Microsoft Equivalent of Google Forms: Microsoft Forms Explained

If you’re looking for the Microsoft equivalent of Google Forms, the answer is Microsoft Forms.

Microsoft Forms is Microsoft’s tool for creating surveys, quizzes, polls, questionnaires, and simple data-collection forms. It is designed to work within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, making it a natural choice for organizations that use Microsoft 365, Teams, Excel, and SharePoint.

But Microsoft Forms is not the best choice for every type of form.

If you need to collect structured business data, create approvals, build complex forms, or manage a process after someone submits a form, you may need SharePoint forms, Power Apps, Power Automate, or a dedicated forms and workflow platform such as NITRO Studio.

The right Microsoft form tool depends on what you need the form to do.

What Is the Microsoft Equivalent of Google Forms?

Microsoft Forms is the direct Microsoft equivalent of Google Forms.

Both tools let you create forms without extensive technical knowledge and use them to collect information from employees, customers, students, or other audiences.

Microsoft Forms can be used for:

• Surveys
• Quizzes
• Polls
• Feedback forms
• Event registrations
• Questionnaires
• Simple internal data collection

If your organization already uses Microsoft 365, Microsoft Forms is usually the first tool to consider for a simple form.

What Is Microsoft Forms?

Microsoft Forms is a lightweight form and survey tool that is part of the Microsoft ecosystem.

You can use it to create a form, share it with respondents, collect responses, review results, and export data to Excel. Forms can also be accessed through the Microsoft 365 environment and used with Microsoft services such as Teams.

Microsoft Forms is particularly well suited to situations where the primary goal is collecting responses.

For example, you might use Microsoft Forms to:

• Ask employees to complete a satisfaction survey
• Collect feedback after an event
• Create a quiz
• Conduct an internal poll
• Collect registrations
• Gather basic information from employees or customers

For these types of uses, Microsoft Forms is a close equivalent to Google Forms.

Microsoft Forms vs. Google Forms

Microsoft Forms and Google Forms serve essentially the same basic purpose. The biggest difference is the ecosystem each tool belongs to.

Which is better, Microsoft Forms or Google Forms?

Neither is universally better.

Microsoft Forms is generally the natural choice if your organization already uses Microsoft 365. It fits into the Microsoft ecosystem and works alongside tools such as Teams, Excel, SharePoint, and Power Automate.

Google Forms is generally the natural choice if your organization uses Google Workspace. It integrates closely with Google Sheets and other Google services.

For a basic survey, quiz, poll, or questionnaire, both tools can accomplish the same fundamental task.

The bigger question is what you need to happen after someone submits the form.

Is Microsoft Forms Free?

Microsoft Forms is available at no additional cost in many Microsoft account and Microsoft 365 scenarios, although available features and response limits can depend on the type of account and subscription.

For organizations that already have Microsoft 365, Microsoft Forms may already be included with their subscription.

Because Microsoft periodically changes licensing, features, and usage limits, check Microsoft’s current licensing documentation for the latest limits before planning a large-scale deployment.

What Can You Do With Microsoft Forms?

Microsoft Forms works well when your primary objective is collecting responses.

Common uses include:

• Employee surveys
• Customer feedback
• Quizzes and assessments
• Event registrations
• Polls
• Simple questionnaires
• Internal requests
• Basic information gathering

You can share forms with respondents and review the results. Responses can also be exported to Excel for further analysis.

For straightforward data collection, this can be all you need.

What Are the Limitations of Microsoft Forms?

Microsoft Forms is designed primarily for collecting responses, not for managing complex business processes.

You may start running into limitations when you need to:

• Store submissions as structured business records
• Route submissions through an approval process
• Create complex conditional logic
• Connect multiple related data sources
• Manage repeating line items
• Build a multi-step business process
• Control a form around detailed SharePoint data
• Create sophisticated workflows after submission

Microsoft Forms can work with other Microsoft tools to accomplish some of these tasks, but that means the solution can become more complicated than simply creating a form.

This is where it helps to understand the difference between Microsoft Forms, SharePoint forms, Power Apps, and dedicated forms and workflow platforms.

Microsoft Forms vs. SharePoint Forms

Microsoft Forms and SharePoint forms can both collect information, but they are designed for different purposes.

Use Microsoft Forms when you primarily need to collect responses.

Use SharePoint forms when the information needs to become structured records in a SharePoint list.

For example, suppose you need employees to complete a simple survey about an upcoming company event. Microsoft Forms is a good fit.

Now suppose you need employees to submit equipment requests. Each submission needs to become a record, contain multiple fields, follow specific permissions, and potentially move through an approval process.

A SharePoint-based form may be a better fit because the submitted information can be stored as items in a SharePoint list.

This distinction is important because many organizations initially look for a “Microsoft equivalent of Google Forms” when what they actually need is a business application or workflow.

For more information, see our guide to SharePoint forms.

Microsoft Forms vs. Power Apps

Power Apps is another Microsoft option when you need more sophisticated forms and applications.

Microsoft Forms is designed to make basic data collection easy.

Power Apps can be used to build more customized applications with complex business logic, data connections, and user experiences.

A simple way to think about the difference is:

• Microsoft Forms: Collect responses
• SharePoint forms: Collect structured information in SharePoint
• Power Apps: Build customized business applications
• Power Automate: Automate actions and workflows
• Dedicated forms and workflow platforms: Combine sophisticated forms, data, and workflows into a purpose-built solution

The right choice depends on the complexity of the process you are trying to support.

What If You Need Forms and Workflows Together?

A form is often only the beginning of a business process.

Consider an employee submitting a purchase request. The form needs to collect the request, but the organization may also need to:

1. Validate the information
2. Route the request to a manager
3. Obtain approval
4. Update a record
5. Notify the employee
6. Track the request through completion

Microsoft Forms can collect the initial information, but a process like this requires additional functionality.

For organizations that need forms, structured data, and workflows together, a dedicated platform such as NITRO Studio from Crow Canyon Software can be an alternative to assembling the solution from multiple Microsoft tools.

NITRO Studio for Microsoft 365 and SharePoint Forms

NITRO Studio is a no-code/low-code forms and workflow platform designed for Microsoft 365, Teams, and SharePoint.

It can be used to build business forms that include capabilities such as:

• Conditional fields
• Cascading lookups
• Repeating rows
• Electronic signatures
• Connections to other data
• Structured business processes
• Approvals and routing
• Forms and workflows within the same solution

NITRO Studio supports Microsoft 365 and SharePoint Server environments, including cloud and on-premises deployments.

This makes it particularly relevant for organizations that have moved beyond simple surveys and need forms to support an ongoing business process.

If your requirement is simply to create a survey or quiz, Microsoft Forms is probably the better choice.

If you need a complete business process built around a form, it is worth evaluating whether Microsoft Forms plus additional tools is the right architecture or whether a dedicated forms and workflow platform would be more appropriate.

Learn more about NITRO Studio.

How to Choose the Right Microsoft Form Tool

The simplest way to choose is to start with what you need to happen after someone clicks Submit.

Ask yourself these questions

Before choosing a form tool, consider:

Are you simply collecting responses?

If yes, Microsoft Forms may be all you need.

Does each submission need to become a structured business record?

If yes, consider SharePoint forms or another structured data solution.

Does the form require complex logic or a customized application experience?

Power Apps may be a better fit.

Does the submission need to trigger approvals, routing, notifications, or other automated actions?

You will likely need Power Automate or another workflow solution.

Do you need sophisticated forms and workflows together?

A dedicated platform such as NITRO Studio may provide a more complete solution.

Where Does Microsoft Forms Data Go?

Where form data lives can become important when you are building a business process.

Microsoft Forms is designed around collecting and managing responses. Responses can be reviewed through Forms and exported to Excel.

With SharePoint forms, submitted information becomes items in a SharePoint list. This can make SharePoint a better fit when your organization needs structured records, list-based permissions, reporting, and other SharePoint capabilities.

Power Apps can use different data sources, including SharePoint and Dataverse, depending on how the application is designed.

For organizations with governance, compliance, or data-management requirements, the underlying data architecture should be considered before choosing a form technology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Microsoft have something like Google Forms?

Yes. Microsoft Forms is Microsoft’s equivalent of Google Forms. It lets you create surveys, quizzes, polls, questionnaires, and other simple forms within the Microsoft ecosystem.

What is the Microsoft version of Google Forms?

Microsoft Forms is the Microsoft version of Google Forms. It provides similar functionality for creating forms, collecting responses, creating surveys and quizzes, and reviewing results.

Is Microsoft Forms the same as Google Forms?

No. They are separate products from Microsoft and Google, but they serve a similar purpose. Microsoft Forms is designed for the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, while Google Forms is designed for Google Workspace.

Is Microsoft Forms free?

Microsoft Forms is available at no additional cost in many Microsoft account and Microsoft 365 scenarios. Features and usage limits can vary depending on the account and subscription.

Can Microsoft Forms do approvals or workflows?

Microsoft Forms is primarily a data-collection tool. For approvals, routing, notifications, and other automated actions, you typically need additional functionality such as Power Automate or a dedicated forms and workflow platform.

Where are Microsoft Forms responses stored?

Microsoft Forms manages form responses within the Forms environment and allows responses to be exported to Excel. If you need submissions to become structured records in a SharePoint list, a SharePoint-based form may be a better fit.

Can Microsoft Forms be used with Microsoft Teams?

Yes. Microsoft Forms integrates with the Microsoft ecosystem and can be used in conjunction with Microsoft Teams for surveys, polls, quizzes, and other data-collection scenarios.

Can I use Microsoft Forms for a business process?

You can use Microsoft Forms as the starting point for collecting information, but more complex business processes generally require additional Microsoft tools or a dedicated platform. If you need structured forms, approvals, routing, and workflows together, consider SharePoint, Power Apps, Power Automate, or a platform such as NITRO Studio.

What is the Microsoft equivalent of Google Forms for advanced forms?

There is not one single Microsoft equivalent for every advanced Google Forms use case.

For simple surveys and questionnaires, use Microsoft Forms.

For structured SharePoint data, consider SharePoint forms.

For customized applications, consider Power Apps.

For automated workflows, consider Power Automate.

For complex forms and workflows that need to work together, consider a dedicated platform such as NITRO Studio.

The Bottom Line

Microsoft Forms is the direct equivalent of Google Forms.

If you need a simple survey, quiz, poll, questionnaire, or basic data-collection form, Microsoft Forms is the natural choice for organizations using Microsoft 365.

But if your form is part of a larger business process, the answer may be different.

• Simple surveys and quizzes: Microsoft Forms
• Structured business data: SharePoint forms
• Customized applications: Power Apps
• Automated workflows: Power Automate
• Forms and workflows together: NITRO Studio or another dedicated platform

The most important question is not just “What is Microsoft’s version of Google Forms?”

It is “What needs to happen after someone submits the form?”

If the answer involves structured data, approvals, routing, workflows, or a more sophisticated business process, look beyond a basic survey tool and evaluate the complete process.

Ready to build forms that do more than collect responses? Learn how NITRO Studio can help you create forms and workflows across Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Teams, and SharePoint Server.

Request a NITRO Studio demo