TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

Google Forms

Score8.5 out of 10

950 Reviews and Ratings

Get a Demo

What is Google Forms?

Google Forms is an app for creating forms and surveys, and is part of Google Apps for Work. The product focuses on ease of use; the interface is similar to a document editor, with drop down lists of options and drag and drop question re-ordering. Users can embed images and video into surveys. Users can also program the question flow with custom logic. Google sends users basic summaries of the survey results automatically, or users can export the raw survey results data and analyze it via spreadsheets or other analytics software.

Categories & Use Cases

Key Features

Learn about the best (and worst!) features Google Forms has to offer, as determined by TrustRadius' reviewers.
Based on 950 ratings of Google Forms's features
View all features

Top Performing Features

  • Custom reports

    Allows users to report on custom metrics, choose which metrics to include in a report, run reports with advanced segmentation and/or customize the look and feel of a report.

    Category average: 7.8

  • Changes to live survey

    Users can make changes to live surveys after they are published.

    Category average: 8.4

  • Analytics

    Allows users to run different types of analysis, such as statistical analysis, cross tabs, sentiment analysis, etc. within the tool.

    Category average: 8.1

Areas for Improvement

  • Survey logic flexibility

    Survey question flow can be customized with skip logic, conditional questions, question branching logic, piping logic, and/or randomization.

    Category average: 8.2

  • Custom logo/branding

    Allows the user to include their company logo (rather than the survey vendor’s logo) and/or create a company template so that branding is consistent across multiple surveys.

    Category average: 7.8

  • Themes

    Includes options for the look & feel of a survey, including different colors, fonts, layouts, etc.

    Category average: 7.3

Reviews

What users are saying about Google Forms.
View all reviews

Great for a Free Tool but Customizability and Logic Are Limited

Incentivized
Kaley WhiteView profile
Data and Systems Analyst at Limbus AI (51-200 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I used Google Forms in my role as a software support engineer to gather customer feedback on the performance of our medical image segmentation software. We and our distributors distributed the survey link to a few dozen customers, hoping to learn how our software could improve to meet customers' clinical needs.

Pros

  • Google Forms has a very small learning curve.
  • Google Forms is free, making it perfect for a startup.
  • Google Forms can automatically write survey responses to a GSheet for easy analysis.

Cons

  • It's cumbersome for respondents who don't have or aren't allowed to use a Google Account.
  • Customization options are limited.
  • The UI is a bit tacky compared to more "professional" survey tools like Qualtrics and SurveyMonkey.

Return on Investment

  • Google Forms allowed us to save money by not having to purchase a survey tool subscription.
  • Google Forms helped us focus our efforts on customers' top pain points, making them more likely to purchase our software.
  • We were unable to gather certain insights due to customers' technical difficulties with the survey.

Usability

Alternatives Considered

HubSpot CRM

Other Software Used

Streamlit, Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel

Appreciative of the ease and flexibility of Google Forms

Incentivized
Kelsey May FraserView profile
Real Estate Agent in Sales at ERA Reardon Realty Great Lakes (51-200 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I've used Google Forms for all kinds of inquires, questionnaires, invitations, and campaigns, and it's my favorite platform. The information I tend to gather is best served with the multiple choice, short answer, and long answer options. I particularly appreciate that I can create a copy of a form I've already designed and used; it saves me so much time for recurring data gathering and questionnaires.

Pros

  • Types of questions
  • Required vs. not required toggle option
  • Allowing the inclusion of images

Cons

  • I can't think of any issues or improvements. Google Forms works fantastically for all the questionnaires (etc.) I put together.

Return on Investment

  • By being able to include the form itself in the alert emails I send after creating and publishing my forms, I get increased response rates of at least 25%!

Usability

Alternatives Considered

Intuit Mailchimp and Apple Business Essentials

Other Software Used

Shared Contacts for Gmail, Google Slides

Google Forms Super Easy.

Incentivized
Verified User
Administrator (11-50 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use Google Forms for simple forms that are easy to use and accessible for everyone. I like the improvements they have made around the publish button and getting the responder link to clearly show it is available to anyone with the link. Easy to get all responses to a spreadsheet, and easy to insert pictures in the form.

Pros

  • Very easy to publish, so it's accessible to anyone with the link
  • Easy to edit the header, styles, and questions
  • Copying the previous questions is easy so you're not redoing settings each time

Cons

  • Some features require sign-in; would like to see a workaround for those without a Gmail account.
  • I wish there were an easier process for contingency questions.
  • Some sort of waiting list would be nice to use it for events.

Return on Investment

  • Saves money since it is free to use.
  • Easy to use, so also saves time, equal to money for paid staff.
  • Easy way to keep volunteers engaged for events and to get feedback.

Usability

Alternatives Considered

Zoho Creator

Other Software Used

Zoho Creator, BambooHR®, Intuit Mailchimp

Google Forms Simple Easy and Free Data Collection

Incentivized
Verified User
Employee (5001-10,000 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Google Forms for event registration and to collect data. We use Google Forms when we need to collect information, but don't need robust features.

Pros

  • Easy to create a form. Can get your form live in a few seconds.
  • Simple way to collect information.
  • Easy for users to provide information.

Cons

  • No logic questions
  • Users cannot go back and change/resubmit information (they have to complete a new Google Form).
  • No additional features like email communication, event check-in, etc.

Return on Investment

  • Able to effectively collect simple data for free.
  • Investment of time for the team to learn/use Google Forms in minimal.
  • Users appreciate the simplicity of the tool.

Usability

Alternatives Considered

SurveyMonkey, Cvent Event Management, Airtable and Jotform

Other Software Used

Airtable, Google Chrome, Canva

Ease of use is the best benefit

Incentivized
Verified User
Administrator (51-200 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Google Forms is wonderful for multiple applications, both in house and across clients. It is easy to use and has automations that keep me apprise of status and then organizes the results in an easy to read manner. Along with ease of use, I am able to share reporting data with my superiors in a single location, no need to redesign the outcome form the program.

Pros

  • It is easy to use and has automations that keep me apprise of the result status
  • Google Forms organizes the results in an easy to read manner.
  • Google Forms is useful in presenting information, I am able to share reporting data with my superiors from a single location, no need to redesign the outcome form the program.

Cons

  • It could cross reference with my accepted email clients for ease of sending to large groups.
  • Header information can get overwhelming due to the word vomit. Adding organization templates would be nice. different columns instead of a paragraph, for example.
  • wider first look into the responses would let me get a fuller preview before needing to download the results.

Return on Investment

  • collecting the needs of clients to make data driven decisions is priceless
  • collecting the needs of staff to make data driven decisions is priceless
  • collecting initiatives recommended by staff allows us to expand in real time and specific to need

Usability

Alternatives Considered

Canva

Other Software Used

Canva, ScreenPal, Microsoft Teams