GOV.UK Forms Alternative
We’re trusted by 100s of Public Sector Departments
The No. 1 alternative to GOV.UK Forms
SmartSurvey is built on Enterprise architecture to handle high volume responses. We ensure top-tier security, performance, and availability as standard with all data stored in the UK. We are ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials accredited company, we are also an approved supplier under the Crown Commercial Service.
Try SmartSurvey today – it’s completely risk-free.
SmartSurvey vs. GOV.UK Forms – comparing the main features
Both SmartSurvey and Gov Forms are designed so that users without technical knowledge can easily create forms.
Both SmartSurvey and Gov Forms have taken the necessary steps to meet the accessibility requirements of the public sector. That way, respondents with disabilities can also have their voices heard in full.
SmartSurvey and Gov Forms conform to the latest cyber security standards, making the platforms extremely safe and secure.
Both platforms offer users simple analytical and reporting features. That way, users can keep track of respondents and any incoming data that comes from their survey, form, or questionnaire.
As both SmartSurvey and Gov Forms operate entirely within the UK, all user data will be collected, processed, and stored in the United Kingdom.
Advanced skip logic: Unlike Gov Forms, using SmartSurvey, users can take advantage of skip logic, randomisation, scoring, and piping to ask each respondent the most relevant questions improving response rates and data quality.
SmartSurvey allows survey makers to set very specific parameters and filter through their survey results to access important text analysis & statistical data.
SmartSurvey users can choose from 20+ different question types with specific question types like NPS and CSAT auto calculating results to track key metrics and monitor KPIS
SmartSurvey allows your respondents the convenience of saving and exiting at any time. That way, the respondent can choose when to complete your survey or form, boosting both the respondent satisfaction and the quality of the results that you’ll get.
Dashboards make your survey data easy to understand, visualise trends and insights; real-time sentiment analysis flags negative feedback for proactive action
Unlike Gov Forms, using SmartSurvey, surveys can be run offline in places without direct, or poor access to the internet.
All SmartSurvey users can get in touch with our dedicated customer support team via email, over the phone from 9:00am – 5:30pm, Monday to Friday, via ticket or live chat in app.
Customise every last detail of your survey and make it look and feel like it’s coming directly from your organisation. You’ll see an increase in respondents' trust, which will lead to higher engagement and better results.
Unlike Gov Forms, which is only available to the central government, SmartSurvey is available to all, regardless if you’re the government or an organisation that isn’t directly linked to them.
Using SmartSurvey’s scheduling tool, you can automate the survey results so that once they come in, they will be sent to all the right people automatically.
It's not just about features...
Find out why the SmartSurvey platform
and service offering is loved by our Public Sector
All user data is stored in the UK
The SmartSurvey platform and all our staff operate entirely from the United Kingdom. SmartSurvey also has no subsidiaries abroad, meaning that none of the user data that goes through the software is subject to FISA and other third-country data laws and regulations. As a result, not only will all user data collected by SmartSurvey be processed and stored in the United Kingdom, but it won’t be at risk of ever leaving the country either.
Extremely safe & secure
SmartSurvey is one of the most safe and secure survey platforms on the internet. And it’s easy to see why. SmartSurvey conforms to the ISO 27001 standard, is Cyber Security Plus accredited, and vets all its staff to the robust BS7858 standard. As a result of the extensive security measures the platform has taken, SmartSurvey’s current SecurityScorecard rating sits at 98 out of 100. This is higher than the large majority of Gov Forms alternatives out there.
Feature-rich yet easy-to-use
SmartSurvey is one of the very few Gov Forms alternatives that offers users a robust set of features without making the platform difficult to use. That way, anyone with or without prior knowledge of using survey or form software can find their way around, create, distribute, and analyse their surveys with ease.
No limits
Using SmartSurvey, users can create unlimited surveys, add as many questions as they want, and get as many responses as they need at no extra cost. So, whether you’re looking at creating a small-scale one-off survey or a large-scale ongoing survey, you don’t need to worry about going over your budget.
White label branding
Users can customise every aspect of their survey, ranging from the colours and the fonts all the way down to the domain the survey is hosted on. If you’re a government body or an organisation dealing with the public, trust is essential. With custom domains and spot on branding your audience will feel confident to complete their survey or form.
Excellent customer service
We make it as easy as possible for users to get in touch our support team. This include phone, live chat, email and ticket support. For users on Enterprise plans, you’ll have your very own dedicated account manager and access to our Customer Success, who will be there to help you with everything, on-demand.
Save & continue
SmartSurvey’s ‘save & continue’ feature allows your respondents to save their progress, exit your survey, and complete it at a time that’s suitable for them. This will lead to higher respondent satisfaction, increased engagement, and better overall results.
WCAG compliant
Using SmartSurvey, users can create accessible surveys, forms, and questionnaires so people with disabilities can also have their voices heard. This includes people who can’t use a mouse or a keyboard or require the use of devices such as screen readers. As of 2023, SmartSurvey is fully WCAG 2.0 compliant and is working hard towards achieving WCAG 2.1 compliance.
Let’s explore some key features that SmartSurvey offers, which are not available in GOV.UK Forms
Question types & skip logic
Using SmartSurvey, you can tailor your form, survey, or questionnaire so you can extract just the right type of information you need from your respondents. To help you do that, you can choose from over 20 different question types, ranging from multiple-choice and open & closed questions to CSAT, CES, and NPS.
Not only that, but when creating your survey, form, or questionnaire, you can implement advanced skip logic. These include randomisation, scoring, and piping, and allow you to ask each respondent the most relevant questions for them.
In other words, by taking advantage of SmartSurvey’s advanced question types and skip logic, you can create the perfect survey that allows you to get the exact results you need.
White-label branding
Working in the Public sector its imperative that your surveys and forms appear trustworthy in the eyes of your respondents.
SmartSurvey allows you to white-label every part of your survey, form, or questionnaire, right down to the last detail. Some examples include:
- The colours, fonts, and the overall theme
- The logo & general branding
- The URL where the survey or form is hosted and the thankyou page
- The email domain that the survey or form is sent from
Reporting & analytics
Gov Forms has basic reporting features which can provide you with limited analytical capability. SmartSurvey on the other hand has one of the most powerful reporting and analytics features on the market to help you uncover insight fast and monitor trends and ongoing KPIs and Metrics.
All reporting is updated in real time. You have access to multiple filters and charts types as well as text and sentiment analysis. Our dashboards enable you to build your own dynamic reports using a multitude if graphs enabling you to make sense of and compare results as well as track and monitor trends and KPIS and share data seamlessly with teams.
Customer service
While users can contact the customer service team of GOV.UK Forms via email, immediate help is not available. In contrast at SmartSurvey we offer a range of ways to connect with our team to get the help you need. From 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM (Mon-Fri), users can reach our dedicated support team via email, ticket, phone or live chat. Additionally, Enterprise plan users have access to a dedicated account manager for personalised, priority support whenever needed.
The importance of choosing a UK-based GOV.UK Forms alternative
If your organisation is based in the United Kingdom and you use a Gov Forms alternative that is based abroad, there are no guarantees that your data will be stored in the UK. This is largely because user data collected by software that is based abroad will be subject to the data protection laws and regulations of that country.
If we take a US-based Gov Forms alternative as an example, all user data collected by the said software will be subject to the s702 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, also known as FISA. What this means is that U.S. intelligence agencies can request all data that the software collects, manages, or stores of non-U.S. users for monitoring purposes.
If you don’t want your data to be subject to such surveillance measures, opting for a UK-based alternative with no subsidiaries abroad (such as SmartSurvey) is key. It also makes compliance a whole lot simpler.
Over 500,000 users have chosen SmartSurvey since 2010
SmartSurvey has been around for way longer than Gov Forms (14 years to be exact). During that time, SmartSurvey has won numerous awards and has become the primary choice for over half a million users.
If you’re still on the fence about trying SmartSurvey - there isn’t a reason to be. Try SmartSurvey today completely for free.
What other government bodies have to say about using SmartSurvey
The functionality and features provided by the SmartSurvey platform have enabled us to create some really engaging surveys, with the training we’ve received from the SmartSurvey team helping us to maximise the value we can obtain through the platform. SmartSurvey are really prompt and proactive in their support too and have provided us with out-of-scope consultancy support on numerous occasions, which has been really useful.
David Cooke, Home Office
We have found Smart Survey very intuitive to use when setting up the survey questions, easy to collect responses and to collate the results. We particularly appreciate the kiosk feature, allowing us to collect responses without a stable Wi-Fi connection, invaluable when out in the parks.
Claire, Dundee City Council
We started using SmartSurvey because it was difficult to set policing priorities for our communities in line with what those communities wanted, and we needed to be able to reach out and get real responses to real questions. SmartSurvey allowed us to do that easily, affordably and securely.
Metropolitan Police
Did we mention our
plans are flexible?
When using SmartSurvey, you’re the one that’s in control. Try SmartSurvey today and see for yourself why hundreds of government agencies and institutions have relied on our platform for all their survey and form needs over the last decade.
SmartSurvey FAQs
All user data collected by SmartSurvey is stored in the UK. Aside from that, SmartSurvey guarantees that no user data will leave the United Kingdom, under any circumstances. To ensure that, all SmartSurvey employees, which may have access to user data work from within the United Kingdom.
SmartSurvey also doesn’t have any subsidiaries abroad. As a result of that, no user data will ever be subject to third-country data laws and regulations such as the United States’ FISA.
Yes, it will. In fact, you’ll struggle to find a more secure Gov Forms alternative than SmartSurvey. This is because SmartSurvey has taken a multi-layered approach to ensure that the platform is as safe and as secure as possible.
For instance, SmartSurvey is both Cyber Security Plus accredited and conforms to the ISO 27001 standard of information security. To add an extra layer of security for users, SmartSurvey also vets all of its staff to the robust BS7858 standard.
We can keep on listing the different security measures SmartSurvey has taken. However, the platform’s security efforts are perfectly reflected in their SecurityScorecard rating, which is currently 98 out of 100.
No, there is no steep learning curve involved with using SmartSurvey. This goes for both users with and without prior experience using survey software. In fact, the reason SmartSurvey is such a fantastic alternative to Gov Forms is because of how easy the platform is to use (as is the case with Gov Forms).
And this isn’t just our opinion. On Capterra (a popular software review website), existing SmartSurvey users have rated the platform’s ease of use 4.7 out of 5.
With that said, as is the case with all software, some basic computer knowledge is necessary. And as a result, the learning curve involved with using SmartSurvey will largely depend on the users existing knowledge of using computer devices.
Since 2010, over 500,000 individuals, companies, and organisations (both public and private) have used SmartSurvey. Some of the most notable names in SmartSurvey’s vast portfolio of customers include the NHS, Home Office, Metropolitan Police, Cabinet Office, Ofsted, and BBC, to name a few.
Absolutely. And in fact, we highly encourage you to do so. There are two ways you can go about doing this. You can either create a free account, which will provide you with all the basic SmartSurvey features or you can start a 14-day trial on our Professional or Business plans.
The latter option will grant you access to the platform’s paid features. That way, you can try out the platform to its full potential and see if it’s a good option for you.
Depending on the questions you have, you can either contact our customer support or sales team. If you prefer to get in touch with us right away, you can also call us on +44 (0)1684 342 400. Please note that our customer service team operates from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM (UK time) Monday to Friday.
