File upload forms
Collect files with any form, free
CVs, briefs, screenshots and transcripts, attached right in the form and stored with the response. No account needed to upload, and files are encrypted at rest.
Free forever, with unlimited responses. No credit card.
Plenty of forms need a file: an application needs a CV, a bug report a screenshot, a client brief a document. hootform's file upload question takes them in the flow of the form, one question like any other, and keeps each file with the response it belongs to.
How it works in hootform
- Add a File upload question. Choose what it accepts (any file, pictures only, or documents only) and how many files, up to 10. See file upload questions.
- Respondents attach and carry on. They pick files from their device or phone. There's no account and no cloud drive to sign in to. If they go back and forward, their files stay attached.
- Download from the response. Each file is listed with the response, by name, in the responses table, the CSV export, notification emails and webhooks. Editors download the files themselves from the response.
Safe by default
Uploaded files are encrypted at rest along with their names, with a key for that form alone, as part of hootform's encryption, which is on by default. Downloads always arrive as attachments rather than opening in the browser, since the file came from a stranger. Deleting a response deletes its files, and deleting a form deletes all of them.
Free forms take files up to 10 MB each, and Premium forms up to 25 MB. The form tells respondents the limit before they pick a file, so nobody uploads for a minute only to be told it's too big.
What's free, and what's Premium
| Free | Premium, $19/month | |
|---|---|---|
| File upload questions, up to several files each | ✓ | ✓ |
| Encryption of uploaded files at rest | ✓ | ✓ |
| Files larger than the free limit | — | ✓ |
Premium is one price for the whole organization. See plans.
Templates that use it
- Feedback & research Bug report form template What broke, how to see it, and how bad it is — with screenshots attached and blockers routed to their own ending.
- Sales & marketing Client intake form template Everything you need before a first call with a new client: services, goals, budget, deadline and their brief.
- Education & nonprofit Scholarship application form template Applications with the documents attached: studies, a personal statement, circumstances and a transcript.
In the docs
Questions people ask
Is there a limit on how many files I can collect?
Each question takes up to 10 files per response, within the size limit per file. There's no limit on the number of responses.
Do respondents need a Google account or similar to upload?
No. Anyone with the link can attach files. Nothing to sign in to.
Can I restrict uploads to PDFs or images?
Yes. Choose documents only or pictures only, and the file picker shows only those types.
Can I collect signatures too?
Yes. Use a signature question, which respondents draw on screen.
More features
- Conversational forms Build conversational forms that ask one question at a time, with keyboard shortcuts, logic and answer recall. Free, with unlimited forms and responses.
- Conditional logic Add conditional logic to any form: skip questions, branch on any answer or hidden field, recall answers, and finish on different endings. Free.
- Quiz maker Make a scored quiz online: points per answer, a result screen that shows the score, and a different ending for each score band. Free, with unlimited responses.
- Multi-step forms Build multi-step forms that save every answer as it's given, so people can stop and resume, and you can see exactly where they stopped. Free.
- E-signature forms Collect signatures on any form, drawn with a finger or a mouse, with consent checkboxes that record the exact wording agreed to. Free, and encrypted at rest.
- Encrypted forms hootform encrypts identifying answers and files at rest with a key per form, on by default and free. Delete a form and its responses can never be read again.