In simple English
Writing surveys usually means clicking around inside closed web apps where it is hard to track changes or reuse questions. Formulosity lets you write your forms in simple text files using YAML (a simple human-readable text format for setting up data). You store these files in GitHub and run the software on your own server. It costs you nothing in software fees, but you need to know how to run a Docker container (a way to run a program inside its own sealed box, so it cannot break anything else on your server) and manage a database.
What it is
A self-hosted surveys as code platform built with Go and Vue. It reads local folders of text files to generate questionnaires, manage branching logic, and collect responses into a PostgreSQL (an advanced open-source database) instance.
What it is good for
Solo builders and developers who want to run custom surveys, user feedback forms, or application intake questionnaires on their own infrastructure without paying monthly fees to form-building services.
- Store all your survey questions and settings in plain text version-controlled files.
- Includes conditional logic so questions appear based on previous answers.
- Export all collected responses easily via the user interface or a REST API (an interface that lets other programs talk to your server over the web).
- Requires setting up and running Docker containers and a PostgreSQL database on your own server.
- Needs separate setup for the backend API and the frontend interface if running locally without Docker.
- Small project with only one recent major release, so you may need to fix bugs yourself.
Typeform or Google Forms
PostgreSQL
- formbricks/formbricks13k stars
Formbricks is an open-source survey platform with more features and built-in templates, but it is much heavier to run.
- botpress/botpress15k stars
The command-line tool, software kit and integrations for the Botpress cloud service, rather than a chatbot you host.
- heyform/heyform9.0k stars
A form and survey builder you can run yourself, with conversational one-question-at-a-time forms.
- Notifuse/notifuse2.2k stars
Self-hosted newsletters, automations and transactional email, built on a delivery service you supply.
git clone https://github.com/plutov/formulosity.git cd formulosity docker-compose up -d --build