Dynamic Forms versus screen flows for record entry forms
Key Takeaway
Start with Dynamic Forms for a one-screen form for one object on a Lightning record page. Use a screen flow when you need multiple screens, logic or actions behind the form, a place other than a Lightning record page, or a field whose required setting changes as the user changes another input on the same screen.
Dynamic Forms and screen flows are the two low-code ways to build forms that let users create or edit Salesforce records. Dynamic Forms turns the fields on a Lightning record page into individual components that you arrange and show or hide in Lightning App Builder. A screen flow is a step-by-step wizard built in Flow Builder that can collect input across several screens and then run logic and actions. Neither needs an extra license. The choice is not either/or, because you can combine the two to meet a use case.
What Dynamic Forms does
Dynamic Forms breaks the single Record Detail component on a Lightning record page into individual Field and Field Section components in Lightning App Builder. You can then place fields anywhere on the page and spread them across columns and tabs. You can also show or hide fields with visibility rules based on record data, user details, and device type.
Visibility rules can reduce how many page layouts and record types you need, because one page can show different fields to different users and situations.
When users create, edit, or clone a record on a Dynamic Forms page, the fields they see come from the fields placed on the page, not from the page layout. Dynamic Forms also replaces the dual model of assigning both a Lightning page and a page layout with a single assignment for the Lightning page.
Use Dynamic Forms when you need a create, edit, or view form for one object on a Lightning record page. Dynamic Forms is the easiest way to build that kind of form. Salesforce recommends Dynamic Forms in Lightning App Builder for configuring record detail pages going forward.
You can start with Dynamic Forms in two ways. You can create a Lightning page from scratch and drag Field and Field Section components onto it, or you can open an existing record page and use the migration wizard. Some pages already have Dynamic Forms enabled by default.