§ 01
Short answer: which one should you pick?
splitforms is the better fit for almost any developer. The free tier is 10x larger (500 vs 100 submissions/month), the Pro plan is roughly 6x cheaper at the same submission volume ($5 for 5,000 vs $30 for 5,000), and the API and webhook surface is more modern. There's also a $59 3-Year plan that replaces monthly billing with a 3-year cycle entirely.
Formcarry has a real niche with marketing teams that want a built-in autoresponder UI and don't have transactional email infrastructure (Resend, Postmark, Loops) set up elsewhere. Most developers do have transactional email — for password resets, receipts, or notifications — and would rather drive their autoresponder from there. If that's you, splitforms is the simpler, cheaper architecture.
§ 02
Why developers switch from Formcarry to splitforms
The most common trigger is the price gap. Formcarry charges $30/mo for 5,000 submissions; splitforms charges $5/mo for the same volume. Over three years, that's roughly $1,440 vs $240 on the recurring plan, or $59 every 3 years on the 3-Year plan — a structural difference that's hard to justify staying on Formcarry for.
The second trigger is webhook verifiability. splitforms signs every webhook payload with HMAC-SHA256 — an `sha256=`-prefixed signature header your receiver can verify — scopes each webhook to a single form, and ships a free webhook tester at splitforms.com/webhook-tester so you can inspect the exact payload before wiring production. Delivery is a single attempt with an 8-second timeout, so build your receiver to respond fast.
The third trigger is spam. Formcarry's CAPTCHA puts friction on every submission, including legitimate users. splitforms uses an AI classifier on top of honeypot, which is accurate enough that you can drop CAPTCHA and let real users through without an image puzzle.
§ 03
Formcarry vs splitforms: feature comparison
Free tier: splitforms 500 submissions/month; Formcarry 100 submissions/month.
5,000-submission tier: splitforms $5/mo; Formcarry $30/mo. Roughly 6x cheaper for the same volume.
Webhooks: splitforms unlocks HMAC-SHA256 signed webhooks (single delivery attempt, 8-second timeout) on Starter and above. Formcarry's webhooks are functional but the observability surface is thinner.
Spam protection: splitforms uses AI classification plus honeypot — no user friction. Formcarry uses honeypot plus CAPTCHA — friction on every submit.
Deliverability: splitforms uses dedicated SMTP with SPF/DKIM. Formcarry uses standard hosted infrastructure.
Autoresponder: Formcarry has a built-in template editor for the email sent back to the submitter. splitforms drives autoresponders via webhook to a transactional email service (Resend, Postmark) — better deliverability and full branding control, slightly more setup.
API: splitforms ships an open REST API and MCP server on every plan. Formcarry's API is more limited.
§ 04
Common Formcarry issues splitforms solves
"$30/mo for 5,000 submissions is more than I want to pay." splitforms is $5/mo for the same volume.
"My CAPTCHA is annoying legitimate users." splitforms uses an AI classifier that's accurate enough you can drop CAPTCHA entirely.
"I can't verify a webhook request actually came from my form vendor." splitforms signs every payload with HMAC-SHA256 (`sha256=` header prefix) so your receiver can reject forged requests, and the free webhook tester at splitforms.com/webhook-tester shows the exact payload shape.
"I want my autoresponder email to come from my own domain, not the form vendor." splitforms drives autoresponders via webhook to your own transactional email service (Resend, Postmark) — emails come from your verified domain.
"I want to expose form data to a Claude or Cursor agent." splitforms ships an MCP server natively.
§ 05
The autoresponder question, in detail
If the autoresponder is the only reason you're considering Formcarry, it's worth asking: do you want this email to come from your form vendor, or from your own domain? Formcarry's autoresponder sends through their infrastructure, which means deliverability and branding are coupled to them. A webhook-driven autoresponder via Resend or Postmark sends through your own verified domain — better deliverability, full branding control, real unsubscribe handling, and an email-template surface you actually own.
splitforms makes the webhook side trivial: configure the webhook URL once, point it at your transactional email service, and trigger a templated email. For any team that already has transactional email set up (or will soon), this is the cleaner long-term architecture. The setup is two extra lines of glue code and you get a real email service in the bargain.
§ 06
splitforms advantages at a glance
Five things make the difference in practice. First, pricing — 5x larger free tier and 6x cheaper at the 5,000-submission Pro tier. Second, webhook verifiability — HMAC-SHA256 signed payloads, per-form scoping, and a free webhook tester at splitforms.com/webhook-tester. Third, spam handling — AI classifier on top of honeypot, no CAPTCHA friction. Fourth, deliverability — dedicated SMTP, SPF/DKIM, maintained sender reputation. Fifth, the 3-Year plan — $59 every 3 years for 36 months at 15,000 submissions/month, no monthly billing.
Plus the modern API surface: open REST API on every plan, MCP server for AI agents, HMAC-SHA256 signed webhooks, and a dashboard tuned for fast inspection. The form backend most developers actually want.
§ 07
How to migrate from Formcarry to splitforms
Step 1: sign up at splitforms.com for a free access key (no credit card). Step 2: change your form's action attribute from `https://formcarry.com/s/YOUR_ID` to `https://splitforms.com/api/submit`. Step 3: test a submission and confirm it lands in the dashboard.
If you were using Formcarry's autoresponder, the splitforms equivalent is a webhook — point splitforms at a transactional email service (Resend, Postmark) and trigger a templated email from there. It's two more lines of setup, but you get a real email service in the bargain. If you were using Formcarry's CAPTCHA, you can drop it entirely on splitforms; the AI classifier handles spam without user friction.
§ 08
Frequently asked questions
Is splitforms a viable Formcarry alternative? Yes. Every core capability — POST endpoint, dashboard, webhooks, file uploads, spam filtering, custom redirects, CC recipients — is covered, with a larger free tier and cheaper paid tiers.
What about the autoresponder? splitforms drives autoresponders via webhook to a transactional email service like Resend or Postmark, which sends through your own verified domain. Better deliverability, full branding control.
Will my CAPTCHA still work? You don't need it. splitforms uses an AI spam classifier that's accurate enough you can drop CAPTCHA and stop adding friction to legitimate users.
Are webhooks verifiable? Yes — every payload is HMAC-SHA256 signed with an `sha256=`-prefixed header so your receiver can authenticate it. Delivery is a single attempt with an 8-second timeout, so keep your receiver fast; the free tester at splitforms.com/webhook-tester helps you validate the payload shape first.
Is there a per-form limit? No. Every plan — Free, Starter, Pro, and 3-Year — includes unlimited forms.
Does splitforms have a long-term plan? Yes — $59 for the 3-Year plan at 15,000 submissions/month for 36 months.
