Keep the endpoint workflow and leave TLS, upgrades, backups, delivery workers, and capacity planning to Form Plume. Start free, connect any HTML form, and move submissions into the tools your team already uses.
Side by side
Formlander and Form Plume both receive custom HTML or JavaScript forms, but their operating models are fundamentally different. Formlander gives you the application and SQLite database to run; Form Plume gives you a managed service with the hosting and delivery operations included.
| Decision point | Form Plume | Formlander |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting model | Fully managed service No application server, database, reverse proxy, or update job to operate | Self-hosted Go application Run a Docker image or binary with SQLite on infrastructure you control |
| Cost and usage limits | Free hosted plan, then predictable tiers 500 monthly submissions on Free and 10,000 on $12/month Pro | No license fee or product usage caps MIT-licensed; you pay for and size the server, storage, backups, and email delivery |
| Data control | Managed storage with exports Use the dashboard, CSV export, API, integrations, and retention controls | SQLite and uploads on your server Copy the storage directory to back up or migrate the complete instance |
| Operations and maintenance | Handled by Form Plume Hosting, scaling, patches, backups, and service availability are not your runbook | Automated, but still yours The installer configures Caddy, SSL, daily updates, local backups, and log rotation |
| Email and automation | Email, native apps, and broad automation Slack, Discord, Sheets, email tools, Zapier, Make, MindCloud, and signed webhooks | SMTP, Mailgun, and webhooks Per-form delivery profiles dispatch email and webhook jobs asynchronously with retries |
| File uploads | Managed storage included on Free 100 MB on Free and 10 GB on Pro without provisioning a disk | Files stored on your volume Up to 10 MB per file, 5 files per field, and 10 files per submission |
| Spam and abuse protection | Layered filtering with recoverable quarantine Four CAPTCHA choices, adaptive scoring, email hygiene, blocklists, time traps, rate limits, and origins | Honeypot, Turnstile, origins, and rate limits Per-form controls; honeypot hits remain reviewable while other failures are logged or rejected |
| Dashboard, exports, and project maturity | Managed inbox with product support Search, delivery status, exports, API access, and a service team responsible for the platform | HTMX dashboard, CSV/JSON, and active source MIT repository; v3.0.11 was the latest of 44 GitHub releases when checked |
Where Form Plume pulls ahead
Self-hosting replaces a SaaS subscription with infrastructure ownership. Form Plume is designed for teams that would rather ship forms than maintain the server receiving them.
Formlander's installer reduces setup work, but the VPS, DNS, TLS termination, Docker process, SQLite volume, logs, patches, and outage response still belong to you. Form Plume removes that operational surface from the project.
Formlander creates scheduled backups on the same server and explicitly recommends an off-server strategy. Form Plume is the simpler fit when the team does not want to design, monitor, and regularly test database and upload recovery.
Formlander covers SMTP, Mailgun, and generic webhooks well. Form Plume adds managed email delivery, signed webhooks, native destinations, Zapier, Make, and a much broader app-connection path without maintaining each integration worker yourself.
Choose by situation
Small team without an operations owner
Form Plume
The form stays production-ready without assigning someone to maintain a VPS, certificates, backups, updates, and delivery workers.
Privacy-sensitive system requiring on-premises data
Formlander
Its application, SQLite database, uploads, and logs remain entirely on infrastructure under your control.
Agency routing leads into several client tools
Form Plume
Managed native integrations and automation hubs provide more routes without multiplying self-hosted delivery configuration.
Engineer happy to own a low-cost VPS
It depends
Formlander removes license fees and product caps; Form Plume trades that infrastructure freedom for managed reliability and less maintenance.
FAQ
Formlander is software you install on your own server, while Form Plume is a managed form backend. Both accept custom HTML forms, but Formlander gives you direct control of the application and SQLite files; Form Plume operates the platform for you.
Yes. Formlander's public repository is MIT-licensed and its website describes no product usage limits. Self-hosting still has real costs: the server, storage, bandwidth, email provider, backups, monitoring, security maintenance, and the engineering time to respond when something fails.
Choose Form Plume when saving operational time matters more than owning the runtime. The hosted service removes deployment, TLS, updates, database backups, scaling, and delivery-worker maintenance while keeping setup as simple as changing a form action URL.
Formlander advertises no product-enforced usage limits. Its practical ceiling comes from the VPS, SQLite write throughput, disk capacity, and configuration you operate. Form Plume publishes clear hosted allowances, starting with 500 monthly submissions on Free and 10,000 on Pro.
Usually. Both accept standard form posts, so the core change is replacing the Formlander action and token with a Form Plume endpoint. Test redirects, uploads, spam controls, notifications, and downstream deliveries before switching production traffic.
Formlander provides a solid self-hosted stack with honeypots, origin allowlists, configurable per-form rate limits, and Cloudflare Turnstile. Form Plume covers those core controls and adds multiple CAPTCHA providers, adaptive scoring, time traps, email hygiene, blocklists, and a recoverable spam quarantine.
Yes. Formlander stores files beside its SQLite database and documents a 10 MB per-file limit, up to five files per field and ten per submission. Form Plume includes managed file storage on Free, so capacity, backup, and availability do not depend on a volume you provision.
Formlander asynchronously retries generic webhook deliveries and can forward email through SMTP or Mailgun. Form Plume signs webhook payloads and combines them with native destinations, Zapier, Make, and broader app connections, making it the stronger option for managed multi-tool workflows.
Choose Formlander when data must stay on your own server, source-level control matters, your team already operates small services confidently, and you accept responsibility for security, updates, backups, capacity, and recovery. Form Plume does not offer a self-hosted edition.
It appeared active when reviewed. GitHub showed 44 releases and listed v3.0.11, released June 6, 2026, as latest. Because it is a small open-source project, assess release notes, issues, upgrade behavior, and your ability to maintain or fork it before making it operational infrastructure.
One line. Zero backend.
