Formspree or Web3Forms: plugins and payments, or the lightest setup
Pick Web3Forms if you want the lightest possible setup, an access key in a hidden input, and a free tier that goes further each month. Pick Formspree if submissions need to reach a CRM or helpdesk natively, or you want to take a payment inside the form.
The difference that decides it
Both keep a copy of submissions. Web3Forms' terms say it keeps submissions for up to three years, with how much the dashboard shows depending on plan. The real split is what each does next. Web3Forms sends an email, and on paid plans a webhook or a Google Sheets row. Its docs do not describe routing rules, a delivery log or retries for a send that fails, and for a portfolio contact form that is simply the right amount of machinery.
Formspree is built for sending submissions onward. Form rules route them, and its plugin catalogue reaches Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, Gorgias and Stripe natively, so a lead can land in a CRM without an automation tool in between. The cost is more to set up and a smaller free allowance, where Web3Forms asks for a verified email address and an access key and very little else.
Side by side
| Capability | Formspree | Web3Forms |
|---|---|---|
| Account needed | Yes, forms live in a dashboard | A verified email address, then an access key in the markup |
| Stored submissions | Stored, searchable, exportable | Kept up to three years under its terms |
| Destinations | Plugins per form plus a large third-party catalogue | Email; webhooks and Google Sheets on paid plans |
| Routing rules | Form rules on their plans | Not a documented feature |
| CRM and helpdesk plugins | Native for Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, Gorgias | Not a documented feature |
| Payments in the form | Stripe plugin | Not a documented feature |
| Spam filtering | Honeypot, reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, Turnstile and their own filtering | A honeypot field; reCAPTCHA and Turnstile on paid plans |
"Not a documented feature" means it is not in their published documentation as we read it, not that it can never be done. Check with them before ruling something out.
Which to choose
Choose Formspree if
Choose Formspree when submissions need to land in a CRM or helpdesk without an automation tool in between, when form rules should decide where they go, or when you want to take a payment in the form itself. It is also the safer choice for a procurement review, since it has years more operating history.
Choose Web3Forms if
Choose Web3Forms when the form lives on a site you rarely touch, email is the main destination, and you want setup to be one hidden input. Its free tier is also noticeably larger per month than Formspree's.
Pricing, as each lists it
Copied from each pricing page on the date shown. Prices change without notice, so check the current figure before deciding.
Formspree
As listed on , in USD. Current pricing
- Free: $0, 50 / month (Testing and development)
- Personal: $15 / month, 200 / month ($10 / month billed yearly)
- Professional: $30 / month, 2,000 / month ($20 / month billed yearly)
- Business: $90 / month, 20,000 / month ($60 / month billed yearly)
Web3Forms
As listed on , in EUR. Current pricing
- Personal: Free, 250 / month
- Starter: EUR 50 / year, 5,000 / month (Yearly only, for students and non-profits)
- Pro: EUR 13 / month, 10,000 / month (Billed yearly at EUR 151)
- Agency & Team: EUR 34 / month, 20,000 / month (Billed yearly at EUR 406)
A third option, honestly assessed
Most people weighing these two sit in the gap between them: they want more than an email but do not need Salesforce or Stripe plugins. That gap is what WebForms is built for. The paid plans send one submission to email, Slack, Discord, Telegram and a webhook at once and route it by its answers, every plan logs each delivery attempt, and the free plan includes Turnstile and an AI spam classifier. If you need the CRM plugins or payments, Formspree is the better answer and we would say so.