Formspree Alternative

Forminit is a form backend that works the same way as Formspree — you build your own form, point it at an API endpoint, and submissions are stored, validated, and forwarded. The difference is what happens to the data after it arrives.

How does Forminit compare to Formspree?

Both Formspree and Forminit are headless form backends for developers who build their own form UIs. Neither is a form builder. Both accept HTTP POST requests and store submissions.

Feature	Formspree	Forminit
Setup complexity	Simple	Simple
Server-side validation	Limited	Yes — email, phone, URL, country, date, rating
Authentication modes	Public only	Public + Protected (API key)
SDK	React package only	2 KB JS SDK (any framework) + Next.js and Nuxt.js proxy handlers
File uploads	10 MB	25 MB per submission, 50+ MIME types
UTM auto-capture	No	Yes — UTM params, ad click IDs, referrer, geolocation
Webhooks	$30/mo+ plans only	All plans
Dashboard	Basic table	Inbox with status tracking, stars, notes, filtering
Email notifications	Basic	Customizable templates + autoresponder
Spam protection	reCAPTCHA, honeypot	reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, honeypot
Custom SMTP	No	Yes (Business plan)

Is Forminit as easy to set up as Formspree?

Yes. The setup is nearly identical. You create a form, get an ID, and submit data to it.

Formspree:

<form action="https://formspree.io/f/YOUR_FORM_ID" method="POST">
  <input type="text" name="name" />
  <input type="email" name="email" />
  <textarea name="message"></textarea>
  <button type="submit">Send</button>
</form>

Forminit (HTML action method — no SDK needed):

<form action="https://forminit.com/f/YOUR_FORM_ID" method="POST">
  <input type="text" name="fi-sender-fullName" />
  <input type="email" name="fi-sender-email" />
  <textarea name="fi-text-message"></textarea>
  <button type="submit">Send</button>
</form>

Forminit (with SDK — adds UTM tracking, file uploads, error handling):

<form id="contact-form">
  <input type="text" name="fi-sender-fullName" placeholder="Name" required />
  <input type="email" name="fi-sender-email" placeholder="Email" required />
  <textarea name="fi-text-message" placeholder="Message" required></textarea>
  <button type="submit">Send</button>
</form>

<script src="https://forminit.com/sdk/v1/forminit.js"></script>
<script>
  const forminit = new Forminit();

  document.getElementById('contact-form').addEventListener('submit', async (e) => {
    e.preventDefault();

    const { data, error } = await forminit.submit('YOUR_FORM_ID', new FormData(e.target));

    if (error) {
      console.error(error.message);
      return;
    }

    console.log('Submitted:', data.hashId);
    e.target.reset();
  });
</script>

Both approaches take minutes to set up. The SDK adds automatic UTM capture, ad click ID tracking, and structured error responses without extra code.

Benefits of Forminit over Formspree

1. Server-Side Validation

Formspree offers limited server-side validation. Forminit provides typed form blocks with comprehensive validation rules enforced before data is stored:

Block type	Validation rule
`email`	RFC 5322 format
`phone`	E.164 format (+12025550123)
`url`	Valid URL structure
`date`	ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DD)
`rating`	Integer 1-5
`country`	ISO 3166-1 alpha-2
`file`	Size limit + MIME type check

Invalid submissions return structured error responses:

{
  "error": "FI_SCHEMA_FORMAT_EMAIL",
  "code": 400,
  "message": "Invalid email format"
}

If you’re forwarding submissions to a CRM or database via webhooks, validated data means your pipeline doesn’t break on bad entries.

2. API Key Authentication

Formspree endpoints are public. Anyone who discovers the URL — from page source, browser network tab, or automated scanning — can submit arbitrary data.

Forminit has two authentication modes:

Public mode — No API key, 1 request per 30 seconds (for static sites)
Protected mode — API key via X-API-KEY header, 5 requests per second (for server-side)

// Next.js: API key stays server-side
import { createForminitProxy } from 'forminit/next';
export const { POST } = createForminitProxy({
  apiKey: process.env.FORMINIT_API_KEY!,
});

3. 2 KB SDK with Framework Support

Formspree offers a @formspree/react package for React. For everything else, you use fetch.

Forminit’s SDK works in any JavaScript environment — 2 KB via npm or CDN. It includes:

FormData and JSON submission modes
Auto UTM parameter capture (source, medium, campaign, term, content)
Auto ad click ID capture (gclid, fbclid, msclkid, ttclid, twclid)
Referrer and geolocation tracking
Built-in proxy handlers for Next.js and Nuxt.js

4. Larger File Uploads

	Forminit	Formspree
Max size per submission	25 MB	10 MB
Supported types	50+ (docs, images, video, audio, archives)	Limited
Multiple file inputs	Up to 20 file blocks	Limited
Download URLs	Direct download from dashboard	Varies

25 MB vs 10 MB matters when users upload resumes (2-5 MB), portfolio PDFs (10-15 MB), or sets of photos. At 10 MB, you reject legitimate submissions.

5. Inbox-Style Dashboard

Formspree provides a basic table view of submissions.

Forminit’s dashboard is an inbox designed for managing submissions as a workflow:

Star/unstar submissions
Status tracking (open, in-progress, done, cancelled)
Internal notes on each submission
Filter by date range, status, starred, unread
Bulk actions and CSV export

If you use forms for lead generation, support requests, or job applications, status tracking means you know which leads have been contacted and which requests are resolved.

6. Webhooks on All Plans

Formspree requires the Professional plan ($30/mo) or Business plan ($90/mo) for webhook access. Forminit includes webhooks on all plans — forward submissions to any URL from day one.

7. Marketing Attribution

Formspree has no built-in tracking. If you want UTM parameters captured, you need to read them from the URL yourself, create hidden fields, and populate them with JavaScript.

Forminit’s SDK automatically captures and includes:

UTM parameters (source, medium, campaign, term, content)
Ad click IDs (Google gclid, Facebook fbclid, Microsoft msclkid, TikTok ttclid, X/Twitter twclid, LinkedIn, Amazon, Mailchimp)
Referrer URL
Geolocation (country, city, timezone from IP)

No hidden fields. No manual JavaScript. The SDK reads URL parameters and headers, then sends them alongside the form data.

Use case comparison

Use Case	Formspree	Forminit
Simple contact form	✅	✅
Static site form (no server)	✅	✅
Server-side form proxy	Manual	✅ Built-in handlers
File uploads over 10 MB	❌	✅
Track lead sources automatically	❌	✅
Validate data before storing	❌	✅
Restrict who can submit	❌	✅ API key auth
Manage submissions as workflow	Basic	✅ Inbox with status

Migrating from Formspree

Field Name Mapping

Formspree	Forminit
`name="name"`	`name="fi-sender-fullName"`
`name="email"`	`name="fi-sender-email"`
`name="_replyto"`	`name="fi-sender-email"`
`name="message"`	`name="fi-text-message"`
`name="phone"`	`name="fi-sender-phone"`

Code Changes

Formspree:

fetch("https://formspree.io/f/YOUR_FORM_ID", {
  method: "POST",
  body: new FormData(form),
  headers: { Accept: "application/json" }
});

Forminit:

const forminit = new Forminit();
const { data, error } = await forminit.submit('YOUR_FORM_ID', new FormData(form));

Quick Start

1. Create a Form

2. Add to Your Site

CDN (any site):

<script src="https://forminit.com/sdk/v1/forminit.js"></script>

npm (framework projects):

npm install forminit

3. Submit

import { Forminit } from 'forminit';
const forminit = new Forminit();
const { data, error } = await forminit.submit('YOUR_FORM_ID', formData);

FAQ

Is Forminit harder to set up than Formspree?

No. Both take minutes. Forminit supports the same HTML form action method as Formspree, plus a 2 KB SDK that adds UTM tracking, validation, and error handling automatically.

Does Forminit work with static sites?

Yes. Include the SDK via CDN and submit forms with JavaScript. No server-side rendering required. See HTML integration.

Does Forminit send email notifications?

Yes. Forminit sends customizable email notifications and stores submissions in a searchable dashboard.

Can I use Forminit with React, Vue, or Svelte?

Yes. The SDK works in any JavaScript environment. For React/Next.js, use the built-in proxy handler. For Nuxt.js, see the Nuxt.js integration.

What spam protection options are available?

Forminit integrates with reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, and honeypot.

Form Blocks Reference — Available field types and validation
File Uploads — File upload handling
Webhooks — Forward submissions to any URL
SDK Reference — JavaScript SDK documentation
Next.js Integration — Next.js proxy setup
Nuxt.js Integration — Nuxt.js proxy setup
Submit Form API — API reference

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