October 24, 2026

Basin alternative: Ikiform vs Basin

Q: Do I need to change my honeypot?

No. Both services use `_gotcha` by default, so the hidden input keeps working.

Q: Can I upload files to Ikiform?

Not yet. A post that contains a real file is refused with `422 files_not_supported`. If files matter, Basin is the better fit today.

Ikiform vs Basin: two stored form backends compared on plan limits, retention, spam filtering, webhooks and files, with a one-line migration.

Preet SutharFounder, Ikiform

Basin is the closest of these services to Ikiform in spirit: both store every submission, both filter spam on the server, and both forward data on by webhook. Basin has grown wider, with a drag-and-drop form studio, file storage, autoresponses, SMS notifications and an AI lead agent.

Ikiform is deliberately smaller. It doesn't host forms or store files, and it has no plugins beyond webhooks. In return, the features it has are on every tier, and the endpoint takes JSON from code as readily as an HTML post.

Checked on October 24, 2026 against Basin's public pricing pages and docs. Ikiform makes this comparison; every Ikiform fact comes from our own docs. Prices and limits change, so the sources are listed at the end.

At a glance

Feature	Ikiform	Basin
Free plan	None. Every plan is paid	50 submissions a month, 1 form, 100 MB of files, 30-day retention
Paid plans	Pro from $6/mo for 500 submissions, up to $399/mo for 1,000,000. Every feature on every tier. Yearly is 10 months' price for 12	Starter $12.50/mo (250), Growth $24.17/mo (1,000), Pro $30.62/mo (5,000), Agency $81.25/mo (25,000), billed yearly. 14-day trial
Forms	Unlimited on every tier	1 on Free, 3 on Starter, unlimited from Growth
Retention	Received submissions until you delete them, spam for 30 days	30 days on Free, 365 on Starter, unlimited from Growth, with a per-form retention setting
File uploads	Not supported yet. A post with a file gets `422 files_not_supported`	Up to 100 MB per file, counted against 100 MB to 50 GB of storage by plan
Webhooks	3 endpoints per workspace, signed with HMAC-SHA256, 9 attempts over about 3 d 6 h, with delivery logs	Growth plan and up, with signed webhooks and several payload formats
Spam protection	Honeypot (`_gotcha`), content scoring, per-form rate limits, allowed domains and an optional Cloudflare Turnstile check, with no keys needed	AI content analysis on every form, reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha and Turnstile. Custom honeypot from Growth; content and location filters on Pro
Custom redirect	`_redirect` field or dashboard setting, on every tier	Paid plans, with merge tags for field values
Autoresponses	No. Ikiform only emails you, not the person who filled in the form	Growth plan and up
Data location	Cloudflare, with the database in Asia-Pacific. EU Standard Contractual Clauses in the DPA	Operated from Canada, some US sub-processors under SCCs. No customer-selectable residency

Where Basin is the better choice

You want to try it for free. Basin has a free plan and a 14-day trial on every plan.
You collect files: résumés, photos, documents. Basin takes files up to 100 MB each.
You want a visual form builder as well as a backend, or autoresponses, SMS alerts and AI lead scoring.
You want spam filters you can tune, such as blocking by country or language.
You want field values in your redirect URL. Basin's merge tags do this; Ikiform's redirect is a fixed URL.

Where Ikiform is the better choice

You want webhooks and an API without moving up a plan. Ikiform's smallest tier has both; on Basin they start at Growth.
You want to keep submissions until you delete them on any plan, rather than a 30 or 365-day window on lower tiers.
You post JSON from a server, script or framework and want typed validation with field errors on the response.
You want a custom thank-you redirect on the cheapest tier. Basin's Free plan doesn't include one.
You want one plan where only the submission count changes, so you never re-check which tier has which feature.

Who should pick which

Pick Basin if you want a broad hosted toolkit around a form: files, builder, autoresponses and many tunable spam filters, with a free plan to start.

Pick Ikiform if you want a lean backend for forms you build yourself, with webhooks, validation and the API on the smallest tier.

Migrating from Basin

Basin and Ikiform read the same body formats and the same _gotcha honeypot, and both use the URL to identify the form. For most HTML forms the migration is the action URL and nothing else.

Field mapping

Basin	Ikiform	Notes
`action="https://usebasin.com/f/..."`	`action="https://ikiform.com/f/frm_..."`	Same pattern: one endpoint per form.
`_gotcha`	`_gotcha`	Same default honeypot name. A custom Basin honeypot name can be set on the Ikiform form too.
Redirect URL in form settings	Redirect after submit	Copy it across. Merge tags such as `{{name}}` aren't supported; the URL is used as written.
Autoresponse	None	Ikiform doesn't email the person who submitted.
File inputs and `attachments[]`	None	Not supported yet. Upload elsewhere and submit the link.
reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha or Turnstile	Turnstile only	Use the Ikiform check (no keys) or your own Turnstile keys. Remove reCAPTCHA or hCaptcha widgets.
Basin webhooks	Ikiform webhooks	Verify the `webhook-signature` header with your `whsec_` secret. The payload shape differs, so update your handler.
JSON posts with `fetch`	Same	Send `Content-Type: application/json`; the answer is `201` with the submission id.

Before and after

contact.html

<form accept-charset="UTF-8" action="https://usebasin.com/f/1a2b3c4d5e6f" method="POST">
  <input type="text" name="name" required />
  <input type="email" name="email" required />
  <textarea name="message" required></textarea>
  <input type="hidden" name="_gotcha" />
  <button type="submit">Submit</button>
</form>

Steps

Create an Ikiform form for each Basin form and copy the endpoints.
Copy over the redirect URL, allowed domains and notification recipients.
Change the action URL. Keep _gotcha as it is.
Point your webhook consumer at the new payload and signature, using the handler examples in the docs.
Export your Basin submissions as CSV or XLSX before you cancel.

What doesn't carry over

Files, autoresponses, SMS notifications, the form studio and merge-tag redirects don't carry over.
Old submissions don't move automatically. Keep the export.

FAQ

Do I need to change my honeypot?

No. Both services use _gotcha by default, so the hidden input keeps working.

How long does Ikiform keep submissions?

Received submissions stay until you delete them, on every tier. Spam is deleted after 30 days. Basin's lower tiers keep submissions for 30 or 365 days.

Can I upload files to Ikiform?

Not yet. A post that contains a real file is refused with 422 files_not_supported. If files matter, Basin is the better fit today.

Which one has better spam filtering?

Basin has more knobs: AI analysis, country and language filters, and three captcha providers. Ikiform has fewer settings but runs scoring, rate limits and an optional Turnstile check on every tier, and stores spam separately so you can review it.

Sources

Checked on October 24, 2026.

Trademarks and accuracy

Basin and the other product names on this page are trademarks of their owners. Ikiform isn't affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them. What this page says about Basin comes from its public pricing pages and docs as of October 24, 2026, linked under Sources. If anything here is wrong or out of date, email hello@ikiform.com and we'll correct it.