Which form type should I use in PlatoForms?

Question

I’m not sure which form type to choose. Which one is right for my situation?

Answer

It depends on what you’re starting with and what the end result needs to be. Here are the most common scenarios:

“I already have a PDF — a contract, intake form, or application — and I want people to fill it in online.”
→ Use PDF → Online Form

“I need to collect data online and I don’t care about the PDF layout — I just want a clean, mobile-friendly form.”
→ Use Web Form

“I need to write a new document from scratch — a service agreement, offer letter, or certificate — and I want it to look professionally designed.”
→ Use PDF Document Creator

“I already have a Google Form and want to move it to PlatoForms.”
→ Use the Google Forms import (separate entry point, not in “Start to build”)

PDF → Online Form — when you already have a PDF

Your PDF becomes the form. The layout you designed stays intact, and people fill in the fields in their browser.

Choose this when:

• You have a government form, legal document, or branded intake form in PDF format
• You need the completed output to look exactly like the original PDF
• You want to digitize an existing paper process without redesigning anything

Three options inside:

• PDF Fillable Form (most common) — fields sit on top of your PDF as a background. The output PDF looks identical to the original.
• Web PDF Form — your PDF is converted into a clean web form. Submitting it generates a completed PDF. Better for mobile.
• Master Form — one form that fills multiple PDFs at once. Useful when the same information (name, date, address) needs to go into several documents.

After uploading your PDF, use AI field recognition to detect and map fields automatically — no manual setup needed for most standard forms.

Web Form — when you want a data-collection form

No PDF involved. You’re building a form for surveys, registrations, lead capture, applications, or any situation where the goal is collecting structured data.

Choose this when:

• You’re building a survey, sign-up form, quiz, or event registration
• You want the form to look great on mobile without thinking about PDF layout
• You want to start from a template and customize it

Four options inside:

• Classic Web Form — all fields visible at once, single or multi-page.
• Conversational Form — one question at a time. Better completion rates on mobile.
• Start with AI chat — describe your form and AI generates the field structure for you.
• Start from a template (most popular) — 2,000+ ready-made forms across industries.

Classic and Conversational are the same form — you can switch between them at any time without losing any fields or settings.

PDF Document Creator — when you need to design a document from scratch

You don’t have a PDF yet and you want to create one. This is a canvas-based document editor with an AI assistant, a pre-styled widget library, design templates (coming soon), and export options.

Choose this when:

• You need to write a new contract, service agreement, NDA, or offer letter
• You want a branded certificate, report, or welcome letter that looks professionally designed
• You want to describe what you need and have AI draft the document for you

Three options inside:

• Start with AI chat — describe your document (“a one-page consulting agreement with payment terms and a dual signature block”) and AI builds it in seconds.
• Blank document — start from a clean canvas and design it yourself.
• Start from a template — coming soon.

Once designed, you can export it as a static PDF or convert it to a fillable online form — your layout and fields carry over automatically. No rebuilding needed.

See the PDF Document Creator guide for full editor documentation.

Still not sure? Use this table

Where to find these options

Click the blue “Start to build” button in your dashboard — the three starting points appear as columns.

Need More Help?

Check out our full FAQs page or contact support for assistance.