Yes, Jotform is free. Jotform's Starter plan is its free plan and includes all standard features, such as form templates and widgets, but your forms and signed documents carry Jotform branding and the plan has lower usage limits than the upgraded tiers.
Jotform is an online form builder for contact forms, booking requests, order forms, surveys and signed documents. Its free plan is called Starter, and it's a full plan rather than a time-limited trial. Jotform even says there's no trial period on its other plans, because Starter is how you try everything. What you need to understand are the usage limits, and one rule about storage that can quietly delete old responses.
What Jotform Starter includes
Jotform's FAQ says the Starter plan is best for individuals or small teams just starting out with data collection. It lists these points:
- All standard features, including form templates, integrations and widgets.
- Signed documents as well as forms.
- Usage limits on forms, submissions, views, fields, storage and uploads, which rise on the upgraded plans.
- Jotform branding on your forms and signed documents.
How Jotform measures its limits
Every Jotform plan, including Starter, is measured against the same set of limits. Jotform's FAQ defines them like this:
| Limit | What it means |
|---|---|
| Form limit | The maximum number of forms that can be active on your plan |
| Submission limit | The total number of form responses you can collect |
| Form view limit | How many times your forms can be viewed account-wide each month |
| Form field limit | The maximum number of fields, such as text boxes or signature fields, in a form |
| Total submission storage | The maximum number of submissions you can keep in your account |
| Upload space | Disk space for files people upload through your forms |
Starter has the lowest numbers in each of these. Jotform shows your exact limits in your account, and it sends you an email and a dashboard warning when you reach one.
The catch: full storage deletes your oldest responses
This is the rule worth reading twice. Jotform's FAQ says that if you exceed your total submission storage, the system deletes the oldest form response to make room for new submissions.
So on the free plan, a busy contact form can push out your earliest enquiries without you doing anything. Jotform's own advice is to download your old submissions and then purge them. A simple routine keeps you safe:
- Export your submissions to a spreadsheet at the end of each month.
- Purge the exported submissions so you stay under your storage limit.
- Delete and purge uploaded files you no longer need to free up upload space.
- Keep an eye out for Jotform's limit warning emails rather than filtering them away.
Jotform branding on free forms
The other trade-off is visual. Jotform says forms built on the Starter plan include Jotform branding, and users on other plans can remove it and replace it with their own. For an internal form or a quick survey, that rarely matters. For a client-facing booking form on your website, it's worth deciding whether the branding bothers you.
How to build a free form on Jotform
- Create a free Jotform account. You start on the Starter plan.
- Pick a form template or start from a blank form.
- Add your fields, and only the ones you need, since fields count towards a limit.
- Publish the form with a link or embed it on your website.
- Set up email notifications so you see every new submission straight away.
Who Jotform Starter suits
Jotform's free plan suits small businesses, freelancers and community groups that need a handful of forms with modest traffic, such as a contact form, an event sign-up and a feedback form. It's a good way to try every standard feature before deciding on a plan.
It's a weaker fit for high-traffic forms, where the monthly view and submission limits come into play, and for anyone who wants forms without third-party branding.
If you're comparing form builders, my guide to the best free form builders lists tools with different free limits, and my round-up of Jotform alternatives covers options without branding on their free plans.
What you can collect with a free form
Because Starter includes all standard features, the free plan isn't limited to simple contact forms. Jotform lists form templates, integrations and widgets among the standard features, and it includes signed documents too. That means a small business can run a booking request form, a client intake form and a consent form with a signature field, all on the free plan, as long as the totals stay inside the Starter limits.
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The one area Jotform separates out is HIPAA compliance. Its FAQ says the free Starter plan excludes HIPAA compliance features, which are optional extras such as encryption, auditing and data segmentation. If you're in a health-related business in the US, that's a reason to look at the upgraded plans.
Educational and nonprofit groups
Jotform also runs separate programmes for nonprofits and educational institutions on its upgraded plans. If you're a charity or a school and you outgrow Starter, it's worth checking Jotform's nonprofit and education pages before choosing a plan.
My verdict: Jotform is free for light use, with every standard feature included. Export your responses regularly, because once your storage is full, Jotform starts deleting the oldest ones.
Frequently asked questions
Does Jotform have a free plan?
Yes. Jotform's Starter plan is free and includes all standard features, such as form templates, integrations and widgets.
Does Jotform offer a free trial?
Jotform says there's no trial period for its plans, but you can try all its standard features on the free Starter plan.
Do free Jotform forms show branding?
Yes. Jotform says forms built on the Starter plan include Jotform branding, which users on other plans can remove.
What happens when Jotform submission storage is full?
Jotform says the system deletes the oldest form response to make room for new submissions. It recommends downloading old submissions and purging them.
How do I know when I've hit a Jotform limit?
Jotform sends you a notification email and shows a warning on your dashboard when you reach a usage limit.
Does Jotform's free plan include HIPAA features?
No. Jotform says the Starter plan lets you try all standard features except HIPAA compliance features.
Can I add a signature field on free Jotform?
Yes. Jotform's form field limit includes elements such as signature fields, and the Starter plan covers forms and signed documents.
