Google Forms suits quick, practical forms, surveys and quizzes, free with a Google account, with responses flowing straight into Google Sheets. Typeform suits forms your customers see, where design and a one-question-at-a-time feel matter, with AI form creation, conditional logic and integrations. Use Google Forms for internal and everyday forms, and Typeform when the form is part of your brand.
Google Forms is the form builder most of us reach for first, simply because it's already in our Google account. The question is when a form is important enough to deserve something more polished. I read Google's help pages for Forms, quizzes and responses, and Typeform's home and plans pages.
Google Forms and Typeform side by side
| Google Forms | Typeform | |
|---|---|---|
| Free option | Yes, with a Google account | Not stated on the plans page I read |
| Style | Simple form on one page | Interactive, conversational forms |
| Responses | Real-time summaries and Link to Sheets | Response allowance set by plan |
| Quizzes | Built-in quizzes with answer keys | Quiz and test makers |
| Logic | Sections and go-to-section rules | Conditional logic from the Basic plan |
| Integrations | Google Sheets and Workspace | Webhooks and integrations, Salesforce on higher plans |
The collaborator catch in Google Forms
Google's help page on managing responses includes a warning worth knowing. If you've shared a form with a collaborator, they may also have access to the form's linked spreadsheet, and if you want to remove a collaborator, you have to remove them from the form and the spreadsheet separately. For a business collecting customer details, that's a step to add to your offboarding checklist, because removing someone from the form alone leaves the answers visible to them.
What Google Forms does well
Google says you can use Forms to create online surveys, quizzes and forms, send them to others and analyse the responses in real time. You can start a form from Google Sheets so responses land in a new sheet, share it with collaborators to edit together, and turn any form into a self-marking quiz with an answer key. For staff surveys, event sign-ups, feedback and internal requests, it's fast and familiar.
What Typeform adds
Typeform is built for forms people enjoy finishing. Its plans page lists AI-powered form creation, conditional logic, webhooks and integrations from its Basic plan, then more responses and users, multi-language forms, a Salesforce integration and email and text follow-ups on higher plans. There are specific makers for surveys, quizzes, tests, polls, applications, registrations and NPS forms, plus enterprise options with SSO and GDPR support.
Check the response allowance before you commit. Typeform's plans are built around a number of responses each month, starting at 100 on Basic, so a lead form on a busy page needs the right plan.
Which forms belong where
- Internal requests, staff surveys and quizzes: Google Forms.
- Lead capture and quote requests on your website: Typeform.
- Event sign-ups where you need answers in a spreadsheet: Google Forms.
- Customer onboarding where every question should feel personal: Typeform.
If you're already on Google Forms, here's how to see responses on Google Forms, and whichever tool you choose, my survey question swipe file helps you ask better questions.
One tip for either tool: keep forms short. Ask only what you'll use, put the easiest questions first, and use logic so people skip what doesn't apply to them. A shorter form that people finish is worth far more than a long one that gets abandoned halfway.
My advice on Google Forms or Typeform
Keep using Google Forms for anything internal or quick, and tidy up who has access to the linked sheets. Move to Typeform for the forms that represent your business to customers, starting with your main lead form, and watch whether more people finish it.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Google Forms free?
Google Forms is free to use with a Google account, and it's also part of Google Workspace for businesses.
Does Typeform have a free plan?
The plans page I read lists Basic and higher plans, with a 14-day trial on some. I didn't see a free plan listed there.
How do I send Google Forms responses to Sheets?
Open the form, click Responses, then Link to Sheets. You can also create a form from Google Sheets so responses save to a new sheet.
Who can see my Google Forms responses?
Google says collaborators on a form may also have access to its linked spreadsheet, so remove people from both when they no longer need access.
Can Google Forms be used as a quiz?
Yes. Turn on Make this a quiz in the form's settings, add an answer key, and Google Forms can mark responses for you.
Does Typeform have conditional logic?
Yes. Typeform lists conditional logic on its Basic plan.
