# Looking for Feedback

**URL:** <https://discourse.gohugo.io/t/looking-for-feedback/8301>\
**Category:** Uncategorized\
**Created:** [September 9, 2017, 1:35am UTC](https://discourse.gohugo.io/t/looking-for-feedback/8301 "2017-09-09T01:35:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 10\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![TWilson](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.gohugo.io/twilson/32/4104_2.png) [@TWilson](https://discourse.gohugo.io/u/TWilson)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 1:35am UTC](https://discourse.gohugo.io/t/looking-for-feedback/8301/1 "2017-09-09T01:35:18Z")

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Hi everyone! I’m pretty new to the static site generators scene, and have a few questions for you guys:

What do you use when you need contact/feedback forms on your websites?  
Is the improved security of static sites an important benefit to you?

The reason I’m asking is because I’ve recently launched a service ([formtide.com](https://formtide.com)) that handles form submissions for static sites. I’d appreciate it if you could take a look and give some constructive criticism regarding any suggestions or problems you see with the product (I’m trying to improve my communication about the product, and static site creators seem to be the best customers around).

I apologize if this isn’t a good place to post something like this, my only goal is to get some feedback to help me improve.

Thanks!

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**Author:** ![Leo\_Merkel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.gohugo.io/leo_merkel/32/3321_2.png) [@Leo\_Merkel](https://discourse.gohugo.io/u/Leo_Merkel)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 1:39pm UTC](https://discourse.gohugo.io/t/looking-for-feedback/8301/2 "2017-09-09T13:39:41Z")

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Interesting. What is the benefit against other existing services like the free Formspree? Your pricing seems high to me so there must be a great benefit.

Regards, Leo

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**Author:** ![TWilson](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.gohugo.io/twilson/32/4104_2.png) [@TWilson](https://discourse.gohugo.io/u/TWilson)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 6:42pm UTC](https://discourse.gohugo.io/t/looking-for-feedback/8301/3 "2017-09-09T18:42:36Z")

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Some of the primary benefits that many similar services don’t offer would include form validation and Zapier integration.

With validation, you can set requirements for your input fields to prevent invalid data and spam. If you’d like, you can also use Javascript to display error message directly alongside your form fields. You may also configure reCAPTCHA to prevent bots.

With Zapier integration, you can set it up to perform actions in many other applications/services upon submission, for example:

- Receive a text message
- Add a new entry to your CRM software
- Receive a message in Slack

Thanks for checking it out!

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**Author:** ![jetwash](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.gohugo.io/jetwash/32/3968_2.png) [@jetwash](https://discourse.gohugo.io/u/jetwash)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 7:49pm UTC](https://discourse.gohugo.io/t/looking-for-feedback/8301/4 "2017-09-09T19:49:59Z")

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I haven’t used any of these form services; I’ve always just used App Engine, Lambda, or back in the day a PHP script, etc., so I can’t really comment on the features. That said, I’m a bit put off by the pricing model…

Have you thought about introducing a free pricing tier for very small projects (maybe a single form with 100 submissions/month, or even fewer)? For a work project I would really only be willing to test something like this with a very low volume form, at least at first, but I’m not a big fan of the idea of rewriting working code just because a trial period expires if I decide I don’t like it enough to use it for other forms.

Another thing that may help is offering free service for open-source and non-profits, maybe with a requirement that you have to add a “Powered by Formtide” somewhere, [like Algolia has](https://www.algolia.com/for-open-source) for search. That could be good advertising; I know I learned about Algolia because it’s used on [fontawesome.io](http://fontawesome.io)…

FWIW, I like the idea of configuring validation once and having it verified on both the client and server side.

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**Author:** ![guayom](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.gohugo.io/guayom/32/3732_2.png) [@guayom](https://discourse.gohugo.io/u/guayom)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2017, 3:14am UTC](https://discourse.gohugo.io/t/looking-for-feedback/8301/5 "2017-09-10T03:14:29Z")

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Netlify has form handling. It’s free. No limitations. And a very good integration with zapier.  
It’s one of the best deals I’ve found so far.  
But the service does look interesting. I’ll have to give it a look.  
What would you say it’s the main thing that sets it apart from netlify form handling?

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**Author:** ![TWilson](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.gohugo.io/twilson/32/4104_2.png) [@TWilson](https://discourse.gohugo.io/u/TWilson)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2017, 10:14pm UTC](https://discourse.gohugo.io/t/looking-for-feedback/8301/6 "2017-09-10T22:14:24Z")

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I’ll definitely work on some free tier options, I’ll keep you guys updated!

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**Author:** ![TWilson](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.gohugo.io/twilson/32/4104_2.png) [@TWilson](https://discourse.gohugo.io/u/TWilson)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2017, 10:17pm UTC](https://discourse.gohugo.io/t/looking-for-feedback/8301/7 "2017-09-10T22:17:13Z")

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From what I can find regarding Netlify’s form handling service, it doesn’t _appear_ they have form validation options. Their service does look pretty cool, though. Thanks for letting me know about them!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TWilson](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.gohugo.io/twilson/32/4104_2.png) [@TWilson](https://discourse.gohugo.io/u/TWilson)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 11:40pm UTC](https://discourse.gohugo.io/t/looking-for-feedback/8301/8 "2017-09-12T23:40:16Z")

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A free plan is now available. Feel free to try it out!

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**Author:** ![pacollins](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.gohugo.io/pacollins/32/9396_2.png) [@pacollins](https://discourse.gohugo.io/u/pacollins)\
**Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 1:42am UTC](https://discourse.gohugo.io/t/looking-for-feedback/8301/9 "2017-09-13T01:42:53Z")

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Setting `type=""` and `required` provides basic validation.

While I use Netlify’s form handling, I was using [formspree.io](http://formspree.io) before and it allows for 1000 submissions per month compared to your 100.

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**Author:** ![Jura](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.gohugo.io/jura/32/13581_2.png) [@Jura](https://discourse.gohugo.io/u/Jura)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 2:06pm UTC](https://discourse.gohugo.io/t/looking-for-feedback/8301/10 "2017-09-16T14:06:05Z")

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I’m always a bit concerned about privacy and data collecting with services like this. (And that’s why I don’t use them.)

Formspree says they only store the last 100 emails and delete the rest. (Or 1000 if you’re a Gold member.) Formspree also has a ToS and a Privacy Policy. If they can be trusted, I don’t know. But if they really automatically delete older stuff, they’re at least not sitting on a huge database with a lot of personal information.

Formtide doesn’t mention what they do with the submitted emails. I also can’t find a privacy policy. There’s also no Twitter or Github account linked to show what person(s) are behind it. I had to Google ‘Aranode LLC’ to find the website of the company behind it.

I don’t mean to be pessimistic. I just offer my perspective and, if more potential users feel the same way, a bit more assurances regarding privacy might help.

Good luck with this new product!