Formstack alternative: finding the best tool to create forms that convert leads into customers
Formstack Forms is a great tool for automation and basic form creation, but while it comes with great templates and a no-code workflow, it might not be suited to your preference or use case.
In this article, we’ll cover seven great Formstack alternatives that you should check out in 2021.
Let’s jump right in.
What are the best Formstack alternatives?
01. 123 Form Builder
Pricing: Plans start at $25/month; free plan available.
Most online form builders come with varying limitations on each plan. For example, Formstack’s basic plan allows users to create up to 20 forms and gather up to 1,000 submissions for each form with 1 GB of storage available on your account.
123 Form Builder takes a different approach. While you only start out with five forms on the basic plan (additional purchase options available), you can gather unlimited submissions for any form and store them inside 10 GB worth of account storage.
The storage cap is the same across all accounts, and it covers everything from basic data collection to respondent file uploads.
Pros
At less than half the starting cost of Formstack Forms (even less when you purchase annually, there’s a lot to love about 123 Form Builder.
The straightforward and hassle-free plan setup, as well as great features like conditional logic and custom branding options, means that you can beat Formstack pricing and still have a powerful tool to gather critical information.
Cons
There are a few downsides to consider when using 123 Form Builder. While the 10 GB storage is great for smaller organizations with limited form use, enterprise-level companies planning to do a ton of data collection may find it limiting.
As a Formstack alternative, 123 Form Builder may be missing important integrations for your forms, as well, such as Microsoft Teams or Google Analytics. And, without a Zapier connection, integration with essential business services is limited.
02. PandaDoc
Pricing: Plans start at $59/month; free trial available.
PandaDoc Forms is the newest product on our list. Users on the PandaDoc Business and Enterprise plans can build web forms using the same great drag-and-drop tools that they currently use to create contracts and proposals.
This is a great fit for users in the education sector, who might need to register students, collect fees and feedback, or renew contracts with teachers. Healthcare offices can create appointment forms, client questionnaires, and store sensitive data. Even public service organizations can upload government forms so that users can quickly complete and submit them.
Unlike other Formstack alternatives listed here, PandaDoc shines because of its versatility. Forms is a free addition to existing PandaDoc plans, and all of our other tools are still in place. Users can continue to generate incredible sales and marketing documents quickly in addition to building contact forms, payment forms, and more.
With PandaDoc, you’ll always have the right tool for the job.
Pros
The biggest plus about PandaDoc is that it’s not just a form builder. Forms are a great add-on to everything already included with a PandaDoc subscription.
All PandaDoc documents come with a high level of customization so that anything you build can be styled to fit your unique brand. That includes forms, quotes, and proposals.
Unlike Formstack, PandaDoc is also HIPAA compliant across the entire platform for users who have signed a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with us. We also offer encryption tools at every level to help you keep data secure while respecting GDPR rules and privacy laws.
Cons
While this is likely to change rapidly in the coming months, PandaDoc Forms doesn’t yet offer the same functionality that you’ll see in most established form builders.
Advanced form creation and complex conditional logic aren’t yet available using PandaDoc. While you can create basic forms, users looking for a high level of complexity may need a more robust solution than what we currently offer.
03. Cognito Forms
Pricing: Plans start at $15/month; free plan available.
Need an alternative to Formstack with better conditional logic, the ability to perform calculations, create tables, and more? If so, Cognito Forms may be the perfect solution for you.
Cognito Forms is one of the best form-building solutions for a fraction of the cost of Formstack Forms. While you’ll need to move quickly into higher-tier plans if you need custom branding options, encryption, or HIPAA compliance tools, you’re still likely to save money compared to Formstack.
But just because Cognito Forms offers a low price point doesn’t mean they’re a slouch. The platform offers unique tools like rating scales, quantity limits, and repeating sections to make form creation fast, simple, and easy.
Pros
The price and form complexity are the two biggest selling points when it comes to Cognito Forms, but it doesn’t end there.
Cognito Forms will also enjoy more storage for respondent uploads and data collection, along with the ability to collect payments from Stripe, Paypal, and other payment gateways.
Cons
For users who want backend access or who are a stickler for native integrations, Cognito Forms falls short.
While you’ll be able to use Zapier connections to link Cognito Forms to your standard workflow, you won’t have direct API access in the way that you would with the Formstack API, but you can use webhooks to get everything you need.
Cognito Forms also lacks native integrations. Unlike the Formstack Salesforce integration, which connects directly to Salesforce and is maintained by Formstack, you’ll be relying on Zapier as a third-party connector to make everything work.
04. Wufoo
Pricing: Plans start at $19/month; free plan available.
Wufoo is built by SurveyMonkey and is an excellent fit for users who are more focused on data collection and organization versus asking questions and capturing user responses from a particular audience.
While you can use Wufoo to create surveys using radio buttons or text lines, exactly as you would in Formstack, you won’t find the same level of questionnaire complexity in Wufoo as you’ll find in SurveyMonkey.
That being said, Wufoo, alongside some of its alternatives, is still a powerful platform for data capture and competes well with Formstack on nearly every level for a fraction of the cost.
Pros
The choice between Formstack and Wufoo mostly comes down to personal preference. They offer the same number of users, similar limits for submission storage, and many of the same features.
The form designer is different, and both platforms are heavily focused on automation and customization. Both tools even come equipped with roughly 400 form templates in their library to help you automate processes and get to work quickly.
Though the tools vary, the features shared by each platform are very similar. Considering the price tag, that definitely makes Wufoo worth a look.
Cons
Where Wufoo falls short when compared to Formstack is in its integrations and compliance options.
At higher-level plans, Formstack users can acquire the encryption tools needed to create a HIPAA compliant document. Wufoo never offers this — and it’s the only Formstack alternative on our list that doesn’t.
Wufoo’s native integrations are also spotty. While the platform does offer a Salesforce integration, Formstack offers a greater variety of native CRM integrations and connectors.
05. FormAssembly
Pricing: Plans start at $99/month; free trial available.
Going beyond the basic WordPress order forms and email marketing survey tools that you’ll see in other apps, FormAssembly is the only platform on our list that is specifically designed for large- and enterprise-level organizations.
Formstack and a few other tools on our list offer some of the tools that you’ll see in the FormAssembly lineup, but this platform is designed to scale across an entire organization while allowing users to quickly capture and collate data.
Pros
Compared to Formstack, FormAssembly offers a higher level of integration and data capture tools. Unlike Formstack security, FormAssembly encrypts data at rest, which means that the platform is immediately GDPR and FERPA compliant.
In addition to allowing users to embed forms using HTML/CSS and iFrames (which Formstack users can do), FormAssembly comes with its own mobile app for offline data collection, as well as full API access and an advanced Salesforce integration.
Cons
For most users, FormAssembly won’t be the right solution simply due to cost and size. These tools are geared toward major corporations that are using a very specific set of tools, like Salesforce, Authorize.net, and Cybersource.
For a small business, the costs may be prohibitive as well, considering that the mid-tier plan skyrockets to $249/month per user, and higher-level plans are locked behind a conversation with the company sales team.
Overall, FormAssembly is more capable than Formstack — especially at the enterprise level — but the costs may not justify those benefits for many users.
06. SurveySparrow
Pricing: Plans start at $29/month; free plan available.
While you can use platforms like Formstack or Wufoo to create simple surveys, if you really want to dig in and ask critical questions, a platform like SurveySparrow may be a better solution.
Unlike many survey tools on the market today, SurveySparrow offers a wide range of plans to suit user needs, all of which include API calls, integrations, and custom reporting tools.
Pros
SurveySparrow isn’t necessarily better than Formstack in the sense that the products are competing. It’s an alternative to the platform in how it offers content.
Much like Cognito Forms, SurveySparrow offers rating tools, variable parameters, and even logic branching to help users gather accurate data. Many of these features are passed over by Formstack simply because the tool is designed as a form builder rather than a survey tool.
If you need questions answered, and you’re less concerned with collecting electronic signatures or gathering basic user information for a CRM entry, SurveySparrow is a great option.
Cons
At some level, the downsides to SurveySparrow come down to use case.
The platform won’t be a comfortable fit for someone who just wants to build out a basic payment form or create a simple onboarding form. There are better and cheaper ways to do that.
In these cases, Formstack Forms might be a better fit. It really depends on your specific needs.
07. Google Forms
Pricing: Plans start at $6/month; free plans available.
One of the best options on the list simply due to price, Google Forms is free for anyone with a Google account.
Because this option is run by Google, you can expect maximum flexibility when it comes to submissions, form creation, and data storage. All of these calculations are tied to your Google Drive account.
Users paying for Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) can enjoy unlimited storage options for minimal costs while staying competitive with most other Formstack alternatives on the list.
Pros
Google offers a flexible form builder that integrates well with most websites and applications. If you’re familiar with Google’s way of doing things, you’ll pick up the drag-and-drop functionality with ease.
The platform also allows you to embed images, YouTube videos, implement skip logic, and more — all at no charge. Using Google productivity tools, you can review your data and accurately represent your findings with ease.
It’s possible to do all of this for a minimal cost by using powerful collaboration tools that have been years in the making.
Cons
The most straightforward downside to using Google is that some users just don’t like Google. If you’re not a fan of the Google productivity platform, Google Forms won’t be a great fit because everything in Forms is connected to Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
With Google Forms, you’ll also need to have some technical savvy to display your data correctly. While Google will push your data into Google Sheets, you’ll need to know how to use Sheets in order to render charts and graphics that will accurately display your findings. Formstack Forms, like many alternatives on our list, can help you do that with greater precision.
Go beyond forms with PandaDoc
And there you have it: Seven great alternatives to Formstack to consider in 2021.
If you’re looking to build incredible forms, and you want to take a break from the Formstack platform, other competitors may be able to offer an experience that’s better suited to your needs and preferences.
If you need to go beyond forms, PandaDoc can help you create quotes, proposals, contracts, and other essential sales documents at lightning speed.
To learn more about everything we offer — including forms — sign up for a free 14-day trial on our Business plan.
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