Fillout vs Paperform vs Cognito Forms (2026)
Three form builders for teams that have outgrown Google Forms and Typeform. Fillout syncs two-ways with Airtable and Notion, and genuinely has 4 tiers (Free/Starter/Pro/Business) — a previous correction on this page mistakenly removed the real $40 Pro tier. Paperform turns forms into landing pages with e-signatures bundled in. Cognito Forms handles calculations and HIPAA from $15/month.
Find yourself first
Teams using Airtable, Notion, or HubSpot
Needing two-way form sync. Fillout's upsert logic is the only one here that updates existing records.
Businesses needing price calculations
Automatically computed. Cognito Forms' calculation engine is the most powerful of the three.
Service businesses
Wanting forms that look like polished landing pages. Paperform's doc-style editor is purpose-built for this.
Healthcare or regulated teams
Needing HIPAA-compliant forms. Cognito Forms offers a BAA from $15/month — the most affordable here.
Anyone who's outgrown Typeform or Tally
All three offer more depth than entry-level form builders, at comparable or lower prices.
Ops teams building complex workflows
Multi-step forms with automation. Paperform's Stepper and Fillout's Workflows both cover this.
Fillout's Pro $40 tier does exist
The 10-second answer
Fillout
Free (1,000/mo) · Starter $15/mo · Pro $40/mo (removes branding, custom CSS) · Business $75/mo (unlimited, analytics, custom domain). Most generous free tier here — two-way Airtable/Notion sync.
Free → $15 → $40 → $75/moPaperform
Free (30/mo) · Essentials $24/mo annual. Papersign and Stepper automation bundled in all paid plans.
Free → $24 → $49 → $99/moCognito Forms
Free (100/mo) · Individual $15/mo · Pro $19/mo · Team $39/mo. Most features per dollar.
Free → $15 → $19 → $39/moMatch your situation
| Your situation | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Your database lives in Airtable or Notion | Fillout | Native two-way sync — update existing records, not just create new ones. |
| You need forms to look like branded landing pages | Paperform | Doc-style editor creates rich content-driven pages with full branding. |
| Your forms need to calculate totals or prices dynamically | Cognito Forms | Most powerful calculation engine — dynamic pricing, tax, discount codes. |
| HIPAA compliance required | Cognito Forms | BAA on paid plans from $15/mo — most affordable HIPAA form builder. |
| Best free plan with real volume | Fillout | 1,000 responses/month free — vs Paperform 30 and Cognito 100. |
| You want to remove branding without unlimited responses yet | Fillout Pro $40/mo | 5,000 responses/mo, full branding removal, custom CSS — the real mid-tier. |
| You sell products or take bookings through forms | Paperform | 5 payment gateways, inventory, subscriptions, Papersign, and Stepper bundled. |
| Cheapest paid entry with most features | Cognito Forms $15/mo | Unlimited forms, calculations, e-signatures, HIPAA, and payments at $15/mo. |
What will your volume actually cost?
Drag to your monthly response volume. The calculator shows which plan tier covers your volume and flags when a free plan limit is exceeded. Fillout genuinely has 4 tiers — Pro ($40) sits between Starter and Business.
Assumptions: annual billing rates for all three. Fillout: Free 1,000 → Starter $15 (2,000) → Pro $40 (5,000) → Business $75 (unlimited). Paperform: Free 30 → Essentials $24 → Pro $49 → Business $99 (submission caps vary by tier, verify exact figures at paperform.co). Cognito Forms: Free 100 → Individual $15 → Pro $19 (5,000) → Team $39 (10,000) → Enterprise $129 (20,000).
The numbers that matter
most generous free tier here by far
genuinely exists — 5,000 responses, removes branding
annual billing — $29/mo on monthly
confirmed accurate — not $35 as some guides state
very limited — most production use needs Essentials
BAA included — most affordable HIPAA form builder
Three platforms, three philosophies
Fillout — Best Database Integration
Free → $15 → $40 → $75/moTwo-way Airtable, Notion, and HubSpot sync — update existing records, not just create new ones.
- Native two-way sync with Airtable, Notion, and HubSpot
- Updates existing records — not just creates new submissions
- 1,000 responses/month on free plan — far more than Paperform or Cognito
- Most modern logic builder interface of the three
- Genuine 4-tier structure gives real stepping stones as needs grow
- Unlimited seats on every plan, including free
- Core differentiation requires Airtable, Notion, or HubSpot
- No HIPAA compliance or built-in e-signatures
- No built-in e-commerce inventory management
- Custom domain support requires the top Business tier, not Pro
Paperform — Best Design and E-commerce
Free → $24/mo annual (Essentials)Forms that look like polished landing pages — payments, e-signatures, and automation bundled in.
- Doc-style editor — forms look like designed web pages
- Full e-commerce: inventory, subscriptions, 5 payment gateways
- Papersign (e-signatures) bundled in all paid plans
- Stepper (workflow automation) bundled in all paid plans
- 2,000+ native integrations
- Free plan only 30 submissions/month — very limited
- Most expensive paid entry at $24/mo annual vs $15 for others
- No two-way Airtable/Notion record updates
- No HIPAA compliance
Cognito Forms — Best Calculations and HIPAA
Free → $15/mo (Individual)Most powerful calculation engine, HIPAA compliance, and e-signatures from $15/month.
- Most powerful calculation engine — dynamic pricing, tax, discounts
- HIPAA compliance with BAA on paid plans from $15/mo
- E-signatures and PDF document generation built in
- Unlimited forms on all plans including free
- Stripe, Square, and PayPal on all plans
- Free plan limited to 100 entries/month
- Interface less modern than Fillout or Paperform
- No native Airtable or Notion sync
- Steeper learning curve for complex calculations
Strengths at a glance
| Criteria | Fillout | Paperform | Cognito Forms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan responses | 1,000/mo — best | 30/mo — worst here | 100/mo — mid |
| Airtable/Notion sync | Best — two-way upsert | One-way integration | Via Zapier only |
| Plan structure clarity | 4 real tiers — Free/$15/$40/$75 | Annual vs monthly rates differ | Clear — $15/$19/$39/$129 |
| E-signatures | Not available | Papersign bundled | Built in all plans |
| HIPAA compliance | Not available | Not available | Best — from $15/mo |
| Entry paid price | $15/mo (tied lowest) | $24/mo annual | $15/mo (tied lowest) |
🟢 STRONG · 🟠 ACCEPTABLE WITH CAVEATS · 🔴 WEAK / WATCH OUT
Feature by feature
| Feature | Fillout | Paperform | Cognito Forms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | ✓ 1,000 responses/month | ⚡ 30 submissions/month + 7-day Pro trial | ⚡ 100 entries/month |
| Entry paid plan | ✓ $15/mo Starter (annual) | $24/mo Essentials (annual) | ✓ $15/mo Individual |
| Mid-tier (branding removal) | ✓ Pro $40/mo — removes all branding, custom CSS | Pro $49/mo — higher submission cap | Pro $19/mo — 5,000 entries/mo |
| Airtable/Notion sync | ✓ Native two-way upsert | ⚡ One-way integration | ✗ Zapier only |
| Update existing records | ✓ Yes — unique to Fillout | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Calculation engine | ⚡ Basic calculations | ⚡ Excel-style formulas | ✓ Most advanced — dynamic pricing, tax |
| E-signatures | ✗ No | ✓ Papersign bundled in paid plans | ✓ Built in all plans |
| HIPAA compliance | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✓ BAA on paid plans from $15/mo |
| E-commerce and payments | ⚡ Stripe payments | ✓ Full — inventory, subscriptions, 5 gateways | ✓ Stripe, Square, PayPal |
| Workflow automation | ⚡ Fillout Workflows on all plans | ✓ Stepper bundled in paid plans | ⚡ Role-based entry workflows |
| Document generation | ⚡ PDF generation on all plans | ⚡ PDF export | ✓ Custom PDF and Word doc templates |
Every plan, verified
Fillout's full 4-tier structure re-confirmed directly from fillout.com/pricing. Paperform and Cognito Forms pricing re-checked and confirmed accurate from prior corrections.
| Tier | Fillout | Paperform | Cognito Forms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 1,000 responses/month · unlimited forms & seats | 30 submissions/month + 7-day Pro trial | 100 entries/month · unlimited forms |
| Entry paid | Starter $15/mo annual ($19 monthly) — 2,000 responses, all question types, login forms | Essentials $24/mo annual ($29 monthly) | Individual $15/mo — HIPAA BAA, unlimited entries |
| Mid tier | ✓ Pro $40/mo annual ($49 monthly) — 5,000 responses, removes all branding, custom CSS/fonts (this tier genuinely exists) | Pro $49/mo annual ($59 monthly) | Pro $19/mo — 5,000 entries/mo |
| Top tier | Business $75/mo annual ($89 monthly) — unlimited responses, analytics, custom domain, custom code | Business $99/mo annual ($129 monthly) | Team $39/mo — 10,000 entries/mo |
| Enterprise | Contact sales — SSO, 1M+ records, audit logs | Contact sales | Enterprise $129/mo — 20,000 entries/mo |
| Watch out for | A previous correction on this page incorrectly said Pro $40 didn't exist — it does. Custom domain requires Business, not Pro. | Free plan is 30/mo only. Annual vs monthly rates differ meaningfully. | Free 100 entries fills quickly for active forms. |
Choose by fit
Choose Fillout if…
- Your team uses Airtable, Notion, or HubSpot as your primary database
- You need forms to update existing records, not just create new ones
- You want 1,000 free responses per month without paying
- You want to remove branding at $40/mo before needing unlimited responses
- You value a modern, readable logic builder interface
Choose Paperform if…
- You sell products or services through your forms
- Design matters — forms represent your brand to customers
- You need e-signatures bundled in (Papersign included in paid plans)
- You need multi-step workflow automation (Stepper included)
- You run a service business with appointment bookings
Choose Cognito Forms if…
- Your forms need to calculate totals, prices, or taxes dynamically
- HIPAA compliance or a BAA agreement is required
- You need e-signatures and document generation built in
- You're in healthcare, legal, or a regulated industry
- Budget is tight — most features per dollar at every tier
Match the tool to your job
Airtable/Notion team
FilloutOnly tool with two-way upsert sync — update existing records on submission.
Healthcare / HIPAA
Cognito FormsBAA from $15/mo — most affordable HIPAA-compliant form builder.
E-commerce / product sales
Paperform5 payment gateways, inventory, subscriptions, Papersign — all in one.
Price/quote calculators
Cognito FormsBest calculation engine — dynamic totals, tax, discount codes in real time.
Best free tier
Fillout1,000/month free — far more than Paperform or Cognito.
Client-facing branded forms
PaperformDoc-style editor creates forms that look like custom web pages.
Remove branding, mid-budget
Fillout Pro $40/moThe genuine mid-tier — full branding removal, custom CSS, 5,000 responses.
Most features per dollar
Cognito Forms$15/mo: unlimited forms, calculations, e-sign, HIPAA, payments.
Service booking + contracts
PaperformAppointments + Papersign for service agreements — all from one form.
What vendors won't lead with
🔍 Fillout — verify plan tiers directly, they've shifted before
This comparison itself previously stated the Pro $40 tier didn't exist — it does. Pricing pages and plan structures change; always cross-check against fillout.com/pricing directly rather than trusting any single comparison, including this one, at face value.
🌐 Fillout — custom domain needs the top tier
Custom domain support requires the Business plan ($75/mo), not Pro ($40/mo). If a branded domain is your main reason for upgrading, budget for Business specifically.
📉 Paperform — free plan exhausts fast
30 submissions/month is enough for testing but not real production use for most active forms. Budget for Essentials ($24/mo annual) from the start if you're building anything beyond a prototype.
💵 Paperform — monthly billing costs meaningfully more
Essentials is $24/mo on annual billing but $29/mo on monthly — a 21% premium for flexibility. The gap widens at higher tiers (Pro: $49 vs $59, Business: $99 vs $129).
📊 Cognito Forms — free entries cap fills quickly
100 entries/month sounds reasonable but active forms — especially event registrations or lead capture — can exhaust this within days. Budget for Individual ($15/mo) if your form will see real traffic.
🎓 Cognito Forms — steeper learning curve for calculations
The most powerful calculation engine in this comparison also has the steepest learning curve. Budget time for setup if you're building complex dynamic pricing or tax logic, not just a simple contact form.
Quick answers
Yes. Confirmed directly from fillout.com/pricing: Fillout has four tiers — Free, Starter ($15/mo annual), Pro ($40/mo annual, $49/mo monthly), and Business ($75/mo annual). Pro sits between Starter and Business, offering 5,000 responses/month, full branding removal, custom fonts, and custom CSS. An earlier version of this comparison incorrectly stated this tier didn't exist.
Yes. Fillout's free plan includes 1,000 responses per month — one of the most generous free tiers among paid-tier form builders. It includes conditional logic, Airtable and Notion integrations, and payment collection. Paid plans: Starter $15/month, Pro $40/month, Business $75/month (all annual billing rates).
Paperform annual billing: Essentials $24/month, Pro $49/month, Business $99/month. Monthly billing: $29, $59, $129. The free plan allows 30 submissions per month. All paid plans include Papersign (e-signatures) and Stepper (workflow automation) at no extra cost.
Cognito Forms: Free (100 entries/month), Individual $15/month, Pro $19/month, Team $39/month, Enterprise $129/month. HIPAA compliance with a BAA is included on all paid plans from $15/month.
Fillout is significantly better for Airtable users. Fillout's two-way upsert sync allows forms to pull existing Airtable records, present them to users, and update them on submission. Paperform has a native Airtable integration but it only pushes new data — it cannot pull existing records or update them.
Yes. Paperform's paid plans include Papersign, a full e-signature platform, at no extra cost. For teams needing both form collection and e-signature capability, Paperform's $24/month Essentials replaces separate subscriptions to a form builder and DocuSign. Cognito Forms also has built-in e-signatures on all plans including free.
Ready to try these form builders?
All three offer free plans — start without a credit card.