Quick answer
Formester - Formester wins for most builders because its free tier is far less boxed in, with unlimited forms, responses, and fields, while FormKeep is mainly the better choice if you specifically want a lightweight form backend with a very low-cost upgrade path.
How the free tiers compare
These two free tiers solve different problems. Formester gives you a broad form-building toolkit on day one: unlimited forms, unlimited responses, unlimited fields, file uploads, AI-assisted creation, payment collection, integrations, analytics, and offline forms. It is the kind of free plan you can keep using for real projects until you hit branding, collaboration, or higher-end automation needs. FormKeep is narrower but simpler: it is built around accepting submissions, notifications, and basic hosting for HTML forms, with a hard cap of 50 submissions per month and 1 month retention. That makes it better for small, low-traffic forms or developers who want a minimal backend. The tradeoff is scale and flexibility. FormKeep’s paid ladder is cheaper at the bottom, but Formester’s free tier is dramatically more generous.
Formester vs FormKeep free tier, side by side
| FormesterFTV 60 | FormKeepFTV 50 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free formsBoth allow unlimited forms on free. | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Free submissions / responsesThis is the biggest gap between the plans. | Unlimited | 50 submissions per month |
| Free fields per formFormester explicitly includes unlimited fields; FormKeep does not state a free field limit in the input. | Unlimited | Not specified |
| Free file uploads / attachmentsFormKeep’s free plan does not list file attachments. | 100 MB file uploads | Not specified |
| Free retentionFormKeep clearly states retention; Formester’s free retention is not provided. | Not specified | 1 month of submission retention |
| Credit card required for freeBoth inputs explicitly say ftv_no_cc_required is true. | No credit card required | No credit card required |
After you outgrow the free tier
Formester’s first paid tier is flat-priced at $12 per month, then $45 per month for collaboration and API access, with enterprise on contact sales. FormKeep starts lower at $4.99 per month, then moves through flat tiers at $19.50, $59, and $99 per month, with higher submission caps and retention improvements. Since both products use flat monthly pricing on the public ladder, the main cost divergence is that FormKeep is cheaper to enter, while Formester becomes more attractive if you can stay within its generous free limits or only need the $12 tier.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | Formester | FormKeep |
|---|---|---|
| small contact form with fewer than 50 submissions/moFormKeep fits this usage only if you stay under its free submission cap. | Free (within tier) | Free (within tier) |
| simple lead form with 1,000 submissions/moFormKeep’s Essential plan covers 1k submissions per month. | Free (within tier) | $4.99/mo |
| 10k submissions/mo with integrations and notificationsFormKeep’s Professional plan covers 10k submissions per month. | Free (within tier) | $19.50/mo |
| 100k submissions/mo plus team featuresFormKeep’s Premium plan covers 100k submissions per month. Formester’s Business tier is $45/mo but the input does not tie it to a submission cap. | Free (within tier) | $59/mo |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick Formester when…
- You need unlimited submissions on the free plan for a landing page, waitlist, or internal intake form.
- You want to build multi-step, payment, quiz, or offline forms without paying yet.
- You need several integrations or automations on free, like Google Sheets, Slack, Zapier, Notion, or webhooks.
- You want AI form generation and editing inside the free tier.
- You care more about form features than about having a minimal hosted backend.
Pick FormKeep when…
- You only need a small number of submissions per month and want a simple hosted endpoint or form backend.
- You are sending a basic contact form or lead form and want the cheapest possible upgrade path.
- You want a straightforward free plan with notifications, spam protection, and branded thank-you pages.
- You expect to move to a paid plan quickly and value a low starting price over feature breadth.
- You are fine with 1 month retention on free and do not need advanced form-building features.
Bottom line
For the most common builder use case, Formester is the better free-tier pick because it lets you ship real forms without watching a submission counter. Choose FormKeep if your use case is specifically a small hosted form backend and you want the cheapest paid ramp once you outgrow free. FormKeep is simpler and cheaper to start paid, but Formester gives you much more room before you need to open your wallet.
Read the full listings: Formester and FormKeep. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.