Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Cognito Forms VS OpenForms

Compare Cognito Forms VS OpenForms and see what are their differences

Cognito Forms logo Cognito Forms

Cognito Forms is an advanced, yet easy-to-use online form builder that allows you to create powerful forms.

OpenForms logo OpenForms

OpenForms delivers the capabilities that governments, public sector agencies, & industries need to accelerate digital transformation.
  • Cognito Forms Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-21
  • OpenForms Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-14

Cognito Forms features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Cognito Forms provides an intuitive and user-friendly interface, which allows users to create forms quickly without needing extensive technical knowledge.
  • Customization
    Offers extensive customization options, including condition-based logic, custom branding, and various field types, which enable users to tailor forms to specific needs.
  • Integrations
    Supports a variety of third-party integrations, including payment processors like PayPal and Stripe, enabling streamlined workflows and automation.
  • Responsive Design
    Forms created with Cognito Forms are responsive, ensuring they work well on different devices including desktops, tablets, and mobile phones.
  • Data Management
    Built-in features for managing and analyzing collected data, such as exporting data to Excel, which makes it easier to process and utilize form responses.
  • Security
    Offers robust security features including encryption, CAPTCHA, and password protection to ensure the safety of collected data.

Possible disadvantages of Cognito Forms

  • Pricing
    While there is a free tier, more advanced features and higher usage limits require a paid subscription, which may be expensive for small businesses or individuals.
  • Learning Curve For Advanced Features
    Although basic form creation is straightforward, utilizing advanced features like complex condition-based logic and integrations may require some learning and technical understanding.
  • Limited Offline Capabilities
    Cognito Forms primarily relies on internet connectivity for creating, filling out, and submitting forms, limiting its use in offline scenarios.
  • Form Submission Limits
    The free plan and lower-tier subscriptions have limits on the number of forms and submissions per month, which could be restrictive for high-volume users.
  • Customization Limitations
    While it offers a high degree of customization, some users might find certain advanced customization options missing, particularly when compared to more complex form builders.
  • Integration Complexity
    Integrating with some third-party services may require API knowledge or the use of additional tools like Zapier, adding to the complexity for non-technical users.

OpenForms features and specs

  • Easy Form Building
    OpenForms provides a user-friendly drag-and-drop form builder that allows users to create complex forms without requiring coding knowledge, making it accessible to non-technical users.
  • Customizable and Flexible
    The platform offers a high degree of customization, allowing users to tailor forms to their specific business needs, including custom branding, conditional logic, and various field types.
  • Integration Capabilities
    OpenForms supports integrations with various third-party systems and databases, enabling seamless data flow between forms and existing business applications or workflows.
  • Data Collection and Reporting
    The platform provides robust data collection features along with reporting and analytics tools, helping organizations gain insights from submitted form data efficiently.
  • Workflow Automation
    OpenForms includes workflow automation features that allow organizations to route form submissions, trigger approvals, and automate repetitive processes, improving operational efficiency.

Possible disadvantages of OpenForms

  • Limited Public Awareness
    OpenForms is not as widely known as major competitors like Google Forms, JotForm, or Typeform, which means fewer community resources, tutorials, and third-party guides are available online.
  • Pricing Concerns
    Depending on the plan and feature set required, the cost of OpenForms may be higher compared to free or lower-cost alternatives, which could be a barrier for small businesses or individual users.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic form creation is straightforward, leveraging more advanced features such as complex workflows, integrations, and conditional logic may require a steeper learning curve and additional training.
  • Limited Third-Party Ecosystem
    Compared to more established form platforms, OpenForms may have a smaller ecosystem of plugins, templates, and third-party integrations, potentially limiting extensibility for some use cases.
  • Support and Documentation
    Users may find that customer support response times and the depth of documentation are not as comprehensive as those offered by larger, more established competitors in the forms and workflow space.

Analysis of Cognito Forms

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Cognito Forms is a solid choice for individuals and organizations looking for a versatile and powerful form-building solution. Its ease of use and comprehensive feature set make it a popular option among users who need to create and manage forms efficiently.

Why this product is good

  • Cognito Forms is considered a good service for several reasons. It offers a user-friendly interface to create complex forms without needing advanced technical skills. The platform provides a wide range of features, including conditional logic, payment integrations, and robust data handling capabilities. Additionally, Cognito Forms supports responsive design, which ensures that forms work well on various devices. The service is also praised for its affordability and scalability, making it suitable for both small businesses and larger enterprises.

Recommended for

  • Small to medium-sized businesses needing a cost-effective form solution
  • Non-profits and educational institutions requiring donation or registration forms
  • Freelancers and consultants looking for a customizable form builder
  • Organizations needing forms that integrate with payment processing
  • Teams that require collaboration features for form creation and data management

Analysis of OpenForms

Overall verdict

  • OpenForms appears to be a capable, business-focused form and workflow builder that suits teams needing more advanced logic and integrations than a basic form tool, though I don't have verified, up-to-date details on its full feature set or pricing to give a definitive rating.

Why this product is good

  • Offers form-building capabilities aimed at business and workflow use cases rather than just simple surveys
  • Likely includes conditional logic and branching to create dynamic, tailored forms
  • Probably supports integrations with other business tools to fit into existing workflows
  • May offer templates and customization options to speed up form creation
  • Could provide data collection and management features suited for operational processes

Recommended for

  • Small to medium businesses needing structured data collection tools
  • Teams that require forms tied to internal workflows or approvals
  • Users who need more customization than basic free form builders offer
  • Organizations looking to automate data intake for operations or HR processes
  • Anyone evaluating alternatives to tools like Typeform, JotForm, or Google Forms

Cognito Forms videos

Getting Started with Cognito Forms

More videos:

  • Review - Introduction to Calculations - Cognito Forms

OpenForms videos

No OpenForms videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Cognito Forms and OpenForms)
Form Builder
98 98%
2% 2
Forms And Surveys
98 98%
2% 2
Surveys
98 98%
2% 2
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Cognito Forms and OpenForms

Cognito Forms Reviews

27 Best Typeform Alternatives In 2022 (Free & Paid)
Cognito Forms is quite affordable too, with paid plans starting at $15 per month. The most expensive plan (Enterprise) costs $99 per month, allows for unlimited form submissions, and provides 100GB of storage.
The 11 Best Online Form Builder Apps in 2019
On Cognito Forms' free plan, you can create unlimited forms with all of the features above and accept up to 500 entries per month. You'll only pay a one percent fee for accepted payments (through Stripe), and you only need to upgrade if you need more than one user, want to remove the Cognito Forms branding, start getting thousands of responses, or need more advanced features...
Source: zapier.com

OpenForms Reviews

We have no reviews of OpenForms yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Cognito Forms seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 2 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Cognito Forms mentions (2)

OpenForms mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of OpenForms yet. Tracking of OpenForms recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Cognito Forms and OpenForms, you can also consider the following products

Typeform - Create beautiful, next-generation online forms with Typeform, the form & survey builder that makes asking questions easy & human on any device. Try it FREE!

Survey Monkey - Create and publish online surveys in minutes, and view results graphically and in real time. SurveyMonkey provides free online questionnaire and survey software.

Jotform - Free Online Form Builder & Form Creator

Google Forms - Simple web forms from Google.

Wufoo - Wufoo's HTML form builder helps you create online web forms. Use our web form creator to power your contact forms, online surveys, and event registrations.

Hubspot Forms - Convert your visitors into leads and grow your business