Microsoft Forms is already available to many universities and hospitals. It is fine for simple questionnaires. Studies with follow-up, clinical data or regulatory use need a platform built for them.
Free sandbox · No credit card · 21 CFR Part 11 aligned
Tests
5
Hands-on
4
To confirm
1
Capture vs Microsoft Forms: the short version
0
sales calls needed to start building
1
audit trail across EDC, ePRO, eConsent and randomization
Free
sandbox with every feature, no time limit
EU + US
hosting in Frankfurt or N. Virginia
The comparison
Because Microsoft Forms comes with the institution's licence, it is often the first tool researchers reach for. For an anonymous staff survey that is fine. For a study, the question is what happens after submission: responses in a spreadsheet can be edited without a per-field record of who changed what and why, and there is no participant schedule or consent workflow.
Capture adds what studies need: participant records, schedules with reminders, edit checks, a field-level audit trail and eConsent. See ALCOA+ data integrity.
What to compare
| Criterion | Why it matters | Capture |
|---|---|---|
| Audit trail | Who changed what, when and why | Field-level, append-only, with user, time, old and new value and reason |
| Scheduling | Repeat visits and diaries | Visit anchors, windows and reminders by email or SMS |
| Identity separation | Minimum necessary access | Names at the site; coded IDs for researchers and sponsors |
| Data checks | Clean data at entry | Range and custom-value edit checks raise auto-queries |
| Signatures | Consent and investigator sign-off | Verified eConsent; re-authenticated investigator signatures |
| Cost | Budget for small studies | Free sandbox; no setup fee; pay only when you go live |
This table shows Capture's answers only. Ask Microsoft Forms for theirs, and confirm current capabilities and terms directly with them.
Compliance controls
Every change is written to an append-only, hash-chained audit trail with user, time, old and new value and reason. Electronic signatures require password re-authentication and carry a meaning statement. Roles separate sites, and identifying data is segregated from study data at the database layer.
Weight changed 68.0 to 68.5 kg
Site coordinator · Reason: Transcription error
Query Q-0014 answered on Weight
Site coordinator · Reason: Source checked
Vital signs form locked
Data manager · Reason: Visit cleaned
Longitudinal studies
Each visit is anchored to screening, a milestone, an earlier visit, a fixed study day or a date recorded on a form, with a window and an enforcement mode. Questionnaires follow the schedule, reminders go out by email or SMS, and the status overview shows every participant against every visit.
Window -3 / +3 days around the anchored target date
Soft window
Stays available with a protocol deviation flag
Hard window
Locks outside the window
Warning only
Stays available with a warning
Auto-close
Marked missed when the window closes
Describe it or upload it, and let the AI draft the questions in the free sandbox.
Fit
Microsoft Forms is often enough for anonymous questionnaires, internal surveys and quick feedback within an institution.
Capture fits research that follows participants over time, handles identifiable health data, or needs trial controls.
Identity and access
Site coordinators see participant names; researchers and sponsor-side users work with coded IDs. Identifying data is segregated at the database layer, sites see only their own participants, and data is encrypted with AES-256 at rest and TLS in transit, hosted in the EU or US.
Site coordinator
Jane Peterson
DOB: 04-Mar-1978
Subject 01-004
Sees direct identifiersResearcher
Subject 01-004
DOB: withheld
Coded ID only
Sees coded ID onlySame record, two roles. Row-level security enforces the split.
Switching
Export the questions from your current tool and upload them, or describe the form; Capture's AI drafts it for your review, and you add codes, edit checks and a schedule. Keep data already collected in its original export, documented, and start new collection from a defined date.
Talk to your institution's research office about approved systems; many welcome a validated study platform for trials.
Evaluation
Agreements, access control and hosting checked.
Schedules, windows and reminders needed.
Audit trail with reasons required.
Consent or investigator sign-off needed.
Site separation and roles needed.
Part 11 or GCP expectations apply.
All comparisons
Every comparison uses the same approach: what to test, where each option fits, and Capture's own answers. See all of them on the comparisons hub at /compare.
For simple, low-risk questionnaires. Trials need audit trails, scheduling, consent and access controls.
Spreadsheets have version history, but not a per-field audit trail with reasons for change.
Yes, for studies that need trial-grade controls.
Yes. The free sandbox includes every feature with sample data, no credit card and no time limit. You pay only when you go live.
From public positioning and the criteria teams tell us matter. We state only Capture's own capabilities as fact; confirm Microsoft Forms's current offering with them.
Keep exploring
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