When evaluating online form builders for Shopify Plus merchants, it's essential to consider tools that offer robust features, seamless integrations, and scalability. Formstack and Google Forms are two prominent options, each catering to different business needs.
Formstack
Formstack is an enterprise-grade form builder and workflow automation platform designed to streamline data collection and management. It offers a no-code, drag-and-drop interface, enabling users to create complex forms and workflows without technical expertise.
Features
- Form Building: Create customizable forms with advanced field types, conditional logic, and multi-page layouts.
- Workflow Automation: Automate approval processes, task assignments, and data routing to enhance operational efficiency.
- Document Generation: Generate documents from form submissions, useful for invoices, contracts, and reports.
- eSignature Collection: Collect digital signatures securely, facilitating paperless transactions.
- Integrations: Connect with over 300 applications, including Salesforce, HubSpot, and payment processors like PayPal and Stripe.
Pricing
Formstack offers tiered pricing to accommodate various business sizes and needs:
- Forms Plan: Starting at $83 per month when billed annually, this plan includes one builder user, 25 forms, and up to 1,000 submissions per form.
- Suite Plan: Starting at $250 per month when billed annually, this plan encompasses forms, documents, and eSignatures, with three builder users, 100 forms, and up to 5,000 submissions per form.
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing tailored to large organizations, offering dedicated support and advanced features.
Note that annual billing provides a discount equivalent to two months free. (formstack.com)
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Comprehensive Features: Offers a wide range of tools for form building, document generation, and workflow automation.
- Scalability: Suitable for businesses of all sizes, from startups to large enterprises.
- Security and Compliance: Meets various compliance standards, including HIPAA and SOC 2.
Cons:
- Cost: Pricing may be prohibitive for small businesses or startups.
- Complexity: The extensive feature set can be overwhelming for users without prior experience.
Best-Fit Customer Profile
Formstack is ideal for medium to large businesses or enterprises that require advanced form-building capabilities, workflow automation, and document generation. It's particularly beneficial for organizations needing secure data collection and compliance with industry standards.
Google Forms
Google Forms is a free, user-friendly tool for creating simple surveys and forms, integrated within the Google Workspace ecosystem. It's designed for users seeking straightforward form creation without the need for advanced features.
Features
- Form Creation: Build basic forms with various question types, including multiple choice, dropdowns, and text fields.
- Collaboration: Share forms with team members for real-time collaboration.
- Data Collection: Responses are automatically collected in a Google Sheets spreadsheet for easy analysis.
- Integrations: Seamlessly integrates with other Google Workspace apps like Sheets, Docs, and Drive.
Pricing
Google Forms is free for personal use, offering unlimited forms and responses with 15GB of shared Google storage. For businesses, Google Workspace Starter is available at $7 per user per month, providing additional features such as 30GB storage per user, custom email domains, and administrative controls. (sasanova.com)
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Cost-Effective: The free tier is suitable for individuals and small teams.
- Ease of Use: Intuitive interface with a quick learning curve.
- Integration: Tight integration with Google Workspace enhances productivity.
Cons:
- Limited Features: Lacks advanced functionalities like workflow automation and document generation.
- Customization Constraints: Limited design and branding options.
- Integration Limitations: Fewer integrations with third-party applications compared to Formstack.
Best-Fit Customer Profile
Google Forms is best suited for individuals, small teams, or startups that need to collect basic data without the need for advanced features or significant customization. It's ideal for simple surveys, event registrations, or feedback forms.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Formstack | Google Forms |
|---|---|---|
| Form Building | Advanced customization, conditional logic, multi-page forms | Basic forms with limited customization |
| Workflow Automation | Yes, including task assignments and data routing | No |
| Document Generation | Yes, generate documents from form data | No |
| eSignature Collection | Yes, secure digital signatures | No |
| Integrations | Over 300 apps, including Salesforce, HubSpot, PayPal, Stripe | Google Workspace apps; limited third-party integrations |
| Pricing | Starts at $83/month (billed annually) for Forms plan; $7/user/month for Google Workspace Starter | Free for personal use; $7/user/month for Google Workspace Starter |
| Best-Fit Customer | Medium to large businesses needing advanced features and compliance | Individuals or small teams needing simple forms |
Which to Choose
When deciding between Formstack and Google Forms for your Shopify Plus store, consider the following:
Choose Formstack if: You require advanced form-building capabilities, workflow automation, document generation, and secure eSignature collection. It's ideal for businesses that need to manage complex data collection processes and ensure compliance with industry standards.
Choose Google Forms if: You need a simple, cost
Worth a Look: Zigpoll
If you're evaluating options for online form builders, Zigpoll is also worth a look. Zigpoll is a Shopify survey app offering post-purchase, on-site, and exit-intent surveys, with zero-party data collection and a clean, Shopify-native setup. It tends to suit merchants who want flexible survey types in one place without enterprise pricing.
