Existing PDF · preserve design
PDF Fillable Form
Choose this when the layout itself carries meaning — official letterhead, a regulated format, or a design people already recognize.
Choose the right PlatoForms tool
Compare four ways to start: use an existing PDF, build an online form, or create a new document. Then see how Classic and Conversational filling fit in.
Compare the four core starting paths
A side-by-side breakdown to help you decide which path fits your situation.
| Compare | PDF Fillable Form | Web PDF Form | Web Form | PDF Document Creator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quick Look |
Your PDF's design stays exactly the same. Explore Learn more → |
Your PDF content reflows to fit any screen. Explore Learn more → |
Build a form for the web — no PDF needed. Explore Learn more → |
Create the document itself — no existing PDF needed. Explore Learn more → |
| Start with | An existing PDF | An existing PDF | A blank form or template | A blank page or template |
| Primary job | Digitize without redesigning | Turn PDF content into a responsive form | Collect data with a web-first form | Create the document itself |
| Respondent view | Original PDF layout | Responsive web layout | Responsive web layout | Depends on the output you choose |
| Design control | Field and font styling | Full styling; CSS/JS available | Full styling; CSS/JS available | Full styling with AI-assisted design editing, themes, and widgets |
| AI setup | AI Field Recognition detects fields | AI Field Recognition detects and maps fields | AI Form Generator builds from a description | AI assistant creates document content and layout |
| Filling experience | Classic only | |||
| Best for | Government forms, contracts, approved templates | Existing PDFs that should work better on mobile | Applications, surveys, registrations, intake | Contracts, letters, certificates, new documents |
Already leaning toward one? Each connection below is the one question that decides between it and its neighbor.
Existing PDF · responsive experience
Web PDF Form
Choose this when you want to turn an existing PDF into a responsive, mobile-friendly form and do not need to preserve its exact layout.
No PDF · collect data
Web Form
Start from a blank form, template, or AI-generated draft. Choose this when you want a web-first form and do not need its layout to follow an existing PDF.
No PDF · create a document
PDF Document Creator
Create the document itself first—such as a contract, letter, or certificate—then export it as a PDF or convert it into a fillable form.
If you have a PDF ↓
Same PDF, two ways to make it fillable.
Both start with your existing PDF, add online fields, and collect digital submissions. The difference is what the respondent sees — the original PDF layout, or a responsive web layout. Need a different starting point? Return to the full comparison ↑
PDF Fillable Form
Your PDF's design doesn't change.
We add fillable fields on top of your file, without moving or reflowing the text.
CLIENT INTAKE FORMPAGE 1 OF 2
FULL NAME
DATE OF BIRTH
POLICY NUMBER
HOME ADDRESS
- AI detects fields from the PDF layout
- Best for official, regulated, or familiar documents
Web PDF Form
The content adapts to the screen.
PlatoForms uses your PDF content as the starting point, then reflows it into a web layout.
Client intakeFull nameDate of birth
Client intakeFull nameDate of birth
- AI detects fields and reflows the content
- Best when mobile completion matters more than pixel-perfect fidelity
Choose PDF Fillable Form when the design cannot change.
Choose Web PDF Form when the PDF should reflow into a responsive form.
Two ways to fill out the same form
Most forms show all fields at once. If yours is long, or you want better completion on mobile, you can switch to one question at a time — the same fields, presented like a step-by-step chat.
Web PDF Forms and Web Forms both support either style, and you can switch between them without rebuilding anything. PDF Fillable Form stays in the standard layout to keep your original PDF design intact.
Learn about Conversational Form →
CLASSIC
Full name
Email
Phone number
CONVERSATIONAL
What's your full name?
Jordan LeeWhat's your email?
Common questions
Answers to the most common "which one do I use?" and "can I combine them?" questions.
Is Web PDF Form the same as Web Form?
No. Web PDF Form begins with an existing PDF and reflows its content. Web Form begins without a PDF, so its fields, structure, and design are web-first from the start.
Where does Conversational Form fit?
Conversational Form is a filling mode, not another starting format. It presents one question at a time on supported Web PDF Forms, Web Forms, and Workflows.
Which AI tool applies to each path?
AI Field Recognition detects fields when you already have a PDF. AI Form Generator builds a new web form from a description. PDF Document Creator uses AI to help create the document itself.
Can I start from a template?
Yes. Browse ready-made form and document templates, then customize the content, fields, design, and workflow for your use case.
How can one form fill multiple PDFs?
Use Master Form when one process includes several related PDFs. It collects the information once, maps the same fields across every connected document, and returns the completed PDF package—so respondents do not repeat the same answers.
One form
PDF A
PDF B
PDF C
Can these paths be combined?
Yes. PDF Fillable Form, Web PDF Form, and Web Form all collect responses online and can produce a completed PDF. Web PDF Form and Web Form can also use either a Classic or Conversational filling experience.
PDF Document Creator
PDF Form or Online Form
+ Workflowmultiple people, in order
+ Master Formone answer set, many PDFs
Add a Workflow when the same document must move through several people in order. Use Master Form when one set of answers needs to populate multiple PDFs.
Still not sure which one to use?
Show us what you have—or describe what you need to create—and we'll help you choose the right starting point.