LocalForm vs Google Forms
Google Forms is a solid, free tool for a quick one-off survey. LocalForm is built for the same jobs - surveys, sign-ups, event registrations - but as a WordPress plugin, so the form lives on your own domain and every response stays in your own database instead of a Google account.
This page is a straight comparison to help you pick the right tool. LocalForm is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, Google.
At a glance
| LocalForm | Google Forms | |
|---|---|---|
| Where responses are stored | Your own WordPress database | Google's servers, tied to a Google account |
| Where the form lives | Your own domain, your branding | docs.google.com/forms/... |
| Cost | Free plugin, no account, no limits | Free, with a paid Google Workspace tier for more storage/admin controls |
| Custom domain & branding | Yes, by default | Not on the free tier |
| Field types | Text, email, phone, number, dropdown, single choice, checkbox, date, date range, rating, plus text/image blocks | Text, choice, checkbox, dropdown, linear scale, date, time, file upload |
| Event registration | Built in: date/time/location, capacity limits, open/close windows, confirmation emails | Not built for this; needs manual workarounds |
| Taking payment | Yes, in LocalForm Pro - Stripe or Mollie checkout (card, Apple Pay, iDEAL, Bancontact) straight from the form, or through the site's own WooCommerce shop, which adds bank transfer and invoice-paid-later | Not supported at all; you have to collect money separately |
| Webhooks / integrations | Signed webhooks to any URL (Zapier, Make, Power Automate, your own system) | Only via Google Apps Script or third-party connectors |
| AI-assisted building | Built-in MCP support - an AI assistant can build the form on your site | Limited to Google's own "Help me create" inside Forms |
| Response export | XLSX download, any time | Google Sheets, or manual export |
| Data residency / GDPR | Data never leaves your server | Subject to Google's data processing terms |
| Offline / self-hosted | Yes - it's your WordPress install | No, requires a Google account and internet access to Google's services |
Where Google Forms still wins
- Zero setup. No WordPress site required - open a browser, start typing.
- Real-time collaboration on the same form with other editors.
- Familiarity. Almost everyone has filled one out before.
If you just need a quick, disposable poll and don't care where the answers live, Google Forms is hard to beat for speed.
Where LocalForm wins
- You already have a WordPress site. The form matches your branding and sits on your own domain instead of sending visitors to
google.com. - The data is yours. No Google account is involved in storing or reading responses - not for you, and not for the people who filled the form in.
- Built for events, not just surveys. Capacity limits, open/close scheduling, confirmation emails and per-date pricing (Pro) are first-class, not a workaround.
- You can take the money too. Google Forms cannot charge for a place at all - the usual workaround is a separate payment link and someone reconciling two lists by hand. LocalForm Pro sends registrants to a Stripe or Mollie checkout on submit and records paid, unpaid and abandoned next to the answers.
- No subscription, ever. The free plugin has no cap on forms or submissions, and no upsell wall to remove one.
- It connects to your stack. Signed webhooks push every submission to your CRM, spreadsheet or automation tool the moment it arrives.
Moving from Google Forms
If you're currently collecting answers with Google Forms, the questions carry over directly: add them to a LocalForm form in the same order, publish, and share the new link instead. See Getting started for the five-minute walkthrough.