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A client intake form should help you decide what happens next. If it asks for everything you might eventually need, visitors may leave before explaining the problem they want solved. Tally and Google Forms can both collect an initial brief; the important differences appear in uploads, branching, and the experience of someone outside your organization.
Our recommendation: start with Google Forms for a simple questionnaire feeding an existing Google workflow. Consider Tally when external visitors need to upload files without signing into Google, or when you want more flexibility in how questions appear. Build a short sample in each before moving a live intake process.
Research basis: official documentation checked on October 26, 2026. This is a researched comparison, not a hands-on usability test. Product links are ordinary, non-affiliate links.
Tally and Google Forms compared
| Requirement | Tally | Google Forms |
|---|---|---|
| Conditional questions | Conditional logic can show or hide blocks and skip pages. | Multiple-choice and dropdown answers can send respondents to different sections. |
| File uploads | Respondents can upload without signing in; the free per-file limit is 10 MB. | Respondents must sign into a Google Account to upload files. |
| Free use | Unlimited forms and submissions subject to fair-use rules. | A useful starting point within the Google ecosystem; check account and administrator restrictions. |
| Visual identity | Free customization includes fonts, colors, and a logo; branding removal and custom domains require a paid plan. | Evaluate whether the standard form presentation meets your needs before paying for another service. |
Sources: Tally plans, Tally form building, Tally customization, and Google Forms section branching. Google Forms does have conditional routing; describing it as having no branching would be misleading.
The upload question can decide the choice
If prospective clients need to attach a brief, screenshot, or existing logo, test that step first. Google’s question-type documentation says file uploads require a Google Account sign-in. Uploaded files go to a folder in the form owner’s Drive, and shared-drive or administrator restrictions can affect availability.
Tally’s upload documentation describes uploads without respondent sign-in and a 10 MB limit per file on the free plan. It also notes that exported file links contain an access token. If those links land in a shared spreadsheet, everyone with access to the links may be able to open the files.
For an initial inquiry, an optional link to an existing public portfolio may be enough. Avoid asking someone to send a large brand asset library before you know whether you can help. Make the upload optional unless you genuinely cannot assess the request without it, and state what file types you expect.
A six-question intake form you can adapt
Here is an original starting template for a freelance website designer. The goal is to decide whether to offer a discovery call, request clarification, or decline the work. Adjust the wording for your service.
- What name and business should we use? Add a short text field. Avoid collecting a full billing address at this stage.
- What email address should we reply to? Explain that you will use it to respond to this inquiry.
- Is this a new website or a redesign? Use a single-choice question so each answer can lead to the right follow-up.
- What should the website help your business achieve? Ask for one or two concrete outcomes, such as booking consultations or explaining a service.
- When would you like the work completed? Include a “flexible” option. A preferred date is a discussion point, not an accepted deadline.
- What budget range have you set aside? Use ranges appropriate to your actual services and offer “not sure yet.”
For the redesign branch, add “What is your current website URL, and what is not working?” For a new site, ask “Do you already have your text and brand assets?” These are conditional follow-ups to the six-question starting form. An optional brief attachment can sit at the end.
Finish with a confirmation that explains the next step. For example: “Thanks for outlining your project. I will review your answers and email you about fit and next steps.” Add a response-time promise only if you can consistently meet it.
Build for the person completing the form
Write labels that still make sense without a sales call. Replace “scope” with “what do you need help creating?” where appropriate. Mark optional fields clearly and place instructions beside the relevant question.
Keep the first version short enough to complete in one sitting. If you cannot explain how an answer changes your next action, consider removing that question. Detailed access requests, passwords, and project materials belong in a later, appropriate onboarding process.
Test the handoff, not just submission
- Open the published link as an external visitor, outside the form owner’s signed-in session. Try it on a phone too.
- Submit one new-site request and one redesign request. Confirm each visitor sees the intended questions.
- If uploads are enabled, try an allowed file and an oversized file. Read the actual error message.
- Find the response and confirm that a responsible person knows what to do next.
- Review who can see responses and uploaded files before sharing a response sheet.
Google Forms can send responses to Google Sheets or export them as CSV. Its documentation also explains that removing a collaborator from the form and the linked spreadsheet requires separate attention. Whichever tool you select, keep a clear owner for the form and the response destination.
Which one should you use?
Use Google Forms when your short form works comfortably within your existing Google setup and sign-in requirements will not obstruct the files you need. Use Tally when its upload experience, block-level conditions, or presentation solve a specific problem in the trial. Pay for custom branding only when the standard presentation is a real constraint.
Common questions
Can Google Forms show different questions to different people?
Yes. Section routing based on a multiple-choice or dropdown answer supports different paths. Plan the sections before building the form.
Should a client intake form collect every project detail?
No. Collect enough to assess fit and decide the next step. A detailed brief can follow once you and the client agree there is a reason to continue.
