FormBackend vs Orbeon Forms

FormBackend gives HTML forms an endpoint for collecting submissions without requiring server-side code or a database. It validates entries, filters spam, and can send or receive email notifications when forms are submitted. Forms support unlimited fields, file uploads, custom redirects, and conditional emails based on field values. Users can export submissions as CSV or read and manage them through the API. Native delivery options include Slack, Google Sheets, Discord, and webhook URLs; Zapier connects the service to 1,000+ additional apps and requires a Zapier account. FormBackend runs in the cloud and is available on the web and through an API. The Free plan provides one form and 50 submissions per month, while a separate Free hosted plan includes a hosted form builder and unlimited submissions for one form. Paid plans start at $5/mo. The site says submission data can be exported or deleted, and its DPA identifies the customer as data controller and FormBackend as processor. It says submissions are encrypted in transit with TLS. Listed subprocessors include USA-based DigitalOcean for website and database hosting and AWS S3 for file storage. Support is available by email.

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.