excel, Teams, and SharePoint integration, features neither HeyForm nor Zoho Forms match.
Microsoft Forms
Zoho Forms covers offline and integration breadth
Zoho Forms supports offline mobile data collection with geolocation and QR scanning plus more than 150 integrations, giving it the widest operational reach of the three.
Zoho Forms
Payment collection splits the group
HeyForm and Zoho Forms both support collecting payments directly through forms, while Microsoft Forms does not support payment collection at all.
HeyForm, Zoho Forms, Microsoft Forms
Feature-by-Feature
Core Building
Feature
HeyForm
Microsoft Forms
Zoho Forms
Conversational, one-question-at-a-time format
Available
Unavailable
Unavailable
Automatic quiz grading
Not documented
Available
Not documented
Payment collection
Available
Unavailable
Available
Deployment and Compliance
Feature
HeyForm
Microsoft Forms
Zoho Forms
Self-hosting option
Available
Unavailable
Unavailable
Offline mobile data collection
Not documented
Not documented
Available
HIPAA-compliant configuration
Not documented
Not documented
Available
Access and Integrations
Feature
HeyForm
Microsoft Forms
Zoho Forms
Permanent free plan
Available
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.
HeyForm
Free — $0 monthly
Basic — $15/month monthly
Premium — $24/month monthly
Business — $40/month monthly
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
HeyForm
Pros
Genuinely open source and self-hostable, unlike most form-builder competitors
Free plan and hosted pricing are significantly cheaper than Typeform
Payment commission decreases as customers scale, rewarding growth
Active GitHub community contributing features and fixes
Simple, focused feature set that is easy to learn quickly
Cons
Small team behind the hosted product means slower feature releases than larger competitors
Free plan response cap (250/month) is low for growing businesses
Self-hosting requires technical setup and ongoing server maintenance
Fewer native integrations than more established form tools
Limited public information on company structure, funding, or headquarters
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 HeyForm: Budget-conscious teams and developers wanting an open-source, self-hostable conversational form builder.
Choose Microsoft Forms: Organizations on Microsoft 365 wanting forms and quizzes tied into Excel, Teams, and SharePoint.
Choose Zoho Forms: Teams needing workflow automation, offline mobile data collection, and a wide integration ecosystem.
HeyForm
Small business lead capture — Small businesses use HeyForm's hosted plans to build affordable, branded lead and contact forms without paying enterprise form-builder prices.
Self-hosted internal forms — Development teams self-host HeyForm to run internal surveys and data collection tools with full control over hosting and data residency.
Customer feedback and quizzes — Marketing teams build conversational quizzes and feedback surveys to increase completion rates over static forms.
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
Which of these three is open source?
HeyForm is the only genuinely open-source, self-hostable option among the three.
Which supports quiz grading for schools?
Microsoft Forms, with automatic quiz grading built in, which is a common reason schools already on Microsoft 365 pick it.
Can I accept payments through these forms?
Yes, on HeyForm and Zoho Forms. Microsoft Forms does not support payment collection.
Which has the widest integration ecosystem?
Zoho Forms, with more than 150 integrations, including Salesforce and Google Sheets.
Which is cheapest to start on a paid plan?
HeyForm's Basic plan starts at $15/month, the lowest paid entry point among the three.
Is HIPAA compliance available on any of these?
Yes, on Zoho Forms' Premium plan. HIPAA compliance is not documented for HeyForm or Microsoft Forms.