Point any HTML form at one endpoint. 500 free submissions — no card, no time limit — and unlimited forms.
Create free accountDefinition: A form backend is a hosted endpoint that receives your form's POST, filters spam, emails you and stores each submission, so you don't write server code. What is a form backend?
See what a free form backend includes, or open the full form backend comparison (every service side by side, with sources and check dates).
What does each free plan include?
The number that matters most is how many real submissions you can collect before the form stops or asks you to upgrade. Most services give a monthly allowance; splitforms gives 500 submissions total with no time limit.
| Service | Free allowance | Forms | Free history | Uploads on free | Cheapest paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| splitforms | 500 total, no time limit | Unlimited | No expiry | No | $5/mo for 5,000/mo, or $49/yr for 15,000/mo |
| Web3Forms | 250/month | Unlimited | 30 days | - | $12/mo or $149/yr for 10,000 |
| FormBold | 100/month | 5 | - | - | $6/mo billed yearly for 3,000 |
| Forminit | 100/month | 1 | - | - | $15.83/mo billed yearly for 5,000 |
| Formspree | 50/month | Unlimited | 30 days | No | $15/mo ($10 yearly) for 200 |
| Basin | 50/month | 1 | 30 days | 100 MB | $12.50/mo billed yearly for 250 |
| Formcarry | 50/month | 1 | - | - | $5/mo billed annually for 500 |
| FormSubmit | Unlimited | Unlimited | 30 days via API | Attachments emailed, 10 MB | No paid plan |
| Netlify Forms | Unlimited on credit plans | - | - | - | Netlify hosting required |
How do the top 10 form backends compare?
Pricing changes often. Most rows below were re-checked against public pricing pages on September 29, 2026; the SubmitKit and Formspark rows come from our earlier snapshot. Treat it as a buying guide, then verify the provider page before moving a production form.
| Rank | Service | Free plan | Cheapest paid path | Dashboard | Webhooks | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | splitformsScore 9.7 | 500 submissions total (no card, no time limit) | Pro $5/month for 5,000 submissions/month; Annual $49/year for 15,000/month | Full dashboard | Paid plans (Pro $5/month or Annual $49/year) | Agent-built, code-first sites and signed webhook workflows |
| #2 | SubmitKitScore 8.8 | 500 submissions/month | €6/mo Pro; €15/mo Business | Full dashboard | Pro and above | EU-hosted forms and free file uploads |
| #3 | FormspreeScore 8.6 | 50 submissions/mo | $15/mo Personal ($10/mo billed yearly) for 200/month | Mature dashboard | Paid plans | Teams that want the established brand |
| #4 | Web3FormsScore 8.3 | 250 submissions/mo | $12/mo Pro for 10,000/month | Basic | Paid plans | Small email-only HTML forms |
| #5 | BasinScore 8.1 | 50 submissions/mo | $12.50/mo Starter billed yearly (250/month) | Polished dashboard | Growth plan | Designers who care about dashboard polish |
| #6 | FormBoldScore 8.0 | 100 submissions/mo (5 forms) | $6/mo Starter billed yearly (3,000/month) | Dashboard | Webhook integration; check plan limits | Small sites that need a few forms on a monthly free allowance |
| #7 | FormsparkScore 7.9 | 250 submissions total | $25 one-time bundle for 50k submissions | Clean dashboard | Paid bundle | Projects that prefer one-time credits |
| #8 | FormcarryScore 7.8 | 50 submissions/mo | $5/mo Starter billed yearly (500/month) | Good dashboard | Integration limits | File uploads and Stripe-style workflows |
| #9 | Netlify FormsScore 7.6 | Unlimited form submissions on credit plans | $9/mo Personal hosting plan (forms included) | Inside Netlify | Available | Sites already hosted on Netlify |
| #10 | Forminit / GetformScore 7.3 | 100 submissions/mo (1 form) | $15.83/mo Pro billed yearly (5,000/month) | Analytics dashboard | Pro plan | Teams that already used Getform |
How much free headroom does each plan give?
The most important number is not the logo or the landing page. It is how many real leads you can collect before the form stops, pauses, or pushes you into a paid plan. Most bars are monthly allowances; the splitforms bar is its 500-submission total.
How do the 10 form backends rank?
splitforms
Best fit when an AI agent or developer should provision and operate the form backend.
- Free
- 500 submissions total (no card, no time limit)
- Paid
- Pro $5/month for 5,000 submissions/month; Annual $49/year for 15,000/month
- Webhooks
- Paid plans (Pro $5/month or Annual $49/year)
SubmitKit
A strong EU-first option with a generous free plan.
- Free
- 500 submissions/month
- Paid
- €6/mo Pro; €15/mo Business
- Webhooks
- Pro and above
Formspree
Reliable and mature, but the free tier is small.
- Free
- 50 submissions/mo
- Paid
- $15/mo Personal ($10/mo billed yearly) for 200/month
- Webhooks
- Paid plans
Web3Forms
Simple and generous enough for tiny projects.
- Free
- 250 submissions/mo
- Paid
- $12/mo Pro for 10,000/month
- Webhooks
- Paid plans
Basin
Very clean UX, but paid limits step up quickly.
- Free
- 50 submissions/mo
- Paid
- $12.50/mo Starter billed yearly (250/month)
- Webhooks
- Growth plan
FormBold
A useful monthly free tier across five forms, with a low yearly upgrade price.
- Free
- 100 submissions/mo (5 forms)
- Paid
- $6/mo Starter billed yearly (3,000/month)
- Webhooks
- Webhook integration; check plan limits
Formspark
Interesting no-subscription model, but free is not monthly.
- Free
- 250 submissions total
- Paid
- $25 one-time bundle for 50k submissions
- Webhooks
- Paid bundle
Formcarry
Solid low-price option with useful file-upload support.
- Free
- 50 submissions/mo
- Paid
- $5/mo Starter billed yearly (500/month)
- Webhooks
- Integration limits
Netlify Forms
Excellent built-in value for Netlify-hosted sites; the tradeoff is host portability.
- Free
- Unlimited form submissions on credit plans
- Paid
- $9/mo Personal hosting plan (forms included)
- Webhooks
- Available
Forminit / Getform
A decent rebuild of Getform, but pricier than most.
- Free
- 100 submissions/mo (1 form)
- Paid
- $15.83/mo Pro billed yearly (5,000/month)
- Webhooks
- Pro plan
Why is splitforms ranked #1?
A production contact form needs five boring things to work every day: a reliable POST endpoint, email notifications, spam filtering, a place to search submissions, and a way to forward leads to another system. splitforms includes the endpoint, email notifications, spam filtering, and searchable submissions with no automatic expiry on Free. Paid plans, Pro at $5/month for 5,000 submissions a month or Annual at $49/year for 15,000 a month, add signed webhooks for forwarding leads to another system.
The hidden cost in this category is usually webhooks. You start with a free contact form, then need Slack, Discord, Google Sheets, Zapier, or n8n, and the next plan up often costs $12-$15/month. That is the gap splitforms is built around.
How do you choose a free form backend?
Choose splitforms if
- You expect a burst (a launch or an event) that 500 free submissions can absorb.
- You need signed webhooks or CSV export at a low paid price ($5/month, or $49/year).
- You want the same endpoint across any framework or host, or an AI agent to provision it through MCP.
Choose SubmitKit if
- You require EU-hosted form data.
- Your free-plan form needs file uploads.
- You prefer its EU-first privacy posture.
Choose Formspree if
- You want the oldest, most established brand.
- Your team already uses Formspree and the bill is acceptable.
- You value ecosystem familiarity over price.
Choose Web3Forms if
- You want 250 free submissions every month.
- Your form is email-only and does not need a full dashboard.
- You can live without webhook forwarding on Free.
Choose FormBold if
- You want 100 free submissions a month across up to 5 forms.
- You are happy to pay yearly for a cheap upgrade ($6/month for 3,000).
- You want ready-made form templates to start from.
Choose Netlify Forms if
- The site is already hosted on Netlify.
- You are fine with host lock-in.
- You want forms bundled into your hosting account.
Where do these prices come from?
Free-plan and paid-plan numbers were checked on September 29, 2026 against each provider's own pricing page below. SubmitKit and Formspark figures come from our earlier snapshot, so confirm them on the provider page before you switch.
FAQ
What is a form backend?
A form backend is a hosted endpoint that does the server work for your form: it receives the POST, validates it, filters spam, emails you and stores the submission, and can forward it to other tools. It replaces writing your own API route or PHP mail() script.
Can I collect form submissions without a backend or server?
Yes. Set your form's action to a hosted form backend's endpoint and add its access key; the service handles email and storage. This works on GitHub Pages, Netlify, Vercel, Webflow, WordPress and any static site.
Which free form backend allows file uploads?
Basin's Free plan includes 100 MB of uploads, and FormSubmit emails attachments up to 10 MB per submission without storing them. Formspree Free has no upload storage. splitforms stores uploads on paid plans (5 files of 5 MB per submission).
What happens when I hit a free plan's limit?
It depends on the service. Formspree emails you at 50%, 75% and 90% of its 50-a-month cap; legacy Netlify plans move the site to the next paid level; splitforms refuses new submissions with an HTTP 429 once the 500 one-time submissions are used, until you upgrade (Pro is $5/month for 5,000 a month).
Is a monthly free tier better than a one-time allowance?
For a steady trickle, a monthly allowance lasts longer: 50 a month is 600 a year. For bursts such as a launch or an event, a bigger one-time total like splitforms' 500 absorbs the spike. At about 40 submissions a month, splitforms Free lasts roughly a year, after which Pro ($5/month for 5,000) covers most small sites.
Is Web3Forms really free?
Yes. Web3Forms Free is 250 submissions a month with unlimited forms and domains and 30 days of history, and it doesn't expire. Paid plans are Pro ($12/month or $149/year for 10,000) and Agency & Team ($33/month or $399/year for 20,000).
Why rank splitforms first on a splitforms blog?
Because this is an opinionated product comparison. The ranking is based on free headroom, paid price, dashboard quality, webhook availability, spam filtering, and migration effort. We also include the source pricing links so readers can verify the numbers themselves.
Is Formspree still a good option?
Yes. Formspree is mature, stable, and well documented. The tradeoff is headroom and price: Free is 50 submissions a month, and the Personal plan is $15/month ($10/month billed yearly) for 200 a month.
Should I use Netlify Forms instead of a form backend?
Netlify Forms is a strong built-in option if your site is already hosted on Netlify and you are happy to keep it there; current credit-based plans include free, unlimited form submissions. If you might move to Vercel, Cloudflare Pages, GitHub Pages, or a custom host, use a host-independent form backend.
Can I switch from Formspree, Web3Forms, Basin, or Getform?
Yes. For most HTML forms, migration means changing the form action URL, adding the splitforms access_key hidden input, and recreating any webhooks. Export your old submissions first if you need history.
Next Steps
Comparing services head-to-head? The alternatives hub lines every backend up on one matrix. Otherwise, try splitforms free, read the docs, or compare specific competitors: Formspree, Web3Forms, Basin, FormBold, Getform, and Netlify Forms. Framework deep dives: Next.js form backends and React form backends.