Picture David, a final-year student writing his thesis. His supervisor has approved the questionnaire, and the next hurdle is the examiner who will read the methods chapter and ask how he knows the answers are usable. Google Forms is the obvious first choice on campus because it sits next to Drive and Sheets, so before he picks something else he wants to know what he would gain and what he would give up. This page answers that, with every Google Forms fact taken from Google's own help pages and checked on 6 November 2026 (see Sources at the end).
At a glance
| PingPolls | Google Forms | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | One question at a time in a chat-like flow | Questions grouped in sections, and you choose which section comes next |
| Question types | 16, including opinion scale, rating, NPS, preference ranking, sentiment cards and file upload | 12, including linear scale, rating, multiple choice grid, checkbox grid and time |
| Scales and grids | Opinion scale (0 or 1 up to 10, with end labels), rating (3 to 10 stars) and NPS; no grid question | Linear scale, rating (a whole number from 3 to 10) and two grid types |
| Branching | Logic blocks with AND/OR conditions that can go to a section, set the result, disable submit or update a custom field | "Go to section based on answer" on multiple choice and dropdown questions |
| Responses in a spreadsheet | Google Sheets integration, plus CSV export | Linked Google Sheets spreadsheet, new or existing |
| File uploads | Respondents upload without signing in; Free allows files up to 10 MB | Respondents must sign in to a Google Account; files go to a folder in the owner's Drive |
| Graded quizzes | No answer keys or grade release | Answer keys, points, feedback and grade release |
| Building with AI | AI form builder on every plan, within a monthly allowance | "Help me create a form" with Gemini on eligible Google Workspace or Google AI plans |
One question at a time instead of a long page
Google Forms organises a questionnaire into sections, and at the bottom of each section you choose where respondents go next. PingPolls shows one question at a time in a chat-like flow, so the respondent answers, sees the next question arrive, and can tap the pencil next to an earlier answer to change it. On a phone the answer field always sits just above the keyboard.
For a thesis this matters less for looks and more for attention. When each question arrives on its own, there are no grids to click straight through, which gives David one less thing to defend in his methods chapter.
Comparisons instead of grids
Google Forms has the instruments many methods courses teach first, such as linear scales, ratings and multiple choice grids. PingPolls covers the single items: an opinion scale works as a Likert item with your own words at each end, and each answer is stored as a number. What PingPolls doesn't have is a grid, so a block of Likert items becomes one opinion scale question per item, shown one at a time.
PingPolls also has question types built for comparing options. With preference ranking, respondents compare two options at a time (up to 10 options), pairs that earlier picks already settle are skipped, and you get a ranked list with scores. With sentiment cards, they rate up to 20 statements or items with an icon pair such as yes or no, and the time each answer took is recorded. If David's research question is "which of these do students prefer?", a ranking gives him an order and scores rather than a set of separate ratings to compare.
A clearer account of how answers were checked
Examiners ask how the data was cleaned, so it helps when the tool gives you something concrete to write. PingPolls records how long each this-or-that pick took, and Certiscore™ turns that time into a signal of how sure the respondent was. It works on preference ranking and sentiment cards, and you can describe it in your methods as one more quality check next to your attention checks. It is not a bot detector, and we do not present the method as published or peer-reviewed, so read how we analyze answers and decide with your supervisor how to describe it.
Other checks are part of every form. A hidden honeypot field and a single-use token are always on, reCAPTCHA can be switched on, and each respondent gets one response by default, as the guide to preventing duplicate responses explains. For open-text questions where you switch on AI analysis, PingPolls also checks whether each answer fits its question or stands out from the other answers, and that gives you a list of answers to look at before you code them.
Branching and what happens after submit
Google Forms branches with "Go to section based on answer," which works on multiple choice and dropdown questions, and you can also send people straight to submit. PingPolls logic blocks take IF conditions joined with AND or OR, and each one can go to a section, set the next section, set the result, disable submit, or update a calculated custom field. That makes screening simple, because a respondent outside your target group can be sent to a polite closing message.
After submitting, PingPolls can show a result page chosen by logic. For a thesis this is a natural place for a short debrief that thanks the participant and explains what the study is about, and logic is free on every plan.
Getting the data into your analysis
Google Forms links a response spreadsheet from "Select destination for responses," either a new spreadsheet or an existing one. PingPolls can add a row per response to Google Sheets through the Google Sheets integration, and the form owner can export responses as a CSV with no row limit. In that CSV, choices are written as their labels, phone numbers in international format, and rankings and sentiment cards as label: score lines, so the file is ready to clean in your statistics package.
When Google Forms is the better choice
Google Forms is the better choice when your instrument has to be shown as a grid, because PingPolls asks one item at a time and has no grid question. It also fits better when you are running a graded quiz, since Google Forms supports answer keys, points, answer feedback and releasing grades after review.
It is also the simpler path when your university runs on Google Workspace and you want uploads to land straight in your Drive, keeping in mind that respondents must sign in to a Google Account to answer a file upload question.
When PingPolls is the better choice
PingPolls fits better when your research question is about preference, because pairwise ranking and sentiment cards give you an order and scores instead of separate ratings. It also fits when you need to write a clear paragraph on how answers were checked, since Certiscore, duplicate checks and the relevancy check give you concrete steps to report.
It helps too when respondents answer on phones or in other languages, since the form screens come in 12 languages, and when you want to draft the questionnaire from a description with the AI form builder before your supervisor reviews it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I run my thesis survey on the Free plan?
Yes, if 100 responses a month is enough. The Free plan includes unlimited forms and 100 responses every month, with logic and custom fields. Pro raises that to 2,000 responses a month.
Can I cite Certiscore as a validated method?
We do not describe Certiscore as published, peer-reviewed or citable. Describe it as one more quality check, and point your reviewer to how we analyze answers so they can judge it themselves.
Does PingPolls have Likert scales?
Yes, as single items. Use an opinion scale from 1 to 5 or 1 to 7 with your agreement labels at each end. There is no grid, so if your instrument must appear as a grid, Google Forms has multiple choice grids.
Can I analyze the data in SPSS or R?
Yes. Export the responses as CSV, or send each response to Google Sheets, and import the file from there.
Sources
- Google Forms help: choose a type of question for your form, checked on 6 November 2026
- Google Forms help: show questions based on answers, checked on 6 November 2026
- Google Forms help: choose where to save form responses, checked on 6 November 2026
- Google Forms help: make a quiz, checked on 6 November 2026
- Google Forms help: create a form with Gemini, checked on 6 November 2026
