»Survey/Form Software Comparison

Chapman University provides access to various survey and form software, each with unique features and functionalities suitable for academic and administrative purposes.

Software	Best Use Cases
Google Forms	Simple surveys and data collection
Microsoft Forms	Surveys, polls, and quizzes
Qualtrics	Advanced surveys and in-depth data analytics
Formstack	Embedding forms onto a webpage
Kuali Build	Forms with workflows

Google Forms

Google Forms is available to all Chapman faculty, staff, and students as part of the Google Suite. It offers a range of features, including question shuffling for randomized order, limiting responses to one per person, generating shorter URLs, applying custom themes, and automatically suggesting answers when creating forms.

Note: Do not collect PII (Personally Identifiable Information) using these forms. PII includes name, address, SSN, phone number, passport number, driver’s license number, and taxpayer ID.

Features:

Pre-made templates that can be customized.
Multiple users can collaborate and share forms.
Instant charts and graphs for quick insights.
Forms can be embedded on websites.
Users can upload files from their computer or Google Drive.

Microsoft Forms

Microsoft Forms is a free tool available to all Chapman users as part of their M365 license. Users can customize forms with various question types, themes, and branching logic, then analyze results using built-in charts or export data to Excel.

Note: Do not collect PII (Personally Identifiable Information) using these forms. PII includes name, address, SSN, phone number, passport number, driver’s license number, and taxpayer ID.

Features:

Users can upload files when submitting responses.
Accepts anonymous feedback or external responses.
Embeds forms in emails or adds quizzes to training videos.
Automates workflows with Power Automate.
Seamlessly integrates with Microsoft 365 apps like Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive.

Qualtrics

Chapman University provides faculty, staff, and administrators with access to Qualtrics, a user-friendly survey platform for academic, administrative, and research needs. It streamlines survey creation, deployment, and response analysis, making data collection efficient.

Features:

Quick Survey Builder that guides beginners through creating a survey.
Survey Library with templates that you can customize to meet your specific needs.
Ideal tool to send and track participation invitations and reminders.
Supports various distribution methods, including email, anonymous links, QR codes, etc.
Provides tools to create accessible surveys .

Formstack

A user-friendly tool designed for creating simple forms to embed on Chapman University websites. Available to administration and staff, it offers features for building online forms, generating documents, collecting e-signatures, and automating workflows, all without requiring coding expertise. This is managed by the Strategic Marketing and Communications team (SMC) and the Information Systems and Technology Team (IS&T).

Features:

Drag-and-drop form builder for simple workflow.
Generate built-in reports with shareable URLs.
Export data in PDF, CSV, Excel, and RTF formats.
Organize forms with folder creation.
Compliant with HIPAA, PCI, and WCAG standards.

Kuali Build

An advanced workflow automation tool suitable for building simple to complex workflows with multiple approval steps. Kuali Build excels at seamless integration with campus systems, enabling automatic data population in forms and workflows without manual entry. It is managed by the Information Systems and Technology Team (IS&T).

Features:

Automates manual business processes.
Provides end user visibility on submission tracking.
Displays pending approvals in an action list.
Allows saving forms without submitting.
Provides a secure, private workspaces to organize forms.

If you need assistance with building a form using Formstack or Kuali Build, please submit a request to the Service Desk.

Feature Comparison

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Item	Qualtrics	Formstack	Kuali Build	Microsoft Forms	Google Forms
No-code/ Low-code software	Low code	No-code	No-code	No-code	No-code
Drag & drop survey/form builder?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Multimedia support - embed video/graphics	Limited	Limited	Limited	Yes	Yes
Can you preview the survey/form as a mobile version?	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Electronic authentication/automatic user signing	Yes, via invitation only	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
"Wet" signature (actual signature, although digital)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Easily repeatable questions and/or sections	Limited - based on a previous question	No	Yes	No	No
Can the survey/form be branded?	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Are the responses exportable?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes, to Excel	Yes, to Sheets
Can you embed the survey/form on a web page?	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Can the responses be anonymous?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Can you customize the survey/form's URL?	No	Yes	No	No	No
Can you easily share a shortened URL?	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Does the software provide a QR code linking to survey/form?	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Can you set an expiration date for the survey/form?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Is there an activity dashboard?	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Are there any built-in reports?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Via Google Sheets
Are there built-in data analysis tools?	Yes	No	No	Via Excel	Via Google Sheets
Are there any alerts/notifications for the form owner when the survey/form is submitted?	Yes - must configure as workflow	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes, with add-on
Is customer service available?	Yes	Yes	Yes	On-line only	On-line only

Item	Qualtrics	Formstack	Kuali Build	Microsoft Forms	Google Forms
Can you show/hide questions/sections using display logic?	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Is skip logic available?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Can you use conditional/branching logic?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Is question-and-answer piping available?	Yes	In workflow and emails only	No	No	No
Is response validation available?	Yes	Limited	Limited	Limited	Limited
Is there a question library?	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Can you use choice randomization in a question?	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Is multi-language support available?	Yes	No	Limited	Yes	No
IS SSO login available?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Is it HIPAA compliant?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes, but not easy
What is the Chapman faculty, staff and student account availability?	All CU faculty, staff, & students	Created on demand	All CU faculty, staff, & students	All CU faculty, staff, & students	All CU faculty, staff, & students
Are there central, reusable lists available?	Yes, but not easy	Yes	Yes	No	No
Are there any pre-built 3rd-party integrations	No	Yes	No	Yes, but not easy	Google products only
Are there automatic reminders?	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
Can you distribute a survey using an internal email distribution list?	Yes	No	No	No	No
Is there any survey panel management?	Yes	No	No	No	No
Can you import/export data drop-down lists, mailing lists, etc.?	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Are there any integrations with other services?	Limited - mostly importing & exporting data	36 built-in connectors with API available post submission	API data available on the form, in the workflow & as import/export	No	Google products/add-ons only
Can it connect to Google apps?	Via API	Yes	Via API	Yes, with Power Automate	Yes
Are there any API options available?	Yes, but not easy	Yes	Yes	Yes, but not easy	No
Can you send the survey/form (distribute) directly from within the software?	Yes	No	No	Send invitations to CU accounts	No
Can you take a survey via text?	Yes	No	No	No	No
Is save and resume (finish the survey/form later) available?	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Is offline response collection available?	With a separate app	With a separate app	No	No	No
Is workflow available?	Very limited	Yes, but not easy	Yes	Yes, with Power Automate	No
Is a rule-based workflow available?	Limited - mostly importing & exporting data	Yes	Yes	No	No
Do participants have visibility into workflow steps?	No	No	Yes	No	No
Are there group or delegable workflows available?	No	No	Yes	No	No
Are there any reminder emails with workflows?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes, but not easy	No

»Survey/Form Software Comparison

Feature Comparison

Basic Features and Options

Advanced Features and Options