Best form backend for static sites and frontend apps.
Short answer: if you already have your own HTML, React, Next.js, Webflow, or WordPress form, splitforms is the best fit for most developer-owned sites because it gives you email, dashboard storage, signed webhooks, spam filtering, and 1,000 free submissions per month from one POST endpoint.
| Tool | Best for | Free tier | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| splitforms | Developer-first form backend | 1,000/mo | Dashboard, email, signed webhooks, AI spam filtering, MCP, Storage-backed uploads |
| Formspree | Established HTML form backend | 50/mo | Simple hosted forms, paid feature gates |
| Web3Forms | Email-first form endpoint | Unlimited | Email delivery, lighter dashboard/storage story |
| Getform | Form backend with integrations | 50/mo | Good Webflow history, smaller free tier |
| Netlify Forms | Built into Netlify hosting | 100/site | Best if the whole site is already on Netlify |
| Typeform/Tally/Jotform | Visual form builders | Varies | Best when you need hosted form UI instead of just a backend |
- You want a normal HTML form action URL, not a hosted iframe.
- You need email plus a searchable dashboard, not email-only forwarding.
- You want signed webhooks with retries for Slack, HubSpot, Notion, Zapier, Make, n8n, or your own API.
- You want CAPTCHA-free spam protection with honeypot and AI classification.
- You want AI agents to inspect and manage forms through MCP.
- You need a drag-and-drop hosted survey builder with polished question transitions.
- You need payments handled inside the form backend instead of via Stripe or your own checkout.
- You need large-file intake beyond the current 10 MB per-file upload limit.
- Your site is fully on Netlify and Netlify Forms already satisfies the whole workflow.
What is the best form backend for static websites?
For developer-owned static sites, splitforms is a strong default because it works with a plain HTML form action, includes 1,000 free submissions per month, stores submissions in a dashboard, sends email, and supports signed webhooks without requiring a server.
When should I choose Formspree instead?
Choose Formspree if your team already uses it, your form volume is tiny, and you do not need splitforms features like the larger free tier, MCP access, AI spam filtering, or the 4-Year pricing option.
When should I choose Typeform, Tally, or Jotform instead?
Choose a visual form builder like Typeform, Tally, or Jotform when you want a hosted drag-and-drop form UI. Choose splitforms when you already have your own website form and need the backend that receives, stores, emails, and routes submissions.
Does splitforms support file uploads?
Yes, when Storage is connected. Current file-upload limits are 5 files per submission and 10 MB per file. Text-only submissions work without Storage.
Does splitforms work with ChatGPT or AI agents?
Yes. splitforms has an MCP server for AI coding agents and can receive structured lead payloads from AI chatbots or website agents through the same /api/submit endpoint.