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Tally tally.so

Can AI replace Tally?

A form builder that stores responses and sends webhooks/email is a classic one-sitting/weekend app.

Verdict: Bot · AI can build you a working versionBuild time: weekend
Bot

01What it costs

$29/moPro, monthly per workspace
$348per year at that price

Checked Aug 11, 2026 · source: tally.so. The free plan covers unlimited forms and submissions under fair use.

PlanMonthlyBilled yearlyWhat you get
FreeFreeFreeUnlimited forms/submissions/e-signatures; 10 MB/file. Fair-use examples: 50,000 submissions/month, 100 GB uploads/month, 500 GB total storage or 50,000 emails/month.
Pro$29$24.17/moUnlimited team members, unlimited forms/submissions under fair use and 30-day version history; removes the 10 MB upload cap.
Business$89$74.17/moUnlimited team members, unlimited forms/submissions under fair use and 90-day version history.

Hidden costs: Consistent use around 50,000 submissions/month, 100 GB uploads/month, 500 GB total storage or 50,000 emails/month can trigger a custom plan billed quarterly on top of the existing subscription.

02Could AI build it for you?

The core job: Create form schema/editor, render public forms, store responses, export CSV, and send webhook/email notifications.

What a working version needs:

  • hosted backend
  • database
  • form renderer
  • file upload storage if needed
  • email/webhook service

One of the cleanest yes products; enough prior art to be actionable.

03What you'd give up

  • beautiful editor
  • unlimited free usage
  • partial submissions
  • custom domains
  • integrations
  • team workspaces
  • anti-spam

They pay for low-friction forms, branding removal, and integrations.

04Free and cheaper alternatives

OpnFormopen-source

Open-source forms with unlimited respondents; the free self-hosted builder team stops at two

opnform.com →
HeyFormopen-source

Tally's conversational cousin, minus the document-like editor

heyform.net →

05The build prompt

Paste this into an AI coding tool (such as Claude, ChatGPT, Lovable or Replit) to build your own version.

prompt.txt
Build me a personal form builder to replace Tally. Requirements:

- One Node + Express + better-sqlite3 app, server-rendered pages, deployed on my VPS
  behind Caddy. No frontend framework.
- Admin UI at /admin, protected by a single ADMIN_TOKEN from .env, no user accounts:
  create a form, add fields (text, textarea, email, select, checkbox, file upload),
  mark required, reorder.
- Each form gets a public page at /f/<slug>: single column, one accent color, client
  and server validation, honeypot field plus a per-IP rate limit for spam.
- Responses stored in SQLite; file uploads go to uploads/<form-slug>/, 10 MB cap.
- Per form, two optional notifications: email me each response via SMTP creds in
  .env, and POST the response JSON to a webhook URL.
- Admin response view: sortable table per form with a CSV export button.
- No telemetry, no third-party form service; respondent data stays in my SQLite file.
- Out of scope: partial submissions, conditional logic, payments, and team
  workspaces. Do not build a template gallery.
- README: .env vars, Caddy snippet, where uploads and the DB live on disk.

06Open-source starting points

  • Formbricks: Open-source form/survey platform useful for response collection and feedback workflows.
Sponsor slot · openFeatured alternative to Tally. A labeled card for one relevant tool.
Book this spot →

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App prices, verdicts, alternatives and build prompts are adapted from Can I Vibecode It? (MIT License, © 2026 Rob Hallam). Each price shows the date it was checked and its source. Prices change; confirm on the vendor's site before you decide.