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Independently verified · Quarterly re-audit
EU VETTED
Head-to-head

Google Forms vs Tally

How Tally, a European Forms & surveys tool, compares with Google Forms on the signals a privacy-conscious buyer actually checks: who owns it, where it hosts, and its exposure to the US CLOUD Act.

In short

Tally (Belgium, Ghent — EU-owned, data stored in the EU, CLOUD Act exposure: Material via its Google Cloud and US sub-processors) is the closest privacy-first European answer to Google Forms. Both are easy, free-to-start form builders; the practical difference is corporate jurisdiction. Google Forms is part of US-incorporated Google Workspace with direct CLOUD Act exposure, while Tally is a bootstrapped Belgian company storing form data in the EU. Tally is not zero-exposure — it hosts on Google Cloud's Belgium region — but it removes the US-parent question and publishes an accessible DPA.

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Side-by-side

Google Forms vs Tally, on the sovereignty signals

Compliance and pricing facts, side by side. The right column is pulled live from our verified dataset; the left reflects the incumbent’s public profile.

Google Forms vs Tally, on the sovereignty signals
Signal Google Forms Tally
Ownership US-owned EU-owned
Hosting region US / global (Google Cloud) Belgium
CLOUD Act exposure Direct Material
Sovereignty US-LINKED EU-HOSTED
Certifications None listed None listed
Price from Free (Workspace) from €20/mo
Visit Tally → Read the Tally profile →
Verdict

Google Forms vs Tally: which should you pick?

For most teams leaving Google Forms over data-sovereignty concerns, Tally is the pragmatic switch: a real Belgian company (Tally BV, Ghent — EU-owned, CLOUD Act exposure: Material), EU data storage, an openly published DPA, and a free tier that is genuinely more capable than Google Forms on conditional logic, payments, and signatures.

Be precise about what you gain. Tally removes the US-parent question — there is no Alphabet-style corporate structure subject directly to the CLOUD Act — and it is far more transparent than the Workspace default. What it does not give you is a fully US-free stack: Tally hosts on Google Cloud's Belgium region and uses US sub-processors, so its exposure is material, not none.

Pick Google Forms only if deep, native Google Sheets and Workspace integration is the deciding factor. Pick Tally if EU jurisdiction, a public DPA, and stronger form features matter more — and if you need zero US infrastructure, treat Tally as a stepping stone and check the no-US-subprocessor forms options on the category page.

Switching

Migrating from Google Forms to Tally

Moving from Google Forms to Tally is a rebuild, not a data import — and for typical short forms that is a 10–20 minute job.

  1. Export your existing responses. In Google Forms, link the form to Google Sheets and download the responses as CSV. This is your archive; Tally does not import historical Google Forms submissions.
  2. Rebuild the form in Tally. Tally's editor is Notion-style — type to add questions, drag to reorder. Recreate your fields, then add the capabilities Google Forms lacked: conditional logic, calculations, file uploads, or a payment step.
  3. Reconnect your workflow. If responses fed a Google Sheet, Notion database, or Slack channel, set up the equivalent Tally integration so downstream automations keep working.
  4. Swap the link, keep the old form open. Publish the Tally form, update the link wherever it lives, and leave the Google Form accepting responses for a couple of weeks so nothing in flight is lost.
FAQ

Google Forms vs Tally — frequently asked questions

Is Tally a true GDPR-compliant alternative to Google Forms?
Tally is operated by Tally BV, a Belgian company in Ghent, stores form data within the EU, and publishes a Data Processing Agreement openly at /help/data-processing-agreement. That removes the US-parent issue that drives buyers away from Google Forms. The honest caveat: Tally's own sub-processor list shows it hosts on Google Cloud (Belgium region) alongside US processors such as Cloudflare and Stripe, so its CLOUD Act exposure is Material rather than zero. It is a meaningful improvement on jurisdiction and transparency, not a fully US-free stack.
Does Google Forms fall under the US CLOUD Act?
Yes. Google Forms is part of Google Workspace, operated by Google LLC, a US-incorporated subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. The US CLOUD Act reaches US companies regardless of where the data is stored, which is the core point raised in a Schrems II transfer impact assessment. Google publishes Standard Contractual Clauses and supplementary measures, so it is legally usable from the EU; the alternative search is about reducing the underlying jurisdictional exposure.
Will my Google Forms questions and responses transfer to Tally?
There is no one-click importer, but the migration is light. Most Google Forms are short, so rebuilding the form in Tally's Notion-style editor takes minutes, and existing responses export from Google Forms to Google Sheets (CSV) for your records. Tally then collects new submissions and can pipe them back to Google Sheets, Notion, Airtable, Slack, or a webhook if you want to keep an existing workflow.
Is Tally actually free like Google Forms?
Tally's free tier covers unlimited forms and unlimited submissions within fair-use limits, including conditional logic, file uploads, payments, and signatures — more generous than most freemium form builders. Paid plans start at €20 and add custom domains, removed branding, and team features. Google Forms is free as part of Workspace, but that bundling is also why it carries the Workspace jurisdiction profile.
Can Tally do conditional logic and payments like the tools I'm used to?
Yes. Tally supports conditional logic, multi-step forms, calculations, file uploads, e-signatures, and payment collection (via Stripe), which puts it ahead of Google Forms on form capability and closer to Typeform. The trade-off versus Google Forms is the loss of deep, native Google Sheets and Workspace integration — Tally connects to Sheets, but it is an integration rather than a built-in part of the same suite.
Where is Tally's data actually stored?
Tally states data is stored on servers within the European Union, and its privacy policy locates the data controller as Tally BV in Ghent, Belgium. The nuance for procurement-grade buyers: the DPA's sub-processor annex discloses categories rather than naming the host directly, and independent review shows Google Cloud's Belgium region as the underlying infrastructure. EU data region, EU company — but a US-owned hyperscaler at the hosting layer, which is why we rate exposure as Material.
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METHODOLOGY

How we verified each row above.

For every product we read the public DPA, sub-processors document, hosting region declaration, and corporate ownership records. Each is timestamped. Signals are editorial, re-verified quarterly. We never accept self-attestation.

Reviewed by the EU Vetted editorial team · Editorial guidelines

Last verified June 2026

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