Microsoft Forms works fine until you outgrow it.
Tally gives you unlimited forms and submissions for free, with the flexibility and integrations that Microsoft Forms can't match.
The best part? No Microsoft account needed. No SharePoint. No org policies in the way.
Tally vs Microsoft Forms: Which should you pick?
Microsoft Forms is a solid, no-frills form builder bundled with Microsoft 365. It's convenient if your whole team already lives in Teams or SharePoint, but it's tightly coupled to the Microsoft ecosystem, limited in design flexibility, and inaccessible to anyone outside your org without extra configuration.
Tally is built for anyone who wants a powerful, beautifully simple form builder without needing to be part of a specific tech stack. Our free plan includes unlimited forms and responses, advanced logic, payments, and integrations that Microsoft Forms simply doesn't offer.
Features | Tally | Microsoft Forms |
Unlimited forms | ✅ Free | ✅ Free |
Unlimited responses | ✅ Free | ✅ Free (with Microsoft 365) |
No Microsoft account required | ✅ Free | ❌ Microsoft account required |
Share with non-org respondents | ✅ Free | ⚠️ Admin settings may restrict |
Multi-page forms | ✅ Free | ❌ |
Column layout | ✅ Free | ❌ |
Conditional logic | ✅ Free (advanced) | ✅ Free (basic branching only) |
Accept payments | ✅ Free | ❌ |
File uploads | ✅ Free (10MB/file) | ✅ Free (via OneDrive, org only) |
Custom form design (fonts, colors) | ✅ Free | ✅ Limited themes only |
Custom CSS | ✅ $29/mo | ❌ |
Add a logo or cover image | ✅ Free | ❌ |
Embed images and video | ✅ Free | ✅ Free |
Embed Calendly, Maps, audio & more | ✅ Free | ❌ |
Answer piping | ✅ Free | ❌ |
Calculations / scored quizzes | ✅ Free | ✅ Free (quizzes only) |
Custom Thank You screen | ✅ Free | ✅ Limited |
Redirect on completion | ✅ Free | ❌ |
Prevent duplicate submissions | ✅ Free | ✅ Free (1 response per person) |
Password-protected forms | ✅ Free | ❌ |
GDPR compliant / EU hosting | ✅ Free | ⚠️ Depends on M365 tenant region |
Notion integration | ✅ Free | ❌ |
Airtable integration | ✅ Free | ❌ |
Slack integration | ✅ Free | ✅ Free (via Power Automate) |
Google Sheets integration | ✅ Free | ❌ (Excel only) |
Zapier integration | ✅ Free | ✅ Free (via Power Automate) |
Webhooks | ✅ Free | ❌ |
API | ✅ Free | ✅ Free (Graph API, dev effort required) |
Custom domains | ✅ $29/mo | ❌ |
Remove branding | ✅ $29/mo | ✅ Free (no Tally-style branding) |
Team collaboration | ✅ $29/mo, unlimited members | ✅ Free (Microsoft 365 users only) |
Drop-off analytics | ✅ $29/mo | ❌ |
Partial submissions | ✅ $29/mo | ❌ |
Email verification | ✅ $89/mo | ❌ |
Why choose Tally over Microsoft Forms?
Tally empowers you to build professional forms without being locked into a single ecosystem. Whether you're a freelancer, a startup, or part of a company that doesn't run on Microsoft 365, Tally gives you more for free.
Tally
Tally offers unlimited forms and responses completely free. No Microsoft account, no subscription, no org required. Most features are available at no cost from day one.
If you need team workspaces, custom CSS, or custom domains, Tally Pro is $29/month. Tally Business at $89/month adds email verification and data retention control.
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Microsoft Forms
Microsoft Forms is included with Microsoft 365 plans, starting at $6/user/month for Business Basic. It's effectively free, but only if you're already paying for the Microsoft ecosystem.
There's no standalone free plan. If your organisation doesn't use Microsoft 365, you can't meaningfully access Microsoft Forms. And even with a subscription, form features are limited compared to dedicated form builders.
Tally
Tally's editor works like a text document. Just start typing to insert content blocks, no clicking through menus or navigating modal dialogs. The interface supports multi-page forms, column layouts, and click-to-drag reordering.
You can preview your form in real time as you build it, and there's no separate "design" mode to switch between.
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Microsoft Forms
Microsoft Forms uses a card-by-card editor, where each question is added as a separate card. It's familiar to Microsoft 365 users, but design options are limited to preset colour themes. There's no multi-page support, no column layout, and no way to customise the form's appearance beyond swapping a background.
Respondents scroll through all questions on one page with no control over form structure or flow.
Tally
Tally's free plan includes conditional logic, payment collection, file uploads, answer piping, calculated fields, and 40+ language support. These are features that Microsoft Forms either doesn't offer or gates behind organisational IT policies.
Upgrade to Tally Pro for team workspaces, custom CSS, custom domains, code injection, and drop-off analytics. Tally Business adds email verification and data retention control.
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Microsoft Forms
Microsoft Forms covers the basics: multiple choice, text, rating, date, and ranking questions. Conditional branching is limited to simple show/hide rules on sections, not per-question logic.
There's no payment collection, no answer piping, no calculated fields, and no webhook support. Integrations outside the Microsoft ecosystem require Power Automate, which adds complexity and a separate learning curve.
When to use Tally instead of Microsoft Forms
You don't use Microsoft 365. Tally works for anyone, regardless of their tech stack. No org account needed.
You need to collect payments. Tally connects to Stripe natively, for free. Microsoft Forms has no payment support.
You want forms that match your brand. Tally supports custom fonts, colors, CSS, logos, and custom domains. Microsoft Forms is limited to preset themes.
You need to connect to tools outside Microsoft. Tally integrates natively with Notion, Airtable, Google Sheets, Slack, and hundreds of tools via Zapier. Microsoft Forms is tightly coupled to the Microsoft ecosystem.
You share forms with external respondents. Tally forms work for anyone with a link, without any account or org restrictions.
Customer ratings
Tally is praised for simplicity, friendliness and ease of use and has an average review score of 4.9/5.
G2 reviews:
- Overall satisfaction: 4.8/5 (vs. Microsoft Forms' 4.4)
- Quality of support: 9 (vs. Microsoft Forms' 8.1)
- Ease of setup: 9.5 (vs. Microsoft Forms' 9.1)
- Conditional logic: 9.4 (vs. Microsoft Forms' 8.3)
- Design flexibility: 9.3 (vs. Microsoft Forms' 7.9)
Product Hunt reviews:
- Overall satisfaction: 4.9/5 on Product Hunt
Do more with Tally
Here are some of the features Tally offers that Microsoft Forms doesn't:
Accept payments
Collect payments via Stripe directly in your form, completely free.
40+ languages
Translate the default form messages to welcome respondents worldwide.
FAQs
Is Tally really free?
You can access 99% of Tally's features for free, with no limits on forms or submissions. If your business needs more, Tally Pro at $29/month adds team workspaces, custom CSS, custom domains, and advanced analytics. No Microsoft account or subscription required.
Do I need a Microsoft account to use Tally?
No. Tally works for anyone with an email address. You don't need to be part of a Microsoft 365 organisation, and neither do your respondents. Forms are accessible to anyone with a link.
Can I migrate my Microsoft Forms to Tally?
There's no direct import tool, but Tally's editor is fast enough that recreating a form takes just a few minutes. Our help center covers all the setup steps.
Can Tally connect to Excel or SharePoint like Microsoft Forms does?
Tally doesn't connect directly to SharePoint. It does integrate with Google Sheets natively, and with Excel via Zapier or Make. If your team uses Notion, Airtable, or other tools, Tally integrates directly with no Power Automate needed.
Does Tally work for internal company forms?
Absolutely. Tally is used by teams for internal surveys, onboarding forms, HR intake forms, and more. The Tally Pro plan adds team workspaces so your whole team can collaborate on and manage forms together.
Are Tally forms secure?
Yes. Tally is GDPR-compliant and hosted in the EU. All form data is encrypted in transit and at rest. Free plan features include password-protected forms and two-factor authentication. Learn more at tally.so/privacy.
Can I create quizzes with Tally?
Yes. Tally supports basic scored quizzes and complex personality quizzes with custom outcomes. All quiz features are free, and you can calculate scores, assign results, and redirect respondents to personalised pages.
Does Tally support conditional logic?
Yes. Tally's conditional logic is available for free and goes significantly beyond Microsoft Forms' basic branching. You can show or hide individual questions, redirect to different pages, set calculated fields, and personalise the form experience based on any combination of answers.