Deftform vs Google Forms
Google Forms is free and familiar, but every form lives on Google's domain with Google's footer. Deftform gives you forms on your own domain, in your own style, with payments and webhooks built in.
Side by side
Google Forms is part of Google Workspace. These are the differences that matter for client-facing forms.
Competitor details as published on their website, checked October 2026.
Pricing
Google Forms costs nothing on its own. What you can't buy is your own domain or a form without Google's footer.
Sold in packs of 5. Buy more forms whenever you need them, with no long-term commitment.
Everything Deftform has to offer in one plan, including the Business add-on.
Pay once, use forever. Also available as 12 monthly payments of €16.
Free with a Google account.
Includes Gmail, Drive, Meet and more.
Deftform prices are in EUR and exclude VAT; pre-paid forms are sold in packs of 5. Optional add-ons for Pre-paid and Lifetime: Business €18/month, Extended €19 one-time, removing the "Powered by Deftform" backlink €10 one-time. Google Workspace price as listed on workspace.google.com/pricing for the US, before introductory offers, checked October 2026. Prices vary by country.
Cost example
Five people build client forms. Here's what each option costs and what it can't do.
Google Forms is the cheapest option. Deftform is the cheapest way to get client forms on your own domain, in your own brand, for the whole team.
Prices as published, checked October 2026. Deftform prices exclude VAT. Competitor prices are shown in the currency they publish; we don't convert currencies.
Why switch
For internal surveys, Google Forms is fine. For forms your clients and their customers see, these are the differences.
Logo, colors, background image, field and button styles, saved as reusable form styles. No Google footer.
Invite every designer, project manager and client contact. Every plan includes unlimited team members, so the bill stays the same.
A campaign that takes off won't close your forms or push you into a bigger plan. Responses are unlimited on every plan.
Point a CNAME such as forms.client.com to Deftform and share forms on your own domain with SSL, even on Pre-paid.
Three workspaces are included, each with its own forms, team members, custom domain and settings. Extra workspaces cost €6 one-time.
Lifetime for €189 one-time, Pre-paid at €4 per form, or Complete at €25/month if you prefer one subscription with everything included.
Testimonials
“We were looking for a cost-effective form solution that didn't compromise on features or ease of use — and Deftform exceeded expectations. It's intuitive, reliable, and fits perfectly into our workflow. Highly recommended for teams who need performance without the overhead.”
“Simple. Fast. Effective. I've been looking for a full-featured form builder that I can use for my small marketing agency and this definitely fits the bill. I've tried many other solutions out there, but this had the perfect balance of price and features. It has all the field options I need, payments, API and webhooks. For me, it's perfect. I'm looking forward to see this app evolve.”
Switching
Your responses are already in Sheets or CSV, so switching is mostly rebuilding forms.
List the forms you actively use, where they are embedded and which tools they send data to. Usually a handful of forms do most of the work.
Drag and drop fields, or describe the form to our AI Assistant (experimental) and let it suggest fields. Add conditional logic and multiple pages where needed.
Create a reusable form style with logo and colors, then connect a domain like forms.example.com with a CNAME record.
Turn on email notifications and webhooks, or connect Slack, Discord, HubSpot, Google Sheets, Airtable, MailerLite, Make or Pabbly Connect.
Your existing responses stay in Google Forms and the linked Google Sheet. Download a CSV copy if you want an archive.
Replace Google Forms links and embeds with your Deftform ones, then close the old forms to new responses.
FAQ
Google Forms is free, quick and everybody knows it. For internal polls and quick surveys, it's hard to beat. Client-facing forms are a different job. A Google Form is hosted on Google's domain, and while you can add a header image and colors, the Google Forms branding at the bottom of the form remains, even on paid Google Workspace plans. There's no built-in way to collect payments, and automations like webhooks need Apps Script or add-ons.
For an agency, that means every lead form or client survey says "Google" more prominently than it says your client's name.
Deftform is built for forms people see. Every plan includes a custom domain with SSL, unlimited responses and unlimited team members, plus:
Custom form styles: logo, colors, background image, field and button styles, saved and reused.
Payments: connect your own Stripe account and sell products, with no Deftform fees.
Automation: email notifications, webhooks, an API and integrations with Slack, Discord, HubSpot, Google Sheets, Airtable, MailerLite, Make and Pabbly Connect.
Protection: captcha with ALTCHA, reCAPTCHA and more.
Pre-paid costs €4 per form, sold in packs of 5. Complete is €25 per month and includes the Business add-on. Lifetime is €189 one-time, or 12 monthly payments of €16. Removing the "Powered by Deftform" backlink is a one-time €10 for the whole account.
Switching doesn't mean leaving Google Sheets. Deftform can add a new row to a sheet for every submission, so the spreadsheets your team relies on keep working.
If forms are internal, the budget is zero, or you need graded quizzes and sign-in restricted to your organization, stay with Google Forms. It's a good tool for that job.
Deftform is built by ivy.mayhem GmbH in Germany. Most data is stored in Falkenstein, Germany, files stay within the EU, and our server providers are ISO 27001 certified. We never share or sell your data.
Use Google Forms for internal surveys. Use Deftform when the form represents your brand or your client's, on your own domain, in your own style. Your first form is free to try.
Your first form is free to try. No credit card, no seat count, no response meter.