Fillout and Tally both sit in the forms category, which is the first thing to note about this comparison: the head-to-head is about which tool earns the seat. On the 8020 rubric, Tally scores 88 against Fillout at 73. The gap is meaningful on some dimensions and narrow on others — the rest of this page explains exactly where.
What's the real difference between Fillout and Tally?
Fillout is built for teams connecting forms directly to airtable, notion, or smartsheet. Tally is built for indie hackers. The tools overlap on surface features but diverge on the workflow each is designed around — Fillout optimises for native airtable, notion, and smartsheet integrations — write directly to database records, while Tally optimises for block-based form editor — build forms the way you build notion pages.
Fillout's positioning: Fillout is the only major form builder with native write integrations to Airtable and Notion, eliminating the Zapier layer for teams whose data lives in those databases.
Tally's positioning: Tally is the only form tool where the free tier includes unlimited forms and unlimited responses with no visible branding on the form — not just free for the first 10 responses, but genuinely free at any scale.
The 8020 rubric weighs four things — value for money (30%), depth and power (30%), time to results (25%), and ecosystem (15%). Fillout scores 74/72/73/76 on those dimensions; Tally scores 90/90/92/91. The biggest spread is on time to results — see the table above.
When should you pick Fillout?
Pick Fillout when teams connecting forms directly to airtable, notion, or smartsheet is the job that has to be done well. Its free tier covers teams connecting forms directly to airtable, notion, or smartsheet without a credit card, and the 8020 Score of 73 reflects how well it executes against its rubric.
Fillout is the right call when:
- Teams connecting forms directly to Airtable, Notion, or Smartsheet.
- No-code builders who want Typeform quality without Typeform prices.
- Startups that need a free-tier form tool for multiple projects.
- You want to evaluate it before committing budget — the free tier is real, not a teaser.
- Your stack already includes one of the 7 platforms it integrates with.
Fillout's standout capabilities — verified per the vendor's published specs (May 2026) — include native airtable, notion, and smartsheet integrations — write directly to database records, ai form builder that generates multi-step forms from a text prompt, conversational form mode (similar to typeform's one-at-a-time format). These are the features that earn the Strong tier on the rubric.
When should you pick Tally?
Pick Tally when indie hackers is the job that has to be done well. Its free tier covers indie hackers without a credit card, and the 8020 Score of 88 reflects how well it executes against its rubric.
Tally is the right call when:
- Indie hackers.
- Small teams collecting structured input.
- Anyone tired of Typeform's pricing.
- You want to evaluate it before committing budget — the free tier is real, not a teaser.
- Your stack already includes one of the 7 platforms it integrates with.
Tally's standout capabilities — verified per the vendor's published specs (May 2026) — include block-based form editor — build forms the way you build notion pages, unlimited forms and unlimited responses on the free tier, conditional logic for multi-path forms and show/hide questions. These are the features that earn the Essential tier on the rubric.
How much do Fillout and Tally cost?
Fillout starts at $15 per user per month on a freemium (free tier + paid plans) model. Tally starts at $24 per user per month on a freemium (free tier + paid plans) model. Fillout has the lower entry price. Pricing verified May 2026.
Fillout: Free tier available. Lowest paid plan: $15/user/mo. Pricing model: freemium (free tier + paid plans). Tally: Free tier available. Lowest paid plan: $24/user/mo. Pricing model: freemium (free tier + paid plans).
Entry pricing only tells you where the meter starts. Real spend scales with seats, usage limits, and the plan tier where the features you actually need become available. Check each vendor's pricing page for the tier that matches your team size — and verify it matches our last-verified date before signing.
Fillout — strengths and trade-offs
What Fillout does well, where it falls short. Both lists draw from our hands-on testing against the Strong criteria. The full review is on the Fillout profile.
Strengths
- Native Airtable and Notion integrations write directly to database rows without Zapier
- More generous free tier than Typeform — 1,000 responses per month vs. Typeform's 10
- AI form builder drafts multi-step forms in seconds from a plain text description
- Cleaner, more modern design editor than Google Forms or legacy Jotform
Trade-offs
- Smaller brand recognition and ecosystem than Typeform or Jotform
- Native integrations cover a narrower range than Typeform's 300+ connections
- Advanced PDF generation and document signing require third-party tools
- Company is young (founded 2022) — long-term platform stability is less proven
Tally — strengths and trade-offs
What Tally does well, where it falls short. Both lists draw from our hands-on testing against the Essential criteria. The full review is on the Tally profile.
Strengths
- Free tier includes unlimited forms and unlimited responses with no Tally branding on the form itself
- Block-based editor builds forms faster than any competing tool in the category
- Clean professional design output requires zero CSS overrides for standard use cases
- No per-response pricing on any tier — costs stay flat regardless of response volume
- Native Notion integration routes responses directly into a database without Zapier
Trade-offs
- Conditional logic covers common branching but not complex multi-path scenarios at Fillout's depth
- No HIPAA compliance — a hard blocker for health or clinical data collection
- Removing Tally branding, custom domains, and lifting the 10 MB file-upload size cap require the $24/month Pro tier
- No native mobile app for reviewing responses on the go
- Heavily custom-branded forms require more CSS work than Typeform's styling system allows
What are the alternatives to Fillout and Tally?
If neither Fillout nor Tally is the right fit, the closest alternatives are the other tools in the forms category. Both lists are ranked by 8020 Score — start with the top of the relevant category and work down.
Fillout alternatives we cover: Tally, Typeform, Google Forms.
Tally alternatives we cover: Typeform, Google Forms, Fillout.
Frequently asked questions
Is Fillout or Tally better overall?
Neither is strictly better — they serve different jobs. Tally takes the 8020 composite (88 vs 73) on the rubric, while Fillout earns its tier (Strong) when its specific strengths match your situation. The decision turns on the four dimensions in the table above.
How much do Fillout and Tally cost?
Fillout starts at $15 per user per month on a freemium (free tier + paid plans) model; Tally starts at $24 per user per month on a freemium (free tier + paid plans) model. Fillout has a free tier; Tally has a free tier. Pricing verified May 2026.
Does Fillout integrate with the same tools as Tally?
Fillout lists 7 verified integrations in our directory; Tally lists 7. Both connect to the major platforms most teams already use. Specific integration availability depends on plan tier — see each tool profile for the full integration list.
Can Fillout replace Tally?
Only if your use case maps to Fillout's strengths. Fillout is the only major form builder with native write integrations to Airtable and Notion, eliminating the Zapier layer for teams whose data lives in those databases. If Tally's specific job is your primary need, it earns its seat.
Which has the better free tier, Fillout or Tally?
Both Fillout and Tally ship a free tier. Fillout's free tier suits teams connecting forms directly to airtable, notion, or smartsheet; Tally's suits indie hackers. Specific limits are listed on each vendor's pricing page.
