sintel apps versus other solutions
We have prepared the following tables to assist you in evaluating Sintel Apps against InfoPath or other forms solutions for SharePoint. As our product is updated monthly with new features, please contact us if you have any specific needs or feel free to request a demo to see our capabilities.
| InfoPath | Sintel Apps | |
|---|---|---|
| Forms Design | . | . |
| Design Environment |  Stand-alone application which requires a separate license. |  Browser based designer integrated into the SharePoint Ribbon. |
| SharePoint Versions Supported | Enterprise Only. | SharePoint 2013, 2016 & 2019 On-prem and SharePoint Online. |
| Responsive | No | Yes |
| Skillset Required |  End users don't stand much of a chance. Power users can configure basic forms. Expensive InfoPath consultants are required for more complex forms containing complex layouts or logic | If you can use SharePoint you can use Sintel Forms. |
| Form Versioning | Manual and cumbersome. | Enabled by default and stored in a SharePoint list permitting easy retrieval and restoring. |
| Build Time | Can be time consuming depending on the layout and logic required. | Most forms can be configured in a matter of minutes (depending on complexity). |
| Form Layout | . | . |
| Fields and Sections | Both available. | Additional functionality: Tooltips States (Inherit, Optional, Mandatory, Read only) Embedded HTML Label positioning |
| Customisations | Difficult to apply. | Additional functionality: Custom HTML CSS Images |
| Permissions | Read/write/read only using rules. | Read/write/read only using rules. |
| Repeating Sections | Very limited support. All data merged and stored in a single field. Very difficult to report on. | Data stored as individual items in related lists, very easy to report on. |
| Cascading dropdowns and settings field values | Cascading in Form libraries only and setting fields is achievable but cumbersome. | Easily achieved using logic rules. |
| Attachments | . | . |
| Add Attachments | Yes in library forms but attachments are stored within the form. | Yes and attachments are added to the list item making reporting easier. |
| Preview Attachments | No | Yes |
| Open in new tab | No | Yes |
| Social Features | . | . |
| Conversations and @mentions | No | Yes |
| Email Notifications | Not without customisation or separate workflow. | Email notifications are built in and can be configured to include the form data. |
| Form Actions | . | . |
| Assignment of Actions | No | Actions can be assigned to individuals or groups and emails can be configured to include the form data. |
| Export to PDF | Limited, not available in SharePoint List Forms. | Forms can be exported to PDF in both Portrait and Landscape mode. |
| Other | . | . |
| Offline Forms | No. | Available out of the box with our free mobile app for iOS and Android. |
| Anonymous forms | No | Available with the Professional License. Bonus: we also support the use of captchas when submitting forms. |
| Mobile App | No | Mobile apps for both Android and iOS which permit users to download forms and use them offline. |
| Feature Updates | Product deprecated, no new features being released. | Sintel release updates with new features every month. These features are primarily based on customer feedback and requests. |
| Product Support | Limited Support options | Phone Ticket We are renowned for our support for both pre-sales and licensed customers. Check out our reviews on AppSource. |
| PowerApps | Sintel Apps | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost (this one's a no-brainer) | 2 price plans ranging from €8.40 to €33.70 per user per month Assuming 100 Users Plan 1 costs €10,080 per annum Plan 2 costs €40,440 per annum view latest pricing info | 6 price plans (including a free version & discounts for non-profit & Edu) Assuming 1000 Users Professional License costs €4,950 per annum *our most popular license view latest pricing info |
| Trial version | Yes 30 days | Yes 14 days (we also have a free version you can use indefinitely) |
| Workflow | No built-in workflow, PowerApps relies on Power Automate. Plan 1 comes with 4,500 Microsoft Flow "runs" or automations per user per month. Plan 2 allots 15,000 Flow runs per month. | Built-in workflow engine, SharePoint Designer & Microsoft Power Automate are also supported. Bonus: we support optimistic concurrency, allowing multiple users to edit a form at the same time! |
| Form/App limit | No limit | Choose a price plan that provides the number of forms you need. |
| Design environment | Power Apps Studio for Windows 8 or 10 or Power Apps Studio for Web | Sintel Forms Designer (web based). |
| Data Sources | Common Data Service OneDrive SharePoint Dynamics 365 Salesforce Azure DQL Slack DB2 | SharePoint lists (all the data from forms submitted by users is stored in one or more SharePoint lists) |
| Sublist/line item support | Supports line items in a secondary list. Line items are added on a separate screen and form has to be saved first. | Supports line items in a secondary list. Line items are added directly on the form & forms do not need to be saved first. |
| External Users | PowerApps is not designed for use with external users i.e. not public facing. | Sintel Forms supports both External submissions (anonymous users) and External sharing with users outside of your Microsoft 365 tenant.(available with the Professional License) |
| Platform Support | Windows Android iOS | All platforms, only a web browser is required. |
| InfoPath migration complexity | In most cases all InfoPath forms and any associated business process have to be completely redesigned using a combination of Power Apps and an additional tool such as Microsoft Power Automate. | Most forms can be migrated easily and for environments with many forms SPTransformator from Rencore can be used to automatically convert InfoPath Forms to Sintel Forms. Migration of certain forms can be done in minutes. Check out https://infopath-alternative.com |
| Skills required | Simple forms can be built by most users, but more complex forms require specialist or developer knowledge. | Any user that can use SharePoint to create lists can use Sintel Forms. Simply download the app from AppSource and begin using it for free. |
| Deployment scenarios | Moving an App between tenants or environments can be done but it requires quite a bit of effort and is more convoluted than a simple Export/Import. | Any Sintel Form including the lists it uses, its layout, workflow and logic can be exported into a re-usable template that can be imported into another environment. This makes developing solutions on one site and using them on another site very easy. |
| Offline Forms | Quite complex to setup and requires custom code. | Available out of the box with our free mobile app for iOS and Android. |
| Anonymous forms | Not available | Available with the Professional License Bonus: we also support the use of captchas when submitting forms. |
| Feature Updates | Microsoft release features quite often. | Sintel release updates with new features every month. These features are primarily based on customer feedback and requests. |
| Product Support | Phone Ticket | Phone Ticket We are renowned for our support for both pre-sales and licensed customers. Check out our reviews on AppSource. |
We frequently get questions like, We’ve got Microsoft Forms, why would we use Sintel Apps?
It’s a valid question and rather than create a comparison chart we simply explain that they are different products.
Microsoft Forms is an app which is available as part of Microsoft 365 that can be used for quizzes and surveys. It’s provides very limited functionality however it is useful for sectors such as education where teachers can create quizzes and surveys for their students and the students can respond to them. It should have been called Microsoft Surveys or Microsoft Quizzes because that’s exactly what it is.
Sintel Apps on the other hand is an Add-in for SharePoint and Microsoft 365 that enables you to build apps that include forms, workflow and reporting. It’s a complete platform for collecting data, automating business processes and reporting.