Cognito Forms vs Softr
Advanced Forms Without the Complexity
See why Cognito Forms is a dedicated platform for advanced forms and automation—capabilities app-building platforms, like Softr, simply aren’t designed to deliver. When forms drive your business, choose the specialist.
Why Cognito Forms?
Powerful Forms, Built for the Way You Work
Stop limiting your forms to basic data collection. Unlike app builders like Softr, Cognito Forms is purpose-built for the advanced form logic, workflows, and automation that your processes demand.
Power without the complexity
Build powerful forms in minutes with our intuitive drag-and-drop form builder. Empower anyone on your team to use conditional logic, calculations, and workflow automation to route submissions and minimize manual labor.
Customize your way
Use our robust template library to get up and running quickly, without building from scratch. Customize colors, fonts, and layouts to create branded, professional forms tailored to your unique workflows.
Fits your stack
Keep using the tools your team already loves. Connect with your existing platforms through built-in integrations, automation tools like Zapier, or our robust API—so your forms fit seamlessly into your stack without adopting an entire suite.
Why Customers Choose Cognito Forms
All the capabilities you need, without the app-building complexity or enterprise pricing.
With Softr:
With Cognito Forms:
Softr
Forms are a basic add-on for simple data collection, lacking sophisticated logic and workflow automation capabilities.
Cognito Forms
Get a platform that’s specifically built for advanced forms with conditional logic, calculations, and workflow automation—all designed to work together seamlessly.
Connect easily to your existing tools through third-party integrations or our API without being locked into an ecosystem you don't need.
Softr
Conditional logic requires their Professional plan at $167/month, making essential form branching expensive for smaller teams.
Cognito Forms
Start with conditional logic on our free plan, then add additional advanced features like electronic signatures at just $19/month—giving you the form sophistication you need without enterprise pricing.
Build dynamic, intelligent forms that adapt to user responses from day one, with features designed to be accessible as you grow.
Softr
Forms are building blocks within an app platform, requiring you to work with pages, layouts, and data source connections—even for simple forms.
Cognito Forms
Skip the app-building interface and focus on your forms. Create and publish in minutes with a builder made specifically for forms.
Get straight to collecting responses without learning app concepts like building blocks, page layouts, or data source architecture.
Softr
Without built-in calculations, you can't build forms that total prices or apply discounts—requiring external tools or manual work.
Cognito Forms
Build forms with powerful calculations that handle pricing, tax calculations, conditional totals, and complex formulas, all built in.
Create order forms, quotes, and registration forms that calculate everything automatically, giving users instant pricing and totals.
Softr
Creating contracts, invoices, or certificates from submissions requires purchasing or using separate software or handling everything manually.
Cognito Forms
Automatically generate professional contracts, invoices, certificates, and reports as PDFs or Word documents from every submission.
Eliminate manual document creation and external tools, delivering polished outputs instantly without additional software.
Where Power Meets Simplicity
You shouldn't have to choose between powerful functionality and ease of use—with the right platform, you get both. See how the features stack up.
| Cognito Forms | Softr | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Team Plan: $39/month | Basic Plan: $59/month |
| Drag & drop form builder/no coding required | ||
| Mobile-responsive forms | ||
| Payment collection Built-in payment integrations (Stripe, PayPal, Square) for collecting payments directly from forms. | ||
| Integrations, webhooks, & API capabilities | ||
| Client portals | Available starting on the Team plan at $39/mo | Available starting on the Professional plan at $167/mo |
| Conditional logic Show and hide fields based on other form fields, the current workflow status, or who is accessing the form. | Available starting on our free Individual plan | Not as robust, and only available starting on their Professional plan at $167/month |
| Lookup fields Use entry data from other forms to populate dropdowns, perform calculations, or display text in a new form. | Available to use with databases, not forms | |
| Workflow automation with forms Create automated workflows with automatic notifications, custom workflow statuses, and advanced logic. Require fields for certain roles or workflow steps. | Available to use when building apps, not forms | |
| Built-in advanced calculations | ||
| Save & resume Allows form users to save their progress and finish an incomplete public form at a later time. | ||
| Custom document generation Create custom Word documents or PDFs directly from your form data, and download them instantly for easy sharing. | $4/template/mo Unlimited generations | |
| Auto-create entries Allow submissions on one form to instantly generate entries in target forms, using the submitted data to populate fields automatically. | ||
No credit card required |
No credit card required
departments
processing
their previous form-builder
"It was easy to squeeze in the cost of Cognito Forms Enterprise. It was a no-brainer, especially with no long-term contract."
card delivery time
since implementation
"Cognito Forms is great for any small business that can't necessarily afford a developer. It reduces staff labor, which is a savings cost, and improves the client experience."
onboarding time
over three years
"There was no way we could have grown so much if we didn't have Cognito Forms. Really, it has become the backbone for managing the entire organization."
member selection
duplicate data entry
"Cognito Forms allows us to create processes that we have full control over. We have so much flexibility compared to other SaaS products."
portal and receive
automatic reminders
and inefficiencies
"Cognito Forms’ Guest Access and Task Reminders almost completely eliminate the need for my staff to make manual follow-up calls."
Where Customers See the Difference
With a 4.6 overall rating on Capterra, here's how Cognito Forms scores in the areas that matter most.
| Cognito Forms | |
|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.7 |
| Functionality | 4.5 |
| Value for money | 4.7 |
| Customer support | 4.3 |
| Overall rating | 4.6 |
Forms that Power Your Processes
Go beyond collecting responses. Automate your workflows, connect every step of your unique process, and keep your clients and team in sync—all in one dedicated forms platform.
Build custom forms with Workflow statuses, actions, and roles to automate approvals, route submissions, and trigger next steps, without manual handoffs or bottlenecks.
Assign tasks with deadlines, send automatic reminder emails on schedule, and ensure your work moves forward without constant oversight.
Create secure, self-service portals for your customers to submit forms, view previous submissions, complete assigned tasks, and track form status, all without your help.
Automatically create new entries in other forms when a new submission comes in, populating fields and connecting related information across your forms and workflows.
Online Form Builder
Simple enough
for quick setup,
customizable
for power users
- Repeating Sections
- Data Lookups
- Calculations
- Integrations
- Conditional Logic
- Custom Themes
Integrate with Platforms You Already Use
Our data integrations make connecting your data with your existing tools easy - for maximum impact.
Ready to Choose Cognito Forms?
Start your free trial today and experience advanced form features without the premium price. No credit card required.