Microsoft Forms, Google Forms and Jisc Online Surveys for business research

What to take away

Choose Microsoft Forms if you run Microsoft 365 and analyse in Excel, Google Forms if you run Google Workspace, or Jisc Online Surveys if you need SPSS and PDF output.
Question design separates them less than governance does, and Jisc adds conditional display logic to matrix and ranking types.
Exports are the clearest divideMicrosoft Forms to an Excel workbook, Google Forms to Sheets, Jisc to CSV, XLSX, SPSS and PDF by plan.
Access, retention and data location must be checked against your own tenant or licence, because vendor pages describe claimed capabilities.
Run a short proof of process with non-sensitive test data before live research.

Which tool fits which business

Match the tool to the account you already administer before comparing feature lists.

Microsoft 365 shopForms keeps identity, sharing rules and Excel analysis inside the tenant you already manage.
Google Workspace shopForms puts ownership, collaboration and response charts beside Docs and Sheets.
Research or privacy-led teamJisc Online Surveys is built around respondent lists, invitation control and statistical output.

The licence you avoid is the licence you do not buy, so set units, renewal timing and tax in a software budget template before comparing terms.

Question design, access and exports compared

This is a desk review of published pages, not a test. No form was built, no accessibility check was run and no supplier support was contacted. Prices are excluded because existing licences change real cost.

Four questions shaped the review: who can create and answer a form, what question types and logic are documented, how results leave the tool, and what must be verified before personal data is collected.

[figure 1]

Each row below records a documented capability, not a tested result.

Question types and logic

Microsoft Forms: Choice, text, rating, ranking and Likert, with branching
Google Forms: Multiple question types, conditional flows and sections
Jisc Online Surveys: Matrix, ranking and other types with conditional display logic

Distribution and access

Microsoft Forms: Link, QR code, embed or email; external sharing follows tenant settings
Google Forms: Link, email or embed; sign-in and one-response limits set in Workspace
Jisc Online Surveys: Respondent lists and response limits; invitations managed in the account

Export formats

Microsoft Forms: Excel workbook (XLSX)
Google Forms: Google Sheets, then CSV or XLSX from the sheet
Jisc Online Surveys: CSV, XLSX, SPSS and PDF, by plan

Account and licence

Microsoft Forms: Specified Microsoft accounts or a Microsoft 365 subscription
Google Forms: Free Google account; Workspace for admin controls
Jisc Online Surveys: Jisc subscription; feature availability varies by plan

Response quality depends more on who you recruit than on the form builder. The audience research guide covers recruitment frames and interviews that do not sell to participants.

Microsoft Forms: Excel-native and tenant-controlled

Microsoft's Forms guidance describes surveys, quizzes and polls, responses through common browsers or mobile devices, built-in results and export to Excel. Documented question types include choice, text, rating, ranking and Likert, with branching for follow-up questions.

Access follows your account, so external sharing and administrator controls depend on tenant settings. Confirm external-response settings, retention and accessibility before collecting personal data. An Excel export does not establish a sound sample.

Google Forms: Sheets-native and quick to share

Google's Forms documentation lists multiple question types, conditional flows, link or email distribution, embedded forms, response charts and export to Google Sheets, alongside security and compliance claims. Ownership is the practical risk: when a staff member leaves, confirm who holds the form and its responses. Sign-in requirements, file uploads and organisation-only restriction depend on Workspace configuration.

Jisc Online Surveys: research-grade exports

Jisc's feature matrix lists question types, conditional display logic, respondent lists, response limits and exports including CSV, XLSX, SPSS and PDF, with availability varying by plan. That combination suits panel invitations and statistical work better than spreadsheet charts do. Confirm the tier that includes SPSS export, the user allocation and the support terms.

Governance decides the shortlist

A response can hold contact details, job titles or sensitive free text. GOV.UK guidance on managing research data recommends minimising collection, controlling access, agreeing retention and covering third-party services. The Data Protection Act 2018 and the ICO's UK GDPR guidance set the baseline for a private business too.

Ask each supplier for current documentation on data location, subprocessors, deletion, account recovery, incident handling and accessibility. Vendor pages are claims, not evidence.

Proof of process before live research

Five checks with non-sensitive data give you a defensible result.

Have an administrator create the form with the sharing rules you intend to use.
Ask a representative respondent to complete it on a phone and a desktop.
Export responses in the format your analyst will use, then open the file.
Delete the test response and confirm it leaves the response store and the export.
Repeat with an ineligible respondent to check screening and closure routes.

[figure 2]

Even a clean export proves nothing on its own; four attribution methods show whether the research changed a decision.

Common questions

Which tool is best for a UK business handling personal data?

None is automatically compliant. Jisc Online Surveys is aimed at research and privacy-conscious organisations, while the other two inherit governance from Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. Your lawful basis, retention schedule and data location terms decide the shortlist.

Do the export formats really matter?

Yes when the analysis is statistical, because SPSS output saves rework. Microsoft Forms gives an Excel workbook and Google Forms gives Sheets, where CSV or XLSX follows in one step.

What should we record before go-live?

Record the criteria, the test result, who approved the form and when responses will be deleted. That record is the evidence that your governance matched your tooling.