Advantages and disadvantages of Google Forms: pros, cons and limits

Google Forms is the fastest way most teams know to collect answers online. It is familiar and quick to set up, and responses land in a spreadsheet. However, its weak spots show up in the field. For example, it needs a connection and has no signature or location question. Also, what happens after the answer is sent happens somewhere else.

Below you will find the Google Forms pros and cons in one table, each point explained with Google’s own documentation. In addition, we cover who Forms works well for and when your team needs more than an online form.

Google Forms pros and cons at a glance

Advantages of Google Forms

You probably already have it

If you use Gmail or Google Drive, Forms is already there. According to Google’s guide, you go to forms.google.com and click Blank form. As a result, there is nothing to install and almost nothing to learn.

Responses go straight to a spreadsheet

Forms shows a summary of the responses. In addition, you can store them in a linked Google Sheet. Then Sheets puts the data in a table for you. That makes it easy to filter, sort and share the results.

Enough question types for most surveys

Google lists twelve question types:

• Short answer and paragraph.
• Multiple choice, checkboxes and dropdown.
• File upload.
• Linear scale and rating.
• Multiple choice grid and checkbox grid.
• Date and time.

For a customer survey, an event sign-up or a quiz, that is usually all you need.

Simple logic and validation

You can send people to a different section based on their answer. You can also set response validation, for example a character limit or a regular expression. So you catch badly formatted answers before they reach your sheet.

Drafts are saved for signed-in respondents

Respondents signed in to a Google Account get their progress saved as a draft for 30 days. That means they can stop and come back, even on another device.

Disadvantages and limitations of Google Forms

It needs a connection

Google lists Google Forms among the files that aren’t available offline. Also, Google notes that draft autosave doesn’t work offline. In short, with no signal, a form can’t be submitted. We explain what still works in our guide on using Google Forms offline.

File uploads need a Google sign-in

To answer a file upload question, respondents need to sign in to a Google Account. The files then go to a new folder in the owner’s Google Drive. However, the question type is not available in some setups. For instance, it is blocked if the form is in a shared drive or your admin turns on Data Loss Prevention. That matters when contractors or visitors are the ones taking the photos.

No signature or location question

Google’s list of question types does not include a signature field or a location field. Therefore, if a record needs to show who signed it and where it was captured, Forms alone won’t give you that.

The answer is the end of the line

Forms collects the response and shows it in a summary or a sheet. Then the real work starts. Someone has to decide who fixes a problem, by when, and check that it was closed. In practice, that follow-up lives in a spreadsheet, an email thread or a chat. As a result, it is easy to lose track.

Who Google Forms works well for

Google Forms is a good fit when people answer from a desk or a phone with a stable connection. For example, it works well for internal surveys, event registrations, quizzes and simple requests. It also works when the answer is the goal and nobody needs to act on it later.

When you need more than Google Forms

The limits add up when the work happens in the field. Plants, job sites, mine sites and routes often have weak or no signal. Meanwhile, an inspection needs evidence, and a failed check needs an owner and a due date. If that sounds like your team, look at tools built for field work. Our list of the best Google Forms alternatives compares several options.

DataScope is the platform for field operations: maintenance, field operations and HSEQ. Your field team captures inspections, checklists and findings on their phones. Then supervisors assign work, follow up and analyze from the web.

• Capture field data, even with no signal. The mobile app saves answers on the phone and syncs once the connection is back and the app is opened. The web platform needs a connection.
• Evidence with each record. Each answer can keep a photo, signature, location and time.
• What’s found in the field gets an owner and a due date. A failed checklist answer can create an Issue with an owner, a priority and a due date. Issues are available from the Professional plan, with a 30-day trial on Free and Starter.
• Your spreadsheets still work. On paid plans, Google Sheets updates with every answer.
• On the phones your team already uses. The app runs on iOS and Android.

Also, DataScope charges by actions, not by user, so all paid plans include unlimited users. You can start free, with no expiration date. Some features, such as signatures, depend on the plan. To see everything the platform does, visit the DataScope features page.

In short

The main Google Forms pros and cons are easy to sum up. On the plus side, it is familiar, fast to set up and connected to Google Sheets. On the minus side, it needs a connection, has no signature or location field and stops at the answer. So for office surveys, it is hard to beat. Field work, however, usually needs more. First, a tool that captures data with no signal. Second, one that follows each finding until it is closed.

Frequently asked questions