Table of Contents
- Why consider an alternative to Formstack
- The 5 best alternatives to Formstack
- A quick overview
- 1 Fillout - Best for intuitive and modern forms
- Fillout pricing
- 2 Jotform - Best for template-rich forms
- Jotform pricing
- 3 123Form Builder - Best for enterprise data collection
- 123Form Builder pricing
- 4 Paperform - Best for landing page forms
- Papeform pricing
- 5 Cognito Forms - Best for advanced workflows
- Cognito Forms pricing
- Final thoughts
Last Edited Time
Jul 13, 2026 09:37 AM
Do not index
Hide CTA
Hide cover
The nice thing about Formstack is how it centralizes data collection, PDF generation, and document signing within a single ecosystem. However, customizing a form’s design can be a bit challenging because the user interface feels quite clunky. The good thing is that the market now has other all-in-one data collection tools that make the whole building experience a lot more seamless. I’ve come up with a roundup of data collection tools that also generate PDFs and collect signatures.
Why consider an alternative to Formstack
An all-in-one tool sounds like a great deal. After all, it streamlines work processes for you, while requiring you to pay for just one tool instead of a stack. That said, not every all-in-one tool is built the same. Here are reasons why some users decide to look for other options:
- Clunky drag-and-drop editor: The platform can feel slow and outdated, especially compared to more modern visual builders
- Rigid design controls: Tweaking the standard templates can be limiting, and in some cases may require custom CSS to fully match what you’re aiming for
- Complex workflow setups: Setting up multi-step internal approvals takes a lot of time and has a pretty steep learning curve
- Save-and-resume friction: Respondents may lose their progress or uploaded files if they leave mid-form, which can increase abandonment rates
- Steep pricing: The premium plans can feel expensive for smaller or growing teams working with tighter budgets
The 5 best alternatives to Formstack
- Fillout for intuitive and modern forms
- Jotform for template-rich forms
- 123Form Builder for enterprise data collection
- Paperform for landing page forms
- Cognito Forms for advanced workflows
A quick overview
Alternative | Best for | Free Plan | Paid Plans |
Smooth building with strong customization | Up to 1,000 responses per month | Starter plan from $15 per month | |
Template-driven building with fast setup | Up to 100 responses per month | Bronze plan from $39 per month | |
Enterprise integrations with payment flexibility | Up to 100 responses per month | Gold plan from $37 per month | |
Document-like editor with flexible design | Up to 30 responses per month | Essentials plan from $24 per month | |
Advanced workflows with calculations | Up to 100 responses per month | Pro plan from $19 per month |
1 Fillout - Best for intuitive and modern forms
When it comes to form editors, being straightforward and easy to use makes a big difference. That’s one of the reasons Fillout is my go-to. I know I may be biased here, but Fillout’s drag-and-drop editor is genuinely seamless. It’s easy to update a field’s settings, add conditional logic, edit page branching, and set up data validation without jumping through too many hoops. The overall experience feels modern, and it gives you a lot of control without making the builder feel overwhelming.
Another standout is Fillout’s advanced designer. It makes it easy to match your form to your brand with logos, brand kits, custom fonts, and more detailed styling options. And if you need more than a simple form builder, it also covers some of the workflow features teams often look for in Formstack, like built-in PDFs, e-signatures, and calendar booking.
Key Features
- Intuitive drag-and-drop form builder
- Advanced form designer with flexible branding and customization options
- Built-in PDF generator, e-signature field, and payment portal
- Integrations with Google and Outlook Calendars, Stripe, HubSpot, Salesforce, and more
- Flexible pricing tiers for different team sizes
Fillout pricing
Free for up to 1,000 responses per month. Paid plans start at $15 per month billed annually. Try it here.
2 Jotform - Best for template-rich forms
If you’re the type to start with a template and customize from there, Jotform is a strong option. One of its biggest strengths is its massive template library, with over 10,000 templates covering a wide range of use cases, from order forms and registrations to client onboarding and internal workflows. That makes it especially useful for teams that want to get forms up and running quickly instead of building everything from scratch.
It also comes with a drag-and-drop editor that makes forms fairly quick to build and customize. You can adjust the layout, add payment fields, and connect your forms to a wide range of third-party tools like Google Sheets, Salesforce, HubSpot, PayPal, and Stripe.
Key Features
- Large template library with 10,000+ templates
- Drag-and-drop form builder and customizable page layouts
- Built-in support for PDFs, payment forms, and other workflow-related use cases
- Integrations with Google Sheets, Salesforce, HubSpot, PayPal, and more
- Offline forms for collecting responses without an internet connection
Jotform pricing
Free for up to 100 responses per month. Bronze plan costs $39 per month with 1,000 monthly submissions. Try it here.
3 123Form Builder - Best for enterprise data collection
If you work in healthcare, finance, or other industries with strict compliance requirements, you might want to look into 123Form Builder.It supports standards like HIPAA, GDPR, and WCAG 2.1, making it a solid choice for organizations that need to securely collect and manage sensitive data. It also integrates with business platforms like Salesforce and NetSuite, making it easier to fit into existing workflows.
The thing I like most about 123Form Builder is its payment flexibility. It supports a wide range of payment providers, including Stripe, PayPal, Square, and Authorize.net, with plenty of other options available. Unlike most form builders, you can even connect up to two payment providers to the same form, giving customers more ways to complete their payments without creating separate forms.
Key Features
- Enterprise integrations with Salesforce, NetSuite, and more
- HIPAA, GDPR, and WCAG 2.1 compliance
- Support for 15+ integrated payment gateways
- Native PDF generation and e-signature fields
- SSL encryption and spam protection
123Form Builder pricing
Free for up to 100 responses per month. Gold plan costs $37 per month with 5,000 monthly submissions. Try it here.
4 Paperform - Best for landing page forms
One thing that makes Paperform different is its form editor. Unlike a traditional form builder, it feels more like a document editor. Instead of assembling fields, you add and edit them almost like you're writing a document, and you can type directly on the form itself. This makes it much easier to create polished forms, making it a great choice for landing pages. It also comes with a flexible designer that gives you flexibility over the look and feel of your forms.
Paperform is also a great option for selling products or services. It integrates with payment providers like PayPal, Square, and Stripe, letting you build order forms with variants, quantities, and custom pricing. It also supports taxes, shipping fees, and discounts, making it suitable for businesses that want to collect payments directly through their forms.
Key Features
- Document-style form editor
- Flexible designer with rich styling options
- Built-in support for payments and product variants
- Integrations with Slack, Dropbox, Trello, PayPal, Stripe, and more
- Native e-signature widget and custom PDF generation
Papeform pricing
Free for up to 30 responses per month. Essentials plan starts at $24 per month with up to 100 monthly submissions. Try it here.
5 Cognito Forms - Best for advanced workflows
If your processes rely on complex or advanced workflows, Cognito Forms is worth considering. It takes some time to learn the interface and understand how its workflow features connect, but that flexibility is also one of its biggest strengths. For example, you can build multi-step approval workflows with granular permissions at every stage, giving you control over who can view, edit, approve, or sign entries throughout the process.
Another thing it’s great at is its advanced math and calculations. Its formula editor feels similar to Excel, making it easy to build everything from simple calculations to more complex pricing, quote requests, and registration forms that rely on dynamic formulas.
Key Features
- Multi-step workflows with granular permissions
- Advanced calculations with Excel-like formulas
- Built-in PDF generation and e-signature fields
- Integrations with Squrare, Zapier, Microsoft Power Automate, and more
- HIPAA compliance for healthcare workflows
Cognito Forms pricing
Free for up to 100 responses per month. Pro plan costs $19 per month with 2,000 monthly submissions. Try it here.
Final thoughts
Each of the form builders I've tried has its own standout strengths. Jotform is great if you rely on templates, Cognito Forms excels at advanced workflows, Paperform stands out for landing page-style forms, and 123FormBuilder is a strong choice for enterprise data collection and integrations. Ultimately, the right choice depends on your specific requirements.
That said, if I had to recommend just one for most teams, it would be Fillout. It offers the best balance of ease of use and flexibility, making it a great fit for a wide range of use cases.
If you're deciding specifically between Fillout and Formstack, you can also check out this detailed comparison to see how they stack up feature by feature. Otherwise, I'd recommend trying the free plans or trials and rebuilding the same form in each one. You'll quickly get a feel for which builder best matches the way you work.
Written by
Mikhaela Presillas is the Marketing Manager at Fillout. She lives in Manila where you can often find her trying out new restaurants and cafes in the city or exploring new destinations.