--- title: "How to replace a paid form or survey tool" description: "Replace a paid form or survey tool with open-source software or a small build: list forms, export responses, rebuild the few you use, keep links alive." canonical: "https://lopifi.com/savings/how-to/replace-a-paid-form-tool" --- # How to replace a paid form or survey tool > Replace a paid form or survey tool with open-source software or a small build: list forms, export responses, rebuild the few you use, keep links alive. Source: https://lopifi.com/savings/how-to/replace-a-paid-form-tool Part of: Lopifi — Planned: US GAAP books on autopilot, checked by a CPA (https://lopifi.com) --- Series: Move and replace. Reviewed 2026-10-25. Forms are one of the narrowest jobs a company pays per seat for: ask questions, collect answers, send them somewhere. That makes them a sensible first replacement, and a good place to learn the routine. The steps are the same whichever tool you move to: list what each form does, export the answers, rebuild the few that matter and keep every link and embed working until the old account closes. ## Inventory what each form does Open the account and list every live form with four facts: what it is for, how many responses it gets in a month, who reads them and where they go next. Archive the ones nobody has opened in a year; that alone can change which plan you need. Mark the features each form really uses: conditional questions, file upload, payments, a custom domain, an integration. The shorter that list, the easier the move. ## Export before anything else Export every response for the forms you keep, and the form definitions where the tool allows it. Check one export by opening it. The [export guide](https://lopifi.com/md/savings/how-to/export-your-data-before-canceling-software) covers what to verify. If responses hold personal data, decide where the export lives and who can read it. ## Rebuild the few that matter Choose the path from the [guide to what to replace first](https://lopifi.com/md/savings/how-to/which-software-to-replace-first). A suite you already pay for may include a form builder; an open-source form tool run for you moves the cost into hosting, as counted in the [honest math](https://lopifi.com/md/savings/how-to/self-hosting-honest-math); a small build suits a form with a fixed set of questions and one place to send the answers. Check any open-source license against [the license guide](https://lopifi.com/md/savings/how-to/open-source-licenses) before you rely on it. 1. **Match, then improve later.** Rebuild the form with the same questions and the same confirmation message. Resist improving it during the move. 2. **Test the route.** Send a few test responses and confirm they reach the same place the old form sent them. 3. **Move the links.** Update every link and embed on your site and in your email templates, and keep a redirect for any shared URL. ## Run both, then close the old account Run the old and new forms side by side for a real cycle. When the new one has handled everything, export once more, cancel on the contract's terms with [cancelling without penalties](https://lopifi.com/md/savings/how-to/cancel-without-penalties), and remove the old account from your [vendor register](https://lopifi.com/md/savings/how-to/vendor-register-and-renewal-calendar). ## Common questions ### Can a simple replacement cover my forms? Often, but check how you use it. Collecting responses, sending a confirmation and exporting to a spreadsheet are routine. Logic jumps, payments, file uploads and integrations are where a replacement takes real work, so inventory them first. ### What about the personal data in old responses? Responses that contain personal data need care in the new place: where it is stored, who can read it and how long you keep it. Read the new tool's terms, and ask counsel if the forms collect anything sensitive. ### When do I cancel the old tool? Keep the old account on its current plan until the new form has run for a real cycle, then export every response and only then close it. If the contract is mid-term, plan the exit around the notice date. ## Keep going - [Which software to replace first](https://lopifi.com/md/savings/how-to/which-software-to-replace-first): Choose which software to replace first: narrow job, data that exports in a standard format, nothing else depending on it, and a bill worth the effort. - [Export before you cancel](https://lopifi.com/md/savings/how-to/export-your-data-before-canceling-software): A checklist for exporting your data before you cancel a software subscription: what to pull, how to check it is complete, and what to keep for the books. - [Open-source licenses for founders](https://lopifi.com/md/savings/how-to/open-source-licenses): MIT, Apache, MPL, GPL and AGPL in plain English for founders who run open-source software instead of paying a license, and what each asks you to do. - [Dropbox migration, in depth](https://lopifi.com/md/savings/how-to/dropbox-migration): A start-to-finish plan for leaving Dropbox: inventory, destination, pilot, copy and verify, shared links, cutover, cancellation and how the books treat it. - [Run the free audit](https://lopifi.com/savings/audit) - [All how-to guides](https://lopifi.com/md/savings/how-to) *General information, not tax, legal or accounting advice.*