No AI follow-ups
Like every form builder, Tally serves the same fields to every respondent. Open-text answers stay shallow.
Diaform vs Tally: when free forms aren't enough.
Tally is a generous free form builder. Diaform is an AI interviewer that asks the follow-up. Different categories, pick the one that matches the depth you need.
14-day free trial · No demo required
Feature-by-feature comparison
Tally
Interview format
AI-led conversation, the AI listens to each answer and decides what to ask next from one shared link.
Static form with optional conditional logic. Every respondent answers a pre-designed sequence of fields.
Follow-up questions
Adaptive AI follow-ups (1, 3, or 5 deep) generated per answer, turns vague responses into specific insight without manual logic.
Conditional logic on multiple-choice values, but no AI reading an open-text answer and asking a smart follow-up.
Voice
Whisper voice input plus a natural ElevenLabs AI voice. Voice answers are typically 2-3× longer than typed responses.
Text input only, no voice answers from respondents and no spoken AI-led interviews in the form.
Free tier generosity
Diaform offers a 14-day trial (150 conversations, 2 projects, 1 seat), generous, but time-limited.
Truly unlimited free plan, unlimited forms, unlimited submissions, unlimited respondents, no time limit. Hard to beat at $0.
AI synthesis
Per-response summary, sentiment, confidence, keywords, and notable quotes generated automatically, no coding sessions.
Submissions land in a clean list or webhook. Some AI helpers exist for form generation, but synthesis of open-text is on you.
Mid-interview automations
13 topic + 5 sentiment triggers fire actions in flow: alert Slack, capture an email, offer a discount, book a meeting, redirect.
Conditional logic and post-submit integrations exist, but no AI deciding mid-conversation to capture an email or alert Slack.
Templates
Templates for common SaaS jobs: churn interview, onboarding feedback, concept test, JTBD, NPS follow-up. Tuned for AI conversation.
Hundreds of static-form templates, signup, contact, RSVP, NPS, lead capture, well-designed for non-research use cases.
Pricing
14-day trial. Pro $89/mo ($74/mo annual). Business $149/mo ($124/mo annual). Self-serve and transparent.
Free forever (unlimited submissions). Pro ~$29/mo unlocks branding, conditional logic, and integrations. Excellent price-to-value.
Best for
Customer-facing qualitative research where depth matters: churn, onboarding, concept tests, JTBD interviews.
Cheap, polished static forms, signup, contact, lead capture, simple polls. If a form is enough, Tally is hard to beat.
Interview format
Diaform
AI-led conversation, the AI listens to each answer and decides what to ask next from one shared link.
Tally
Static form with optional conditional logic. Every respondent answers a pre-designed sequence of fields.
Follow-up questions
Diaform
Adaptive AI follow-ups (1, 3, or 5 deep) generated per answer, turns vague responses into specific insight without manual logic.
Tally
Conditional logic on multiple-choice values, but no AI reading an open-text answer and asking a smart follow-up.
Voice
Diaform
Whisper voice input plus a natural ElevenLabs AI voice. Voice answers are typically 2-3× longer than typed responses.
Tally
Text input only, no voice answers from respondents and no spoken AI-led interviews in the form.
Free tier generosity
Diaform
Diaform offers a 14-day trial (150 conversations, 2 projects, 1 seat), generous, but time-limited.
Tally
Truly unlimited free plan, unlimited forms, unlimited submissions, unlimited respondents, no time limit. Hard to beat at $0.
AI synthesis
Diaform
Per-response summary, sentiment, confidence, keywords, and notable quotes generated automatically, no coding sessions.
Tally
Submissions land in a clean list or webhook. Some AI helpers exist for form generation, but synthesis of open-text is on you.
Mid-interview automations
Diaform
13 topic + 5 sentiment triggers fire actions in flow: alert Slack, capture an email, offer a discount, book a meeting, redirect.
Tally
Conditional logic and post-submit integrations exist, but no AI deciding mid-conversation to capture an email or alert Slack.
Templates
Diaform
Templates for common SaaS jobs: churn interview, onboarding feedback, concept test, JTBD, NPS follow-up. Tuned for AI conversation.
Tally
Hundreds of static-form templates, signup, contact, RSVP, NPS, lead capture, well-designed for non-research use cases.
Pricing
Diaform
14-day trial. Pro $89/mo ($74/mo annual). Business $149/mo ($124/mo annual). Self-serve and transparent.
Tally
Free forever (unlimited submissions). Pro ~$29/mo unlocks branding, conditional logic, and integrations. Excellent price-to-value.
Best for
Diaform
Customer-facing qualitative research where depth matters: churn, onboarding, concept tests, JTBD interviews.
Tally
Cheap, polished static forms, signup, contact, lead capture, simple polls. If a form is enough, Tally is hard to beat.
Free forms vs AI interviews
Tally has won a loyal following with a "free forever" model, unlimited forms and submissions on the free plan, with Pro at around $29/mo unlocking branding, integrations, and conditional logic. For static forms, the price-to-value ratio is hard to beat.
Diaform is built for the moment a form isn't enough, when you need real follow-ups, sentiment, and themes generated for you. The AI runs each interview as a conversation, not a sequence of fields.
Where Tally hits a ceiling
Synthesis is manual
Tally hands you submissions in a clean list. Coding open-text into themes is still on you.
No in-flow triggered actions
Conditional logic exists, but there's no AI deciding mid-conversation to alert Slack, offer a discount, or capture an email based on sentiment.
Where Diaform pulls ahead
Adaptive AI follow-ups
Choose probing intensity (1, 3, or 5 deep) and the AI decides per answer when to dig in.
Voice or text
Voice answers are typically 2-3× longer. Whisper input plus an ElevenLabs voice make it feel like an interview.
Auto synthesis
Sentiment, confidence, keywords, and notable quotes per response. No coding sessions.
13 topic + 5 sentiment triggers
Mid-conversation actions: alert Slack, capture an email, offer a discount code, book a meeting, redirect to a URL.
Knowledge base per project
Upload product context (up to 50k tokens) so the AI can reference your features, pricing, and roadmap mid-interview.
30+ languages
Run interviews globally in respondents' native languages, summaries back in English.
Pick the right tool for the job
When Tally is the better fit
Stay on Tally for free or near-free static forms, signup, contact, lead capture, simple polls. It's the right call for solo founders and side projects where the form just needs to work and budget is the binding constraint.
When Diaform is the better fit
Reach for Diaform on customer-facing research where the answer matters, churn, onboarding, concept testing, JTBD interviews. You get sentiment, themes, and notable quotes generated for you, plus triggered actions running inside the conversation itself instead of after the fact.
Frequently asked questions
Q
Is Diaform worth it if Tally has a generous free plan?
For static forms, no, stay on Tally. For customer-facing qualitative research where you need the AI to ask follow-ups and synthesize, the upgrade pays for itself the first time you skip a coding session.
Q
How does pricing compare?
Tally has a free plan with unlimited forms and submissions; Pro is around $29/mo. Diaform Pro is $89/mo ($74/mo annual) and Business is $149/mo ($124/mo annual), with a 14-day trial.
Q
Can I migrate Tally questions over?
Yes, paste your Tally questions in and pick a probing intensity. The AI will run them as an adaptive conversation instead of a static form.
Q
Does Tally have AI features?
Tally has added some AI helpers, but the form itself is static. Diaform runs the interview itself, the AI decides what to ask next based on what was just said.
Q
Can I use both?
Yes. Many teams use Tally for cheap static forms (signups, contact) and Diaform for customer research where depth matters.
Q
Will my data train AI models?
Diaform does not use customer conversation data to train AI models.
Explore more
Dive into the other ways Diaform can power your research.
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