European Alternatives to Google Forms

European alternatives to Google Forms include Tally (Belgium), Typeform (Spain), LimeSurvey (Germany), SoSci Survey (Germany), Survicate (Poland) and Mentimeter (Sweden). Google Forms is part of Google's online office tools and lets you create surveys, quizzes and forms. The European tools differ in focus: some are simple form builders, others are survey software for research. This page helps to choose and explains what to check before moving.

What Google Forms offers

According to Google's help pages, Google Forms is used to create online surveys, quizzes and forms, send them to others and analyse responses in real time. Responses can be stored in a Google Sheets spreadsheet, and quizzes can be graded. Using it requires a Google account for the person who creates the form, and the data is processed by Google, which is the main reason organisations in Europe look for alternatives, for example for forms that collect personal data.

European alternatives in the directory

• Tally (Belgium): form builder.
• Typeform (Spain): form and survey builder.
• LimeSurvey (Germany): survey software that is open source.
• SoSci Survey (Germany): software for online surveys in research.
• Survicate (Poland): feedback surveys for websites and products.
• Mentimeter (Sweden): interactive polls for presentations.

Details are on the product pages. The category page Survey tools lists all of them.

Which alternative fits which use

• Simple registration, contact or feedback form: Tally or Typeform.
• Survey for a study or thesis: SoSci Survey or LimeSurvey.
• Survey on your own server: LimeSurvey, because the software is open source.
• Quick poll during a meeting or talk: Mentimeter.
• Feedback from website visitors or customers: Survicate.

What to check before moving

• Where responses end up. With Google Forms, answers often flow into a spreadsheet. Check how the new tool exports results, for example as CSV or Excel.
• Features in use. Quizzes with automatic grading, file uploads or branching may work differently or need a paid plan.
• Data protection. Check the data processing agreement and the storage location of the new provider.
• Existing forms. Forms usually have to be rebuilt, since there is no common import format. Keep the old forms until the new ones work.

Questions to ask about any form tool

• Who can see the responses, and can access be limited to named people?
• Can responses be deleted individually when a participant asks for it?
• Do respondents need an account, or can they fill in the form anonymously?
• How long does the provider keep the data after a form is closed?

Alternatives to other Google services

Forms often goes together with Google Drive, Google Docs and Gmail. The hub page European alternatives to Google links alternatives for all of them. For a paid survey service see European alternatives to SurveyMonkey.

FAQ

What is a European alternative to Google Forms?

Tally and Typeform for simple forms, LimeSurvey and SoSci Survey for research surveys, Mentimeter for live polls and Survicate for feedback surveys.

Is there a free alternative to Google Forms?

Some tools offer free plans, and LimeSurvey is open-source software you can run yourself. Check each provider's limits.

Can I move my Google Forms data?

Responses can be taken out of the linked spreadsheet and imported into other tools as files. The form itself has to be recreated.

Why avoid Google Forms for personal data?

Google is a US company. Organisations that want to keep survey data with a European provider choose a European tool instead.