Microsoft Forms vs SurveyMonkey

by Gralio Mar 11, 2025

Microsoft Forms and SurveyMonkey are both online survey tools, but they cater to different needs. Forms is best for simple surveys within the Microsoft ecosystem, while SurveyMonkey offers more advanced features and analytics for comprehensive feedback gathering.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 5301 reviews and 50 websites, saving 1 day, 5 hours, 52 minutes of reading.

Microsoft Forms

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SurveyMonkey

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About

Microsoft Forms is an online tool for creating surveys, quizzes, and polls. It's particularly useful for gathering information and feedback. With customizable templates and various question types, you can tailor forms to your needs. Results are easily viewable and can be analyzed within the platform. Part of the Microsoft 365 suite, it integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft products.

SurveyMonkey is a survey platform used by businesses of all sizes to collect and analyze feedback. You can create surveys from scratch or use templates for customer satisfaction, employee engagement, and more. SurveyMonkey offers AI-powered features to help you create effective surveys, understand the results, and gain actionable insights. It integrates with other business apps you may already use. There are different pricing plans, including options for teams.

Summary

Main difference

Microsoft Forms is a basic, easy-to-use survey tool integrated with the Microsoft 365 suite, making it ideal for quick data collection within that ecosystem. SurveyMonkey offers more advanced survey features, question types, and analytics, making it better for in-depth market research and feedback gathering.

Relative strengths of Microsoft Forms (compared to SurveyMonkey)

Seamless Microsoft 365 integration: Easily share and collaborate on forms within the Microsoft ecosystem.
Ease of use: Simple interface and readily available templates make it quick to create and distribute forms.
Cost-effective: Included with most Microsoft 365 subscriptions, offering good value for basic survey needs.

Relative weaknesses of Microsoft Forms (compared to SurveyMonkey)

Limited customization: Fewer design and branding options compared to SurveyMonkey.
Basic analytics: Lacks the advanced reporting and analysis features of SurveyMonkey.
Fewer question types: Offers a more limited range of question formats than SurveyMonkey.

Who should use Microsoft Forms VS. SurveyMonkey

Microsoft Forms simplifies data collection with easy-to-use tools for creating surveys, quizzes, and polls. Seamless Microsoft 365 integration streamlines workflows. Users praise its user-friendly interface and real-time collaboration features, while some note limitations in customization and advanced analytics.

SurveyMonkey is a user-friendly survey platform for businesses of all sizes. Create surveys from scratch or use templates for customer satisfaction and employee engagement. Leverage AI-powered features to gain actionable insights. Users love the ease of use and variety of question types, but some dislike the limited free plan and occasional technical issues.

Ideal for businesses and educational institutions of all sizes.
Suitable for various sectors, including healthcare, finance, education, and more.

Ideal for small, medium, and large businesses seeking feedback solutions.
Suitable for most industries looking to collect and analyze data.

Microsoft Forms and SurveyMonkey features

Supported

Partially supported

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Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

Email distribution

Supported

Microsoft Forms allows sharing surveys via email by sending a link.

Supported

SurveyMonkey allows sharing surveys via customizable email invitations.
Website embeds

Supported

Microsoft Forms allows embedding surveys on websites using an embed code.

Supported

Surveys can be embedded on websites using the Website Collector feature.
Website embed

Supported

Microsoft Forms supports embedding surveys directly into websites using an embed code.

Supported

Surveys can be embedded directly into websites using provided embed code.
Internal commenting

Not supported

Internal commenting on surveys or results is not supported.

Supported

SurveyMonkey allows internal commenting on shared surveys and results.
Popup surveys

Not supported

Microsoft Forms does not support popup surveys.

Supported

Popup surveys are supported with limited targeting options.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

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Customer Service

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Ease of Use

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Reliability and Performance

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Ease of Implementation

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Scalability

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Microsoft Forms and SurveyMonkey Pricing

Pricing information could not be retrieved.

User sentiment

Strongly positive

See full Pricing page

No data

See full Pricing page

Microsoft Forms and SurveyMonkey review insights

Users love

Easy to use and create forms quickly.
Seamless integration with other Microsoft 365 products (Excel, Teams, SharePoint).
User-friendly interface; intuitive and accessible for beginners.
Real-time collaboration and response tracking.
Free to use with most Microsoft 365 subscriptions.

Easy to use and create surveys.
Wide variety of question types and templates available.
User-friendly interface.
Good data analysis and reporting features.

Users dislike

Limited customization options, especially for design and branding.
Limited offline functionality; requires internet connection for most tasks.
Basic reporting and analytics; lacks advanced analysis features.
Limited question types compared to dedicated survey platforms.
Occasional syncing issues with Excel and other Microsoft products.

Limited question limit in the free plan.
Occasional technical issues such as surveys freezing or ending abruptly.
The mobile app has limited functionality.
Advanced features, such as skip logic, require a paid subscription.

Microsoft Forms and SurveyMonkey Ratings

G2

4.4/5

(364)
Capterra

4.6/5

(120)

G2

4.4/5

(2517)
Capterra

4.6/5

(2300)

Company health

Employee growth

3% increase in the last year

8% increase in the last year

Web traffic

3% decrease in the last quarter

No data

Financing

No data

How do SurveyMonkey's advanced analysis features compare to Microsoft Forms' integration with Excel?

SurveyMonkey offers more advanced analysis features compared to Microsoft Forms' basic integration with Excel. While Microsoft Forms allows exporting data to Excel for further analysis, SurveyMonkey provides built-in, more robust analysis tools including AI-powered features to help understand results and gain actionable insights directly within the platform. This makes SurveyMonkey better suited for users who need more than basic data tabulation and charting.

Which product offers better survey distribution options beyond simple email sharing?

SurveyMonkey offers more diverse survey distribution options. While both platforms offer email distribution, SurveyMonkey provides website embedding, pop-up surveys, and website collector features, enabling broader reach and more targeted data collection compared to Microsoft Forms' reliance on email sharing.

What are the advantages of Microsoft Forms?

Microsoft Forms' advantages include seamless integration with other Microsoft 365 products, ease of use and quick form creation, a user-friendly interface suitable for beginners, real-time collaboration and response tracking, and its free availability with most Microsoft 365 subscriptions. This makes it a convenient and cost-effective choice for users already within the Microsoft ecosystem.

What are the disadvantages of Microsoft Forms?

Microsoft Forms has limitations in customization, particularly for branding and design. It offers fewer question types than dedicated survey platforms and lacks advanced analysis features, providing only basic reporting. Offline functionality is limited, requiring an internet connection for most tasks, and some users experience occasional syncing issues with other Microsoft products.

Alternatives to Microsoft Forms and SurveyMonkey

Jotform

Jotform is a popular online form builder that lets you create and publish various digital forms, from surveys and contact forms to payment and application forms. Used by millions, Jotform offers over 10,000 pre-built templates and integrates with numerous business apps like Salesforce and CRMs. It's known for its ease of use, design flexibility, and ability to streamline data collection for businesses of all sizes.

Zigpoll

Zigpoll is a survey platform designed for businesses to collect customer feedback. It allows you to create and send surveys through your website, email, and SMS. Zigpoll offers customizable survey templates, various question formats, and AI-powered analytics to understand customer responses and identify trends. It integrates with popular business tools and offers a free plan for basic needs.

Tally

Tally is a free online form builder that lets you create unlimited forms and collect unlimited responses. It's known for being user-friendly, similar to working with a document. You can create various forms like surveys, quizzes, and contact forms, with features like payment collection, logic, and design customization. Tally is privacy-focused, GDPR compliant, and integrates with tools like Google Sheets, Notion, and Zapier. While free for unlimited use with basic branding, a paid Pro version offers additional features and removes Tally branding.

Qualtrics CoreXM

Qualtrics CoreXM is a popular survey platform used by many Fortune 500 companies. It provides a comprehensive set of tools to create, distribute, and analyze surveys to gather insights from customers, employees, or the market. With its user-friendly interface, pre-built templates, and advanced features like AI-powered analytics, CoreXM aims to simplify sophisticated research and make it accessible to businesses of all sizes. It helps you understand your audience, get feedback on products or services, and make data-driven decisions. Qualtrics also offers specialized products for customer, employee, product, and brand experience management.

Jotform Mobile Forms

Jotform Mobile Forms lets you create and use powerful forms on your phone or tablet, even without internet access. It offers advanced features like collecting signatures, scanning barcodes, and accepting payments. You can track responses, assign forms to your team, and streamline data collection for things like inspections, surveys, or customer feedback. Jotform Mobile Forms helps businesses move away from paper forms and improve efficiency.

HubEngage

HubEngage is a cloud-based employee experience platform focused on communication and engagement for businesses of all sizes. It allows you to create and send surveys through various channels like mobile apps, SMS, email, and digital displays. HubEngage offers ready-to-use templates, in-depth analytics, and features like automated reminders, multilingual translations, and incentive systems. This platform can help you understand employee sentiment, measure engagement, and gather feedback to improve your workplace.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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