When evaluating form and survey builders for SaaS companies, two prominent options are Paperform and Formstack. Both platforms offer unique features tailored to different business needs. This comparison delves into their core functionalities, pricing structures, ease of use, integrations, customer support, and ideal customer profiles to assist you in making an informed decision.
Core Features and Functionality
Paperform: Paperform is a versatile form builder that enables users to create forms resembling custom-designed landing pages. It offers a user-friendly, design-centric editor that allows for extensive customization without requiring coding skills. Key features include:
- Unlimited Forms: Users can create an unlimited number of forms, accommodating various data collection needs.
- Advanced Question Types: Supports over 25 question fields, including unique options like Color Picker, Scale, Slider, and Ranking.
- Built-in Payment Processing: Integrates with multiple payment gateways, including Stripe, PayPal, Square, Braintree, and Google Pay, facilitating seamless transactions.
- Integrations: Connects with over 3,000 applications through Zapier, enabling synchronization with tools like Google Sheets, Notion, and Slack.
- Design Customization: Offers a document-style editor that allows embedding of text, images, and videos, providing a landing page-like experience.
Formstack: Formstack is an enterprise-focused platform designed for complex data collection and workflow automation. Its core features include:
- Form Building: Provides a drag-and-drop interface for creating forms with advanced conditional logic and calculations.
- Document Generation: Integrates with Formstack Documents to automate the creation of contracts, proposals, invoices, and reports.
- E-Signatures: Offers Formstack Sign for secure, multi-party e-signature workflows, including document routing and audit trails.
- Compliance and Security: Supports enterprise-level compliance with SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA with BAA, SSO/SAML, data encryption, and role-based access controls.
- Integrations: Connects with various CRM systems, including Salesforce, HubSpot, and others, facilitating seamless data flow.
Pricing and Value
Paperform: Paperform offers a free plan suitable for individuals and small teams, with the following limitations:
- Free Plan:
- 1 user
- Unlimited forms
- 30 submissions per month
- 5 payment submissions per month
- 5 appointment submissions per month
- 100 submissions storage
- 10MB max file size for uploads
- Free Paperform branding
Paid plans start at $29 per month for the Essentials plan, which includes:
- 1 user
- Unlimited forms
- 1,200 submissions per year
- 1,200 submission storage
- 10MB max file size for uploads
- Custom branding
- Advanced features like calculations, e-signatures, and custom CSS/HTML
Higher-tier plans offer additional features and higher submission limits. (paperform.co)
Formstack: Formstack's pricing is structured as follows:
- Forms: Starting at $83 per month per user, which includes:
- 1 user
- 25 forms per month
- 1,000 submissions per form
- Access to all features
Additional products like Formstack Documents and Formstack Sign are available at extra costs. (paperform.co)
Ease of Setup and Use
Paperform: Paperform is praised for its intuitive, design-first approach, allowing users to create forms that resemble landing pages. Its document-style editor enables embedding of text, images, and videos, providing a landing page-like experience. The learning curve is gentle, making it accessible for users with minimal technical expertise. (paperform.co)
Formstack: Formstack offers a comprehensive suite of tools, which may require a steeper learning curve, especially for users unfamiliar with its advanced features. Setting up workflows, API integrations, and compliance settings may require technical knowledge or dedicated admin time. However, once set up, it supports complex data collection and processing tasks efficiently. (zigpoll.com)
Integrations
Paperform: Integrates with over 3,000 applications through Zapier, enabling synchronization with tools like Google Sheets, Notion, and Slack. It also supports direct integrations with payment gateways such as Stripe, PayPal, Square, Braintree, and Google Pay. (paperform.co)
Formstack: Connects with various CRM systems, including Salesforce, HubSpot, and others, facilitating seamless data flow. It also offers native connectors and API access for custom integrations, making it suitable for businesses needing extensive tool connectivity. (zigpoll.com)
Customer Support and Documentation
Paperform: Provides live support and a comprehensive knowledge base to assist users in navigating the platform. The support team is responsive and offers assistance through various channels. (g2.com)
Formstack: Offers extensive documentation and customer support, including a dedicated success manager for enterprise clients. This personalized support is beneficial for organizations requiring tailored assistance. (techradar.com)
Best-Fit Customer Profile
Paperform: Ideal for small to medium-sized businesses and individual users seeking a cost-effective, user-friendly form builder with a focus on design and customization. Its free plan and lower-tier pricing make it accessible for startups and small teams. (paperform.co)
Formstack: Suited for large enterprises and organizations with complex data collection and workflow automation needs. Its comprehensive compliance features and advanced functionalities cater to sectors like healthcare, finance, and government. (paperform.co)
Comparison Table
| Feature | Paperform | Formstack |
|---|---|---|
| Form Creation | Unlimited forms; design-centric editor | 25 forms per month; drag-and-drop interface |
| Advanced Features | Advanced question types; built-in payment processing | Document generation; e-signatures; compliance features |
| Integrations | 3,000+ apps via Zapier; direct payment gateway integrations | CRM systems; native connectors; API access |
| Pricing | Free plan; paid plans starting at $29/month | Starting at $83/month per user; additional products at extra costs |
| Ease of Use | Intuitive, design-first approach | Steeper learning curve; comprehensive suite |
| Customer Support | Live support; knowledge base | Dedicated success manager for enterprise clients |
| Ideal Customer | Small to medium-sized businesses; individual users | Large enterprises; organizations with complex needs |
Worth a Look: Zigpoll
If you're evaluating options, Zigpoll is also worth a look. Zigpoll is a Shopify survey app offering post-purchase, on-site, and exit-intent surveys.