Tally vs Fillout: two generous free form builders compared
Tally is the better pick if you want truly unlimited free responses and a fast, Notion-style document editor: its free plan includes unlimited forms and responses (fair-use), conditional logic, calculations, and Stripe payments. Fillout is the better pick if your forms sit on top of Airtable, Notion, or Google Sheets: its free plan allows 1,000 submissions a month across unlimited forms, with best-in-class database integrations, built-in scheduling, and 50-plus field types. Choose Tally for unlimited free responses, Fillout for deep data-tool integration.
Tally and Fillout are two of the most generous free form builders around, which makes them a genuine head-to-head rather than a free-versus-paid mismatch. Both launched in the last several years with modern editors and unusually open free tiers. The real difference is philosophy: Tally optimizes for unlimited, no-anxiety form-building; Fillout optimizes for forms that plug into your databases.
| Tally | Fillout | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Unlimited forms and responses (fair-use); conditional logic, calculations, signatures, file uploads, Stripe payments; 'Made with Tally' branding; 10 MB per-file uploads | 1,000 submissions/month; unlimited forms; 50+ field types, conditional logic, calculations, payments, scheduling, PDF generation; Fillout branding; 20 MB uploads |
| Paid from | $24/mo (annual) — Pro: removes branding, custom domains, team collaboration, drop-off analytics | $15/mo (Starter, billed annually at $180/yr; $20 month-to-month) — 2,000 responses/month, all question types, custom endings, login forms |
| Standout features | Most generous free plan in the category, Notion-style doc editor, advanced features free | Best-in-class Airtable/Notion/Google Sheets integrations, built-in Calendly-style scheduling, visual logic builder |
| Best for | Startups and creators who want unlimited free forms | Teams building forms on top of Airtable, Notion, or Sheets |
How do the free plans compare?
Both are excellent, but they cap responses differently. Tally offers unlimited responses under a fair-use policy — there's no monthly number to track, which removes per-response anxiety entirely. Fillout allows a generous but finite 1,000 submissions per month on free, across unlimited forms. For most projects 1,000 a month is plenty; for a high-traffic public form, Tally's no-cap model is the safer bet. Both put branding on free forms and limit file-upload size (10 MB for Tally, 20 MB for Fillout).
Editor and ease of use
Tally's editor is its signature: a Notion-style document where you type '/' to insert any field, making form-building feel like writing a doc. If your team already uses Notion, the learning curve is near zero. Fillout takes a more conventional form-builder approach with a visual, Typeform-like conditional-logic builder that's powerful and clear. Tally feels faster for quick forms; Fillout feels more structured for complex, branching ones. Neither is hard to learn — it comes down to whether you prefer document-style or builder-style.
Integrations and data
This is where Fillout pulls ahead. Its native Airtable, Notion, and Google Sheets integrations are best-in-class — if your form's whole purpose is to write rows into a database, Fillout is built for exactly that, and it adds built-in Calendly-style scheduling inside forms too. Tally covers the essentials with Google Sheets, Notion, and Airtable integrations plus webhooks on the free plan, but Fillout's database connections are deeper and more central to the product. For database-driven workflows, Fillout; for general-purpose forms with solid integrations, Tally is plenty.
Features and field types
Both pack serious capability into free. Tally includes conditional logic, calculations, signatures, file uploads, and Stripe payments at no cost. Fillout offers 50-plus field types, conditional logic, calculations, payments, scheduling, and PDF generation on free as well. Fillout's field-type breadth and built-in scheduling give it an edge for complex forms; Tally's free Stripe payments and unlimited responses give it an edge for creators monetizing simple forms. The thinnest area for both is analytics — Fillout's data visualization is light, and Tally's drop-off analytics require Pro.
Choose by where your data needs to land. If responses should flow straight into an Airtable base or Notion database as structured records, Fillout's native integrations will save you real time and glue code. If you just need a great free form and don't care where it stores beyond a sheet, Tally's unlimited responses and Notion-style editor are the more relaxing choice — there's no monthly count to watch.
Choose Tally if…
- You want genuinely unlimited free responses with no monthly cap to track
- You like a fast, Notion-style document editor for building forms
- You need free Stripe payments, logic, and calculations on simple forms
- Simple two-tier pricing and no per-response anxiety appeal to you
Choose Fillout if…
- Your forms write directly into Airtable, Notion, or Google Sheets
- You want built-in scheduling and a wide range of field types on free
- 1,000 submissions a month is plenty and you prefer a visual logic builder
- Database-driven workflows are the core of what you're building
Where Formkii fits
Formkii plays in the same generous-free territory, with a wider span of formats. Like both, it's free with unlimited forms, questions, and responses. Where it differs is range: alongside forms it includes auto-scored quizzes, live polls, and audience Q&A in one account, plus a Typeform-style one-question-at-a-time mode, 18 field types, show/hide and jump logic, and full design control with your own branding. If your forms sit next to classroom quizzes, live event polls, or audience Q&A, one free Formkii account covers all of it rather than stitching tools together.
Formkii is not the right pick if you need Tally's free Stripe payments or Fillout's deep Airtable and Notion integrations and built-in scheduling — those are specific strengths of each. For monetized forms or database-native workflows, Tally and Fillout respectively are the better tools. Formkii is for teams who want one free home for forms, surveys, quizzes, and polls together.
The verdict
Both are strong; pick by your bottleneck. Choose Tally for truly unlimited responses and a frictionless doc-style editor; choose Fillout when your forms are really a front-end for Airtable, Notion, or Sheets. And if your forms live alongside quizzes and live polls, a single free tool that does all of them is worth trying before committing to either.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tally or Fillout better?
Both have excellent free plans; the better one depends on your need. Tally is better for truly unlimited free responses and a Notion-style editor, including free Stripe payments. Fillout is better when your forms write into Airtable, Notion, or Google Sheets, thanks to best-in-class database integrations and built-in scheduling.
Does Tally or Fillout have a more generous free plan?
Tally's free plan has unlimited responses under a fair-use policy, while Fillout's free plan allows 1,000 submissions per month across unlimited forms. For high-volume public forms Tally's no-cap model is safer; for most projects 1,000 a month is more than enough, and both include logic, calculations, and payments free.
Which is better for Airtable or Notion, Tally or Fillout?
Fillout. Its native Airtable, Notion, and Google Sheets integrations are best-in-class and central to the product, so forms can write structured records straight into your databases. Tally also integrates with those tools plus webhooks, but Fillout's database connections are deeper and more of a core focus.
How much do Tally and Fillout cost on paid plans?
Tally Pro is $24/month billed annually, mainly removing branding and adding custom domains, team collaboration, and drop-off analytics. Fillout Starter is $15/month billed annually ($20 month-to-month), raising the response cap to 2,000/month and adding all question types, custom endings, and login forms.