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Orbeon Forms

orbeon.com

From $108.33/mo Free plan Open source WebLinuxAPISelf-hosted
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Spec score 8.6 #5 of 25 in Form API Software

What it is

Orbeon Forms manages web forms from design and testing through publication, data capture, validation, and submission. Its Form Builder supports validation and visibility or editability rules, calculations, repeating sections and grids, and multi-page forms. Forms can collect attachments and produce PDF and Excel files. Deployment can be on-premises or in the cloud, with the server running in a Java servlet container. Integrations include Liferay, server-side and JavaScript embedding, React and Angular components, and HTTP and database service endpoints. Supported databases include Oracle, MySQL, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and DB2, with an API for other databases or backends. Selected fields can be encrypted at rest and in transit to and from the persistence API; the search API cannot search those fields or return decrypted values. The Community Edition is available at no charge. Paid PE subscriptions start at $1,300 a year per server, and a 90-day trial is listed. Silver and Gold include different support-hour and response-time provisions.

Spec sheet

What it does
Orbeon Forms manages web-form design, testing, publishing, data capture, validation, submission, and attachments on-premises or in the cloud.Read 15 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com
Purpose
Orbeon Forms manages the lifecycle of web forms, from design and testing through publishing, data capture, validation, and submission.Read 8 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com
Deployment
Orbeon Forms can run on-premises or in the cloud, and its server runs within a Java servlet container.Read 8 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com
Integrations
Integration options include HTTP and database services, REST or web services, Java and JavaScript APIs, React and Angular components, and Liferay.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Security
Form authors can mark selected fields for encryption at rest in the database; the documentation says encrypted field values are also encrypted in transit to and from the persistence API.Read 8 Oct 2026 · doc.orbeon.com
Support
PE Silver includes 4 hours of technical assistance and a typical 1 business-day response time, while PE Gold includes 8 hours and a typical 4 business-hour response time.Read 8 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com
Founded
2007Read 28 Sep 2026 · orbeon.com
API coverage
Documented APIs include CRUD, search, attachments, metadata, discovery, caching, versioning, leases, reindexing, revision history, ZIP export, JavaScript embedding, Java embedding, PDF, publishing, remote servers, and background processing.Read 15 Oct 2026 · doc.orbeon.com
Company facts
LinkedIn lists Orbeon, Inc. as privately held, founded in 1999, with 2–10 employees and a software-development focus.Read 15 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
Company history
An Orbeon announcement says the company was founded in 1999 and delivers and supports Orbeon Forms.Read 8 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com
Company product description
LinkedIn describes Orbeon Forms as software for creating, publishing, versioning, and running complex on-premises forms with access rights, PDF and Excel output, and attachments.Read 15 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
Custom persistence
A custom persistence layer can be implemented as REST services in any technology and configured without recompiling Orbeon Forms.Read 15 Oct 2026 · doc.orbeon.com
Data and documents
The product can collect form data with attachments and produce PDF and Excel files.Read 8 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com
Database support
Official pages list Oracle, MySQL, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, DB2, SQLite, and custom persistence providers.Read 15 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com
Documentation and support
Support resources include comprehensive documentation, a forum, Stack Overflow, Google Groups, commercial support, and development-support plans.Read 15 Oct 2026 · doc.orbeon.com
Encryption limitation
The documentation says the search API cannot search encrypted fields or return their decrypted values.Read 8 Oct 2026 · doc.orbeon.com
Excel exchange
Orbeon Forms supports Excel import and export, including row-by-row import.Read 15 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com
Form Builder
Form Builder is a browser-based visual designer with grid layouts, controls, validation, calculations, localization, and service actions.Read 15 Oct 2026 · doc.orbeon.com
Form building
Form Builder supports validation, visibility and editability rules, calculations, repeating sections and grids, and multi-page forms.Read 8 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com
Form Runner
Form Runner is the runtime that presents forms, manages definitions and data, and handles search, validation, saving, importing, and exporting.Read 15 Oct 2026 · doc.orbeon.com
Free trial
A free PE trial license is available for local development on a developer's laptop or workstation, is valid for 90 days, and can be renewed by obtaining another trial license.Read 8 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com
Government compliance
Orbeon states support for WCAG 2.1 AA, Section 508, GDPR-oriented retention controls, Friendly Captcha, and customer-controlled data location.Read 15 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com
Hardware guidance
Recommended starting hardware is a recent four-core-or-better Intel Xeon or Core i7-class CPU and at least 4 GB JVM RAM.Read 15 Oct 2026 · doc.orbeon.com
Installation requirements
Server installation requires a Java runtime and a Servlet 2.5-or-newer container such as Apache Tomcat.Read 15 Oct 2026 · doc.orbeon.com
Java support
The installation documentation lists Java 11, 17, and 21 for the 2025.1 release.Read 15 Oct 2026 · doc.orbeon.com
Licence
Community Edition source is available under the LGPL-2.1 licence; modifications to existing code must be redistributed under LGPL terms when distributed.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
License scope
PE subscriptions are priced per server, which the pricing page defines as a physical hardware machine; cloud customers unsure whether VMs share hardware need one subscription per VM.Read 8 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com
Limit: complexity and performance
G2 reviewers report that XML form files can become complicated, server communication can make forms slow, CSS customization can be difficult across releases, and database choices are limited.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Notable news: 2025.1.2
Orbeon announced the 2025.1.2 PE maintenance release on June 23, 2026, including more than 50 fixes and a Form Builder MCP server for AI agents.Read 15 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
Offline limitation
End users cannot fill forms offline because the browser must connect to the Orbeon server to load, fill, and submit them.Read 15 Oct 2026 · doc.orbeon.com
Open-core model
The project describes CE as open source and PE as a subscription edition with commercial support, maintenance releases, performance improvements, and enterprise features.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
PDF output
The product can generate PDFs automatically from form layouts or fill supplied PDF templates.Read 15 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com
Praise: ease of use
G2 reviewers praise the simple designer, quick form creation, drag-and-drop editing, and ease of testing installation.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Praise: support
A G2 reviewer praises the active helpdesk presence in the Stack Overflow community for configuration questions and bugs.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Production database warning
The installation guide says the bundled SQLite database is for quick starts and should be replaced with a separate relational database for development or production.Read 15 Oct 2026 · doc.orbeon.com
Rating on G2
3.0 out of 5 from 2 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Rating on GetApp
0 out of 5 from 0 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · getapp.com
Release support
Each major release is supported for three years, with only its latest point release supported during that period.Read 15 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com
Repeating structures
Repeating sections and grids support minimum and maximum repetitions, reordering, and synchronized master-detail relationships.Read 15 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com
Repository activity
The public GitHub repository showed 545 stars and 214 forks when opened.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Responsive forms
Forms use responsive layouts intended for desktop, tablet, and mobile browsers.Read 15 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com
Scope limitation
Orbeon states that it is focused on forms rather than serving as a general-purpose web application platform.Read 15 Oct 2026 · doc.orbeon.com
Security encryption
Authors can mark fields and attachments for database encryption, with encryption occurring before persistence and during database transfer.Read 15 Oct 2026 · doc.orbeon.com
Security limitation
Encrypted fields cannot currently be searched or returned as clear values by the search API, and changing encryption keys requires a manual re-encryption procedure.Read 15 Oct 2026 · doc.orbeon.com
Self-hosting
The software can be deployed on infrastructure controlled by the customer, including on-premises servers and AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.Read 15 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com
Validation and branching
Form Builder supports validation messages, visibility and editability rules, calculations, dependencies, and branching behavior.Read 15 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com

Plans and prices

Community Edition (CE) Free Available at no charge Open source · community driven · Form Builder · Form Runner · Form processor (XForms) Read 8 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com
Community Edition (CE) Free Open-source use · evaluation · development · self-supported deployments Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
PE Basic $1,300 a year per server / year PE features · 1-year license · Dev, QA, staging · 2 incidents · bug-priority escalation Read 15 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com
PE Silver $4,200 a year per server / year PE features · production · unlimited incidents · 1-business-day response · 4 technical-assistance hours Read 15 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com
PE Gold $6,300 a year per server / year PE features · production · unlimited incidents · 4-business-hour response · 8 technical-assistance hours · chat · meetings · emergency hotfixes Read 15 Oct 2026 · orbeon.com

Every Orbeon Forms plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Form Builder supports rules, calculations, and repeating sections
  • Collects attachments and produces PDF and Excel files
  • Supports multiple databases and an API for others
  • On-premises and cloud deployment options
  • Community Edition available at no charge

Limits

  • Search API cannot search encrypted fields
  • PE subscriptions are priced per server
  • Paid plans start at $1,300 a year

Who it suits

It suits organizations building forms with rules, attachments, document output, and integrations. Teams should consider the on-premises or cloud deployment choices and the per-server subscription scope when evaluating paid PE plans.

Verdict

Orbeon Forms specifies a broad form lifecycle, integration, and deployment scope, with a no-charge Community Edition and paid server subscriptions. Check encryption behavior and how server licensing applies to your environment before choosing a PE plan.

Where Specifiction places it

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