A consultant needs branded intake, proposal and deposit forms — not surveys — so the deciding cost is what it takes to remove vendor branding and take a payment, and whether a busy month blows a response cap. Tally wins because its free plan already does payments and unlimited submissions; you pay $29 only to debrand. Typeform is the trap: premium looks, hard response caps, and a form that silently closes the moment the cap is hit.
A consultant collects client intake, proposals and deposits, so we weighted the cost of branded forms that take payments and the freedom from per-response caps above survey analytics. The question is not which tool looks best in a demo; it is which one bills you least to send a logo-free form that charges a deposit — and never closes mid-month. See the full rubric →
Cost of branded forms with payments30%
Conditional logic & flexibility25%
Submission economics (no caps)20%
Respondent experience15%
Integrations10%
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RANK
★ Editor’s Choice
Tally
Editor’s pick
The math is lopsided. Tally's free plan already includes the two things a consultant needs — unlimited submissions and native payment collection — plus full conditional logic. The only reason to pay is to remove Tally branding and run a custom domain, which is the $29 Pro plan. Compared with Typeform's $50/mo capped forms, this is the cheapest path to branded intake that charges deposits.
The most underrated value here: even the free plan carries full conditional logic, calculations and payment collection that rivals paywall. Pro is $19/mo and Team $39/mo, with extra users at $5 each. For quote calculators and deposit forms with real logic, it undercuts Jotform and Typeform outright.
The deepest toolkit — thousands of templates, a PDF editor, approvals and payments — and worth it if you need that breadth. But the free plan caps at 100 submissions across 5 forms, and useful limits start at Bronze ($34/mo, 1,000) or Silver ($39, 2,500). You pay for capability a lean consultant may not use.
Document-style forms that read like a branded page, strong for polished proposals. But there is no perpetual free plan — only a 7-day trial — so the entry cost is $24/mo (annual Essentials), and unlimited submissions only arrive on the $99 Agency tier. Beautiful, but you pay from day one.
Beautiful, and a liability for a consultant. Every plan caps responses — 100 on the $25 Basic — and at the cap the form silently closes and the data is gone. A branded form that takes payments starts at $50/mo. You pay premium prices to risk losing a lead mid-month.
Built for surveys, priced for enterprises. Team Advantage is $30/user/month with a three-seat minimum — $1,080/year before you collect a thing — and responses past the cap cost $0.15 each. For consultant intake and deposits it is the wrong tool at the wrong price.
What is the cheapest way to take client payments via a form?
Tally and Cognito Forms both collect payments on their free plans. You pay only to remove branding — $29/mo for Tally Pro (with a custom domain) or $19/mo for Cognito Pro. Neither caps you per response.
Is Typeform worth it for consultants?
Rarely. It looks excellent but every plan caps responses and closes the form at the cap, and a branded version that takes payments starts at $50/mo. For intake and deposits it is overpriced and operationally risky.
Which form builder removes its own branding most cheaply?
Tally Pro at $29/mo, which also adds a custom domain. Cognito Forms' paid plans start at $19/mo with lighter white-labeling. Both undercut Jotform's $34 Bronze and Typeform's $25 Basic for de-branded, payment-ready forms.
Do I need Jotform?
Only if you want its template library, PDF editor or approval workflow. For plain branded intake with payments and logic, Tally and Cognito Forms do the job for less.