Formbricks: Open-Core alternative to Typeform in 2026
Formbricks combines surveys and embedded forms with in-app user targeting, as an open source alternative to Typeform built especially for product/UX research.
Core is open source, but advanced features or enterprise support may be behind a paid tier — check the license.
Audit Snapshot
View notes →License — Not verifiable on GitHub
GitHub — Active
Latest release — 6.0.2 · 11 days ago
Docker Compose — Not verified
Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack
Formbricks vs. Typeform
Pros
- Built specifically for product research, not just generic forms
Things to consider
- AGPL-3.0: a strong copyleft license, with source-sharing obligations for covered modified versions and certain network use, under its terms
Quick Docker installation guide
Copy this docker-compose.yml, adjust the example passwords and run docker compose up -d on your server. See the full step-by-step guide →
💡 Official SaaS or self-hosted with AltFreeStack?
- On the official cloud: $29/mo on Typeform.
- On your own VPS: the core is free to self-host on your own server — no more monthly SaaS fee, though some advanced features stay behind a paid plan.
services:
formbricks:
image: formbricks/formbricks:latest
environment:
DATABASE_URL: "postgresql://postgres:change-me@postgres:5432/formbricks"
NEXTAUTH_SECRET: change-me-super-secret
ENCRYPTION_KEY: change-me
ports:
- "3000:3000"
postgres:
image: postgres:16-alpine
environment:
POSTGRES_PASSWORD: change-me
POSTGRES_DB: formbricks
🚀 Deploy in 1 command
Recommended for beginnersCopy this single command and paste it into your freshly created VPS's console (Vultr, DigitalOcean...). It downloads the script, prints it to your screen so you can see exactly what it's about to do (never a blind direct pipe), and only then installs Docker if needed, writes the files with secrets already generated, and starts everything — no nano, no pasting code blocks.
curl -sSL ".../api/deploy?stack=formbricks" -o deploy.sh && cat deploy.sh && bash deploy.shThis docker-compose corresponds to an actively maintained project — last commit today.
This docker-compose not working for you? Report it on GitHub →Technical profile
- License
- AGPL-3.0
- Category
- Marketing, Forms & Emailing
- Replaces
- Typeform
- Tech stack
- Next.jsPostgreSQL
Key features
- In-app surveys targeted by user segment
- Forms embeddable on any site
- Templates for NPS, PMF and more
Preview
Public image provided by Formbricks on its own website.
💾 Backups in 3 steps (Day 2)
As long as the ./data folder (the "volume" mapped into the container) exists on your server, your data survives any restart or container update — that's the only thing you need to back up.
1. Create a compressed backup on the server
tar -czvf backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz ./data2. Download it to your computer
From your computer's terminal (not your server's):
scp root@YOUR_IP:~/app/backup-*.tar.gz ./3. Restore in case of emergency
tar -xzvf backup-file.tar.gz🌐 Connect your domain with free SSL
Step 1 — Set up the DNS
In your domain registrar's dashboard (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy...), create a record:
- Type
- A
- Name/Host
- @ (root domain) or a subdomain, e.g. app
- Content/Value
- Your server's public IP
Wait 5 to 15 minutes for the record to propagate across the internet.
Step 2 — Automatic reverse proxy with Caddy
One single file, no Nginx config or manual certificates — Caddy issues and renews Let's Encrypt HTTPS on its own.
Create a file called Caddyfile:
yourdomain.com {
reverse_proxy localhost:3000
}Start Caddy with this command (pulls the image and runs it in the background):
docker run -d -p 80:80 -p 443:443 --name caddy --restart always -v $PWD/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile -v caddy_data:/data caddy