Microsoft Forms, Google Forms and Jisc Online Surveys for lead network research

What to take away

Jisc Online Surveys is the closest match for a two-sided England study that needs question and page logic, plus coded CSV, XLSX or SPSS exports.
Microsoft Forms suits a network whose buyers sit inside one Microsoft 365 tenant, because its branching moves forward only.
Google Forms is the quickest route to a pilot, but a linked spreadsheet widens who can read respondent data.
No vendor page answers the price, residency or controller questions, so ask for a written quote and a data processing agreement.
This is a desk review of vendor documentation. No account was opened and no survey, export or accessibility audit was run.

Which tool fits which England lead network

For a network that surveys requesters and buyers separately, Jisc Online Surveys is the closest match on paper. Jisc is a UK supplier, and its documentation covers question and page branching plus coded CSV, XLSX and SPSS exports.

Wider tooling choices sit in this comparison of best tools compared for forms, records and export, which covers handover as well as questionnaire design.

Microsoft Forms fits an England network whose buyers sit inside one Microsoft 365 tenant, such as a broker panel. Its branching moves a respondent forward only, to a later question or section. That suits a form that escalates a requester past buyer-only items.

Google Forms works as a fast pilot for a single-sided requester survey. Section routing depends on a multiple-choice or dropdown answer, so preview every path before launch.

How the three tools were compared

This review used first-party vendor pages retrieved on 5 September 2026. A tool qualified when its publisher documented routing and a raw response export. Routing, export and accessible-use evidence were the common criteria.

Routing

Microsoft Forms: Forward branching to a question or section
Google Forms: Section routing from one answer
Jisc Online Surveys: Question and page logic

Export

Microsoft Forms: Responses open in Excel
Google Forms: Linked Sheet or CSV download
Jisc Online Surveys: Uncoded or coded CSV, XLSX, SPSS

Accessibility evidence

Microsoft Forms: No conformance statement published
Google Forms: Test collaborator and assistive access
Jisc Online Surveys: Reports partial WCAG 2.2 AA

Routing and branching limits

Microsoft's branching guide says a response can route someone to a later question, a section or the end of the form. It warns that branching never moves backwards.

Google documents section routing for multiple-choice and dropdown questions, which lets a requester skip buyer-only items.

Jisc describes question and page logic built on earlier answers, which holds up over a longer two-sided questionnaire.

Export formats and provenance

Responses open in Excel in Microsoft Forms, link to Sheets or download as CSV in Google Forms, and download as coded or uncoded CSV, XLSX or SPSS in Jisc Online Surveys.

Reconcile any export against the questionnaire: row count, question identifiers, missing values and deleted test records. Provenance is a contract question, not a download format.

Accessibility evidence and outstanding gaps

Jisc's accessibility statement, dated 6 June 2026, reports partial WCAG 2.2 AA compliance and lists known limitations. It places responsibility for customer-built surveys on the customer.

Google and Microsoft publish design guidance rather than a conformance statement for every form type. Test labels, instructions and error messages with keyboard, screen reader and magnification users before fieldwork.

UK data residency and controller duties

In a lead-network study your organisation is normally the controller and the survey vendor is a processor.

UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 set that framework. The ICO's direct marketing guidance explains why research consent and marketing consent stay separate, which matters once survey answers feed a lead pipeline. Read this audience research guide for both sides of the marketplace before the two are merged.

Ask Jisc in writing where data is hosted, which sub-processors are used and whether any transfer leaves the UK. In Microsoft and Google, tenant settings decide region, retention and who can open a linked spreadsheet.

Example: a two-sided quote request questionnaire

A network testing a new flooring category could run one form with two branches. Requester questions cover budget band, property type and timescale. Trade questions cover coverage area, public liability cover and response time.

Each branch closes with its own consent line for follow-up marketing, kept apart from the research answers.

Acceptance test before you commit

Build a non-live questionnaire with every branch, optional answer and withdrawal path, then preview each route.
Test with keyboard, screen reader and magnification users, and log every failure.
Export dummy responses and reconcile row count, question identifiers and missing values.
Request the contract, controller and processor analysis, transfer position and sub-processor list.
Hold procurement if a branch cannot be audited or access cannot be restricted.

Attach the five contract records that define a lead, its data and its exit to the same evidence file.

Common questions

Which tool should an England lead network shortlist first?

Jisc Online Surveys, when UK supply and coded exports matter most. Microsoft Forms and Google Forms stay credible where buyers already sit in one tenant.

Can Microsoft Forms route a respondent backwards?

No. Microsoft's branching guide says routing moves forward to a later question, section or the end of the form.

Where is survey data stored?

The help pages do not answer that for your account. Ask for hosting location, sub-processors and the transfer position in writing.

What accessibility gap matters most?

Jisc reports partial WCAG 2.2 AA compliance and known limitations, and customers stay responsible for their own surveys.