Question 1

What is HelloForms?

Accepted Answer

HelloForms is an online form builder. You design a form visually, publish it to a public link or embed it in your site, and every response lands in a shared inbox you can search, label, export and analyse. There is no code involved at any point, and respondents never need an account to fill something in.

Question 2

Is there a free plan?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Starter plan is free forever: 1 seat, 3 active forms and 200 submissions a month, with no card required. You can build, publish and collect real responses on it — paid plans raise the limits and unlock payments, extra seats and higher-volume exports.

Question 3

How long does it take to build my first form?

Accepted Answer

Most people publish something usable in under ten minutes. Start from a template, swap the questions for your own, then hit Publish — the form gets a public link immediately. Building from a blank canvas takes a little longer but follows the same three steps: add fields, set notifications, publish.

Question 4

Do I need to know how to code?

Accepted Answer

No. The builder is drag-and-drop with a live preview of exactly what respondents will see on desktop and mobile. Code is optional, not required: if you want it, there is an API, webhooks and an embed snippet, but you can run everything from the interface.

Question 5

Do respondents need an account to fill in my form?

Accepted Answer

Never. Every published form has a clean public URL that works for anyone, on any device, with no login and no app install. You only need an account if you are the one building forms or reading responses.

Question 6

Are there templates I can start from?

Accepted Answer

Yes — there is a template gallery covering contact forms, registrations, applications, feedback and surveys, order forms, intake forms and more. Picking one copies it into your workspace as a fully editable draft; nothing is locked, so you can delete, reorder or rewrite anything in it.

Question 7

Can I move over from another form tool?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Rebuild the form from a template or from scratch — it is usually faster than importing — and bring your historical responses in as CSV so your records stay in one place. If you have a large migration, support can help you plan the order of cutover so no submissions are lost while DNS or embeds update.

Question 8

Do forms work on phones and tablets?

Accepted Answer

Every published form is responsive by default and is tested on small screens — inputs size correctly, date and number keyboards are requested where appropriate, and long forms scroll rather than zoom. The builder has a device toggle so you can preview phone, tablet and desktop layouts before publishing.

Question 9

What field types can I add to a form?

Accepted Answer

Short and long text, email, phone, number, dropdowns, multiple choice, checkboxes, ratings, dates and times, file uploads, hidden fields for tracking values, section headings and page breaks. Each field has its own validation, help text, placeholder and required toggle.

Question 10

Can I show or hide questions based on earlier answers?

Accepted Answer

Yes — that is conditional logic. Set a rule on any field so it appears only when an earlier answer matches a condition you choose, and chain rules together to build branching paths. Respondents only ever see the questions that apply to them, which is the single biggest lever on completion rate.

Question 11

Can I split a long form across multiple pages?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Add page breaks to turn one long form into a short sequence of steps, with a progress indicator so respondents can see how much is left. Multi-step forms consistently outperform a single scrolling wall of fields for anything over about eight questions.

Question 12

How do I make a field required or validate what people type?

Accepted Answer

Toggle Required on any field, and set the validation that matches the data: email format, number ranges, minimum and maximum length, or a date window. Validation runs as the respondent types and again on the server when the form is submitted, so a bad value can never be saved by bypassing the browser.

Question 13

Can respondents upload files?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Add a file upload field and respondents can attach documents, images or PDFs — multiple files per field where you allow it. Uploads are stored against the submission, are visible from the inbox, and are included when you export or download the response as a PDF.

Question 14

Is there a size limit on file uploads?

Accepted Answer

There is a per-file size cap to keep forms fast for respondents on mobile connections, and your plan's storage allowance governs the total. If a respondent picks a file that is too large they get a clear message before submitting rather than a failed upload at the end.

Question 15

Can I brand the form with my own colours and logo?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Set colours, typography, corner style and background, and add your logo to the form header. Paid plans also remove HelloForms branding from the footer of published forms, so the page reads as entirely yours.

Question 16

Can I pre-fill fields from a link?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Pass values in the query string of the form URL and matching fields are pre-filled when the page loads. It is the usual way to carry a campaign source, a customer ID or an email address from your own system into the response, and hidden fields let you capture those values without showing them.

Question 17

Does the builder save my work automatically?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Edits save automatically a moment after you stop typing, and the builder keeps a rolling undo history so you can step back through recent changes. Nothing goes live to respondents until you publish, so you can leave a draft half-finished safely.

Question 18

Can I duplicate an existing form?

Accepted Answer

Yes — duplicate any form from the workspace list to get an exact copy as a new draft, including fields, logic and settings but without the original's submissions. It is the fastest way to run the same form for a new event, campaign or client.

Question 19

Can I publish a form in another language?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All respondent-facing text — labels, help text, buttons, validation messages and the thank-you screen — is yours to write, so you can publish in any language. Right-to-left languages such as Arabic and Hebrew render with correct mirrored layout rather than reversed English geometry.

Question 20

Are published forms accessible?

Accepted Answer

Forms are built from semantic, labelled inputs with visible focus states, keyboard navigation, and error messages tied to the field they describe, so screen readers announce them correctly. Keep your own labels descriptive and your colour choices high-contrast and the published form will work for assistive technology.

Question 21

How many fields can one form have?

Accepted Answer

There is no practical cap — forms with well over a hundred fields work fine. What limits you in practice is respondent patience, so for anything long, use page breaks and conditional logic to show each person only the subset that applies to them.

Question 22

How do I publish a form?

Accepted Answer

Hit Publish in the builder. The form gets a public URL immediately and starts accepting responses; the publish dialog gives you the link, the embed snippet and a QR code in one place. Publishing again later pushes your edits live — you do not get a new URL.

Question 23

How do I embed a form on my website?

Accepted Answer

Copy the embed snippet from the publish dialog and paste it into any page that accepts HTML — your own site, WordPress, Webflow, Squarespace, Shopify or a landing page builder. The embedded form resizes to its container and submits without navigating the visitor away from your page.

Question 24

Can I customise the form's link?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Each published form has a slug you can edit to something readable like /f/spring-workshop instead of a random string. Changing a slug after you have shared the old one will break the old link, so settle on it before a campaign goes out.

Question 25

Can I get a QR code for my form?

Accepted Answer

Yes — the publish dialog generates a QR code for the form's public URL that you can download and drop onto posters, table cards, packaging or event signage. It points at the same link, so responses arrive in the same inbox as web traffic.

Question 26

Can I close a form or stop accepting responses?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Unpublish a form to stop accepting responses immediately — visitors see a closed message instead of the fields, and everything you have already collected stays exactly where it is. Republish whenever you want to reopen it.

Question 27

Can I edit a form after it is live?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and edits are safe: existing responses keep the answers they were submitted with, even for a field you later rename or delete. If you remove a field, its historical values remain visible in the inbox and in exports so your records stay intact.

Question 28

Can I control what happens after someone submits?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Show a custom thank-you message, or redirect respondents to any URL you choose — a confirmation page, a booking calendar, a download or a payment step. The redirect can carry values from the submission if your destination needs them.

Question 29

Can I limit people to one response each?

Accepted Answer

For most use cases, yes: combine a required email field with duplicate detection in the inbox, or gate the link so it is only distributed to a known list. Because respondents are anonymous by design, a truly hard one-per-person guarantee needs an identifier you already control, such as a unique pre-filled link per recipient.

Question 30

Can I share a form privately rather than publicly?

Accepted Answer

A published form's URL is unlisted rather than advertised — it is not indexed from your workspace and only people you send it to will have it. For tighter control, publish it only when you need responses, close it afterwards, and use pre-filled unique links so you know who each response came from.

Question 31

Where do responses go when someone submits?

Accepted Answer

Straight into that form's inbox in your workspace, immediately. The inbox is a searchable table with a reading pane: pick a response to read it in full with its uploads, or scan the table view for a whole-campaign overview. Nothing is emailed away and then forgotten — the inbox is the system of record.

Question 32

Can I export submissions to CSV or Excel?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Export the current view to CSV at any time, and the export respects whatever filters, search terms and sort you have applied — so you can export just this month's completed responses rather than everything. CSV opens directly in Excel, Numbers and Google Sheets.

Question 33

Can I download a submission as a PDF?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Any response can be downloaded as a branded PDF, and you can choose which fields appear before generating it. For large batches the export runs in the background and you get a notification with a zip file when it is ready, so you are not stuck waiting on a tab.

Question 34

How do I find a specific response?

Accepted Answer

Search the inbox by any value in the submission — a name, an email, an order number, a phrase from a long answer — and combine it with filters for date range, status and labels. The filters live in the URL, so a filtered view can be bookmarked or sent to a colleague.

Question 35

Can I organise responses with labels or tags?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Apply colour-coded labels to responses from the table or the reading pane, filter by them, and choose whether a multi-label filter matches all of the selected labels or any of them. A label manager lets you rename, recolour and delete labels, with usage counts so you can see which ones are actually in play.

Question 36

Can I act on lots of responses at once?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Select across pages, then mark read or unread, apply or remove labels, export or delete in bulk. Before a bulk action runs you get an impact preview of exactly how many responses it will touch, and afterwards an undo toast lets you reverse it — or redo it if you undid by mistake.

Question 37

Can I delete responses, and is it permanent?

Accepted Answer

Yes, individually or in bulk. Deletion is real deletion — it is how you honour an erasure request — so treat it as permanent and export first if the data has any archival value. Deleted responses stop counting toward nothing retroactively: your monthly submission usage reflects what was received during the period.

Question 38

Do I see responses from people who did not finish?

Accepted Answer

The inbox stores completed submissions. Drop-off is reported in analytics instead: you can see completion rate and where people abandon a multi-step form, which tells you which question is costing you responses without storing half-typed personal data you never asked consent for.

Question 39

Can my team collaborate on a response?

Accepted Answer

Yes — teammates with access to the workspace see the same inbox in real time, so read state, labels and bulk actions are shared rather than personal. Combine labels with filtered views to run a simple triage workflow: new, in progress, done.

Question 40

Can I get an email every time someone submits?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Turn on submission notifications for a form and every new response is emailed to the addresses you choose, with the answers included so you can triage from your inbox. Notifications are per form, so a high-volume form does not have to email the same people as a low-volume one.

Question 41

Can respondents get a confirmation email?

Accepted Answer

Yes — that is the autoresponder. Point it at the email field on your form and every respondent gets your confirmation message, which can include their own answers using placeholder tokens. There is a preview that renders the email against a real submission so you can see exactly what lands.

Question 42

How do I include someone's answers in an email?

Accepted Answer

Use placeholder tokens for the fields you want to quote. Tokens are validated as you write, so a typo or a reference to a field you have since deleted is flagged before you send rather than showing up blank in a customer's inbox, and a lint panel points out risky placeholders.

Question 43

Can I send a follow-up email after a delay?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Per-form reminders can be scheduled a set number of hours or days after a submission, sent to the owner, the respondent or both, and the settings show you exactly when the next one will go out. Every reminder is logged so you can see what was sent and what failed.

Question 44

What address do notification emails come from?

Accepted Answer

Emails are sent from a verified HelloForms sending domain with a reply-to you control, so replies land with you rather than with us. Using an authenticated sending domain is what keeps notifications out of spam folders — it is not something we let you spoof.

Question 45

My notification emails are not arriving — what should I check?

Accepted Answer

Check spam and quarantine first, then confirm the recipient address on the form's email settings and look at the delivery log, which records sent, failed and bounced messages per form. A hard bounce means the address is rejecting mail; a persistent failure across all addresses usually means a corporate filter and is worth raising with support.

Question 46

Can I get a summary instead of one email per response?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Notification preferences let you choose per-submission alerts or a periodic digest, so a busy form can send one roll-up rather than flooding your inbox. Preferences are per person, so each teammate picks what suits them.

Question 47

Will you email me marketing I did not ask for?

Accepted Answer

No. Product and account emails — notifications, delivery alerts, billing receipts — are transactional and always sent. Marketing email is strictly opt-in, you can change your mind from notification settings at any time, and every consent change is logged.

Question 48

Can I take payments through a form?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Payment fields and checkout routing are available from the Growth plan upwards, so a form can collect an order, a booking deposit or a donation and take the money in the same flow. The submission and the payment are linked, so the inbox shows you which responses actually paid.

Question 49

Do you store respondents' card details?

Accepted Answer

No. Card data goes directly to the payment processor and is never stored on our servers — we keep a reference to the payment, not the card. That is what keeps you out of scope for handling raw card numbers yourself.

Question 50

Do you take a cut of payments collected through a form?

Accepted Answer

Your subscription is what you pay us; the payment processor's own transaction fees apply on top and are set by them, not by us. Check your processor's current rates for your country and card mix when you are pricing what you sell.

Question 51

Can I refund someone who paid through a form?

Accepted Answer

Refunds are issued through your payment processor, and the refund is reflected against the original payment so your records line up. A refund does not delete the submission — the response stays in the inbox with its history intact.

Question 52

Which currencies can I charge in?

Accepted Answer

You can charge in the currencies your payment processor account supports, set per form so different products or regions can price differently. Respondents see the price in the currency you configured, without a surprise conversion at checkout.

Question 53

What analytics do I get for a form?

Accepted Answer

Submissions over time, completion rate, and the trend across whatever date range you pick, with a granularity toggle for day, week or month. It answers the two questions that matter: is this form getting responses, and are people finishing it.

Question 54

Can I compare two time periods?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Compare mode lets you select two date ranges and shows the delta on every chart and summary metric, either overlaid on one chart or side by side. An insights panel calls out the biggest movers so you do not have to eyeball the difference yourself.

Question 55

Can I save an analytics view I look at often?

Accepted Answer

Yes — save the current range, granularity, filters and comparison as a named view on your account, then switch back to it in one click. Custom comparison presets let you define your own ranges rather than being stuck with fixed options.

Question 56

Can I export an analytics report?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Generate a PDF report for the selected date range and status, or export the underlying numbers as CSV. In compare mode both exports include the two ranges and their deltas, so the report stands on its own when you send it to someone who was not in the tool.

Question 57

Can I use Google Analytics or a pixel on my form?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on the page hosting an embedded form your existing analytics or pixel keeps working as normal, and hidden fields let you carry campaign parameters through into the response itself. That means you can attribute a submission back to the source that produced it.

Question 58

Can I send submissions to my own system?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Webhooks post each new submission to a URL you control as soon as it arrives, so you can push responses into a CRM, a database, a Slack channel or an internal tool. Combined with the API, that covers most integrations without any middleware.

Question 59

Is there an API?

Accepted Answer

Yes — a documented REST API for reading forms and submissions and wiring HelloForms into your own stack, with a try-it console in the docs so you can see real request and response shapes before writing code.

Question 60

Can responses go into a spreadsheet automatically?

Accepted Answer

Point a webhook at an automation tool and each submission can append a row to Google Sheets, Airtable or anything else it connects to. For a one-off or periodic pull, the CSV export is faster and needs no setup at all.

Question 61

What happens if my webhook endpoint is down?

Accepted Answer

The delivery is recorded as failed rather than silently dropped, and you can see the failures rather than discovering a gap weeks later. Make your endpoint idempotent — keyed on the submission ID — so a retry can never create a duplicate record on your side.

Question 62

How do I invite someone to my workspace?

Accepted Answer

Invite them by email from Settings, Members and seats. They get a link that claims one of your plan's seats when they accept, and you can see the delivery status of every invite — sent, failed or bounced — and retry a failed send without starting over.

Question 63

What counts as a seat?

Accepted Answer

One seat is one person with access to your workspace, including you. Seats are claimed when an invite is accepted and released when you remove someone, so a departing teammate frees their seat for the next hire without touching your plan.

Question 64

Can I give someone view-only access?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Invited members can be given preview access, which lets them see the workspace without making changes — useful for a client, a stakeholder or someone in a trial period. You can promote them to full access later without re-inviting.

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