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

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

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

FormBackend 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.

FormBackend

Form endpoint service that emails and routes HTML form entries

Free plan · from $5/mo
Full detailsformbackend.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 FormBackend if

  • Fits if you have a static site and want entries by email
  • Works for freelancers routing forms for several clients

Look elsewhere if

  • Tight if you stay free, as it stops at 1 form, 50 submissions and 30-day auto-delete
  • Watch out: rules, API access and white-label notifications need Freelancer at $14
  • Watch out: Slack and Google Sheets delivery sits on the $50 Business plan
  • Skip it if you want a drag-and-drop builder, as the form is yours to write

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

2.4GPAFormBackendFair2.0GPAKwesFair
Value for money
BSimple is $5 a month for 1,000 submissions, inside the cheaper quarter of form tools. Monthly billing only is shown.
CBronze is $19 a month, in the middle of form tools, and Platinum is $249.
Free plan and trial
CFree is 1 form, 50 submissions a month and entries deleted after 30 days. A separate free hosted form has no submission cap.
CFree is 1 form and 100 submissions a month, and every plan has a 14-day trial with no card.
Features
CEndpoint, native delivery, Zapier, rules, spam protection and a hosted form. Rules and the API need Freelancer, and Slack and Sheets delivery needs Business.
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, and it is a web app where the work is writing the form and setting up routing, so it sits at C.
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 an API and eight listed integrations.
CWeb only, with an API and one listed integration.
Best foremailing and routing HTML form entriesdeveloper 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: FormBackend and Kwes. How we grade

Price against what you get

FormBackend starts at $5 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.

FormBackend scores higher and starts $14 a month lower. Of the other form and survey tools on the chart, 3 score higher than FormBackend 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 lessFormBackendKwes

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

    In commonFree planWebPublic APIWorkflow automationForms

    At a glance

    FormBackendKwes
    PricingFree planFree plan
    Starts at$5 per month, billed monthly$19 per month
    Free plan1 form, 50 submissions a month and 10 spam submissions a month, with 30-day auto-delete and data export.Free forever plan for personal projects: 1 form and 100 submissions a month.
    Free trialNone listed14-day free trial on every plan, no credit card required
    Web
    Made byFormBackend.comKwes, LLC
    Price read fromformbackend.comkwesforms.com
    CheckedNov 13, 2026Nov 13, 2026

    Worth knowing

    FormBackend

    • The free plan stops at 1 form, 50 submissions a month and 30-day auto-delete.
    • Slack and Google Sheets delivery is listed under the Business plan.
    • The pricing page shows a yearly option worth two months free but not its price.
    • Rules, API access and white-label notifications need Freelancer or above.

    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

    FormBackend

    Form endpoint
    Submit an HTML form to the endpoint and receive entries by email, with custom redirects.
    Native delivery
    Sends submissions to Slack, Google Sheets, Discord and any webhook without a third-party account.
    Zapier connections
    Reaches 1,000+ more apps, including Notion, Airtable and Mailchimp, through Zapier.
    Rules and routing
    From Freelancer up: a rules engine, conditional email notifications and white-label notifications.
    Spam protection
    Included from the Simple plan, with a monthly cap on spam submissions on the free plan.
    Hosted form option
    A free hosted form builder is offered for people who do not want to write the form themselves.

    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

    FormBackend

    • Free$0

      1 form, 50 submissions a month, custom Thank You page and data export. A separate free hosted form gives unlimited submissions.

    • Simple$5

      per month, billed monthly

      2 forms, 1,000 submissions a month, 250 MB file uploads, auto-responses, spam protection and webhooks.

    • Freelancer$14

      per month, billed monthly

      10 forms, 5,000 submissions a month, 1 GB file uploads, rules engine, API access and white-label notifications.

    • Business$50

      per month, billed monthly

      Unlimited forms, 10,000 submissions a month, 10 GB file uploads, team members, custom sender domains and Slack and Sheets integrations.

    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

    FormBackend

    • Annual discount

      Two months free on yearly billing

      The pricing page says yearly plans are priced to give two months free compared with paying monthly.

    • Other savings

      First-month refund

      The vendor says it will refund the first month on a paid plan if you are not happy.

    Kwes

    No public discounts listed.

    Common questions

    Which is cheaper, FormBackend or Kwes?

    As of Nov 13, 2026, FormBackend is cheaper to start with: $5 a month, against $19 a month for Kwes. FormBackend starts at $5 per month, billed monthly, and Kwes starts at $19 per month.

    Which has a free plan, FormBackend or Kwes?

    As of Nov 13, 2026, both FormBackend 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