Partial responses
See what people told you, even when they didn't finish
Every answer is saved the moment it's given. A form someone abandons at the last question still leaves you everything before it, and shows you where they stopped.
Free forever, with unlimited responses. No credit card.
Most forms only save anything when the respondent presses Submit. Everyone who gives up halfway leaves nothing behind: no answers, no email address, no clue why. hootform saves each answer as it's given, so an unfinished response is still a response.
How it works in hootform
- Every step is saved. The first answer creates the response, and each answer after that is added as it's given. Respondents can come back to the same link in the same browser and carry on where they stopped. See what respondents see.
- See the gap. On every plan, Insights counts views, starts and completions, so you know how many people began and didn't finish.
- Read what they said. On Premium, the responses table shows partial responses beside completed ones, with a CSV export of each, and Insights shows the exact question where people stopped.
What to do with them
A partial response is often a lead that went cold on the last question. A waitlist sign-up that gave an email and stopped is still a sign-up. And the question most people stop at is the one to rewrite: too personal, too hard, or asked too early.
Partial responses are kept apart from completed ones, so they never change your completion rate, your breakdowns or your exports unless you ask for them.
What's free, and what's Premium
| Free | Premium, $19/month | |
|---|---|---|
| Every answer saved as it's given, and resuming later | ✓ | ✓ |
| How many responses were started and not finished | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reading and exporting unfinished responses | — | ✓ |
| Where people stopped, per question | — | ✓ |
Premium is one price for the whole organization. See plans.
In the docs
Questions people ask
Are partial responses saved on the free plan?
Yes. Every answer is saved on every plan, and the free plan counts how many responses were started but not finished. Reading those responses and seeing where people stopped is part of Premium.
Does a partial response become complete if they come back?
Yes. If the respondent returns to the same link in the same browser within 30 days and finishes, the same response is completed.
Do respondents know their answers are saved as they go?
The form doesn't announce it by default. If it matters for your form, say so on the welcome screen, and mention it in your privacy notice if you collect personal details.
Do partial responses count in my Insights?
They count as starts. Answer breakdowns only include completed responses, so a half-finished response never tips the numbers.
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.
- File upload forms Let people attach CVs, photos, screenshots and documents to any form. Files are stored with each response and encrypted at rest. Free up to 10 MB a file.
- 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.