I have worked abroad for 14 years and have changed three or four companies, and now I have returned to China. After working in China for two years, I found that many large companies that looked glamorous had internal information management in a mess and very backward. The most intuitive performance is that many domestic companies are still using excel forms to collect data, and even many companies are still using paper forms to collect data. Almost every company and every team in foreign countries is using form tools to work together. There is no such thing as running several offices with approval forms. Whether it is data collection or various approvals, it is done online through form tools . of.
If anyone still wants to ask what a form is and what is the difference between it and a form, please Baidu it yourself. Moreover, although some companies have begun to use form tools, they are limited to the simplest research and information collection. In fact, the form tool can do more than that. The help it provides to individuals, teams and companies can be said to be crucial.
Especially for enterprises, the form tool can cover the internal management system and external business of the enterprise. Internally, its widespread use is an optimization of modern office systems, a cleaning machine for managing blind spots, and storing data in the cloud is also the first step to achieve a process-oriented, paperless and portable office. Externally, the scenarios under the form construction will be more in line with business needs, increase customers' willingness to fill in, help collect more data, and promote the standardization of business processes.
However, most of the online form tools on the market are very similar. How should companies choose the right form tool according to their needs? In fact, different form tools not only rely on different functions, but also differ in design, price, and operation. According to the so-called "there is no best, only the most suitable", companies should choose the most suitable form tool based on the size of the team, business needs, and comprehensive consideration of the functional characteristics of each form tool.
What is a good form tool?
Before taking the inventory, let's talk about what an easy-to-use form application should look like. It should take into account the four major roles of form building platform, data collection and processing platform, team collaboration office assistant and enterprise management problem solving. It must have powerful functions, be easy to use, have a good sense of use, and have a high cost-effective and stable platform.
1. Powerful function and good usage: simple form construction and easy to use
1. Flexible to use, it can not only make simple forms, but also meet the needs of complex research, but also connect to data processing operations
Although building a form and collecting data is a simple process, the form tools are used in various forms. There are simple and independent form applications, form builders built into form applications (such as Excel, Google Sheets), and advanced data processing tools built around forms.
The tool we are looking for is this: Regardless of the format, this tool should not only support the easy creation of labels and questions, and use the created fields to enter data; it can also use single text boxes, drop-down menus, and single selections for free and convenient Buttons and other fields enrich the form; you can even set whether certain fields are optional according to your needs, and limit the types of responses, so that you have more control over the collected data.
2. Simple and efficient, adapt fluently, can complete production and release within five minutes
A good user experience is also very important. If it is to be implemented quickly in the enterprise, the operation of the form must be easy to use, simple and intuitive. In addition, the sense of use also includes the stability of the page. After all, no one wants to encounter a situation where the page suddenly crashes and all previous efforts are abandoned. In addition, the beautiful page art and the look and feel of generating reports also greatly add points to good applications.
3. Can connect to most websites
The criterion of "designed for any website" is also critical. Because many form applications are designed for specific platforms. So even if they are easy to use, their narrow scope of application limits their practicality. Today I only count the form applications that can be used on any platform.
2. High performance-price ratio: the price is appropriate and the function meets the needs of the team
The fees for each form application vary from free to several hundred dollars a month. According to different open functions, different charging standards will also be generated. There are also separate price standards based on the different needs of individuals, teams and companies. It is worth mentioning that it is also necessary to consider the qualifications of the development company, so as not to withdraw some tools from the market after a few years, causing the company to encounter the dilemma caused by service interruption.
Through these standards, we have narrowed the list of more than 30 form tools to the following 8 best form tools. They have their own characteristics and business priorities. Some are suitable for large enterprises, some are suitable for small teams, and some are suitable for small teams. It is suitable for personal use. Let's take a look at the introduction of these form software.
8 excellent domestic and foreign form software
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Google Forms (Web) quickly and easily create forms, completely free
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Microsoft Forms (Web) can collect and analyze data more conveniently in Excel
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Wufoo (Web) quickly create beautiful custom forms
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JotForm (Web, iOS, Android) Create highly customized forms for free
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Formstack (Web, iOS, Android) completes complex workflows, suitable for highly regulated companies
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Typeform (Web) to make beautiful and unique custom forms
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Jiandaoyun (Web) uses custom forms as an enterprise management system, no programming is required, and can be used for free
1. Free software (Google, Microsoft)
Google Forms (Web)
Best online form builder for creating powerful forms quickly and easily
Advantage:
( 1) It is completely free, as long as you have a Google account, you can use it;
(2) The collected data can be automatically stored in Google Sheets for further analysis;
(3) Very fast and convenient, whether adding or editing fields is faster and more convenient than almost all other apps.
Features:
(1) Basically include all commonly used form fields, you can choose short text boxes or long text boxes, check boxes, multiple options, drop-down menus, file uploads, etc. You can also use the Google Forms add-in to add additional fields and functions ；
(2) The powerful function makes the form not only collect data: support adding images or videos; you can build a quiz form that finally presents scores and answers; or add some basic conditional logic to adjust the questions they see later based on people's answers ；
(3) Templates can be applied or customized: before filling the form with questions, you can choose from a variety of pre-built templates, or customize it after selecting the basic colors and themes;
(4) You can share forms and collaborate with other members of the team;
(5) Through the integration of Google Sheets, you can use the functions in Google Sheets to verify form entries and use the form data to customize reports and lists.
Disadvantages: Not available for domestic use. If you are working overseas, it is highly recommended.
Price: Free, only requires a Google account
Microsoft Forms (Web)
Best online form builder for collecting and analyzing form results in Excel
Compared with Google sheets, China is still more accustomed to using Excel. Then you can consider Microsoft Forms launched by Microsoft. Microsoft Forms is a product launched by Microsoft to compete with Google Forms. The working principle is roughly the same.
Advantage:
(1) Adding a question is quick and easy: add a question, select the answer format, and then enter your question and answer options;
(2) Rich field selection: It has some options that are not available in Google Forms, such as Net Promoter Score;
(3) Convenient dissemination and filling: After you complete the construction of the form, you can send people a link to click on the answer, or you can obtain an embed code to add the form to your website, or embed it in swing;
(4) To facilitate subsequent data analysis: Finally, you can browse the received data on the Microsoft Forms interface or in Excel, in order to conduct more detailed mining or visualization of the collected data.
Disadvantages: The field types are not complete enough, and Google Forms cannot be found in Microsoft Forms (for example, respondents are not supported to upload files)
Price: Free, only a microsoft account is required.
Ps If you prefer to use Airtable instead of Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel, you can consider Airtable's form generator. Its mode of operation is different from other forms of form building; instead of building the form first, it builds the database first. After the database collects the form data, use the powerful functions of Airtable to organize, check and visualize the collected data. Airtable is free and unlimited, but each form can only add up to 1200 fields.
2. Foreign professional form tools
Wufoo (Web)
Best online form builder for quickly creating graphical reports without a spreadsheet
Wufoo can be said to be the first App to make online forms look beautiful. Wufoo has now been acquired by SurveyMonkey (SurveyMonkey is one of the earliest web applications, and its history can be traced back to 1999).
Advantage:
(1) Wufoo supports custom forms: Unlike Google Forms and Microsoft Forms that can only create highly similar forms, Wufoo’s unique custom forms support adjusting the alignment of text boxes and form fields on the page, and support display in multiple columns Answer the options, you can also build a custom theme with the background, font and color of your own choice;
(2) Wufoo comes with a report generator: the function is very powerful and easy to operate, just add a name, select the form data, select the table or graph style to be used to display the data, adjust some settings, after a few seconds, You can get a detailed graphical analysis report. In this way, there is no need to open another data analysis software, which greatly simplifies the work of form data;
(3) Create branches and logic quickly and easily: Using paid premium plans, you can create branches and logic, and redirect respondents to different questions based on previous answers;
(4) Support some special fields: such as payment field (the form can be integrated with the preferred payment gateway), DocuSign field (signature can be collected);
(5) Customer service is online 7X24.
Disadvantages: Maybe it is a common problem of the old form software-compared to other software, Wufoo's form builder is a bit outdated.
Price: Free for individual users. Free accounts can create up to 5 forms and support unlimited generation of analysis reports; the paid version starts at US$14/month, and includes up to 10 forms, 1GB upload, and supports the use of all fields.
JotForm (Web, iOS, Android)
Best online form builder for creating highly customizable forms for free
JotForm also supports customization, so if you feel that the Wufoo free version is too restrictive, JotForm is a very high-quality alternative. JotForm can maximize to meet different needs, so that the form is displayed exactly as the user wants.
Advantage:
(1) Free use of custom functions: The forms created by JotForm are also customizable, and unlike Wufoo, JotForm can use advanced operations such as payment and signature collection even without upgrading to a premium plan;
(2) Free use of all functional fields. JotForm has 24 different types of form fields, including setting up payment integration, and using various widgets to collect signatures, verify emails, add progress bars, etc.;
(3) Rich template resources: JotForm provides more than 10,000 form templates, covering everything from contact information forms, employment applications, new patient registration forms to market surveys.
(4) Optional notification method: When someone fills in your form, you will receive an email with the filled-in content. If you don't want to check the email every time, you can also set an RSS feed, and then You can view the expression in your usual RSS reader application.
(5) Convenient subsequent data processing: You can download the form in the form of Excel, HTML table or visualization report, and then you can perform subsequent data processing or create visualization, which is very fast and convenient.
Disadvantages: The free version of the form will have a JotForm watermark. After the paid upgrade, there is still only a limited amount of watermarking opportunities.
Price: The free version offers 5 forms and 100 entries; the paid version starts at $19/month, and the cheapest bronze plan includes 25 forms without the JotForm watermark.
Formstack (Web, iOS, Android)
Best online form builder for complex workflows and regulated businesses
If you want to carry out the housekeeping or business management of the enterprise, then it is inevitable to have to do a lot of approval processes. It is very convenient to build an online process review form on Formstack. In addition, if the company is engaged in highly regulated industries (such as banking, scientific research, high-tech companies, etc., industries that require very high data privacy protection), then Formstack is also very suitable.
Advantage:
( 1) Convenient process form function: Using Formstack's process form function, you can build an approval process, send form data to relevant personnel, and let them view the form online or via email, and then send it to the team The next person, or save the data to the app through integration;
(2) Strict data privacy control: For some regulated industries, Formstack provides specific HIPAA and gmp-compliant forms to ensure the security of respondents’ private data;
(3) A/B comparison function to optimize form design: If you want to know whether the description of the created form is better, whether the field order is reasonable, you can use an A/B testing tool included in Formstack, which can be directly compared Two versions of the form.
(4) Provide detailed analysis: show how people post and fill out this form, and analyze what kind of people are most likely to fill out these forms.
Price: Prices start at US$19 per month, limited to one user, and up to five forms per month.
Typeform (Web)
Best online form builder for creating beautiful and unique forms
Different from the design of "one long page of questions + options" in traditional forms, Typeform forms only display one question at a time, and other questions are obscured and very unique.
advantage:
(1) The operation is quick and convenient, and all designs can be completed using only the keyboard: the interviewee can tap the designated key on the keyboard to select multiple options, or sort the drop-down menu options, and then press Enter to jump to the next Field. In other words, you can just use the keyboard to fill in the entire form;
(2) It can be used for some special designs: it may not be suitable for all forms, but if you want to use forms to make cover pages, text paragraphs, and multimedia, then Typeform is very suitable;
(3) Typeform can make the browsing experience of your form on the phone more friendly. Typeform's oversized buttons are easier to use on the touch screen than standard radio buttons.
Price: In the free version, you can set up to 10 questions per form, and you can recall up to 100 forms per month; the paid Pro version starts at $35 per month. The paid version no longer limits the number of forms, supports logical jumps, and can also use payment Advanced functions such as fields.
Paperform (Web)
Best online form builder for creating forms that look like landing pages
Forms are used to collect people's data and information. Sometimes, before you listen to other people's stories, you have to prepare a good wine and your own story. Paperform is designed for this situation.
Features/advantages:
(1) Beyond the conventional design: The form made with Paperform looks more like a login page or blog post, rather than just a pile of fields like a regular form. Support adding photos, titles, videos and long-format texts, and use forms to tell the story behind the product. The collected data can also bring powerful user data support for subsequent PPC advertising and targeted marketing activities, so Paperform is very suitable for making landing pages;
(2) Provide powerful templates: The templates provided by Paperform can do many things that traditional forms can’t do, such as creating product catalogs and centralizing multiple sections including ordering and payment; for example, in the restaurant reservation template, support Display location map and contact information, etc.;
(3) The operation of design expression is very convenient: the construction of forms in Paperform is very similar to the operation in Word. Hit the start button to build the form, hit Enter to move to a new line, and use submenus to add images, align content, convert text to headings, and add question and answer fields. When you are done, you can ask Paperform to send an email, or redirect to a page on your website after the success page is displayed.
Price: Starting at $15 per month, includes one user right, unlimited number of Paperform forms, and up to 1,000 entries per month.
3. Domestic professional form tools
Although most foreign form software is excellent, it takes more than ten minutes to load a form that can be completed in one minute in China, and the full English page is not very friendly to Chinese people. However, the domestic form software market is not as mature as there are so many choices abroad.
At present, I have tried a round. Pure data collection forms such as Jindata and Maike are not bad, but the functions are relatively simple. If you are interested, you can search by yourself. In addition, I have also contacted forms such as Jiandaoyun, which are more functional. .
Jian Daoyun (Web)
Jane Road cloud - powerful easy to use application to build a platform to meet the management needs of individual enterprises
Fanruan software is the third largest product after FineBI and FineReport. It is also an excellent team collaboration software Jiandaoyun. In addition to providing forms, processes, reports, and reminders are all excellent, suitable for meeting the changing needs of enterprises
Advantage:
(1) Facilitate collaborative office: Jiandao Cloud is built for the team, the members of the team can easily process the collected data together, and can also set different permissions for different people;
(2) It can also be operated on the mobile phone : you can directly view the form data and report analysis from WeChat, Enterprise WeChat or Dingding on the phone, and you can also share it with other members through a link, which is very convenient;
(3) Convenient and practical process form function: fill in data with process approval function, suitable for reimbursement, leave application or other workflows;
(4) Powerful data analysis function: Jiandao Cloud has a "dashboard" function, which is actually a data analysis function, which can form chart analysis with one click, and can make custom reports, and Jiandao Cloud also supports various complex calculations;
(5) Jiandao Cloud is an easy-to-use application building platform: you can build your own applications without a code foundation, or you can directly use various ready-made templates for free, covering all aspects of purchase, sales, and inventory, personnel, inspection management, etc. Very suitable for enterprise use.
Disadvantages:
(1) There is no mobile phone APP, the mobile phone can only be integrated and used in DingTalk and enterprise WeChat;
(2) Products cannot be built on mobile phones, only built applications can be used directly.
Price: It can be used for free, enterprises must use it on a large scale, or pay on demand
to sum up
The above eight forms all feel pretty good after use. They are ranked in no particular order. You can choose the form tool you need most after experiencing it yourself. In general, I feel that the popularity of forms in the domestic market is still too small, and I hope that more excellent forms can stand out!