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ToolGPA

Basin vs Kwes (2026): which should you pick?

As of Nov 13, 2026, Basin grades higher than Kwes: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.

Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA

Basin grades higher on value for money and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.

Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.

Basin

Form backend and builder that collects submissions without code

Free plan · from $12.50/mo
Full detailsusebasin.com

Kwes

Developer form service with front and back end validation

Free plan · from $19/mo
Full detailskwesforms.com

Which one is for you

Pick Basin if

  • Fits if you run a static site and need submissions emailed without writing server code
  • Works for freelancers and agencies handling several client forms

Look elsewhere if

  • Tight if you stay on Free, with one form endpoint and 50 submissions a month
  • Watch out: webhooks, API access and auto-responses need Growth, and custom email domains need Pro
  • Skip it if you want a visual form builder as the main thing, because this is a backend first
  • Pricey if your traffic grows, since plans are capped by submissions and extras are billed monthly

Pick Kwes if

  • Fits if you write your own forms and want server-side checks
  • Works for developers on healthcare projects that need HIPAA

Look elsewhere if

  • Tight if you stay free, as 1 form and 100 submissions a month is the limit
  • Watch out: JSON API calls are capped at 200 a day on Bronze
  • Watch out: GDPR compliance is listed as coming soon
  • Pricey if you scale: Gold is $99 a month and Platinum $249

How we grade them

2.4GPABasinFair2.0GPAKwesFair
Value for money
BStarter is $12.50 a month billed yearly, inside the cheapest quarter of form tools at $14. It allows 250 submissions and 3 forms.
CBronze is $19 a month, in the middle of form tools, and Platinum is $249.
Free plan and trial
CFree gives 1 form endpoint, 50 submissions a month and 30 days of stored data.
CFree is 1 form and 100 submissions a month, and every plan has a 14-day trial with no card.
Features
CIt receives and routes submissions well enough, but it is a backend rather than a form builder, and the page says overage submissions are billed at tier rates.
CValidation, form components, spam and tampering protection, emails and files, an API and HIPAA. It isn't a builder, JSON API calls are capped per day and GDPR is listed as coming soon.
Ease of use
CNo store rating on record. You paste an endpoint into your own form's HTML, which suits developers more than anyone else.
CNo store rating on record, and it is a web app where the work is writing the form markup yourself, so it sits at C.
Platforms and integrations
BWeb only, with Zapier on every plan and Slack, Sheets, webhooks and an API from Growth.
CWeb only, with an API and one listed integration.
Best fora form endpoint for a static sitedeveloper forms with front and back end validation

The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Basin and Kwes. How we grade

Price against what you get

Basin starts at $12.50 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Kwes starts at $19 a month and scores 2.0.

Basin scores higher and starts $6.50 a month lower. Of the other form and survey tools on the chart, 10 score higher than Basin for less, and 36 score higher than Kwes for less.

Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged

D1.0C2.0B3.0A4.0Free$2$5$10$20$50$100$200$500$1kMore for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessBasinKwes

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

  • The best score at each price
  • Has a free plan
  • No free plan
The full chart of form and survey tools, and the best at every price

Where they differ

  • Basin also covers transactional email.
In commonFree planWebPublic APIWorkflow automationForms

At a glance

BasinKwes
PricingFree planFree plan
Starts at$12.50 per month for 250 submissions, billed yearly ($15 billed monthly)$19 per month
Free plan1 form endpoint, 50 submissions a month, 30-day data retention, basic spam protection, AJAX support and Zapier.Free forever plan for personal projects: 1 form and 100 submissions a month.
Free trial14-day free trial on paid plans14-day free trial on every plan, no credit card required
Web
Made byMoonshot Ventures Inc.Kwes, LLC
Price read fromusebasin.comkwesforms.com
CheckedNov 12, 2026Nov 13, 2026

Worth knowing

Basin

  • Plans are capped by submissions per month; the page says extra submissions are available at rates made for each tier, billed monthly.
  • The Free plan has one form endpoint and keeps data for 30 days.
  • Auto-responses, webhooks and API access need Growth; custom email domains need Pro.
  • Coupon-code discounts for new customers are shown on some plans and are not counted in these prices.

Kwes

  • It is not a drag-and-drop form builder; forms are written in HTML and CSS.
  • A yearly billing option exists on the page, but its prices were not shown.
  • JSON API calls are capped per day: 200 on Bronze up to 20K+ on Platinum.
  • GDPR compliance is listed as coming soon.

Key features

Basin

Point any form at Basin
Set a form's action URL to a Basin endpoint; it works with plain HTML, React, Vue, Webflow, WordPress and other front ends.
Spam filtering
Basic filtering is on every plan, and spam does not count toward the submission limit. Pro adds advanced, location, language and content filters.
Notifications and auto-responses
Submissions trigger notification emails, and Growth and above add auto-responses. Pro adds custom email templates and domains.
Integrations and API
Zapier is on every plan. Growth adds Slack, Google Sheets, webhooks and API access; the integrations page also lists Discord, Make and Pipedream.
File storage
Uploaded files are stored with each plan's allowance, from 500 MB on Starter up to 50 GB on Agency.
AI features
Paid plans include AI assistant access through an MCP server and AI-generated sites with hosting and custom domains.

Kwes

Dual validation
Validation rules run on the front end and the back end, including custom rules.
Form components
Multistep forms, repeater fields, datepicker, show and hide logic and calculated fields.
Spam and tampering protection
Unlimited spam blocks and tampering protection are listed on all plans.
Emails and files
Notification and confirmation emails, file uploads and file attachments on emails.
API and integrations
Webhooks, Zapier and a JSON API with daily call limits by plan.
HIPAA
The vendor says one signed BAA can cover several sites of the same business.

Plans

Basin

  • Free$0

    1 form endpoint, 50 submissions a month, 30-day data retention, basic spam protection and Zapier.

  • Starter$12.50

    per month for 250 submissions, billed yearly ($15 monthly)

    3 forms, 500 MB file storage, 365-day retention, data export and email and phone validation.

  • Growth$24.17

    per month for 1,000 submissions, billed yearly ($29 monthly)

    Unlimited forms and collaborators, 2 GB storage, auto-responses, API access, webhooks and Slack.

  • Pro$40.83

    per month for 5,000 submissions, billed yearly ($49 monthly)

    10 GB storage, advanced spam filtering, custom email templates and domains, and SMTP.

  • Agency$108.33

    per month for 25,000 submissions, billed yearly ($130 monthly)

    50 GB storage, multi-step forms, saved incomplete submissions, enhanced deliverability, priority support.

Kwes

  • Free$0

    1 form and 100 submissions a month.

  • Bronze$19

    per month, billed monthly

    5 forms, 1K submissions a month, 1 additional user, 1 GB file uploads.

  • Silver$39

    per month, billed monthly

    20 forms, 5K submissions a month, 3 additional users, 5 GB file uploads.

  • Gold$99

    per month, billed monthly

    100 forms, 10K submissions a month, 10 additional users, 20 GB file uploads.

  • Platinum$249

    per month, billed monthly

    1,000 forms, 100K submissions a month, 20 additional users, 50 GB+ file uploads.

Ways to pay less

Basin

  • Annual discount

    Yearly billing lowers the monthly rate

    Yearly billing brings Starter to $12.50 a month from $15, Growth to $24.17 from $29, Pro to $40.83 from $49 and Agency to $108.33 from $130.

Kwes

No public discounts listed.

Common questions

Which is cheaper, Basin or Kwes?

As of Nov 13, 2026, Basin is cheaper to start with: $12.50 a month, against $19 a month for Kwes. Basin starts at $12.50 per month for 250 submissions, billed yearly ($15 billed monthly), and Kwes starts at $19 per month.

Which has a free plan, Basin or Kwes?

As of Nov 13, 2026, both Basin and Kwes have a free plan.

More comparisons

How this page was made

  • The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
  • The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
  • Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
  • The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.
How we review and grade