Google Forms is the internet's favorite free form builder, and rightly so. You can do so much with it. But that doesn't mean it's the only form builder you should consider.

A few new form builders are making the process more user-friendly in different ways, like Tally, which works like a Doc, or NueForm, which makes it easier to create "slide forms" that show one question at a time. Plus, Google Forms restricts you to the world of Google apps, while HeyForm connects with various other apps. And then there's Formester and FormJelly, who want to make it easy for beginners to make a form in no time.

1. Tally (Web): Keyboard-Friendly Form Builder, Works Like a Doc

Tally is a keyboard-friendly form builder that works like a Doc, and offers most of its features in the free version

Tally is growing in popularity as one of the best free online form builders for its ease of use and keyboard-friendly nature. It's especially great if you're going to make forms that require recipients to type long responses.

You can start building a form without signing up to test drive Tally quickly. It looks like a simple blank Doc file. Use your keyboard to press Enter to add lines, and press / to see all the options you can insert in any line.

Tally's input blocks include questions, short answers, long answers, multiple choice, checkboxes, numbers, emails, phone numbers, links, date and time, dropdown, file upload, payment, rating, linear scale, and signature. You can also combine these for more complex answers from the recipients. Tally also allows if-then conditional logic to set up which questions will be asked based on a recipient's previous answers.

The web app lets you personalize the form in several ways. For example, you can add multiple pages and customize the layout through heading blocks, custom fonts, labels, images, videos, audio files, or embedded elements. You can also add a custom logo and cover image for branding.

The free version of Tally allows all of this with no real limits, apart from Tally branding and a 10MB maximum size for uploaded files. In the paid version, you can remove Tally branding, make custom domains, collaborate with teammates, make group workspaces, add custom CSS, and capture partially submitted forms.

2. NueForm (Web): Easiest Form Builder, Especially for Slide-Based Forms

NueForm is the easiest way to create a "one question per page" form

If you're a first-time form builder and value simplicity and ease of use, go with NueForm. It's remarkably approachable for beginners, but it lacks some advanced features like conditional logic or custom logos.

Once you sign up, NueForm asks you to choose from three types of forms: simple one-page forms, classic multi-page forms with sections, or slide forms that show the user one question at a time. The developer notes the app was made because other form builders don't let you easily create such "slide forms."You can also use one of the template forms to quickly get started, with options for a feedback form, quiz, contact information, RSVP, and job application.

In the form, you can add a title for each section and a description. Each section can have multiple questions, and answers can be short text, paragraph, multiple choice, checkbox, rating scale, and email address. There's a simple toggle on each question to mark it as a mandatory requirement or not. You can preview your form at any time, and then publish it to share it online with anyone.

3. Formester (Web): Free Drag-and-Drop Visual Form Builder

Formester offers an easy drag-and-drop interface to build a form visually for first-timers

Formester has a fantastic drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy for anyone to create a form visually. Register and start the form builder. The left sidebar has all the elements you can insert into the main form in the middle, including headers, questions, personal information input boxes, single or multiple choice answers, scale or star ratings, and more. The app even lets you add a Recaptcha to dissuade bots. It's a visual, simple, WYSIWYG way to build a form.

In the right sidebar, you can further customize how each element looks and choose to make it a form where one question is shown at a time. Formester also shows a visual flowchart of your questions to see the logic. In the Formester dashboard, you'll see all the submissions collected in one place, while the analytics page shows the rate of response and other statistics.

We especially liked a few small but helpful features in Formester. For instance, it lets you redirect users to a URL after they finish the form, as well as send them automatic emails. You can also get email notifications on each submission. Formester also integrates with APIs and supports Zapier Connectors to export your data easily.

The free version of Formester allows up to 100 submissions per month, does not let you upload files, and includes Formester branding on the form. The paid version removes these limitations.

4. HeyForm (Web): Collect Submissions Data Automatically in Sheets, Slack, or Any App

HeyForm connects with several other apps to export form data submissions and analytics

While making a form has to be easy, it's just as important that the data collected from the submissions is easy for you to manage. HeyForm integrates with a variety of apps to use the form data in various ways without tying you to HeyForm's dashboard.

It currently supports email, Telegram, Slack, and Lark for notifications on any submission. If you want to arrange your data in a spreadsheet or database, you can connect HeyForm with Google Sheets, Airtable, Monday, Hubspot CRM, and SupportPal. Any uploaded videos or files can be automatically transferred to a Google Drive or Dropbox folder. You can get insights on your responders by connecting it to Google Analytics or Facebook Pixel. And it also supports Webhook, Zapier, and Integromat for other needs.

Creating the form is also a simple process. Each question is like its own PowerPoint slide, and you can set the kind of response, layout, and conditional logic using a simple interface in the right sidebar. HeyForm scores high marks for how good it looks, but it's not as customizable as Formester.

5. FormJelly (Web): Create Simple Forms Quickly With Free Templates

FormJelly has several free templates to choose from, giving beginners a quick way to create a form and customize it

One of the best features of Google Forms is the number of free templates to get started with a new form quickly. Templates help beginners to build a form without having to do the bulk of the work, and it's easier to edit an existing form to customize it to your needs than to start from scratch.

FormJelly is an excellent alternative to using Google Forms if you want to use templates. You can preview templates like 90-Day review, address book, bakery order, camp or event registration, mailing list, post event survey, potluck signup, webinar registration, teacher evaluation, and vacation request. Select the template that best meets your needs and then edit it.

The form builder is pretty simple, letting you edit each element already included in the form, as well as add new blocks with a drag-and-drop mechanism from the sidebar. FormJelly has plenty of other Form Templates as suggestions for you to take inspiration from while building your forms.

The free version of FormJelly allows for up to 100 entries and stores five forms at a time. You can unlock more forms and entries, as well as integrations and custom URLs in paid versions of the app.

Should You Upgrade to Paid Versions of These Apps?

Apart from NueForm, all the other form builders in this article offer a free and premium version. Generally, the free version has a few common restrictions like the app's branding being included in the form, no custom URLs, limited responses or submissions, etc.

These restrictions usually suffice for personal-use forms like RSVPs, quick surveys, or basic information gathering. Professional users might be tempted to buy the premium version. While the apps are great, you should first check if one of your existing paid enterprise apps doesn't offer these features already. Microsoft, Zoho, Google, and several other office productivity suites offer their own form builders, which include many of the advanced features of the premium versions of these apps.