When it comes to creating online forms, surveys, or quizzes, the market is crowded with options, from the enterprise-level power of SurveyMonkey to the sleek design of Typeform. But what if you need something simple, powerful, and, most importantly, free? That’s where Tally comes in. It’s a unique form builder that has carved out a niche with its generous free-first approach. We’ve put Tally to the test, exploring its core features, design philosophy, and pricing to give you the ultimate breakdown. Here is our full review to help you decide if it’s the perfect tool for your needs.
Quick Verdict
Pros:
- ✔ **Most generous free plan on the market** with unlimited forms and responses.
- ✔ Extremely easy to use with its “just start typing” interface.
- ✔ Powerful features like **Conditional Logic and Calculations** are included for free.
- ✔ Clean, minimalist design that feels modern and fast.
- ✔ Integrates with a wide range of popular apps (Pro plan adds more).
Cons:
- ✖ No dedicated anti-cheating features for quizzes.
- ✖ Tally branding is present on the free plan.
- ✖ Lacks some highly specialized quiz features like leaderboards or certificates.
Table of Contents
What is Tally?
Tally is an online form builder that redefines simplicity and generosity in a crowded market. Unlike traditional form builders that use a drag-and-drop interface, Tally works like a document. You simply start typing, and it intelligently recognizes what you need to create a form or survey. This unique approach makes it incredibly fast and intuitive. While it’s not a dedicated quiz maker like Quizmaker.com or ProProfs, its built-in logic and calculation features make it a powerful tool for creating interactive quizzes, tests, and calculators.
Their core philosophy is to provide most of its features for free, which sets it apart from almost every other competitor. While platforms like SurveyMonkey, Typeform, and ProProfs offer some form of a free tier, they often cap responses, limit the number of forms, or hide essential features behind a paywall. Tally’s unlimited forms and responses on its free plan make it an ideal choice for students, small businesses, and anyone who needs a simple yet robust solution without a high price tag. It’s a minimalist’s dream come true, offering a streamlined experience that doesn’t compromise on power.
Key Features
Tally’s feature set is impressive, especially considering how much is available on the free plan. It’s built on a block-based system that allows you to add various elements to your form with a simple typing command.
- “Just Start Typing” Interface: They have a no-nonsense, document-style editor. You can create fields, add questions, and build your form by simply typing. A slash command ( / ) brings up a menu of available “blocks” like text fields, multiple-choice questions, rating scales, and more. This method is incredibly fast and intuitive, rivaling the conversational flow of Typeform while being much simpler.
- Conditional Logic: This powerful feature, which is often a premium add-on on other platforms, is available for free. Conditional logic allows you to show or hide questions based on a user’s previous answers. This is essential for creating dynamic, personalized quizzes or smart forms that adapt to the user’s input, making the experience more engaging.
- Calculations: The calculation block enables you to perform mathematical operations within your form. This is the key to creating scoring quizzes, price calculators, or even simple personality tests. You can assign a value to each answer and then tally the total at the end to display a final score. This is a crucial feature that puts Tally on par with more specialized quiz builders for basic scoring needs.
- Customization & Branding: It allows you to fully customize your forms, including adding a welcome page, cover image, and your company logo. The Pro plan allows you to remove all Tally branding and redirect users to a custom URL upon completion.
- Integrations & Payments: Tally connects with popular apps like Zapier, Notion, and Airtable. You can also accept payments directly through your forms via Stripe. While more advanced integrations may require a Tally Pro plan, the free plan offers a solid foundation for connecting your forms to other services.
Ease of Use & Interface
Tally’s interface is its greatest asset. It’s designed to be minimalist and highly efficient. The “just start typing” approach eliminates the need for a steep learning curve. The editing experience feels more like writing a document in Google Docs or Notion than building a form in a traditional platform. This simplicity allows you to focus on the content of your form without being distracted by complex menus or design options.
For users who are used to the drag-and-drop builders of SurveyMonkey or the question-by-question builder of ProProfs, Tally’s approach might take a moment to get used to. However, once you grasp the concept, it becomes incredibly fast. The preview mode instantly shows you what your form will look like, and the embed options are simple and straightforward. It’s a seamless experience from start to finish. Tally’s clean design is not only easy on the eyes but also ensures that your forms are responsive and look great on any device.
Pricing & Plans
Its pricing model is built around a philosophy of giving away most of the platform’s power for free. This is a major differentiator in a market where almost every competitor, including Quizmaker.com and even the generous ProProfs, places limits on responses and forms on their free tiers.
- Free Plan: Tally’s free plan is incredibly generous. It includes **unlimited forms, unlimited responses**, and all basic features. This means you can create as many forms and collect as much data as you need without ever paying a dime. The free plan also includes conditional logic, calculations, hidden fields, and form templates. The only limitations are the presence of Tally branding and the unavailability of a few Pro-only features.
- Pro Plan: The Pro plan costs **$29 per month** or **$240 per year**, which is a 17% saving. This plan is designed for users who need to take their forms to the next level. It adds features like removing Tally branding, custom domains, advanced integrations (including the ability to use a personal API key), and custom email notifications. It’s an upgrade for serious users who want to white-label their forms and unlock advanced functionalities.
- Business Plan: For large teams with advanced needs, the Tally Business plan is available for $79 per month or $65 per month, when you pay for an entire year. This tier unlocks enterprise-level features, including controlling data retention and email verification.
Compared to other platforms, Tally offers an exceptional value proposition. While Quizmaker.com’s cheapest paid plan starts at $40/month and ProProfs’ premium plans range from $19 to $199, Tally’s free plan is robust enough for many small businesses and individuals. Its Pro plan is competitively priced and offers a clear, justifiable upgrade path for those who need more advanced features.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Unmatched Value: Their free plan is the most generous on the market. With unlimited forms and responses, it’s an ideal solution for startups, students, and freelancers on a tight budget.
- Intuitive Interface: The unique “just start typing” method makes form creation incredibly fast and easy, with a minimal learning curve.
- Powerful Free Features: Conditional logic and calculations, which are often premium features on other platforms, are available for free. This makes Tally a versatile tool for creating basic quizzes and calculators without any cost.
- Clean Design: The minimalist interface and output result in forms that are visually appealing and highly user-friendly.
Cons:
- No Dedicated Quiz Features: Unlike specialized quiz builders like Quizmaker.com or ProProfs, Tally lacks advanced quiz features like dedicated leaderboards, certificates of completion, or robust anti-cheating measures.
- Limited Customization: While you can customize colors and add a logo, the design is more restrictive than a highly customizable tool like involve.me, which might not be ideal for users who need pixel-perfect control over their branding.
- Branding on Free Plan: The Tally branding at the bottom of forms on the free plan can be a minor annoyance for some users.
Final Verdict
Tally is a game-changer in the world of form builders. Its generous free-first model, combined with an incredibly fast and intuitive interface, makes it a powerful choice for a wide variety of users. While it may not be the ideal solution for complex, high-stakes quizzes or highly branded, customized forms, it is arguably the best free option on the market today. It’s a tool that proves that simplicity and generosity can coexist with powerful features.
Who should use Tally?
Tally is perfect for students, freelancers, small businesses, and non-profits who need a cost-effective, easy-to-use form builder. If your needs are for creating surveys, contact forms, or simple quizzes and calculators, Tally is an outstanding choice that will save you time and money.
Who shouldn’t use Tally?
If your primary need is for creating educational tests that require anti-cheating features, certificates, and leaderboards, or if you need to create highly stylized, branded content with total design control, a specialized platform like ProProfs or Typeform might be a better fit.
Final Score: 4.8/5 Stars
Tally receives an exceptionally high score for its groundbreaking free plan, its elegant simplicity, and its inclusion of features that are typically premium elsewhere. It’s an excellent value and a true leader in its space.
FAQ
Here are some of the most common questions about Tally:
Is Tally completely free?
Tally’s free plan is incredibly generous. It includes unlimited forms and responses, as well as core features like conditional logic and calculations. The Tally Pro plan, which removes Tally branding and adds advanced features, costs $25 per month or $300 per year.
What happens if I downgrade from Tally Pro?
If you choose to downgrade from the Tally Pro plan, you will lose access to all Pro features, but you will not lose your forms or responses. They will be automatically moved to your free plan. Any Tally branding will be re-added to your forms, and any Pro features you were using will be disabled.
Can I embed Tally forms on my website?
Yes, Tally forms can be easily embedded on any website. They are also responsive, meaning they will look great on any device, from desktop to mobile. You can embed the forms using a simple copy-and-paste code provided in the Tally dashboard.
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