FormKeep

Overview

FormKeep gives existing HTML forms a submission backend and also lets users build hosted forms visually. It is best suited to web designers, marketing teams and customer specialists who need a straightforward way to collect form entries. The core trade-off is that plan limits govern submissions, storage duration and notification speed.

Key features

For an existing HTML form, point its ACTION URL to FormKeep and it can receive submissions. That makes it a practical option when you want to keep your form markup rather than replace it with a builder. The visual Form Designer serves a different need: create a hosted form to share by link or embed on a site.

Spam filtering comes with every plan, and Google reCAPTCHA can be used if needed. File uploads are supported; Essential explicitly includes file attachments. The API can be enabled in Form Settings under Advanced Option, while integrations include Google Sheets, Slack and Zapier. Professional and higher plans include all integrations, so users on Free or Essential should not assume they get the full set.

Email submission alerts are available across plans, but Free sends them daily rather than in real time. Real-time notifications start with Professional, an important distinction for teams that need to respond quickly. FormKeep says it uses measures to protect personal information but cautions that internet data exchange cannot be guaranteed fully secure. Users retain rights to their data.

Pricing

FormKeep has a free plan and four paid monthly plans. The key cost is not just the submission quota: forms, retention, notification cadence and team features also determine whether a plan fits.

Free is useful for a small or low-volume project: unlimited forms are generous, but the 50-entry monthly cap and one-month retention leave little room for sustained collection. Essential is the lowest-cost paid step for a single form with a higher quota and longer retention; it still lacks the all-integrations bundle and real-time notifications. Professional fits teams managing several forms that need autoresponses, all integrations and faster alerts. Premium adds substantially more capacity, longer retention, team members and phone support. Enterprise is aimed at larger operations that need unlimited submissions and long-term retention, though its 30-form allowance remains finite.

Submission caps are consequential: entries beyond the monthly allowance are ignored, so estimate volume with headroom rather than treating the quota as a soft threshold. Retention ranges from one month on Free to forever on Enterprise.

Platforms

FormKeep is available on the web and through an API. Its HTML-form backend suits site workflows that can send submissions to an ACTION URL; the visual builder supports hosted forms that can be linked or embedded. Multiple embed options are supported.

Who it's for

Choose FormKeep if you want to preserve an existing HTML form while adding submission handling, or need a visual form builder alongside that backend. It is especially relevant to web designers, marketing teams and customer specialists who can match a plan's form count and monthly quota to their workload. It is less suitable when ignored over-quota submissions would be unacceptable or when the required volume exceeds the chosen plan.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Works with existing HTML forms: routing the ACTION URL to FormKeep adds a backend without requiring a switch to its visual builder.
• Two ways to create forms: the Form Designer supports hosted forms shared by link or embedded on a site.
• Useful safeguards and connections: spam filters are included on all plans, and Professional and higher plans include all integrations.
• Clear growth path: monthly submission capacity and retention increase across paid tiers, with Enterprise offering unlimited submissions and forever retention.

Cons

• Overages are not buffered: submissions beyond the plan cap are ignored, which creates risk if traffic is hard to predict.
• Free is constrained for ongoing collection: it allows 50 submissions each month and retains them for only one month.
• Important workflow features require upgrades: real-time alerts start at Professional, while the all-integrations bundle also begins there.
• Form allowances remain tiered: Essential includes one form, and even Enterprise includes 30.

Alternatives

Endatix is worth considering when a self-hosted API is the priority: its Endatix Headless API is MIT licensed and always free, while its hosted cloud plan costs $360.00 per month.

forms.app may fit users who want unlimited monthly responses and unlimited team members on its free plan, with five forms and 10 MB of file storage.

Formsort is a web option for a flow-based approach: its free plan allows 100 flow starts per month with unlimited users and forms, but includes Formsort branding.

HeadlessForms is another API and web option; its free plan includes one team member, one form, 25 submissions per month, spam filtering, data export and hosted forms.

OpnForm offers self-hosted and API options as well as web access, with unlimited forms and submissions on its free plan, subject to basic file-upload quota and required branding.

Paperform may suit individuals and small teams looking for a free plan with 30 submissions per month, unlimited users and three signed documents per month; it also offers a free trial.

SurveyJS is an alternative for users seeking unlimited forms, submissions and file uploads on its Essential plan; that plan has custom pricing.

Basin is another API and web form backend to compare, with a free plan allowing one form, 50 submissions per month, 30-day data retention and 100MB of file uploads.

For broader comparisons, see Form API Software, Form Builder Software and Online Form Builders.

Verdict

FormKeep is a strong fit for teams that want to keep existing HTML forms or build hosted ones while managing submissions in one service. Its main advantage is that flexibility, backed by spam filtering and progressively larger quotas. Look elsewhere if ignored submissions at a cap are too risky, or if you need a different model such as a self-hosted API; otherwise, choose a plan with enough volume and retention for the work.