# CatchForm — full documentation

Source: https://catchform.dev. Generated from the pages themselves, so it never disagrees with the site.

## Documentation
https://catchform.dev/docs

API Documentation

Technical reference for integrating CatchForm with your forms. Everything you need to know about endpoints, parameters, and responses.

← Back to home

Endpoint

All form submissions are sent to a single endpoint:

POST https://catchform.dev/f/{token}

Replace {token} with your form's unique token, shown in the dashboard after creating a form.

Request Format

Send form data as application/x-www-form-urlencoded or multipart/form-data (for file uploads):

<form action="https://catchform.dev/f/your-token"
method="POST">
<input name="email" type="email">
<textarea name="message"></textarea>
<button type="submit">Send</button>
</form>

Field names are arbitrary — you define them in your HTML. All fields are optional; an empty form is valid.

For a complete walkthrough of building an HTML form for email delivery, see our guide on connecting HTML forms to email.

Special Fields

Honeypot (spam protection)

Add a hidden field named _gotcha to your form. Leave it empty. If a submission contains a non-empty value for this field, it will be rejected as spam:

<input type="hidden" name="_gotcha" value="">

Spam detection response: 422 status with {"success": false, "message": "Spam detected."}

Redirect (optional)

Control where the user is redirected after submission using _redirect:

<input type="hidden" name="_redirect" value="https://example.com/thank-you">

For security, _redirect is only accepted if its host and scheme match the redirect URL configured in your form settings. Give it an absolute URL — a relative path like /thank-you carries no host, so it is ignored. Whenever the value is not accepted, the form's configured redirect is used instead, and the submission is still saved.

Response Format

Responses vary based on your form's redirect settings:

No redirect configured

Status: 200

{"success": true}

Redirect configured

Status: 302 (redirect to configured URL)

Invalid or inactive token

Status: 404

Monthly limit exceeded

Status: 429

{"error": "Monthly limit exceeded"}

Submission Limits

Each plan includes a monthly submission quota. Once exceeded, new submissions are rejected until the next month or until you upgrade:

Free

100 submissions/month

Pro

10,000 submissions/month

File Uploads

File uploads are available on the Starter and Pro plans. Each file must meet these requirements:

• Maximum size: 5 MB

• Allowed types: JPEG, PNG, GIF, PDF

If file uploads are submitted to a Free plan account, the submission is still accepted but files are not stored. The submission data will include a note that attachments were not saved.

Webhooks

Webhooks are available on the Pro plan. When a submission is received, CatchForm sends an HTTP POST to each active webhook URL with the following payload:

{
"form_id": 42,
"submission_id": 1337,
"data": { /* submitted fields */ },
"submitted_at": "2026-01-15T10:30:00.000000Z"
}

If you configured a webhook secret, each request includes an X-Webhook-Signature header containing an HMAC-SHA256 hash of the JSON payload, allowing you to verify the request's authenticity.

Email Notifications

When you create a form, you provide an email address where submissions should be delivered. Before the first submission is sent, we verify that you own this email address by sending a confirmation link.

Each email notification includes the submission data. The email's Reply-To header is set to the email field from the submission (if present), allowing you to reply directly to the form's author.

MCP Server

MCP (Model Context Protocol) allows AI agents like Claude to manage forms and read submissions through CatchForm. Connect an AI assistant to create forms, retrieve data, and process submissions — and it's free on every plan, including Free.

Getting your API token

Visit your account settings, find the API tokens section, and create a new token. The value is shown only once — copy it immediately.

Configuration

The server runs on our side — there is nothing to install. Point your client at the URL below and pass your token. In Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport http catchform https://catchform.dev/mcp \
--header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

Clients that keep servers in a JSON file — Cursor among them — take the same two values:

{
"mcpServers": {
"catchform": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://catchform.dev/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"
}
}
}
}

The token is a normal CatchForm API token, so the agent sees exactly what your account sees —
its own forms and their submissions, nothing else. Revoke it on the
account page and the agent loses access immediately.

Available tools

• list-forms — your forms with their endpoint URLs

• get-form — one form: endpoint, notification address, redirect, ready HTML snippet

• create-form — create a form; a confirmation link goes to the notification address

• list-submissions — submissions of a form, newest first, with optional search

Feeding these docs to an AI agent

Two plain-text files exist for that:
/llms.txt is a short map of the site, and
/llms-full.txt is this documentation, the guides and the comparisons as one text.
Both are generated from the pages you are reading, so they cannot drift out of date. Paste either URL into Cursor, Claude Code or any
assistant that reads links, or connect the MCP server above and skip the copying.

Learn More

Need implementation examples? Check out our guides:

• HTML form to email — The simplest integration

• Contact form for Astro — Astro-specific example

• Contact form for Hugo — Hugo template example

Questions? Get in touch.

## Guide: HTML form to email
https://catchform.dev/guides/html-form-to-email

HTML Form to Email

Send form submissions directly to your email without building a backend server. Just HTML, nothing else.

← Back to docs

Overview

This guide shows the simplest way to add a working contact form to any static site. No JavaScript, no build step, no backend infrastructure — just plain HTML.

Why HTML Forms Need a Backend to Send Email

A common misconception is that HTML can send email by itself. Here's what actually happens when someone submits a form in a browser: the browser collects the form data and makes an HTTP request to a server. That's it. Browsers cannot and do not send email directly.

You might have seen the mailto: attribute or protocol, which looks like it sends email. In reality, it just opens your email client on your device (if one is configured). When someone clicks a mailto: link, the browser passes it to your operating system's email application, and you have to click "send" yourself. Nothing is automatically delivered, and the email address is exposed in your page's HTML source code for any bot to scrape.

To actually send an email when someone submits a form, you need a server — something that receives the form data and hands it off to a mail service. This is what we mean by a "form backend."

The Form Action: Your Bridge to Email

Every form has an action attribute that tells the browser where to send the data:

<form action="https://example.com/receive-form" method="POST">
...
</form>

The action URL must point to a server that knows how to handle form submissions. When someone clicks "send," the browser makes a POST request to that URL with all the form data in the request body. The server receives it, processes it, and can then send an email based on that data.

CatchForm is that backend. You give each form a unique token, and the form's action points to CatchForm's endpoint. When data arrives, CatchForm validates it, stores it, and delivers it to your email inbox.

Step 1: Create a Form

Sign up for a free CatchForm account (no credit card required). You'll get a unique token for each form. Keep this token private — anyone with it can submit to your form.

During setup, provide the email address where you'd like to receive submissions. We'll send you a confirmation link.

Step 2: Add the HTML Form

Paste this code into your HTML page where you want the form to appear:

<form action="https://catchform.dev/f/YOUR-TOKEN"
method="POST"
style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 1rem; max-width: 400px;">

<input type="hidden" name="_gotcha" value="">

<div>
<label for="email" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 0.25rem; font-weight: 500;">
Email
</label>
<input type="email" id="email" name="email" required
style="width: 100%; padding: 0.5rem; border: 1px solid #ddd; border-radius: 4px;">
</div>

<div>
<label for="message" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 0.25rem; font-weight: 500;">
Message
</label>
<textarea id="message" name="message" required rows="5"
style="width: 100%; padding: 0.5rem; border: 1px solid #ddd; border-radius: 4px; font-family: inherit;"></textarea>
</div>

<button type="submit"
style="padding: 0.5rem 1rem; background-color: #4f46e5; color: white; border: none; border-radius: 4px; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 600;">
Send
</button>

</form>

Replace YOUR-TOKEN with the token from your form's settings.

Step 3: What Happens After Submission

When someone clicks "send," their browser makes a POST request to CatchForm with the form data. Here's the journey that data takes behind the scenes:

Form is located. CatchForm looks up your form using the token in the action URL. If the form doesn't exist or has been deactivated, you'll get a 404 error. This prevents submissions to forms that are no longer active.

Plan limit is checked. Every plan has a monthly submission limit. Free accounts get 100 submissions per month, while Pro accounts get 10,000. If your account has already reached this month's limit, the submission is rejected with a 429 (too many requests) error.

Spam protection runs. CatchForm uses a honeypot field (the hidden input in your form named _gotcha) to catch bots. If a bot fills this field, the submission is rejected with a 422 error and marked as spam.

Submission is stored. If all checks pass, CatchForm saves a copy of the submission in its database. This gives you a permanent record that you can view in your dashboard, even if your email filters send the message to spam.

Email is sent. An email with all the form data is delivered to your inbox — but only if you've verified that email address. This prevents anyone from setting up a form that sends email to an arbitrary address. The email includes a "Reply-To" header set to the visitor's email address (detected from a field named email, Email, or e-mail, if its value is a valid address), so you can reply directly in your email client.

Response is sent to the browser. If you configured a success redirect URL in your form's settings, the visitor's browser is redirected there. If no redirect was configured, CatchForm returns a JSON response with {"success": true}, which is useful for JavaScript-based forms that don't do a full page reload. You can also override the redirect URL per-submission by including a hidden input with name="_redirect", as long as it points to the same domain as your configured redirect.

How CatchForm Compares to Mailto Links

You might wonder why you need a form backend when you could just use a mailto: link. Here are the real differences:

Aspect |
Mailto: Link |
CatchForm (Form Backend) |

Requires email client |
Yes — visitor must have a mail app |
No — works on any device |

Visitor sends the email |
Yes — user clicks "send" in their client |
No — server sends automatically |

Email is stored |
Only in visitor's Sent folder |
Yes — you have a permanent record |

Spam filtering |
None — raw user input |
Yes — honeypot field, spam never reaches your inbox |

Email address visible |
Yes — in page HTML |
No — only on the server |

Validation |
None |
Email address verified before sending |

In short: mailto: is a fallback for when you want to let someone email you directly. A form backend is the professional choice because it actually sends the email, stores it, and protects your inbox from spam.

Customization

Custom Field Names

Change the name attribute on any input to customize what you see in your email. Add as many fields as you need:

<input name="phone" type="tel">
<input name="company" type="text">
<textarea name="comments"></textarea>

Success Redirect

By default, the form submission redirects to a success page of your choosing. Configure this in your form's settings on CatchForm. If you want to override it per-submission (for A/B testing or multiple forms on one page):

<input type="hidden" name="_redirect" value="/thank-you">

The redirect URL must be on the same domain as your form's configured redirect URL. This protects against using CatchForm as a redirect service.

Spam Protection

The line <input type="hidden" name="_gotcha" value=""> is a honeypot field. Bots will try to fill it; if they do, we reject the submission as spam. Keep it in your form.

Common Patterns

Newsletter Signup

<form action="https://catchform.dev/f/YOUR-TOKEN" method="POST">
<input type="hidden" name="_gotcha" value="">
<input name="email" type="email" placeholder="your@email.com" required>
<button type="submit">Subscribe</button>
</form>

Contact Form with File Upload

<form action="https://catchform.dev/f/YOUR-TOKEN" method="POST" enctype="multipart/form-data">
<input type="hidden" name="_gotcha" value="">
<input name="name" type="text" required>
<input name="email" type="email" required>
<textarea name="message" required></textarea>
<input name="file" type="file" accept=".pdf,.jpeg,.png,.gif">
<button type="submit">Send</button>
</form>

File uploads are only available on the Pro plan. Remember to use enctype="multipart/form-data" when uploading files.

Get Started

Ready to add a contact form? Sign up for free and get your first 100 submissions included.

## Guide: contact form for Astro
https://catchform.dev/guides/contact-form-astro

Contact Form for Astro

Build a contact form component for your Astro site that sends submissions directly to your email without any backend server.

← Back to docs

Overview

This guide shows how to create a reusable contact form component in Astro that works without a backend. The form sends submissions directly to CatchForm, which delivers them to your inbox.

Prerequisites

An Astro project (v3.0 or later)

A CatchForm account with an active form

Step 1: Set Up CatchForm

Sign up for CatchForm and create a new form. You'll receive a unique token. Store it in your .env file:

PUBLIC_CATCHFORM_TOKEN=your-token-here

The PUBLIC_ prefix makes it safe to expose in the browser (the token is already public since the form accepts submissions from any origin).

Step 2: Create the ContactForm Component

Create a new file src/components/ContactForm.astro:

---
const token = import.meta.env.PUBLIC_CATCHFORM_TOKEN;
---

<form
action={`https://catchform.dev/f/${token}`}
method="POST"
class="contact-form"
>
<input
type="hidden"
name="_gotcha"
value=""
>

<div class="form-group">
<label for="name">Name</label>
<input
id="name"
type="text"
name="name"
required
>
</div>

<div class="form-group">
<label for="email">Email</label>
<input
id="email"
type="email"
name="email"
required
>
</div>

<div class="form-group">
<label for="message">Message</label>
<textarea
id="message"
name="message"
rows="5"
required
></textarea>
</div>

<button type="submit">Send Message</button>
</form>

<style>
.contact-form {
display: flex;
flex-direction: column;
gap: 1.5rem;
max-width: 500px;
}

.form-group {
display: flex;
flex-direction: column;
gap: 0.5rem;
}

label {
font-weight: 500;
font-size: 0.95rem;
}

input,
textarea {
padding: 0.625rem;
border: 1px solid #ddd;
border-radius: 4px;
font-family: inherit;
font-size: 1rem;
}

input:focus,
textarea:focus {
outline: none;
border-color: #4f46e5;
box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(79, 70, 229, 0.1);
}

button {
padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem;
background-color: #4f46e5;
color: white;
border: none;
border-radius: 4px;
font-weight: 600;
cursor: pointer;
font-size: 1rem;
}

button:hover {
background-color: #4338ca;
}

button:active {
transform: scale(0.98);
}
</style>

Step 3: Use the Component

Import and use the component in any Astro page or layout:

---
import ContactForm from '../components/ContactForm.astro';
---

<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>Contact Us</title>
</head>
<body>
<main>
<h1>Get in Touch</h1>
<ContactForm />
</main>
</body>
</html>

Customization

Add a Success Message

After form submission, redirect the user to a success page. In your CatchForm dashboard, configure the redirect URL (e.g., /thank-you), then create a corresponding Astro page.

Add More Fields

Simply add more form groups to the component. Change the name attribute to customize how the field appears in your email:

<div class="form-group">
<label for="company">Company</label>
<input
id="company"
type="text"
name="company"
>
</div>

Style with Your Design System

The component uses local scoped styles. Replace them with your own CSS utilities (Tailwind, Pico, etc.) or external stylesheets.

Pro Tips

File Attachments

Pro plan users can accept file uploads. Add an input with type="file" and ensure the form has enctype="multipart/form-data". Allowed types: JPEG, PNG, GIF, PDF. Maximum size: 5 MB.

Client-Side Validation

The form uses HTML5 validation attributes (required, type="email"). Browsers enforce these, but always validate on the server side (CatchForm does).

Spam Protection

The honeypot field is already included in the component. Bots will fill it and their submissions will be rejected automatically.

To understand how raw HTML forms submit data without any framework overhead, check our plain HTML form submission guide.

Next Steps

Your form is now live. Check your inbox for submissions. Need more help?

• Full API documentation

• Explore Pro features

• Contact support

## Guide: contact form for Hugo
https://catchform.dev/guides/contact-form-hugo

Contact Form for Hugo

Build a contact form partial for your Hugo site that sends submissions directly to your email without any backend server.

← Back to docs

Overview

This guide shows how to create a reusable contact form partial in Hugo that works without a backend. The form sends submissions directly to CatchForm, which delivers them to your inbox.

Prerequisites

A Hugo site (v0.100 or later)

A CatchForm account with an active form

Step 1: Set Up CatchForm

Sign up for CatchForm and create a new form. You'll receive a unique token. Store it in your Hugo site's config or pass it via parameters.

Option A: Add it to your config file (hugo.toml):

[params]
catchformToken = "your-token-here"

Step 2: Create the Contact Form Partial

Create a new file layouts/partials/contact-form.html:

<form
action="https://catchform.dev/f/{{ .Site.Params.catchformToken }}"
method="POST"
class="contact-form"
>
<input
type="hidden"
name="_gotcha"
value=""
>

<div class="form-group">
<label for="name">Name</label>
<input
id="name"
type="text"
name="name"
required
>
</div>

<div class="form-group">
<label for="email">Email</label>
<input
id="email"
type="email"
name="email"
required
>
</div>

<div class="form-group">
<label for="message">Message</label>
<textarea
id="message"
name="message"
rows="5"
required
></textarea>
</div>

<button type="submit">Send Message</button>
</form>

<style>
.contact-form {
display: flex;
flex-direction: column;
gap: 1.5rem;
max-width: 500px;
}

.form-group {
display: flex;
flex-direction: column;
gap: 0.5rem;
}

.contact-form label {
font-weight: 500;
font-size: 0.95rem;
}

.contact-form input,
.contact-form textarea {
padding: 0.625rem;
border: 1px solid #ddd;
border-radius: 4px;
font-family: inherit;
font-size: 1rem;
}

.contact-form input:focus,
.contact-form textarea:focus {
outline: none;
border-color: #4f46e5;
box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(79, 70, 229, 0.1);
}

.contact-form button {
padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem;
background-color: #4f46e5;
color: white;
border: none;
border-radius: 4px;
font-weight: 600;
cursor: pointer;
font-size: 1rem;
}

.contact-form button:hover {
background-color: #4338ca;
}

.contact-form button:active {
transform: scale(0.98);
}
</style>

Step 3: Use the Partial

Include the partial in any layout or content page using the partial function:

<!-- layouts/contact.html or content/contact/_index.md -->
{{ define "main" }}
<main>
<h1>{{ .Title }}</h1>
{{ .Content }}
{{ partial "contact-form" . }}
</main>
{{ end }}

In Markdown files, use shortcodes to include the partial:

{{< partial "contact-form" . >}}

Customization

Add a Success Message

After form submission, redirect the user to a success page. In your CatchForm dashboard, configure the redirect URL (e.g., /thank-you), then create a corresponding Hugo page.

Add More Fields

Simply add more form groups to the partial. Change the name attribute to customize how the field appears in your email:

<div class="form-group">
<label for="phone">Phone</label>
<input
id="phone"
type="tel"
name="phone"
>
</div>

Pass Token as Parameter

If you prefer not to store the token in config, pass it as a parameter to the partial:

<!-- In your layout file -->
{{ partial "contact-form" (dict "token" "your-token-here") }}

<!-- In the partial -->
<form action="https://catchform.dev/f/{{ .token }}" method="POST">
...
</form>

Style with Your Theme

The partial uses inline scoped styles. Replace them with your theme's CSS or remove the <style> block and style via your external stylesheet.

Pro Tips

File Attachments

Pro plan users can accept file uploads. Add an input with type="file" and add enctype="multipart/form-data" to the form. Allowed types: JPEG, PNG, GIF, PDF. Maximum size: 5 MB.

Validation

The form uses HTML5 validation attributes (required, type="email"). Browsers enforce these, but CatchForm also validates on the server side.

Spam Protection

The honeypot field is already included in the partial. Bots will fill it and their submissions will be rejected automatically. For a complete look at form validation and email delivery mechanisms, check our guide to handling HTML forms and delivering submissions via email.

Next Steps

Your form is now live. Check your inbox for submissions. Need more help?

• Full API documentation

• Explore Pro features

• Contact support

## CatchForm vs Formspree
https://catchform.dev/alternatives/formspree

A Formspree alternative: CatchForm vs Formspree

Both turn a plain HTML form into email without a server. The difference is mostly in how far the
free plan and the first paid plan take you — and in a few things Formspree does that we do not.

The short version

Free plan: Formspree gives 50 submissions a month and keeps them for 30 days; CatchForm gives 100 and keeps them until you delete them.

First paid plan: Formspree Personal is 200 submissions for $15 a month; CatchForm Pro is 10,000 for $12/mo.

Where Formspree is ahead: machine-learning spam filtering and reCAPTCHA, unlimited forms even on free, autoresponses and many more integrations.

Side by side

|
CatchForm |
Formspree |

Free submissions / month |
100 |
50 |

Forms on the free plan |
1 |
Unlimited |

Submission history on free |
Kept until you delete it |
30 days |

CSV export on free |
Yes |
No — paid plans |

Custom thank-you page on free |
Yes |
No — paid plans |

File uploads |
Starter and Pro plans |
Paid plans (none on free) |

Cheapest paid plan |
$12/mo ($10/mo yearly) |
$15/mo ($10/mo yearly) |

Submissions on that plan |
10,000 / month |
200 / month |

Spam protection |
Honeypot field |
ML filter + reCAPTCHA |

Autoresponse to the sender |
No |
Professional plan and up |

Formspree figures were taken from their own
published pages
in September 2026. Prices and limits change — check there before deciding. If something here is out of date,
write to hello@catchform.dev and we will fix it.

When Formspree is the better choice

Your form is a spam magnet and you want a CAPTCHA or a trained filter. We only use a hidden honeypot field — it stops most bots, but not all.

You need many small forms at no cost. Formspree's free plan has no form limit; ours has 1.

You want the visitor to get an automatic "thanks, we got it" email, or you rely on integrations beyond email, Slack-style chat and webhooks.

When CatchForm is the better choice

You have outgrown 50 submissions a month but do not want to pay yet.

You get a few hundred to a few thousand submissions a month. On Formspree that is the $30 Professional plan (2,000 submissions); on CatchForm it fits in Pro at $12/mo.

You want to keep every submission and export it to CSV without upgrading.

You want your data in the EU: CatchForm stores everything on servers in Germany.

Switching from Formspree

Formspree and CatchForm both accept a standard form POST, so the HTML stays the same apart from one attribute:

<!-- before -->
<form action="https://formspree.io/f/xxxxxxx" method="POST">

<!-- after -->
<form action="https://catchform.dev/f/your-token" method="POST">

Create a form in CatchForm and confirm the address notifications should go to.

Replace the action URL with your CatchForm endpoint.

If visitors land on a thank-you page after submitting, set its URL as the redirect in your form settings.

Send one test submission and check your inbox.

Submitting with fetch() instead of a page reload works too — see the
docs and the
HTML form to email guide.

Try CatchForm on your own form

100 submissions a month free, no credit card.
Switching is one change: the action attribute of your form.

Get your endpoint — free

Other comparisons

CatchForm vs Forminit (Getform)

CatchForm vs FormSubmit

CatchForm vs Netlify Forms

## CatchForm vs Forminit (Getform)
https://catchform.dev/alternatives/getform

A Getform alternative: CatchForm vs Forminit

Getform was renamed Forminit in January 2026 — same service, new name. If you are comparing it with
CatchForm, here is where the two actually differ.

The short version

Free plans are close: both give 100 submissions a month and 1 form. Forminit adds file uploads, CatchForm adds CSV export.

Paid plans are not: Forminit Pro is 5,000 submissions and 5 forms from $15.83 a month billed yearly. CatchForm Pro is 10,000 submissions and 10 forms for $12/mo, billed monthly.

Where Forminit is ahead: file uploads without paying, a larger feature set on its higher plans, and a track record going back to 2015.

Side by side

|
CatchForm |
Forminit |

Free submissions / month |
100 |
100 |

Forms on the free plan |
1 |
1 |

File uploads on free |
No — Starter and Pro plans |
Yes, 100 MB storage |

CSV export on free |
Yes |
No — Pro and up |

Webhooks on free |
No — Pro plan |
No — Pro and up |

Thank-you redirect on free |
Yes |
Yes |

Cheapest paid plan |
$12/mo ($10/mo yearly) |
$15.83/mo billed yearly |

Submissions on that plan |
10,000 / month |
5,000 / month |

Forms on that plan |
10 |
5 |

Autoresponse to the sender |
No |
Business plan |

Forminit figures were taken from their own
published pages
in September 2026. Prices and limits change — check there before deciding. If something here is out of date,
write to hello@catchform.dev and we will fix it.

When Forminit is the better choice

Your form takes attachments — CVs, screenshots, briefs — and you want that on a free plan. On CatchForm the cheapest plan with file uploads is Starter at $5/mo.

You need an autoresponder or the features Forminit puts on its Business and Volume plans.

You value a service that has been running for a decade. CatchForm is new, and we would rather say so.

When CatchForm is the better choice

You need more than 5,000 submissions or more than 5 forms, but not a business-tier bill.

You prefer to pay month to month instead of committing to a year.

You want to export submissions to CSV while still on the free plan.

You want your data in the EU: CatchForm stores everything on servers in Germany.

Switching from Getform or Forminit

Both services accept a standard form POST, so only the endpoint changes:

<form action="https://catchform.dev/f/your-token" method="POST">

Create a form in CatchForm and confirm the address notifications should go to.

Replace the action URL of your form with your CatchForm endpoint.

Set your thank-you page as the redirect URL in the form settings.

Export your old submissions from Forminit if you want to keep them, then send one test submission.

For fetch() submissions and framework examples, see the
docs,
the Astro guide and the
Hugo guide.

Try CatchForm on your own form

100 submissions a month free, no credit card.
Switching is one change: the action attribute of your form.

Get your endpoint — free

Other comparisons

CatchForm vs Formspree

CatchForm vs FormSubmit

CatchForm vs Netlify Forms

## CatchForm vs FormSubmit
https://catchform.dev/alternatives/formsubmit

A FormSubmit alternative: CatchForm vs FormSubmit

FormSubmit is the simplest way to get a form into your mailbox: no account, no dashboard, no bill.
CatchForm asks you to sign up and in return keeps your submissions somewhere other than your email.

The short version

FormSubmit is free with no registration. Submissions go to your email; the archive is kept for 30 days and read through an API limited to 5 calls a day.

CatchForm needs an account. Every submission lands in a web inbox, stays there until you delete it, and exports to CSV.

For your visitors the difference is the CAPTCHA: FormSubmit shows reCAPTCHA by default, CatchForm filters bots with a hidden field and never interrupts people.

Side by side

|
CatchForm |
FormSubmit |

Account |
Required |
Not required |

Price |
Free, then $12/mo |
Free |

Free submissions / month |
100 |
No limit published |

Where submissions are kept |
Web inbox, until you delete them |
Your email; 30-day archive via API |

CSV export |
Yes, every plan |
Not offered |

What the visitor sees |
Your form, then your page |
reCAPTCHA by default (can be turned off) |

Your email address in the page |
Never — the endpoint is a token |
Yes, unless you swap it for their alias |

File uploads |
Starter and Pro plans |
Yes, up to 10 MB in total |

Webhooks |
Pro plan, optional HMAC signature |
Yes |

Autoresponse to the sender |
No |
Yes |

FormSubmit figures were taken from their own
published pages
in September 2026. Prices and limits change — check there before deciding. If something here is out of date,
write to hello@catchform.dev and we will fix it.

When FormSubmit is the better choice

You want zero setup and zero cost, and email is the only place you need submissions to end up.

You need file uploads or an automatic reply to the sender without paying anything.

You like having a CAPTCHA in front of your form.

When CatchForm is the better choice

You do not want a mailbox to be the only copy of your leads. An email that lands in spam or gets deleted is gone; a CatchForm submission is still in the inbox.

You want a list you can search, export to CSV and hand to someone else.

You do not want visitors to solve a CAPTCHA before their message goes through.

You want a service with a paid plan behind it, run by people you can email, with data stored in Germany.

Switching from FormSubmit

<!-- before -->
<form action="https://formsubmit.co/you@example.com" method="POST">

<!-- after -->
<form action="https://catchform.dev/f/your-token" method="POST">

Create a form in CatchForm and confirm the address notifications should go to.

Replace the action URL with your CatchForm endpoint.

FormSubmit's hidden fields (_next, _captcha, _subject and so on) can stay or go: CatchForm ignores fields that start with an underscore. The one it reads is _replyto, and it means the same thing as on FormSubmit. Set your thank-you page as the redirect URL in the form settings.

Send one test submission and check your inbox.

More detail in the docs and the
HTML form to email guide.

Try CatchForm on your own form

100 submissions a month free, no credit card.
Switching is one change: the action attribute of your form.

Get your endpoint — free

Other comparisons

CatchForm vs Formspree

CatchForm vs Forminit (Getform)

CatchForm vs Netlify Forms

## CatchForm vs Netlify Forms
https://catchform.dev/alternatives/netlify-forms

CatchForm vs Netlify Forms

An honest comparison of two serverless form platforms. Understand the differences to choose what works best for your site.

← Back to docs

Overview

Both CatchForm and Netlify Forms offer serverless form handling. They share the same core promise: point your form at a URL and receive submissions by email. But they work differently, solve different problems, and have different trade-offs.

When to Use Netlify Forms

Netlify Forms is tightly integrated with Netlify's hosting platform. Choose it if:

Your site is already hosted on Netlify

You want everything (hosting + forms) in one dashboard

You need bot detection built in (Netlify offers reCAPTCHA integration)

When to Use CatchForm

CatchForm is independent of your hosting platform. Choose it if:

Your site is on Vercel, GitHub Pages, Cloudflare Pages, S3 or your own server — anywhere other than Netlify

You may move hosts later and do not want the move to break your forms

You want the notification address to be any mailbox, confirmed on its own, rather than tied to a hosting account

You want submissions to keep working the same way across several sites on different hosts

Feature Comparison

Feature |
CatchForm |
Netlify Forms |

Email notifications |
✓ |
✓ |

Web inbox |
✓ |
✓ |

CSV export |
✓ |
✓ |

Webhooks |
Pro |
✓ |

File uploads |
Starter and Pro |
✓ |

Email verification |
✓ |
✓ |

Works when your site is not on Netlify |
✓ |
– |

Spam protection |
Honeypot |
Honeypot + reCAPTCHA |

Secure redirects |
✓ |
✓ |

The Netlify column lists only what their own documentation states. Where we could not verify
a behaviour, we left the row out rather than guess — a comparison is worth nothing if you
cannot trust the column about the other product. Check
Netlify's docs
for their current feature set.

Key Differences Explained

Integration Model

Netlify Forms:

Form handling is part of Netlify's hosting: the feature is set up on a site deployed to Netlify, so it comes with the platform rather than existing independently of it.

CatchForm:

Works with any hosting platform (Vercel, GitHub Pages, AWS, self-hosted, etc.). The form receiver can be any email address, verified independently of your hosting account. For the plain-HTML mechanics behind that — what the action attribute does and what happens after a visitor hits submit — see our HTML-to-email walkthrough.

Submission Storage

Netlify Forms:

Submissions are stored in your Netlify dashboard. If you stop receiving email notifications, you can still access the submissions there.

CatchForm:

Submissions are stored independently in an inbox, separate from email. This means your submissions are safe even if an email notification bounces or gets filtered.

Replying to the person who wrote in

In CatchForm, if the submission contains an email field, that address becomes the notification's
Reply-To. Hitting reply in your mail client answers the person who filled in the form, with no
copy-pasting of addresses. We make no claim about how Netlify formats its notifications — check
their docs if this matters to you.

Getting your data out

Both products export submissions to CSV, and both can POST them onward to a URL — Netlify through
form submission notifications, CatchForm through per-form webhooks on its paid plans. This is not a
difference between them, and we would rather say so than invent one.

Pricing

Netlify Forms

Billed as part of Netlify's own plans, with a monthly submission allowance above which the
feature has to be paid for. We do not reprint their numbers here because they change and a
stale price on our page would mislead you — see
Netlify's pricing page.

CatchForm

Free plan: 1 form, 100 submissions/month. No credit card required.

Paid plans: $5/mo: 3 forms, 1,000 submissions/month. $12/mo: 10 forms, 10,000 submissions/month. File uploads and webhooks on both.

Migration

From Netlify Forms to CatchForm

Switching is straightforward:

Create a form on CatchForm and verify your email

Update your HTML form's action attribute

Test the form to confirm it works

That's it — no downtime required

If you need code examples for your stack, check out our HTML form guide, Astro guide, and Hugo guide.

Summary

Choose Netlify Forms if you're building a site on Netlify and want the tightest integration.

Choose CatchForm if your site is not on Netlify, if it might move one day, or if you want one form backend across several sites on different hosts.

Either way, both are solid choices. Try CatchForm free with 100 submissions a month and see which works better for your workflow.

Try CatchForm on your own form

100 submissions a month free, no credit card.
Switching is one change: the action attribute of your form.

Get your endpoint — free

Other comparisons

CatchForm vs Formspree

CatchForm vs Forminit (Getform)

CatchForm vs FormSubmit

## Pricing
https://catchform.dev/pricing

Pricing

Start on the free plan with no card. Move up when the volume asks for it —
not before.

Free

$0

No card required

✓
1 form

✓
100 submissions / month

✓
Spam honeypot, CSV export, custom redirect

—
File uploads

—
Webhooks

Start free

Starter

$5/mo

billed monthly

✓
3 forms

✓
1,000 submissions / month

✓
Spam honeypot, CSV export, custom redirect

✓
File uploads

—
Webhooks

Start free

Pro

$12/mo

or $120 billed yearly · save 17%

✓
10 forms

✓
10,000 submissions / month

✓
Spam honeypot, CSV export, custom redirect

✓
File uploads

✓
Webhooks

Start free, upgrade anytime

The MCP server is free on every plan, including Free — connect an AI agent to manage forms and read submissions.

Billing questions

Who charges my card?

Paddle is our merchant of record. They take the payment, issue the invoice and
handle VAT and sales tax for your country. Prices are in US dollars. We never
see your card number.

What counts as a submission?

One accepted POST to your form endpoint. Submissions caught by the spam
honeypot are not counted and never reach you.

What happens if I go over the monthly limit?

New submissions are refused with a clear error until the next month, or until
you upgrade. Nothing already stored is deleted, and your forms keep working
the moment the limit resets.

Can I cancel?

Any time, from the billing page. Your plan stays active until the end of the
period you already paid for, then reverts to Free. Your data is not deleted.
See the refund policy
for the 14-day money-back guarantee.

Is there a discount for paying yearly?

Yes — $120 billed yearly · save 17%, which works out as two
months free compared with paying monthly.

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terms of service,
privacy policy and
refund policy.