Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

CommCare VS Google Forms

Compare CommCare VS Google Forms and see what are their differences

CommCare logo CommCare

The digital platform for impactful frontline work everywhere

Google Forms logo Google Forms

Simple web forms from Google.
  • CommCare
    Image date //
    2025-04-14
  • CommCare
    Image date //
    2025-05-01
  • CommCare
    Image date //
    2025-05-01
  • CommCare
    Image date //
    2025-05-01

The most widely-deployed and evidence-based platform for enabling Frontline Workers, CommCare empowers organizations to build their own digital solutions to better deliver services, manage clients, and collect data. Built from the ground up to support the complexities and idiosyncrasies of frontline work, CommCare can meet nearly every frontline use case in any setting (including offline) at any scale, from pilot to nationwide programs. CommCare's unique value is its proven ability to deliver technology which is both highly impactful and highly scalable. More than one million Frontline Workers have used CommCare applications to deliver critical frontline services across numerous sectors, including health, agriculture, social services & more. CommCare is backed by the strongest evidence base of any digital platform for Frontline Workers, proving CommCare’s positive impact on organizational performance, frontline workers behaviors, and most importantly, client outcomes. CommCare’s technology grows with an organization’s needs. Users can rapidly launch production ready no-code applications in minutes, with confidence that their tools can be integrated into complex, at-scale ecosystems. Dimagi’s expert team delivers CommCare on an open source, professionally managed foundation which is best in its class for sustainability and top-tier security that meets rigorous standards including GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC-2.

  • Google Forms Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-31

CommCare

Website
dimagi.com
$ Details
freemium $100.0 / Monthly (paid annually)
Platforms
Web Android
Release Date
2008 January

Google Forms

Website
google.com
Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Platforms
-
Release Date
2010 April

CommCare features and specs

  • Unlimited data storage
    All CommCare subscription plans provide unlimited data storage, including unlimited storage for data collected in form submission as well as all application data.
  • Surveys
    Collect data via mobile surveys. CommCare supports dozens of question types, including text, multiple choice, numeric, media capture (image, audio, video, signature), and advanced questions (GPS, barcodes, android app callouts).
  • Lookup tables
    Allow your mobile applications to “look up” information from an external data set. Lookup tables are useful for when you want to reference large amounts of information, such as Weight-for-Age Z Score tables for nutrition projects or extensive geographical locations.
  • Case Management
    Basic case management enables users of the CommCare Mobile app to register an entity (people, items of interest, etc.), then collect additional data on that entity over time.
  • Case sharing
    Case sharing allows groups of CommCare Mobile users to access data from each other's cases. Case sharing is a powerful tool for field teams that share data collection tasks across tracked entities. It also enables referral workflows by allowing team members to view and update shared cases.
  • Decision support
    Complex workflows have the ability to track people and other entities over time and can include complex branching logic and rules for parsing and responding to messages. Organizations that support frontline workers or stock tracking often need complex workflows as opposed to simple workflows (which normally just support data collection).
  • Multiple Languages
    Switch between multiple languages in your application, including non-roman character languages. For faster translations, use the “bulk upload” feature.
  • Multimedia Integration
    CommCare applications can include multimedia such as images, audio, and video, which can be used for counseling or to aid low-literate users.
  • Data Export
    Export your CommCare data—including form submissions and case data—for use in 3rd party tools. Leverage built-in tools to customize your exports by date, user group, and more.
  • Data exploration
    View data submitted by your field staff with built-in reports showing case information and form submissions, complete with current and historical values.
  • Performance report
    View pre-built reports to get a high-level overview of key indicators and drill down into your data.
  • Report builder
    Create custom reports from data collected in your CommCare applications, and schedule automated emails to share those custom reports on a recurring schedule. Subscription plans with Report Builder include up to 5 saved reports.
  • Data cleaning
    Ensure your CommCare data is clean and accurate using data cleaning features to edit erroneous or incorrect form submissions and archive test data.
  • Power BI & Tableaux integration
    Send your CommCare data directly to Microsoft Power BI or Tableau for beautiful reporting and deep analytics. CommCare's integration employs OData feeds, enabling you to automatically refresh your data directly from Power BI and Tableau.
  • Excel dashboards
    Set up a real-time link between a form or case export on HQ and a preconfigured Excel report. Excel calculations and graphs will update automatically on a regular basis as new data comes in.
  • Bulk user upload
    Create and update your mobile worker groups, usernames, passwords, and other information in bulk through an easy excel import/export tool.
  • One way messaging
    Configure outbound SMS systems that can be sent to both mobile workers and clients for broadcast messaging and targeted reminders.
  • SMS gateways
    Sending and receiving automated SMS messages requires communicating with mobile networks. This is the job of SMS gateways. Dimagi’s SMS system comes with a gateway to a variety of countries worldwide. We provide a number of incoming and outgoing messages using our gateways included with each plan, Standard and above.
  • 3rd Party Integrations
    CommCare has a whole ecosystem of integrations to explore.
  • Enterprise web apps
    Manage complex case management use cases, on-click integration with AWS connect, automatic address capture, custom on-click integrations.
  • Enterprise management tools
    Multiple tools, dashboards, and security features to enable global administration of CommCare throughout the organisation.
  • GDPR Compliance Ready
    We are fully GPDR Complaint, and offer Data Processing Agreements on all plans. We offer customizations to our standardized DPA only on your Advanced plan. This is primarily because customizations creates additional and permanent overhead on our multiple teams.
  • Two Factor Authentication (2FA)
    Turn on two-factor authentication for your web user to add a second level of authentication and make your account more secure. For projects on Advanced plans, you can enforce two-factor authentication for all members of your project.
  • HIPAA compliance assurance
    You might prefer or require HIPAA compliance if you are concerned about having the highest standards of security regarding your projects' personal health information. Standard hosting is also secure, but not signed off as officially compliant with HIPAA certified hosting. Under the Advanced and above plans, Dimagi ensures that all data that is collected and hosted on CommCareHQ meets the essential security and availability requirements for HIPAA compliance. Dimagi also gives access to signing a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA) for the Advanced and above plans.
  • Full support
    Online academy, direct mail, phone, guaranteed response time, guaranteed follow-up time, bug-fixing support, paid onboarding, customer success team.

Google Forms features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Google Forms offers a simple and intuitive interface, making it easy for users of all skill levels to create forms quickly.
  • Integration with Google Sheets
    Responses collected through Google Forms can be automatically sent to Google Sheets, facilitating data analysis and record-keeping.
  • Templates
    Google Forms provides a variety of pre-built templates that can be used as a starting point, saving time on form creation.
  • Collaboration Features
    Multiple users can collaborate in real-time on the creation and editing of forms, enhancing teamwork and productivity.
  • Free to Use
    Google Forms is free to use, making it an accessible tool for individuals and organizations without budget constraints.
  • Conditional Logic
    Supports conditional logic (skipping logic), allowing the form to change based on user responses.
  • Customization Options
    Users can customize the appearance of forms with themes, colors, and images to match their brand or personal style.
  • Accessibility and Mobile-Friendly
    Forms are responsive and can be accessed on various devices, including smartphones and tablets.

Possible disadvantages of Google Forms

  • Limited Customization
    While Google Forms offers basic customization, there are limitations in comparison to paid survey tools that allow for more advanced design capabilities.
  • Functionality for Advanced Data Collection
    Google Forms may lack some advanced data collection features such as advanced branching logic and question piping that are available in premium survey tools.
  • Limited Response Types
    Although it supports a variety of question types, it may not cover all niche functionality needs, such as certain interactive question formats.
  • Privacy Concerns
    As with any Google product, there may be concerns regarding data privacy and security, especially for sensitive information.
  • No Offline Access
    Google Forms requires an internet connection to create and respond to forms, limiting its use in offline environments.
  • Email Login Required
    Respondents may need to sign in with a Google account to complete certain forms, which can be a barrier for some users.
  • Limited Reporting Tools
    The built-in reporting features are basic, and users may need to export data to other tools for more in-depth analysis.

Analysis of Google Forms

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Google Forms is generally considered good, especially for individuals or organizations looking for a straightforward and effective way to gather information and feedback. It is reliable, user-friendly, and offers sufficient features for most basic to intermediate needs.

Why this product is good

  • Google Forms is a popular tool due to its ease of use, intuitive interface, and seamless integration with other Google services. It allows users to quickly create surveys, quizzes, and forms without needing advanced technical skills. The tool is accessible from any device with internet access, making it convenient for users on the go. Furthermore, it offers a variety of question types, customizable templates, and real-time response collection and analysis, which enhances its functionality.

Recommended for

  • Educators for quizzes and surveys in classrooms
  • Businesses for gathering customer feedback
  • Event planners to collect RSVPs and preferences
  • Researchers conducting simple surveys
  • HR teams for internal feedback and employee satisfaction surveys

CommCare videos

CommCare Introduction Part 1: Your First Application

More videos:

  • Review - [CommCare Webinar] Using Case Management
  • Tutorial - CommCare Onboarding Video #1: How to Set Up Your First CommCare Mobile Application
  • Demo - About CommCare

Google Forms videos

Review Google Forms responses

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Google Forms Full Tutorial From Start To Finish - How To Use Google Forms
  • Review - A tour of Google Forms

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to CommCare and Google Forms)
Form Builder
2 2%
98% 98
Surveys
2 2%
98% 98
Forms And Surveys
1 1%
99% 99
SaaS
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 CommCare and Google Forms

CommCare Reviews

We have no reviews of CommCare yet.
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Google Forms Reviews

  1. Ural_Taras
    Very convenient software!

    Helps my company solve many issues. We collect information from clients and employees. We conduct surveys and collect data. Very useful software. Helps form a common opinion, conduct analysis and analytics.

    🏁 Competitors: Survio
    👍 Pros:    Speed|Visual|Functionality
  2. ✓ Adrian | Mobile Forms - Digital Inspections - Enterprise Checklists - Data collection
    · Marketing at Mobile Forms ·
    A good beginners tool to start your digital transformation.

    One of our customers said: Our small mining operation needed to go from paper based process to digital forms. At first, Google forms allowed us to use this Web-based platform that lets individuals and businesses of all sizes build customizable forms to conduct surveys and generate real-time response charts.

    We saw that a small sample of our field workers quickly adopted the new way of working.

    Step 1: accomplished.

    Now unto step 2.

    How do we deploy this unto our whole team? We needed email notifications, offline response collection when without wifi on the field. Our CIO and his director of operations needed deep data and trends analysis as well. Our inspectors, when doing their audits, needed to capture approx. 25 high definition pictures, some audio notes and a video which wasn't really possible with google forms.

    So, we can 100% credit the use of google forms to our transition towards a paperless process, but as we navigated saashub.com a little more, we were able to discover a world of alternatives. We strongly suggest to start using google forms before undergoing a big implementation plan towards such enterprise level inspection tools like nspek or even cheaper solutions like prontoforms.

    I am not sure if we would start with google's solution first if we would to do this digital transformation all over, but it did allow us to discover it's limits pretty quickly.

    At some point, we needed custom fields and functions, and none of us was able to code, so the nSpek training that comes with the application definitely sets it's self apart, giving us full autonomy.

    🏁 Competitors: nSpek, ProntoForms
    👍 Pros:    No sign up cost
    👎 Cons:    Customization|Customer support|Data protection and security|No video|No pictures

10 SurveyMonkey Alternatives and Competitors in 2024
Google Forms is a user-friendly platform that allows you to create forms effortlessly. With its intuitive interface, you can select from various question types, customize the design, and add logic for a seamless customer experience throughout.
Source: clickup.com
9 Survey Monkey Alternatives for Your 2024 Market Research
Google Forms will be your choice if you’re looking for a straightforward tool to create surveys without all the fuss. It’s particularly good for anyone who needs to whip up quick polls or surveys with a clean, user-friendly interface.
12 Easy Test Maker Alternatives
Google Forms is a Google Suite tool that comes with Google Drive. Users may quickly develop quizzes and get the results instantly, thanks to its simple and easy design
Alternatives to Deferendum
SurveyMonkey and Google Forms: These survey tools are designed for collecting feedback and data, whereas Deferendum is focused on group decision-making. Deferendum allows members to not only voice their opinions but also participate in the decision-making process and vote on proposed solutions.
Source: deferendum.com
Typeform Alternatives: Tools for Surveys, Forms, and Quizzes
Overall, online reviews suggest Typeform is like a paid version of Google Forms that doesn’t provide any benefits over the free tool. Moreover, Google Forms does not have a response limit, while that is Typeforms most prominent criticism.
Source: survicate.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, CommCare seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1 time 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.

CommCare mentions (1)

  • Custom Fillable Form Help
    These are mainly used for collecting research data, however their flexibility could make them useful for your need. Redcap (https://projectredcap.org/about/) you can design a complex form, has a mobile app KoboToolbox - the we form builder can handle complex forms, has a mobile app CommCare (https://dimagi.com/commcare/) a you can design and track cases over a long processes. Source: over 2 years ago

Google Forms mentions (0)

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

What are some alternatives?

When comparing CommCare and Google Forms, you can also consider the following products

SurveyCTO - Collect data you can trust Offline or online, in the field, on the street, or in the lab.

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.

Open Data Kit - The Open Data Kit community produces free and open-source software for collecting, managing, and using data in resource-constrained environments.

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!

DHIS2 - Manage aggregate data with a flexible data model which has been field-tested for more than 15 years.

Jotform - Free Online Form Builder & Form Creator