Operator Build

Guide

Best form builder to pair with Lovable, Bolt or Base44

If the form is part of your app, build it with the app builder and save to its own database. Reach for an external form tool for payments, signatures, file uploads, intake forms or a quick test before you build. Tally has the most generous free plan; Jotform suits payment integrations and HIPAA needs (Gold); Typeform suits a conversational look.

Last updated Prices checked

Checked against each vendor's pricing page. Independent: no vendor reviewed or paid for this page. Some links on this page may be affiliate links; we may earn a commission at no cost to you. It never changes our verdicts (disclosure).

First question

Use the app builder's own form, or a form tool?

Build the form in the app when it is part of the product: a sign-up screen, a settings page, an internal tool where the data lives in the app's database. Lovable, Base44, Replit and Bolt.new all have a built-in database or a database option in our tracker, so the form and the data stay together.

Use an external form tool when:

  • You need payments. Form tools connect to payment providers without you building checkout.
  • You need signatures or file uploads. Tally includes both on its free plan; every Jotform plan includes upload storage.
  • It is an intake form that other people fill in once, such as client onboarding or applications.
  • You are testing demand before you build. A form and a landing page tell you whether anyone wants the app.

Using a form tool can also spare you building validation and notification workflows yourself.

Five form builders, compared

  • Best free plan

    Tally

    Form builder

    From$24/mo

    Pro: $29 monthly or $24 billed yearly. Removes branding and adds custom domains.

    Free planUnlimited forms and submissions (fair use)
    • Payments on Free
    • Signatures on Free
    • File uploads on Free
    • Webhooks on Free
  • Free plan, response cap

    Fillout

    Form builder

    From$15/mo

    Starter: $19 monthly or $15 billed annually, 2,000 responses a month.

    Free plan1,000 responses/mo, unlimited forms
    • Payments on Free
    • Conditional logic on Free
    • Embedding on Free
    • Webhook integration
  • Integrations

    Jotform

    Form builder

    From$34/mo

    Bronze: $39 monthly or $34 billed yearly, 25 forms and 1,000 submissions a month. One user per plan.

    Free plan5 forms, 100 submissions/mo
    • Stripe, PayPal, Square
    • Webhooks
    • HIPAA features on Gold
    • Multi-user below Enterprise
  • Conversational look

    Typeform

    Form builder

    From$28/mo

    Basic: $39 monthly or $28 billed yearly, 100 responses a month, 1 user.

    Free planYes, limited responses
    • Webhooks
    • Embeds
    • Remove branding on Plus
    • Free plan
  • Simplest

    Google Forms

    Form builder

    From$0/mo

    Create a form, share it by email or social media, or embed it on a website.

    Free planFree with a Google account
    • Embed on a website

None of these is in our tracker, so none has an ease score. Prices in USD per month; facts from each vendor's pricing page.

Entry prices side by side

  • Billed monthly

    Cheapest paid plan, USD per month.

    1. Google Forms$0
    2. Fillout Starter$19
    3. Tally Pro$29
    4. Jotform Bronze$39
    5. Typeform Basic$39

    Fillout Starter is $228 a year paid monthly.

  • Billed yearly

    Per month, paid a year up front.

    1. Fillout Starter$15
    2. Tally Pro$24
    3. Typeform Basic$28
    4. Jotform Bronze$34

    Fillout Starter $180 a year; Jotform Bronze $408 a year.

Bars are proportional to price. The cheapest plan is not the same product everywhere: check response caps and what is on each free plan.

Price matters less than the free plan here. Tally includes payments, signatures, file uploads and webhooks before you pay anything. Jotform's and Typeform's entry tiers cap submissions or responses, so check your expected volume first.

Picks

Which one, by situation

  • Testing demand before you build: Tally or Fillout. Both have free plans generous enough for a real test; Google Forms works too if looks do not matter.
  • Signatures and file uploads on a budget: Tally, which includes both on its free plan.
  • Payment and order forms: Jotform, for its Stripe, PayPal and Square integrations, or Tally and Fillout, which both include payments on Free.
  • Health or other regulated intake: Jotform Gold lists HIPAA features. Confirm terms with Jotform and your own compliance team first.
  • A polished, one-question-at-a-time look: Typeform. Its free plan has a limited number of responses a month, so expect to move to Basic for real volume.
  • Many responses a month: Fillout Business has unlimited responses; Tally's free plan is unlimited within fair use.
Try Jotform Read our Jotform review

Some links on this page may be affiliate links; we may earn a commission at no cost to you. It never changes our verdicts (disclosure).

Connecting

How to connect a form to your app

  1. Embed the form. Copy the form tool's embed code and ask your app builder to paste it into the page where the form belongs. Jotform, Fillout, Typeform and Google Forms all offer embedding. Submissions stay in the form tool.
  2. Send submissions to your app by webhook. Tally, Fillout, Jotform and Typeform can post each submission to a URL. Your app's backend receives it and writes to your database. Jotform waits 5 seconds by default for a reply, so keep the receiving step fast.
  3. Put an automation tool in the middle. Point the webhook at Make. Make can add the row to your database or Google Sheets, update your CRM and send the email, without code. Tally lists Make and Zapier among its integrations.

Route 3 is the easiest for non-coders and the easiest to change later. Make's free plan includes 1,000 credits a month; Core is $16 a month ($12 billed annually). Compare it with Zapier in Make vs Zapier.

Try Make (free month of Core) Read our Make review

Affiliate link: signing up through it gives you a free month of Make Core, and we may earn a commission at no cost to you. It never changes our scores (disclosure).

FAQ

Common questions

Do I need a separate form builder if I use Lovable, Bolt or Base44?

Often not. If the form is part of the app and saves to the app's own database, build it in the app. Use an external form tool when you need payments, signatures, file uploads or a quick test before you build anything.

Which form builder has the best free plan?

Tally: unlimited forms and submissions within fair-usage guidelines, with payments, signatures, file uploads, conditional logic and webhooks on the free plan. Fillout's free plan allows 1,000 responses a month.

When is Jotform the better choice?

When you want a long list of native integrations, including Stripe, PayPal and Square for payments, or HIPAA features, which Jotform lists on its Gold plan. Its free plan is the tightest here: 5 forms and 100 submissions a month.

Is Typeform free?

Typeform has a free plan with a limited number of responses a month (the pricing page does not give the number). Basic is $28 a month billed yearly or $39 monthly, for 100 responses a month and 1 user.

How do I get form submissions into my app?

Three ways: paste the form's embed code into a page, send submissions by webhook to your app's backend, or put an automation tool such as Make in the middle to update your database, CRM and inbox.

Sources

Sources and last check

Prices in USD. Database facts for app builders are from our tracker. Spotted a change? Tell us.

Related

Related pages

Reviews: Jotform, Make, Lovable, Bolt.new, Base44.

Guides: AI app builders with a database, Make vs Zapier, beehiiv review.