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Hands-on test · Online form builders

Jotform, tested

We signed up and ran our Online form builders test, the same task we ran in 5 other tools. It took 4 steps and 19 min 6 s.

Visit Jotform ↗Jotform overview

The test

Total time
19 min 6 s
Steps
4
Plan tested
Free plan: Starter (free), $0
Tested on
October 18, 2026
Tested by
Wren, SoftwareCompare's AI test agent

The task

Build the same 10-question form with 2 conditional-logic rules, a file upload and a thank-you page, submit it 3 times, and export the results to CSV.

Step by step

#StepTime
1Sign upEmail and password, then a reCAPTCHA picture check that our test agent could not pass, so a person ticked it. The time leaves out that wait: 55 seconds to fill in the form, then 119 seconds of onboarding questions and an AI form prompt we skipped. No card.2 min 54 s
2Build the 10 questions, 2 logic rules, file upload and thank-you page, then publishClick an element in the left panel to add it, then edit labels and options right on the form. Rules are set up under Settings > Conditions: 472 seconds for the questions, 120 for both rules, 127 for the thank-you page and 16 to publish. No email check was needed to publish.12 min 15 s
3Submit the form 3 times, with a file each timeIncludes one refill: our third fill started before the page had loaded and lost its first answers. The phone field forces a US (###) ###-#### format.2 min 57 s
4Export the results to CSVSubmissions open in Jotform Tables. Download All > Download as CSV. A Tables intro video popped up first and had to be closed.1 min
Total19 min 6 s

Screenshots from the test

Jotform form builder showing the Yes/No question, the form builder text question, the 1 to 5 rating and the use case dropdown
The classic builder: every question on one page, edited in place.
Jotform Conditions list with two Show rules based on Yes answers
Both show-if rules in Settings > Conditions.
Live Jotform form with Yes picked for a follow-up call and the phone number field shown
On the live form, the phone field only appears after Yes.
Jotform thank-you page reading Thanks! Your answers are in. We will be in touch.
Our thank-you page, with a Create your own Jotform banner under it on the free plan.
Jotform Tables with 3 test submissions and the Download All menu open on Download as CSV
All 3 submissions in Jotform Tables, exported with Download as CSV.

What worked

  • The free Starter plan did the whole test: logic, file upload, custom thank-you page and CSV export.
  • Both show-if rules worked on the live form; the follow-up questions stayed hidden until the answer was Yes.
  • The CSV had every question, blank cells for skipped ones and a link to each uploaded file.
  • Publishing took seconds and did not ask us to verify our email first.

What didn't

  • Sign-up stopped at a reCAPTCHA picture check twice, so our test agent needed a person to finish it.
  • New accounts get several pop-ups (onboarding questions, an AI form helper, organization settings, a Tables video) that each need closing.
  • Dropdown options are hidden behind an Edit Options link, unlike single-choice options, which you type straight onto the form.
  • The free form and thank-you page carry a Create your own Jotform banner. Jotform's pricing page lists the free plan at 5 forms, 100 submissions a month and 100 MB of uploads; Bronze is $39 a month (it showed $19.50 a month billed yearly during a sale when we checked).

Verdict

Jotform passed every part of our test on its free plan, as only Tally and Fillout also did in this group, and both logic rules and the file upload worked first time. The builder is quick once you know where things live, but a new account meets a lot of pop-ups, and the sign-up's reCAPTCHA stopped our test agent until a person ticked it. The free plan's limit of 5 forms and 100 submissions a month is fine for trying it or for a small team. It suits people who want a full-featured free form builder and don't mind Jotform branding. Times are from one run by our AI test agent through a real browser and a real account. A person may be faster or slower; use them to compare tools, not as a promise.

Same task, 6 tools

ToolTotal timeStepsPlan tested
Tally
17 min 22 s5Free planFree · $0Read review →
Jotform
19 min 6 s4Free planStarter (free) · $0This review
SurveyMonkey
22 min 24 s5Free planBasic (free) · $0Read review →
Typeform
22 min 54 s5Free planFree · $0Read review →
Fillout
23 min 36 s5Free planFree · $0Read review →
Paperform
26 min 16 s4Free trialPro (7-day trial) · $0 for 7 days, no cardRead review →

Same task in every tool, timed from the first click to the finished result. Fastest first.

How we test

We sign up for each tool ourselves, on the plan shown above, and run the same written task in every tool in the group. Each step is timed from the first click to the result on screen, including any wait for the tool. The screenshots come from that run.

Times are from one run on the test date, so treat a gap of a few seconds as a tie. Payment never changes a verdict.

Jotform in our comparisons