FormVault
Encrypted form builder run from Norway and hosted at Hetzner in Germany, with a data processing agreement on the free plan too
Quick Overview
| Company | polarmake |
|---|---|
| Category | Form Builders |
| Headquarters | Norway |
| EU Presence | EEA (Norway) |
| Data Location | Servers at Hetzner in Nuremberg, Germany; email relay Brevo and AI provider Mistral AI are in France, payments (not yet live) via Mollie in the Netherlands |
| Open Source | No |
| Pricing | Free plan with 3 active forms and 100 responses a month. Pro is listed at EUR 9 a month (unlimited forms and responses, email notifications) and Team at EUR 29 a month (5 team members, shared dashboards, custom domain, audit log, SLA), but the pricing page says paid plans are not available yet and that Team is by contact; prices as of November 2026, VAT may apply. |
| Free Option | No trial; the free plan has no time limit and needs no card |
| Replaces | Typeform, Jotform, Google Forms |
Detailed Review
FormVault is a young form builder run by polarmake, which describes itself as a software studio in Norway.
Its own pages put the servers at Hetzner in Nuremberg and list Brevo for email and Mistral AI for optional AI features, both in France. The company details are thin: the imprint on polarmake.eu names no registration number or street address, and a search of the Norwegian business register for the name returned nothing, so the Norwegian base rests on the vendor's own statement.
The product is deliberately small. A drag-and-drop editor offers eight field types, every form gets a public link that respondents can fill in without an account, and answers can be exported as CSV.
Each submission is encrypted before it is stored, a form owner can set a retention period after which a daily job deletes older answers, and the DPA page describes a respondent portal where people can ask for access or erasure themselves. The agreement is published for every plan, the free one included. The free plan allows 3 active forms and 100 responses a month.
Read the encryption claim carefully. The key lives in the server's configuration and the application decrypts answers for the owner, for exports and for AI summaries, so this protects a stolen database or backup, not answers from the operator, which is the line that separates it from CryptPad.
Uploaded files are not encrypted by the application, IP addresses and browser strings are stored with every submission, and no certification is claimed.
Pro at EUR 9 and Team at EUR 29 a month are listed as of November 2026, but the pricing page says paid plans cannot yet be bought. Tally, Formbricks and Formdesk are the safer pick for anything beyond simple intake.
What FormVault does well
- Data processing agreement published and included on the free plan as well
- Respondents can request access or erasure through a self-service portal link
- Hosting named precisely: Hetzner in Nuremberg, with every sub-processor listed on its own page
- Per-form retention period that deletes old submissions automatically
- Free plan with no time limit and no card, and respondents never need an account
Where FormVault falls short
- Free plan is capped at 3 active forms and 100 responses a month
- Paid plans are listed but not yet available, and no trial exists
- The operator can decrypt answers, and uploaded files are not encrypted by the application
- Only eight field types, with no payments, signatures or deep integrations
- Company registration and address could not be found, and no security certification is claimed
Standout feature. It puts a ready-made processing agreement and a respondent erasure portal on the free tier, where most builders keep those for paying customers.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Data processing agreement published and included on the free plan as well
- Respondents can request access or erasure through a self-service portal link
- Hosting named precisely: Hetzner in Nuremberg, with every sub-processor listed on its own page
- Per-form retention period that deletes old submissions automatically
- Free plan with no time limit and no card, and respondents never need an account
Cons
- Free plan is capped at 3 active forms and 100 responses a month
- Paid plans are listed but not yet available, and no trial exists
- The operator can decrypt answers, and uploaded files are not encrypted by the application
- Only eight field types, with no payments, signatures or deep integrations
- Company registration and address could not be found, and no security certification is claimed
Alternatives to FormVault
Frequently Asked Questions
What is FormVault?
FormVault is a young form builder run by polarmake, which describes itself as a software studio in Norway.
Its own pages put the servers at Hetzner in Nuremberg and list Brevo for email and Mistral AI for optional AI features, both in France. The company details are thin: the imprint on polarmake.eu names no registration number or street address, and a search of the Norwegian business register for the name returned nothing, so the Norwegian base rests on the vendor's own statement.
Where is FormVault based?
FormVault operates from Norway, which places it under EEA (Norway).
What does FormVault cost?
Free plan with 3 active forms and 100 responses a month. Pro is listed at EUR 9 a month (unlimited forms and responses, email notifications) and Team at EUR 29 a month (5 team members, shared dashboards, custom domain, audit log, SLA), but the pricing page says paid plans are not available yet and that Team is by contact; prices as of November 2026, VAT may apply.. No trial; the free plan has no time limit and needs no card.
Who is FormVault best for?
Accountants, consultants and small practices that want an encrypted intake form with a processing agreement and no budget. It puts a ready-made processing agreement and a respondent erasure portal on the free tier, where most builders keep those for paying customers.
What are the drawbacks of FormVault?
Free plan is capped at 3 active forms and 100 responses a month. Paid plans are listed but not yet available, and no trial exists. The operator can decrypt answers, and uploaded files are not encrypted by the application. Only eight field types, with no payments, signatures or deep integrations. Company registration and address could not be found, and no security certification is claimed.
Is FormVault a good alternative to Typeform?
FormVault is built as a European alternative to Typeform: Encrypted form builder run from Norway and hosted at Hetzner in Germany, with a data processing agreement on the free plan too. It will not be a like-for-like feature match in every respect, so check the review above for where the two genuinely differ before switching.
How does FormVault compare to other Form Builders?
FormVault is one of several European Form Builders we cover. It is most often compared with Typeform, Jotform, Google Forms.