Jotform Review: Pricing, Pros, and Cons 📝

Exploring app builders and considering Jotform? Known for intuitive design, Jotform is great for building apps quickly but doesn't offer much in terms of distribution channels—you can't publish to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Read on for the following:

• What Jotform is used for
• Pros and cons of the platform
• Overview of Jotform pricing
• A quick list of Jotform alternatives

Let's take a look at the platform and how it works.

What is Jotform?

Jotform is a no-code native mobile app builder that can create apps quickly with its intuitive drag-and-drop interface. It launched as an online form-building application in 2006. Originally, folks used Jotform to create online signup sheets, polls, and payment sheets.

In 2021, Jotform entered the no-code app-building space, releasing its mobile app-building platform. Since then, it has evolved into an app-building platform that specializes in making external, client-facing apps. However, the platform's roots in form building still define its capabilities and limitations.

Jotform's Pros

• Jotform is competitively priced, with three main pricing tiers—the cheapest one under $50/month and the most expensive one under $150/month.
• If you want to collect data through online forms or build an e-commerce app, Jotform has enough tools for you to get this done quickly.
• Jotform has a long list of integrations, giving you flexibility for payment processing and data management.
• The platform is HIPAA compliant, making it suitable for medical professionals handling sensitive patient data.

Jotform's Cons

• Although the app-building interface is easy to learn, it offers little design freedom. For instance, you won't be able to resize your images on the building interface.
• While Jotform does offer tools for building internal business tools, it only allows for one internal user, severely capping the number of people who can benefit from an internal company tool.
• Jotform's templates and elements aren't exactly eye-catching, which makes it difficult to create beautiful and unique apps.
• When you finish building your app, you can't publish it to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, which cuts out a massive audience of potential app users. Users can only access your app via link or QR code.
• You only get a limited number of payment submissions per month. If you're running an online store that you want to scale and sell to thousands, you won't be able to do so with Jotform.

What Is Jotform Used For?

Jotform excels at making external, customer-facing apps for scheduling, booking, event management, online stores, and more. Simply choose from Jotform's mammoth selection of forms and configure them to let customers register for events or buy your products.

You can create very simple apps with Jotform. For instance, if you have a food truck, create a single-screen ordering app from a form that your customers can access by scanning a QR code on social media or at your truck.

If you want to create an e-commerce app for your business, Jotform is a viable option. You'll have several templates to choose from, and you'll be able to integrate with many different payment platforms including Square, Stripe, and Venmo.

You'll also be able to build an inventory app that you can use to manage the products you sell. Jotform connects to several external databases, like Airtable and Google Sheets. You can also use Jotform Tables, Jotform's built-in database, to manage your data.

Because Jotform is HIPAA compliant, it allows medical professionals to legally create apps that handle sensitive patient data for their private practices. Most no-code mobile app builders aren't HIPAA compliant, which gives Jotform a genuine advantage in the healthcare space.

A Review of Jotform's Building Interface

When you sign up for Jotform, you'll be given the option to create forms, tables, apps, and more. This might be a bit confusing, especially when you just want to make a no-code mobile app.

To avoid frustration, hover over the "Templates" link at the top of your screen and select "App Templates." You'll then have the option to pick a template from a selection of over 800. Jotform has a trove of industry-specific categories that should accommodate almost any app idea.

If you want creative freedom, rest assured: Jotform allows you to start from scratch. However, the design constraints mentioned earlier—like the inability to resize images—will still apply regardless of whether you use a template or build from scratch.

After you pick your template, Jotform will take you to the app-building interface, which is not overly complex or intimidating. Most people should be able to learn it through tinkering and intuition.

On the right-hand side of your screen, you can add elements like headings, text, images, buttons, and more by dragging them to your app's building canvas, which is at the center of the screen. Click on each element to edit its size and color.

Forms and Integrations

Conveniently, Jotform gives you direct access to its original online form collection. You can choose from over 10,000 forms that can improve your app's user experience. Like the app templates, the forms are organized by category.

Here are just some of the form categories to choose from:

• Order Forms
• Registration Forms
• Event Registration Forms
• Payment Forms
• Application Forms
• Booking Forms
• Survey Forms
• Contact Forms

You can edit the forms by adding new questions and tapping on your logo or other pictures. Jotform also lets you embed valuable widgets, like a camera feature, so people can provide a picture of their government-issued ID.

You'll find a long list of payment integrations. For instance, you can accept payments from Square, Stripe, Venmo, Braintree, and many more payment platforms. This makes Jotform particularly strong for simple e-commerce use cases.

Jotform's form-editing interface appears nearly identical to the app-building interface, so nothing will come as a surprise when you want to create specialized forms for your app.

Is Jotform Right For You?

Jotform is an easy-to-use app builder, but it has a limited audience. Select Jotform if:

• You want to build an app that you can embed on your website.
• You want to build an e-commerce app that customers can access through a link you post on your social media account or website.
• You want to create a simple app with just one or two screens in a short amount of time.
• You're a medical professional who needs HIPAA compliance for patient data.

However, you should take a look at other app builders if:

• You want to create an internal business tool that several employees can access.
• You want a sleek-looking app with full design control.
• You want to publish your app on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
• You need to scale beyond Jotform's monthly payment submission limits.

Jotform Pricing: Is It Worth It?

While you can get used to the Jotform building interface using the free version, you'll get more power with its Bronze Version at $39/month (billed monthly). You'll be able to publish 25 forms, receive up to 1,000 form submissions, and take 100 payments.

Jotform's Silver Version, at $49/month (billed monthly), gives you 10GB of storage space, 250 payment submissions, and 2,500 form submissions.

At $129/month (billed monthly), Jotform's Gold Version includes 1,000 monthly payment submissions and HIPAA compliance features.

If you're looking for a custom-made enterprise version, you'll need to contact Jotform directly.

The pricing is competitive for simple form-based apps, but the payment submission caps can become limiting quickly if you're running an active e-commerce operation. Compare this to Adalo's $36/month starting price, which includes unlimited usage, no record limits on paid plans, and the ability to publish to both app stores.

Jotform Alternatives: What Other Tools Should You Try?

Looking for an app builder that offers more than Jotform? Try out these Jotform alternatives:

Adalo is a no-code app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms. AI-assisted building and streamlined publishing enable launch to the Apple App Store and Google Play in days rather than months. Unlike Jotform's link-only distribution, Adalo publishes true native iOS and Android apps to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store from a single codebase, giving you complete design freedom for creating both external customer-facing apps and internal business tools.

Ada, Adalo's AI builder, lets you describe what you want and generates your app. Magic Start creates complete app foundations from a description, while Magic Add adds features through natural language.

With Magic Start, you describe what you want to build and Adalo generates your complete app foundation—database structure, screens, and user flows. Magic Add lets you add features by simply describing what you need. Over 3 million apps have been created on Adalo, with the visual builder described as "easy as PowerPoint."

Adalo's modular infrastructure scales to serve apps with over 1 million monthly active users, with no upper ceiling. Paid plans include unlimited database records and no usage-based charges—meaning no bill shock as your app grows.

Glide is heavily format-focused and restricted to set templates. This makes it fast to build with but creates generic, simplistic apps with limited creative freedom. Glide is a go-to for spreadsheet-based apps, but pricing starts at $60/month for custom domain capability, and it's still limited by app updates and data record rows. Glide does not support Apple App Store or Google Play Store publishing.

GoodBarber offers better-looking templates and more storage space for online stores, with app store publishing capabilities.

How Jotform Compares to Other Platforms

Verdict

Should you buy it now, shortlist it, or avoid it?

Buy it now if you want to create a simple external app for your clients to purchase your goods or book your services, and you don't need app store distribution. Jotform's HIPAA compliance also makes it a solid choice for medical professionals with basic app needs.

Shortlist it if you want to build an external customer-facing app but are unsure if you need an internal app to manage your inventory or think you might need to scale beyond the payment submission limits.

Look elsewhere if you want to reach the billions of users on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Jotform's link-only distribution severely limits your app's discoverability and growth potential.

For an app-building platform that gives you complete design freedom and flexibility to make both internal business tools and external client-facing apps, Adalo offers a compelling alternative. With AI-assisted building through Magic Start and Magic Add, plus native app store publishing from a single codebase, you can go from idea to published app in days rather than months.

FAQ

Why choose Adalo over other app building solutions?

Adalo is an AI-powered app builder that creates true native iOS and Android apps from a single codebase. Unlike web wrappers or link-only platforms like Jotform, Adalo compiles to native code and publishes directly to both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store—putting your app in front of billions of potential users.

What's the fastest way to build and publish an app to the App Store?

Adalo's drag-and-drop interface combined with AI-assisted building through Magic Start lets you go from idea to published app in days. Describe what you want to build, and Magic Start generates your database, screens, and logic. Adalo handles the complex App Store submission process automatically.

Which is more affordable, Adalo or Jotform?

Adalo starts at $36/month with unlimited usage and app store publishing. Jotform starts at $39/month but limits payment submissions and doesn't offer app store publishing at any price tier. For apps that need to scale, Adalo's unlimited database records and no usage charges provide better long-term value.

Can I publish Jotform apps to the App Store?

No. Jotform apps can only be accessed via link or QR code. You cannot publish Jotform apps to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, which limits your potential audience significantly.

Is Jotform good for building internal business tools?

Jotform has significant limitations for internal tools—it only allows one internal user. If you need multiple team members to access your internal app, consider Adalo, which supports unlimited internal users and offers full design freedom for business tools.

What are Jotform's payment submission limits?

Jotform's Bronze plan ($39/month) allows 100 payment submissions monthly. Silver ($49/month) allows 250, and Gold ($129/month) allows 1,000. These caps can quickly become limiting for active e-commerce operations.

Which is better for e-commerce, Adalo or Jotform?

For simple form-based ordering, Jotform works well. For scalable e-commerce with app store presence, Adalo is the better choice—it offers unlimited database records on paid plans, no payment submission caps, and native app publishing to reach customers where they already shop for apps.

Is Jotform HIPAA compliant?

Yes, Jotform's Gold plan ($129/month) includes HIPAA compliance features, making it suitable for medical professionals handling patient data. This is one of Jotform's genuine advantages over many competitors.

Can I migrate from Jotform to Adalo?

Yes. While there's no direct import tool, you can export your Jotform data and rebuild your app in Adalo with significantly more design freedom and app store publishing capability. Adalo's Magic Start can generate your app foundation from a description, speeding up the migration process.

Which platform offers more design freedom?

Adalo offers substantially more design freedom than Jotform. Jotform's interface doesn't even allow you to resize images, while Adalo gives you complete control over every visual element. Adalo's canvas can display up to 400 screens at once for complex app design.