Existing PDF · preserve design
Fillable PDF 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 a web-first form, or create a new document. Then see where filling modes and workflow tools fit.
Compare the four core starting paths
See what you start with, what you create, how much control you have over the design, and how people fill it out.
| Compare | Fillable PDF Form | Web PDF Form | Custom Web Forms | 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 PDF or template 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
Custom Web Forms
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 happens to the design. Need a different starting point? Return to the full comparison ↑
Fillable PDF 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 Fillable PDF 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
Web PDF Form and Custom Web Forms both support two filling experiences. Classic shows every field at once, like a normal form. Conversational asks one question at a time, like a chat — useful when a form feels long or mobile completion matters most. Fillable PDF Form only supports Classic, since it keeps your PDF's original layout.
Learn about Conversational Form →
CLASSIC
Full name
Email
Phone number
CONVERSATIONAL
What's your full name?
Jordan LeeWhat's your email?
Common questions
Clarify the differences between form types, filling modes, AI tools, and multi-PDF workflows—and see when they can be combined.
Is Web PDF Form the same as Custom Web Forms?
No. Web PDF Form begins with an existing PDF and reflows its content. Custom Web Forms begin without a PDF, so their 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, Custom 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. Fillable PDF Form, Web PDF Form, and Custom Web Forms all collect responses online and can produce a completed PDF. Web PDF Form and Custom Web Forms can also use either a Classic or Conversational filling experience.
PDF Document Creator
Fillable PDF 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.