Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

• What is Instaform.co?

  Instaform.co is an Internet application that helps anybody build amazing online forms. When you design a form with Instaform.co, it automatically builds the database, backend and scripts needed to make collecting and understanding your data easy, fast and fun. Because we host everything, all you need is a browser, an Internet connection and a few minutes to build a form and start using it right away.

• What can I build with this?

  Basically, the possibilities are endless. Here’s a short list of examples to give you an idea of Instaform.co’s versatility:

  • Contact Form
  • Mailing List
  • Survey
  • Job Application
  • Workshop Registration
  • Event Calendar
  • Account Management
  • Customer Management
  • Bug Tracker
  • Invitations / RSVP
  • Online Orders
  • Wedding Planner
  • Address Book
  • Home Finances
  • Classifieds
  • Personal Journal
  • Quizzes / Tests
  • Media Collection

  Definitely check out our examples page to see some of the more popular forms created in Instaform.co along with descriptions of how to introduce them into your web site and workflow. For even more ideas, visit our Form Gallery where you can view and install over 150 templates and themes designed with Instaform.co.

• Why would I want to use Instaform.co?

  We believe forms are the starting point for building anything useful on the web. Basically, they’re the most efficient mechanisms for collecting data from people. The problem is creating an online form isn’t very efficient.

  The process of creating a form and all the database structures and scripts necessary to make it work (not to mention useful) is a really tedious process that makes what should be a simple task (collecting and understanding information), not really worth the time, effort or cost of the endeavor. The entire process could take you or your IT person days, if not weeks. With Instaform.co, you can skip all the hard stuff (because it does it all for you), and start getting things done.

• Is Instaform.co right for me?

  While we do have a list of features and a demo for you to look at, Instaform.co is more of an experience than a checklist. The only real way to find out if Instaform.co is right for you is to create a FREE account and find out for yourself. Usually, you’ll know the answer within a few minutes of playing around with our services. If you have any questions after that, please do contact us.

• What's required to use Instaform.co?

  All you need is an Internet connection and a supported browser to use our services. Currently, we support all the major browsers, Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Internet Explorer 7 and above. There's a good chance you'll be able to log into Instaform.co and create forms with other browsers, but only the ones mentioned here are officially supported. Additionally, while the admin interface requires JavaScript and Flash to build and manage your forms, the public forms you share with others are built with degradable techniques that’ll work even if JavaScript is turned off.

• Is my data safe and secure with Instaform.co?

  We do our best to ensure the safe keeping of your data on Instaform.co. Our servers are managed by Digital Ocean and located in a SOC 2, Type II audited facility that is located in the United States. The data center includes high-end surveillance equipment, security guards, visitor logs and passcards/biometric recognition. 128-bit SSL encryption for enhanced security during submission is featured for all plans. We also provide the ability to store information in an encrypted format in the database.You can learn more about our security measures here.

• How long do you keep my information?

  Instaform.co will hold onto your information as long as you have a Instaform.co account. When you delete an entry, or when you delete your account, the information is deleted from our servers.

• Can anyone access my forms and reports?

  That’s up to you. All forms and reports can be made either public or private with just a click of a button. By default, all new forms are public. And by default, all new reports are private. If you have a paying account, you can also password protect any form or report in Instaform.co.

• How much does Instaform.co cost?

  Instaform.co’s tiered monthly plans range from FREE to $199.95/month and the prices are based on the number of users that you can manage, the number of forms you might need, the number of entries you can have submitted per month, the amount of disk space you can use for handling files and various other factors. You can learn about our plans on our pricing and signup page..

• What are the benefits of upgrading to a paid plan?

  Well, you'll be able to create more forms, reports and entries based on the plan that you select. Additionally, all paid plans allow you to do the following on Instaform.co, which are not available to free accounts:

  They will no longer show advertisements on the confirmation page.
  You can upload file attachments through your form.
  You can redirect to a specific web page after submission.
  You can password protect your forms and reports.

• Are there any long term contracts?

  Nope. After creating an account, you can delete your data and leave at anytime from within the Instaform.co application. No questions asked.

• Can I add Instaform.co forms to my web site?

  Yes, we provide easy copy/paste code for those of you that want to have your forms integrated into your own web site. The data and the admin interface is still on our servers and you’ll have to login in to Instaform.co to manage everything, but the form looks like you’re hosting it. For advanced users and developers, we’ve got an awesome API to help you tweak nearly everything to your heart’s content. You can read more about this in our documentation on the Code Manager.

• How can I get at the data collected by my form?

  In so many sweet ways, my friend. In addition to giving you the ability to design your own awesome reports, you can access your data within the admin interface, have Instaform.co email you new entries, subscribe to them as via RSS feed or export them as an Excel document.

• I can do my own server stuff. Can I just get the XHTML and CSS from you?

  Yes, my hardcore developer friend. If you want to handle all the server side stuff yourself and just want to use Instaform.co as an easy way to create good-looking, valid CSS/XHTML form markup, you can use your account to design and download the markup and CSS for FREE.