Online forms have become essential tools for businesses and organizations seeking to collect data, generate leads, and engage with their audience. Among the various form-building solutions available, Typeform has gained popularity for its conversational interface and sleek design. However, many users are looking for alternatives that offer more customization, data privacy, and cost-effectiveness.
What is TellForm’s Current Development Status?
TellForm emerged as an open-source alternative to proprietary form builders, offering users complete control over their data and hosting environment. However, the project’s development trajectory has taken a significant turn. The repository remains available for reference, but all issues have been closed, and no new ones will be addressed. The README file has been commented out, making it invisible on the main GitHub page. This effectively means that TellForm is no longer being maintained or updated, which raises significant security and compatibility concerns for any production use.
The open-source nature of TellForm initially attracted developers and organizations seeking customizable form solutions without ongoing subscription costs. The platform featured embeddable forms that could be integrated into websites or applications, offering a Forms as a Service API for programmatic access. It supported PostgreSQL and SQLite databases, providing flexibility in deployment options with both Heroku and Docker support.
For organizations concerned about user engagement, TellForm included customizable notifications on form submission and web hooks that could trigger other systems or processes. The platform offered a wide range of form templates, ranging from simple contact forms to complex survey forms, allowing users to create forms faster and more efficiently. Despite these features, the lack of active maintenance has made TellForm a less viable option for new implementations.
Alternative Options to Consider
Given TellForm’s discontinued status, users seeking open-source alternatives have turned to OhMyForm, which maintains the self-hosted nature of TellForm while providing more active development. OhMyForm gives users full control over their data and customization options, supporting embeddable forms and offering Forms as a Service API functionality. However, it’s worth noting that as of October 2024, the OhMyForm repository has also been archived by the owner, indicating potential future maintenance concerns.
OhMyForm includes features that mirror many of TellForm’s capabilities, such as customizable notifications and webhook integration. The platform maintains compatibility with PostgreSQL and SQLite databases and can be deployed using Heroku or Docker, making it accessible to developers with various infrastructure preferences. While OhMyForm represents a more actively maintained option compared to TellForm, the recent archival status suggests users should carefully evaluate long-term sustainability when choosing open-source form solutions.
How Does Typeform’s Pricing Structure Compare?
Understanding the financial implications of form builder selection requires examining Typeform’s comprehensive pricing model. While Typeform offers a free basic plan that includes up to 10 questions per form and 10 responses per month, most businesses will require a paid subscription. Pricing tiers range from approximately €25 to €89 per month for Core plans, with Growth plans starting at €179 per month and extending to €309 per month for advanced features. Enterprise options are available for larger organizations with custom pricing based on specific requirements.
The Core plan division includes four paid options: Basic, Plus, Business, and Enterprise. The Basic plan at €25 per month provides 100 responses monthly, while the Plus plan at €55 per month offers enhanced features including logic jumps and the ability to remove Typeform branding. The Business plan at €89 per month extends response limits to 1,000 per month and includes priority support with team collaboration features. These limitations have led many users to seek alternatives, particularly when form usage scales up or budget constraints become a concern.
Growth plans target organizations requiring advanced functionality, with the Growth Essentials plan at €179 per month offering features like video answers, reCAPTCHA, and drop-off rate analysis. The Growth Pro plan at €309 per month includes additional features such as HIPAA compliance and dedicated Customer Success Manager support. According to a 2023 survey by Capterra, businesses spend an average of $300-$1,200 annually on form builder and survey tools, placing Typeform in the mid-range of survey software pricing.
Many reviewers find Typeform’s pricing structure problematic, particularly noting that essential features are often locked behind higher-tier plans, making the software expensive for small businesses and individual users. The free version is highly limited, with restrictions on the number of forms and responses, and the pricing cliff between free and paid plans is steep. Users frequently express frustration with the limited features available at lower tiers and the high cost of upgrading for occasional use.
Why Choose Perspective for Mobile-First Performance?
Modern marketers need solutions that prioritize mobile experiences without sacrificing functionality or speed. Perspective represents a new generation of funnel builder platforms designed specifically for today’s mobile-first world, where 98.5% of audiences spend their time scrolling social media on their phones. Unlike traditional form builders that adapt desktop experiences for mobile devices, Perspective is built mobile-first from the ground up, ensuring optimal performance and user engagement across all devices.
The platform delivers exceptional loading speeds through optimized architecture, modern design templates that feel native to mobile experiences, and interactive tools that keep users engaged throughout the conversion process. Perspective includes built-in CRM functionality, comprehensive analytics, and advanced personalization capabilities that allow marketers to create customized paths for different visitor segments. This integrated approach eliminates the need for multiple tools and complex integrations that often slow down traditional form building workflows.
Perspective particularly excels for creators, agencies, and businesses that prioritize mobile user experiences, offering features that both TellForm and Typeform struggle to match in mobile-first design. While TellForm provided basic self-hosting capabilities and Typeform offers conversational interfaces, Perspective combines the customization flexibility that open-source users seek with the professional polish and reliability that Typeform users expect. The platform’s emphasis on speed, interactivity, and mobile optimization makes it an ideal choice for marketers who need to capture and convert mobile traffic effectively.
Key Features Comparison Analysis
Examining the core capabilities reveals significant differences between these form building approaches. TellForm’s open-source foundation provided extensive customization options through direct code access, allowing developers to modify functionality according to specific requirements. The platform supported various field types including checkboxes, dates, dropdowns, map locations, numbers, radio switches, ratings, and sliders. Users could create self-hosted solutions with complete data ownership and customizable notification systems for form submissions.
Typeform focuses on creating conversational, engaging form experiences through its signature one-question-at-a-time interface, which has been shown to boost completion rates by up to 34%. The platform offers 120+ direct integrations with popular tools like HubSpot, Slack, Google Sheets, and Mailchimp, streamlining data flow across marketing stacks. Recent 2025 updates include enhanced AI-powered features such as sentiment analysis for open-ended responses, video response capabilities, and automated workflow builders.
Advanced Typeform features include question-by-question drop-off analysis, allowing users to identify exactly where respondents lose interest and optimize accordingly. The platform supports custom subdomains, email embedding, PCI and HIPAA compliance options, and sophisticated branching logic for personalized user experiences. Payment processing capabilities enable direct monetization through forms, while multi-language support and auto-translation features expand global reach.
Integration Capabilities Assessment
Modern form builders must seamlessly connect with existing business tools to maximize efficiency and data utilization. Typeform excels in this area with over 120 direct integrations spanning CRM systems, email marketing platforms, analytics tools, and automation services. Popular integrations include HubSpot for lead management, Slack for team notifications, Google Sheets for data storage, Mailchimp for email marketing, and Salesforce for comprehensive customer relationship management.
The platform’s integration ecosystem extends beyond basic data transfer, offering advanced features like partial response syncing to integrations such as Google Sheets, Excel Online, Trello, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zapier, Klaviyo, and Aircall. Webhook functionality allows real-time data transmission to custom endpoints, enabling sophisticated automation workflows. Typeform’s API provides programmatic access for developers building custom integrations or embedding forms within applications.
TellForm’s integration approach differed significantly, focusing on webhook capabilities and API access rather than pre-built connectors. While this provided flexibility for custom implementations, it required more technical expertise to achieve the same connectivity that Typeform offers out-of-the-box. The platform’s self-hosted nature meant organizations could implement any integration through direct database access or custom API development, but this approach demanded substantial development resources.
- CRM Integration: Typeform connects directly to major CRM platforms like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive
- Marketing Automation: Seamless integration with Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, and Klaviyo for lead nurturing
- Analytics Platforms: Direct connections to Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and custom tracking systems
- Productivity Tools: Integration with Slack, Microsoft Teams, Trello, and Notion for workflow automation
- Payment Processing: Built-in Stripe integration with Apple Pay and Google Pay support for direct monetization
Advanced Features and Capabilities
Sophisticated form building requires tools that go beyond basic data collection to enable complex user experiences and detailed analytics. Typeform’s 2025 feature set includes AI-powered form generation, sentiment analysis for text responses, and automated workflow builders that trigger actions based on user responses. The platform’s Smart Insights feature automatically analyzes open-ended responses to identify trends and sentiment patterns, saving hours of manual review time.
Video response collection represents another advanced capability, allowing users to record video answers directly within forms for richer feedback collection. Multi-question pages enable more efficient data collection while maintaining engagement, and partial submit points capture valuable data even from incomplete form submissions. The platform’s branching logic can create personalized paths through forms based on previous answers, creating truly dynamic user experiences.
Typeform’s analytics capabilities extend beyond basic response tracking to include real-time drop-off analysis, completion rate optimization suggestions, and UTM campaign tracking for attribution analysis. The platform’s API and webhook functionality enables custom integrations and automated workflows, while GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI compliance options ensure data protection across regulated industries. Advanced customization options include custom fonts, branded domains, white-label functionality, and embedded form capabilities.
- AI-Powered Creation: Automated form generation and question suggestions based on objectives
- Video Response Collection: Native video recording capabilities for richer feedback gathering
- Advanced Analytics: Real-time drop-off analysis and completion rate optimization recommendations
- Dynamic Branching: Conditional logic creating personalized question paths
- Payment Integration: Direct Stripe integration with Apple Pay and Google Pay support
Pricing Structure Deep Dive
Understanding the true cost of form building solutions requires examining both upfront pricing and long-term value propositions. Typeform’s freemium model provides basic functionality at no cost but quickly becomes expensive as usage scales. The free plan’s limitations of 10 questions and 10 responses per month make it suitable only for testing or very light usage scenarios. Most businesses require at least the Basic plan at €25 monthly to access 100 responses and essential features like payment collection.
The Plus plan at €55 monthly removes Typeform branding and adds logic jumps, hidden fields, and 100 monthly responses, making it suitable for small businesses with moderate form usage. Business plans at €89 monthly provide 1,000 responses, priority support, and team collaboration features, targeting growing organizations with substantial data collection needs. Enterprise pricing requires custom quotes but includes unlimited responses, dedicated account management, and advanced security features.
Growth plans represent Typeform’s premium offering, starting at €179 monthly for Growth Essentials and extending to €309 monthly for Growth Pro. These plans include advanced features like video responses, HIPAA compliance, dedicated customer success management, and enhanced analytics capabilities. The pricing structure reflects Typeform’s position as a premium solution, with costs potentially reaching thousands of dollars annually for organizations with high-volume form usage.
- Free Plan: 10 questions, 10 responses monthly, basic reporting capabilities
- Basic Plan (€25/month): 100 responses, payment collection, logo upload, basic integrations
- Plus Plan (€55/month): Logic jumps, hidden fields, remove branding, enhanced customization
- Business Plan (€89/month): 1,000 responses, priority support, team collaboration, advanced features
- Growth Plans (€179-€309/month): Video responses, HIPAA compliance, dedicated support, unlimited responses
Security and Compliance Considerations
Data protection and regulatory compliance have become critical factors in form builder selection, particularly for organizations handling sensitive information. Typeform addresses these concerns through comprehensive compliance certifications including GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards. The platform implements enterprise-grade security measures including data encryption in transit and at rest, regular security audits, and SOC 2 Type II compliance for service organizations.
HIPAA compliance capabilities make Typeform suitable for healthcare organizations collecting protected health information, while PCI DSS compliance enables secure payment processing directly within forms. GDPR compliance features include data processing agreements, right to deletion capabilities, and consent management tools for European operations. The platform’s security infrastructure includes DDoS protection, regular penetration testing, and incident response procedures to protect against data breaches.
TellForm’s self-hosted approach provided different security advantages and challenges compared to cloud-based solutions. Organizations maintaining their own TellForm installations had complete control over data location, access controls, and security implementations. However, this approach also required internal expertise to maintain security updates, implement proper backup procedures, and ensure ongoing compliance with relevant regulations. The discontinued development status makes TellForm unsuitable for security-conscious organizations due to the lack of ongoing security patches and updates.
User data ownership represents another important consideration, with Typeform maintaining data on its secure cloud infrastructure while providing export capabilities and API access for data portability. The platform’s terms of service clearly define data ownership rights and processing limitations, while privacy controls allow administrators to manage user access and data retention policies. Advanced plans include additional security features like single sign-on integration and enhanced audit logging for enterprise security requirements.
Performance and User Experience Analysis
Form performance directly impacts conversion rates and user satisfaction, making speed and usability critical evaluation factors. Typeform’s cloud-based infrastructure provides reliable global performance through content delivery networks and optimized hosting, ensuring fast loading times regardless of user location. The platform’s mobile-first design approach ensures optimal performance across devices, with responsive layouts that adapt automatically to different screen sizes and input methods.
User experience research shows that Typeform’s conversational interface can increase completion rates by up to 34% compared to traditional form designs. The one-question-at-a-time approach reduces cognitive load and creates a more engaging interaction pattern, particularly effective for longer surveys or complex data collection scenarios. Progressive disclosure techniques help maintain user attention while collecting comprehensive information without overwhelming respondents.
TellForm’s performance characteristics depended heavily on hosting infrastructure and technical implementation quality. Self-hosted deployments could achieve excellent performance with proper server configuration and optimization, but required technical expertise to maintain consistent user experiences. The platform’s lightweight design enabled fast loading times when properly configured, but lacked the automatic optimization and global distribution capabilities of modern cloud-based solutions.
Mobile responsiveness has become increasingly important as mobile traffic continues to dominate web usage patterns. Typeform’s native mobile optimization ensures forms display and function correctly across all device types, with touch-optimized input controls and adaptive layouts. The platform’s progressive web app capabilities enable offline form completion and background synchronization when connectivity is restored, improving user experience in challenging network conditions.
Make Your Forms Work Harder for Your Business
Selecting the right form building solution requires balancing functionality, cost, user experience, and long-term viability considerations. While TellForm offered appealing open-source flexibility and complete data control, its discontinued development status makes it unsuitable for new implementations requiring ongoing security updates and feature development. Organizations seeking self-hosted solutions should carefully evaluate maintenance requirements and consider actively maintained alternatives like OhMyForm, while acknowledging the recent archival concerns.
Typeform continues evolving as a premium form building platform with substantial feature development and enterprise-grade capabilities. The platform’s strength lies in its polished user experience, extensive integration ecosystem, and advanced analytics capabilities, making it suitable for organizations prioritizing professional presentation and comprehensive functionality. However, the pricing structure may challenge budget-conscious users, particularly those requiring high-volume data collection or advanced features locked behind higher-tier plans.
For modern marketers seeking mobile-optimized solutions that bridge the gap between open-source flexibility and commercial polish, Perspective offers compelling advantages through its mobile-first architecture, integrated CRM capabilities, and performance-focused design. The platform addresses common pain points in traditional form building while providing the speed, personalization, and mobile optimization that today’s digital marketing demands. Organizations prioritizing mobile user experiences and integrated marketing tools will find Perspective particularly well-suited to their conversion optimization and lead generation objectives.
