
Forms are excellent tools for collecting leads, feedback, survey data and even event registrations. In fact, 84% of marketers use forms to drive conversions.
Thanks to no-code form builders, creating engaging, responsive forms is no longer a complicated, technical task only your developer can handle.
But the big question is: which one deserves your time and investment?
I recently tested out 12 of the most popular online form builders to see which one's actually the best in terms of capabilities, pricing, ease of use, customization options and integration flexibility.
After spending 40+ hours building various types of forms—from simple contact forms to complex multi-page surveys—I’ve got some clear winners to share.
To keep this test as fair as possible, here’s a quick breakdown of my testing methodology:
Short on time? Jump straight to the comparison table below for a quick overview of my findings:
Form Builder | Best For | Key Features | Pricing | G2 Rating |
Visme | Small businesses, marketers and creatives | Interactive & animated forms, form analytics, integrations with major platforms, team collaboration, visual content creation platform | Free; Starts at $12.25/month | 4.6/5 |
Typeform | Customer experience teams and market researchers | Conversational UI, logic jumps, GDPR & HIPAA compliance, 120+ integrations | Free; Starts at $25/month | 4.5/5 |
HubSpot | Marketing teams and sales professionals | Native CRM integration, smart forms, automation workflows, built-in analytics | Free; Starts at $12/month | 4.4/5 |
Jotform | Small businesses and entrepreneurs | 10,000+ templates, payment processing, AI form agent, multi-language support | Free; Starts at $34/month | 4.7/5 |
Google Forms | Teams and individuals | Real-time collaboration, Google Workspace integration, basic analytics, AI form creation | Free; Starts at $6/month | 4.6/5 |
Formstack | Enterprise businesses and healthcare providers | HIPAA compliance, form encryption, document generator, 260+ integrations | Free; Starts at $83/month | 4.4/5 |
SurveyMonkey | Market researchers and data analysts | Advanced logic, A/B testing, sentiment analysis, 100+ integrations | Free; Starts at $25/month | 4.4/5 |
Paperform | Ecommerce businesses and service providers | E-commerce tools, booking system, 2,000+ integrations, analytics | Free; Starts at $24/month | 4.5/5 |
Feathery | Businesses and technical teams | Custom API connections, AI form builder, workflow automation, data extraction | Free; custom pricing | 4.7/5 |
Zoho Forms | Businesses using Zoho's ecosystem | Multi-page forms, approval flows, advanced analytics, payment gateways | Free; Starts at €10/month | 4.4/5 |
Cognito Forms | Small businesses and freelancers | File uploads, e-signatures, payment processing, workflow automation | Free; Starts at $15/month | 4.5/5 |
Tally | Startups and small teams | Notion-like interface, password protection, payment gateway, custom domain hosting | Free; Starts at $24/month | 4.6/5 |
Let's look at each of these 12 amazing online form builders you can use to design high-converting forms for newsletter subscriptions, lead magnets, events and more.
Looking for the best form builder for your needs? Here are some of our favorite tools to build lead forms, feedback forms, email forms, surveys, registration forms and all other types of forms.
Ideal for: Small businesses, marketers and creatives.
I found the overall process of creating a form super straightforward.
Once inside the Visme dashboard, press on the Forms/Survey icon on top, or hit Create → Form/Survey to get started.
You’ll be redirected to the form builder interface, where you’ll see a bunch of pre-designed form templates, including newsletter subscriptions, lead magnet downloads, sign-ups, surveys and more.
All Visme form templates are fully customizable so change backgrounds, color themes, headings, subheadings, icons and buttons and footer. You can even choose to add 3D characters to your forms and bring them to life.
Fun fact: Interactive forms made using Visme have been proven to drive up to 2X more conversions, slash acquisition costs in half and reduce form abandonment by up to 67%.
If you’re familiar with any video creation tool or have even used Instagram to upload a Reel, you’ll love the timeline-based interface of Visme’s form builder. It gives you an overview of the experience a user will go through while filling out your form.
And the best part? You can toggle your form view to mobile and desktop to make sure you’re getting the user experience right every time.
Once you’ve designed your form, integrate it with your favorite apps and tools to send form responses directly to your CRM, email marketing platform or project management tool.
That’s it. You’re now ready to publish your forms.
You can share your forms using a link, directly to social media, via a QR code, or generate an embed code to add it your blogs. You can even change your form thumbnail if you want—so subtle yet so useful.
Visme also lets you track your form’s performance using Visme’s built-in analytics so you stay updated with key metrics at all times.
Check out this video to see how Visme Forms work:
Note: Visme offers discounted pricing plans for students, educators and nonprofits.
Ideal for: Customer experience teams and market researchers.
Another online form builder I tested was Typeform—an innovative form builder known for its ability to create interactive forms.
During the onboarding, I was asked a couple of questions related to the purpose of my forms. You can then create your form from scratch, import questions from Google Forms or get started with AI.
I chose Typeform’s AI form builder. A new screen popped up where I had to enter my prompt (they give you a bunch of suggestions too).
I was pretty impressed with the questions it came up with; it gave my form a nice headstart. And noticed that it only lets you add one question per form page for a more conversational form-filling experience.
You can tweak the designs and settings, add/remove fields, incorporate images/videos and more.
Typeform also comes with customizable templates that you can “copy” and make your own.
Once you’re done designing your form, you can add logic jumps to create dynamic question paths, enable hidden fields to capture additional data, and set up calculations for scoring or pricing. From there, integrate it with your favorite apps and share it with your own audience through embeddable forms, direct links, or as a popup on your website.
Typeform also offers detailed analytics to help you track your form performance. Dig into insights like the most popular responses, average ratings and more to identify patterns and make data-driven decisions.
Feature | Typeform | Visme |
Animation Capabilities | Basic transition animations between questions | Full suite of animations with interactive 3D characters and timeline-based interface |
Design Flexibility | Limited to question-by-question format | Complete visual customization with brand kit integration |
Content Creation | Forms and surveys only | All-in-one platform for forms, presentations, infographics, and more |
Ideal for: Marketing teams and sales professionals.
I also checked out HubSpot’s free form builder packed with several handy features.
Its drag-and-drop editor lets you set up various form types—from embedded website forms to pop-ups, standalone pages, drop-downs and so on.
Once you’ve chosen your form type, you can start designing your form from scratch or use a pre-designed template. I like how they’ve organized everything here: existing and new properties, object properties and hidden object labels.
You can then configure what happens after someone submits the form, such as displaying custom thank-you messages or redirecting to specific pages. You can also tweak the designs to match your company branding.
HubSpot also lets you segment your contact lists and setup automation workflows, but you’ll need to be subscribed to a paid account for that.
Feature | HubSpot | Visme |
Form Building Experience | Basic drag-and-drop editor with predefined properties | Timeline-based interface with intuitive drag-and-drop and dual-view editing (mobile/desktop) |
Design Capabilities | Standard form customization with brand colors | Interactive forms with animated characters, custom backgrounds, and dynamic themes |
Analytics & Tracking | Form submission tracking tied to HubSpot CRM | Built-in analytics showing key metrics and form performance with detailed conversion tracking |
Ideal for: Small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Jotform is another famous form builder I tried. It comes with 10,000+ pre-built templates including order forms, registration forms, application forms, payment forms, contact forms and questionnaires (all customizable).
I loved the simplicity of onboarding in Jotform. Just sign up and you’re taken to your dashboard. Hit Create Form to get started—no excessive tutorials; everything is pretty self-explanatory.
Similar to some of the other tools on this list, Jotform also lets you apply conditional logic to your forms, and you can even integrate payments through popular gateways like PayPal, Stripe and Square to collect debit or credit card payments, ACH payments, e-check payments and more via their forms.
It even lets you create custom coupons, generate professional invoices and set up recurring payments.
But what caught my attention the most is their AI form agent feature that can transform traditional forms into interactive conversations. It’s basically an AI chatbot that helps respondents complete their forms quickly and accurately. You can design the AI assistant’s avatar, train it and publish it.
Once you've finished creating your forms, share them using a direct link, on social media, embed them to your website or even as fillable PDF documents.
Feature | Jotform | Visme |
Template Library | 10,000+ pre-built form templates | Curated selection of high-converting, animated form templates |
Interactive Elements | AI form agent for conversational forms | Interactive characters and timeline-based animations for engaging user experience |
Form Analytics | Basic form submission tracking | Built-in analytics for tracking key performance metrics |
Ideal for: Teams and individuals.
If you’re someone who’s ever needed to collect information online, you must have tried Google Forms at least once in your life. I have too—since college.
What makes it special is that anyone can use it. It’s incredibly simple to use and supports a variety of field types like short answer, paragraph, multiple choice, checkboxes, drop-down, date, time, image and video.
You can either build from scratch or choose a customizable template you like. The choices are limited, but for what you get for the total cost of $0, it’s pretty good.
My favorite Google Forms feature is its ease of collaboration and seamless integration with other Google apps like Sheets, Docs and Drive. It also automatically generates graphs and charts from form responses so you can track performance, organize data and visually represent it.
You can also use Gemini (Google’s AI) to design your forms. Simply enter a prompt and it’ll automatically produce relevant questions and copy that you can edit and improve.
This was created using Gemini in under a minute:
Overall, I’d say Google Forms is terrific if you’re starting out, but it doesn’t offer the complexity and advanced features available in other paid form builders.
Feature | Google Forms | Visme |
Template Options | Basic pre-designed templates with limited choices | Pre-designed templates for newsletters, lead magnets, sign-ups and surveys |
Visual Experience | Basic color theme customization | Timeline-based interface with both mobile and desktop preview options |
Integration | Native integration with Google Sheets, Docs and Drive | Integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Sheets, Mailchimp and more |
Ideal for: Enterprise businesses and healthcare providers.
I also checked out Formstack as part of this test. It's a nice form builder that comes with solid features like form encryption, online payment processing, conditional logic, etc.
But unlike most of the form builders on the list, it doesn’t offer a free account. So i signed for their 14-day free trial to use it. And I have to say, I wasn’t entirely impressed with their templates—as most of them are pretty basic.
I have a love-hate relationship with the interface though. I like how well everything is managed on screen and has a drag-and-drop functionality. But it doesn’t show your form design unless you go to the Style tab (just feels unnecessary).
But I like how seriously Formstack takes its security. It offers GDPR-compliant forms and features supporting HIPAA compliance for healthcare organizations.
Feature | Formstack | Visme |
Design Customization | Requires switching to Style tab to view design changes | Real-time design editing with branding options, background customization, and theme controls |
Form Building | Basic drag-and-drop functionality | Drag-and-drop with interactive character and animation options |
Security & Compliance | Enterprise-grade with HIPAA compliance and GDPR-compliant forms | Robust security with standard form data protection controls |
Ideal for: Market researchers and data analysts.
SurveyMonkey is a popular survey and form builder that offers:
It also comes with several form templates that you can customize to match your brand aesthetic.
But my favorite SurveyMonkey feature is that you can easily toggle the format of your forms: classic, one question at a time or conversational. This will directly impact how respondents interact with your forms.
There are several sharing options to choose from; some free, others paid.
Features
Feature | SurveyMonkey | Visme |
Core Functionality | Specialized survey tool with deep expertise in research methodology and survey design | All-in-one visual design platform where forms are part of a broader content creation ecosystem |
Data Analysis | Enterprise-grade analytics with statistical significance testing, cross-tabulation, text analysis, and SPSS export capabilities | Visual analytics focused on conversion metrics and user engagement patterns |
Engagement Features | Skip logic and question randomization | Interactive characters and animations proven to drive 2X higher conversions |
Ideal for: Ecommerce businesses and service providers.
Next, I tested Paperform—another top-tier form builder with a unique approach to design and content integration.
The onboarding was pretty straightforward, and I was automatically subscribed to their free 14-day trial.
They have tons of templates to choose from (various styles and types), so you can get started quickly. But if you want more control, there’s also an option to start from scratch.
I like Paperform’s simple interface. I appreciate that it puts a lot of emphasis on aesthetic customization, so you can tailor every aspect of your form’s appearance—from backgrounds to colors to fonts.
You can integrate eCommerce tools like payments, subscriptions and bookings to take your form’s functionality to the next level. And configure what happens after a submission is made.
Once done, you can share your forms using a link, QR code or directly to socials. You can also embed them on your blogs and websites.
Feature | Paperform | Visme |
Form Design Interface | Offers a text-focused, document-style editor with limited visual customization | Provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface with extensive design controls and visual elements |
Templates | Basic selection of form templates with minimal design variety | Rich library of professionally designed templates across multiple categories and industries |
Visual Elements | Limited to basic form elements and minimal design options | Comprehensive suite of graphics, icons, charts, and multimedia elements that can be integrated into forms |
Ideal for: Businesses and technical teams.
I also tried Feathery as part of my review. It can help you design beautiful forms, workflows and interfaces.
Feathery comes with beautiful, pre-built templates (all different types and styles). Alternatively, you can create your forms from scratch or generate them using AI.
I like the drag-and-drop functionality and field options of the form builder. But most of all, I really like that you can customize the “flow” of your forms to make them more conversational.
You can also use their AI builder to generate custom forms quickly and extract data from documents to auto-populate forms.
There are also tons of integrations available and it even lets you pull data from APIs and write to your own systems. Once you’re done designing, you can share your forms using a link.
Feature | Feathery | Visme |
Form Building Method | Visual form builder that combines pre-built elements with options for custom code | Visual form builder focused on design elements |
Components | Strong focus on multi-step flows and conditional logic | Standard form components with visual flair |
Use Cases | Multi-step forms, user onboarding, complex data collection | Marketing forms, surveys, lead generation |
Ideal for: Businesses using Zoho's ecosystem.
Next, I tried Zoho Forms—a dynamic form builder that seamlessly integrates with the Zoho software suite.
You can use two form types on Zoho:
There are dozens of customizable templates and style themes to choose from (subscription, reservation, feedback, order etc.). Alternatively, use the AI form builder to design something unique, or get started from scratch.
I like the variety of field options available in Zoho (both basic and advanced) and the ease of adding “rules” to your forms. This lets you show or hide:
You can also set up rules to deny respondents from submitting the form (paid feature).
I like the drag-and-drop functionality, but most importantly, how well everything is organized. Build form first, then set rules, configure settings, then customize the design and share.
Zoho Forms also offers features like approval flows, a bunch of sharing options and advanced analytics and reporting to help you understand the form’s performance with custom reports, IP and geolocation tracking.
Feature | Zoho Forms | Visme |
Platform Scope | Forms-only solution with basic customization | Complete design platform for forms, presentations, infographics, reports and social media content |
Standout Features | Deep Zoho ecosystem integration | 3D animated characters, gesture control, avatar customization |
Team Collaboration | Basic approval flows | Full team workspace with real-time collaboration, comments, and version control |
Ideal for: Small businesses and freelancers.
Cognito Forms positions itself as a versatile online form builder for businesses looking to generate leads and take orders.
You can start creating your form from scratch by choosing one of their pre-built templates or by generating with AI. Drag and drop fields to your forms, customize how they look, set up workflow automation and configure online payments—everything is pretty straightforward.
You can also add file uploads, electronic signatures, rating scales and save and resume features to your forms.
Share your Cognito Forms directly to socials (X and Facebook), generate an embed code or use a direct link.
Feature | Cognito Forms | Visme |
Asset Library | Limited form templates | Thousands of templates, graphics, and animated elements across all content types |
Learning Curve | Standard form builder interface | Beginner-friendly with built-in design guidance and AI assistance |
Interactive Elements | Static forms with basic text and fields | Engaging 3D characters that guide users through forms and boost engagement |
Ideal for: Startups and small teams.
A friend suggested I also add Tally to this review, so I tested it out too.
The design interface is eerily similar to Notion, so if you’ve ever used Notion, you’ll feel right at home. Everything is tucked on the left side—templates, feature requests, how-to guides, etc.
I love the variety of blocks and question types it comes with. It even shows you a quick example of how to use each block—super useful if you’re new to forms.
I did find it a bit challenging to find out how I could change the design of my forms, but there’s a small button that appears when you hover over the title. It’s very easy to miss. I would have appreciated a separate button on top with Preview and Publish.
But I love that you can also password-protect your forms, limit submissions, add a payment gateway and much more. It’s pretty neat considering that all of this is completely free.
Feature | Tally | Visme |
Core Platform | Notion-like interface limited to form building | Complete design ecosystem for forms, presentations, infographics, and marketing content |
Design Resources | Simple text editor with basic blocks | Extensive library of templates, graphics, and animated assets across all project types |
Content Creation | Forms-only with limited customization | AI-powered design tools for forms and other marketing materials, with brand kit integration |
Creating a form with Visme is incredibly easy (and fun!) Here’s a quick step-by-step to help you whip up an interactive form potential leads would find hard to resist.
Note: Before you start, head over to the form builder and click on Create Your Form Now. Then, log in to your account or sign up for free here.
When you log in, the first thing you’ll see are the different types of forms you can create in Visme. Choose the one that aligns with your purpose to view handpicked templates.
If you’re confused, ask yourself: What do you want to achieve with your form? Do you want to drive subscriptions, sign up attendees for an event or boost resource downloads? Then, pick the option that resonates the most.
Depending on the option you choose, you’ll see a bunch of different templates. All Visme templates are fully customizable and designed to give you the perfect starting point.
Select one that matches your brand style, the vibe of your industry and any specific form requirements. This will save you time and headache when customizing the template because you’ll be working with something that’s already half done.
Here’s where the magic happens. Breathe life into your form by adding or removing fields to get just what you need. Apply your branding, including colors, fonts and logos, to align your form with your visual identity.
Want to make your form more engaging? Switch on interactivity and choose animation styles and characters that fit your brand. Remember to optimize the form for both desktop and mobile to offer your audience a seamless experience.
Pro Tip: When you’re done customizing your form, hit Preview to take a peek at what the final form looks like on both desktop and mobile.
Integrate your form with apps like Salesforce, HubSpot, Mailchimp or Google Sheets to streamline how you collect, organize and present data.
For example, you could sync contacts collected via your forms directly with your email list in Mailchimp. This would make it easier to send targeted email campaigns to the right people.
Once your form is ready, hit Publish to make it go live.
You can then embed the form on your website or anywhere within a Visme project. Or, share it via email, QR code or social media using a direct link.
That’s right—Visme is more than just a form builder. You can also check out how your form is performing with the built-in form analytics.
Monitor metrics like views, submissions, completion rates and more. Use this data to better understand your audience and refine your forms over time.
A form builder app is a software that allows users to create digital forms to collect data, including contacts, leads, feedback and survey data. These apps usually offer an intuitive interface, drag-and-drop functionality and customizable templates, making it super easy for anyone to create forms.
The “best” tool for creating forms depends on your specific needs. If you want to drive engagement and sign-ups, Visme’s interactive form builder is perfect for your needs. In fact, forms created with Visme have been proven to drive up to 2X more conversions and reduce CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) by more than 50%.
For advanced features and customization, tools like Zoho Forms and JotForm work well. Typeform is ideal for creating conversational forms, while Google Forms offers a simple, free option with seamless integration with other Google services.
Yes, there are dozens of free form builders in the market. Google Forms is a popular choice for basic, zero-cost form-building needs with easy integration with other Google apps. Visme, Tally and Cognito Forms also offer free plans with decent features. However, free form builders offer limited functionality.
For users seeking more advanced features than what Google Forms offers for free, tools like Visme, Zoho Forms, JotForm and Typeform may be better options. These platforms provide more interactivity, customization, complex question types, better integration options and more detailed form analytics than Google Forms.
There are dozens of form builders out there and the one you choose depends entirely on your needs and budget.
But if you’re looking for a tool that helps you stand out and drive conversions, Visme is your best bet. The engaging colors, full-screen layout and unique interactivity features like characters and animation can bring any boring form to life.
Plus, with ready-made templates tailored to specific industries and use cases, you’re guaranteed to find the perfect form for your needs. Keep an eye out for new form templates—we regularly add new designs to our expanding library.
Ready to create engaging, high-converting forms? Try out Visme’s form builder and let us know what you think.
Improve your data collection from emails, leads, to surveys and more, by using beautifully designed forms that convert up 2X better.
Signup Free