Today's Deep-Dive: Formbricks

Hey everyone and welcome back for another deep dive with us.

Today, uh, what's kind of a head scratcher at first, you know,

this idea of a user friendly open source survey platform.

We're going to see if that's really possible, but first a quick shout out to safe

server. They're the ones who make this deep dive possible and they happen to be

experts in hosting solutions and digital transformations and get this.

They can even help you host the very platform we're going to be talking about

today. If any of that sounds up your alley,

head over to www dot say server.de. Okay.

So the platform is called form bricks, form bricks, right?

And they're kind of possessing themselves as this, you know,

privacy first alternative to the big guys out there like Qualtrics.

Yeah. Yeah. I see what they're going for, but here's the thing.

The code is open for anyone to like use and change. Right.

So have you ever actually worked with open source tools before? Yeah,

I have. And I think one of the things people don't always realize is just how

much power it gives you as the user. Like in this case,

you're not stuck with just whatever the vendor decides, right?

You can actually customize it.

And maybe the best part is you get to choose where your data lives. Okay.

So that's huge for anyone who's worried about data privacy,

especially with all these regulations like GDPR and stuff. Definitely. But,

you know, open source, sometimes it has this reputation for being a little bit,

well, a little bit complicated. Oh yeah.

So is Formbricks something that like a regular person could use even if they

don't know how to code? That seems to be what they're aiming for. Okay.

If you look at their website and their GitHub page,

they talk a lot about no code survey creation.

So think like drag and drop interfaces, those pre-built templates, right?

You can even send surveys to different groups of users without having to code

anything. Oh, wow. It's pretty cool. That's impressive. Yeah.

So it sounds like they're really trying to make it as intuitive as possible.

Definitely.

And they even have integrations with other tools like Slack Notion Zapier.

So it could fit right into how a team is already working. Exactly. Oh,

and check this out. They've got testimonials from some pretty big names.

Oh yeah.

Like Theme Isle and the Linux Foundation and those are organizations that are

usually super careful about what technology they use. Yeah.

They don't mess around. So that says a lot about Formbricks. You know,

they've got some credibility. For sure. For sure.

It's one thing to say you care about privacy,

but when you have these big names using your platform, well,

that kind of backs it up. Right.

But what does privacy first actually mean in this case? Yeah.

Is it just a marketing thing or is it something real? Yeah.

It seems like it's more than just a buzzword. They're not just GDPR compliant.

They also let you self host so you can keep all your data on your own servers

and all their development work is out in the open on GitHub.

Transparency seems to be like a core value for them. Okay.

So for someone listening right now who might be thinking, okay, this sounds cool,

but is it really for me?

How would you explain who could actually benefit from a tool like Formbricks?

Well, I think it could be useful for a lot of different people. Okay.

Imagine you're a startup founder and you're trying to figure out what your

customers really want.

Formbricks could be your go-to for gathering that crucial feedback and using it

to make your product better. Right.

Or let's say you're running a nonprofit and you need to see how effective a new

program is.

You could use Formbricks to survey the people you're helping and get some real

world insights. Exactly. And it's not just for organizations either,

even individuals like someone with a side hustle, you know,

they could use it to understand their customer base better.

It's all about getting the information you need to make better decisions.

This is really interesting,

but I am curious about the different editions they have.

They've got like an open source version and an enterprise edition.

What's the difference there and how would that affect someone's choice?

Yeah, that's where it gets a little more complicated.

The main Formbricks platform has what's called AGPL license,

which basically means if you change the code,

you have to share those changes back with the community. Okay.

So it's all about keeping that open source spirit alive. Right.

But what about this enterprise edition?

That one comes with extra features, especially for bigger teams,

and it has a separate license.

This is where they have to balance things carefully, you know,

keeping the ideals of open source while also making sure the business can

survive.

It's a tough balance. A lot of open source projects face.

It's great that they're trying to find a model that works for everyone.

One thing that caught my eye on their website was this idea of experience

management. It seems like they're going beyond just basic surveys, right?

Oh yeah, absolutely.

They're talking about understanding the entire user journey.

Like they mentioned pre-churn surveys where you try to figure out why someone

might be about to leave your service or getting targeted feedback on specific

features during onboarding to make sure users have a smooth experience.

So it's not just about collecting data.

It's about using it to make the whole experience better for your users.

Exactly.

That's really smart.

What's really interesting here is how this could shift the balance of power,

form bricks and other platforms like it could give organizations big or small

the tools to really understand their users and then actually do something with

that knowledge.

It's a big change from relying on expensive consultants or clunky

proprietary software.

It really feels like something big is happening here.

But before we get too ahead of ourselves, let's talk about how form bricks

actually works.

Like what's going on under the hood technically?

Well, they've chosen a really modern technology stack and they're not hiding

it at all. They're using TypeScript, Next.js, React, Tailwind, CSS, Prisma,

off.js, Zod, and Vytest.

Okay. That's a lot of words.

It is a mouthful, I know.

For those of us who aren't developers, what does all that actually mean?

Why should we care about those specific technologies?

Well, the important thing to understand is that these choices are all about

creating a platform that's robust, scalable, and performs well.

Okay.

They've gone with tools that are popular in the development community, which also

means it's easier to find developers who can work with them.

That makes sense.

Yeah.

So they're not messing around when it comes to building something solid.

And I like that they're so open about how they build it.

Yeah.

It goes back to that whole transparency thing we were talking about.

It seems to be a big deal for Formbricks.

It really does.

And it also means they're keeping up with the latest and greatest in web

development.

Right.

So Formbricks stays cutting edge.

Right.

But speaking of keeping things current, let's talk about user experience.

Yeah.

Because it's one thing to have all this powerful technology, but if it's a

pain to use, then what's the point?

Exactly.

I was just on their website and he had this whole section called Get Started in Minutes.

Oh, cool.

Seems like they're really focused on making setup super easy.

Yeah.

And they've got a pretty smart way of minimizing the need for technical know-how.

Oh, okay.

How so?

They've designed it so you can integrate the platform into your website just by

copying and pasting a little bit of code.

Huh?

It's called a script tag.

You just add it to your website's HTML.

So you don't have to be a coding whiz to get this thing up and running.

Nope.

What about tracking what users are doing?

Yeah.

Like if I want to know what people are doing on my website before they see a

survey, do I need to know how to code for that?

This is where it gets really interesting.

They've built in this functionality where you can set up triggers based on

specific user actions, like visiting certain pages or clicking certain buttons,

and you don't need to write any code for it.

So I could, for example, target a survey about a new feature just to the users

who have already tried that feature.

Exactly.

You can get really specific with your targeting based on how people are

actually using your website and it's all done through their no code interface.

That's amazing.

They've really thought of everything from the user's perspective.

It feels like they're trying to give anyone the power to gather insights,

no matter what their technical skills are.

Yeah, that's the goal.

And once you have those triggers set up, actually creating the survey itself is

super easy.

They have all sorts of templates to get you started, or you can build one from

scratch using their drag and drop editor.

So even someone like me who wouldn't know the first thing about coding could make

a professional looking survey.

Oh, absolutely.

And they offer tons of different question types and customization options.

So you can really tailor your surveys to your specific needs.

One thing I do want to mention is the licensing.

Again, we talked about the AGPL license for the core platform, but what

about the enterprise edition?

How does that work?

Yeah, I'm curious about that too.

How do they balance being open source with, you know, actually

running a business and making money?

They've come up with a pretty interesting approach.

The code for the enterprise edition features is actually in the same place

as the core platform code, and you need a separate license key

to use those extra features.

Oh, so it's like a try before you buy kind of thing.

You can use the basic platform for free.

And if you want the fancy stuff, you can buy a license.

Exactly.

It's a smart way to make it accessible to a wide range of users while also

having a sustainable business model.

Okay.

So let's say I'm totally sold on Formbricks.

I love that it's open source, easy to use, privacy focused, the whole package.

But what if I want to white label it, you know, put my own branding on it

and make it look like it's my own software?

Is that allowed?

Right now they don't offer a white labeling or the option to take bits and

pieces of the code for other software.

They're really focused on providing a complete and integrated experience, which

makes sense considering how much they emphasize user experience and data privacy.

Yeah, that's fair.

They've put so much work into this platform.

It makes sense that they want to control how it's presented and used.

But you mentioned earlier that they're open to talk about specific needs.

So it probably wouldn't hurt to reach out and see what's possible.

Definitely worth a shot.

And it's important to remember that they're constantly developing

and improving the platform.

Who knows, maybe white labeling will be an option in the future.

Yeah, good point.

It's always good to have that open communication with the

people behind the software.

And before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let's go back to

this experience management thing.

I think this is where Formbricks really stands out.

They're not just about collecting data.

They're about using that data to actually improve the user experience.

Can you give some real world examples of how that works?

Sure.

Let's say you're a sauce company and you're trying to figure out why

people are canceling their subscriptions.

You could use Formbricks to send a survey specifically to users who

seem like they're about to churn.

Okay.

You know, they're doing things that suggest they might leave.

You can ask them targeted questions about their experience, what they

like and dislike, what might be making them consider leaving.

That's so smart.

Instead of just watching people go and wondering why you're actually

trying to understand their problems and fix them before they leave.

Exactly.

And that's just one example.

You could also use Formbricks to get feedback on specific features,

understand how people are using your website or even collect data on how

they're interacting with your documentation.

So it's about using data to make smarter decisions at every point in

the user's journey, but what about analyzing all that data?

Collecting it is one thing, but actually making sense of it

is a whole other challenge.

That's where Formbricks focus on segmentation comes in.

You can create custom groups of users based on their

characteristics, past actions, even their responses to previous surveys.

So for example, I could create a group of users who are really

active on my platform and send them a survey about new features.

Or I could make a group of users who haven't logged in for a while

and ask them why they've been inactive.

Exactly.

By dividing your users into these segments, you can make sure you're

getting relevant data from the right people that makes your analysis

way more useful and actionable.

This is incredible.

It seems like Formbricks has really thought through the entire process

from collecting data to analyzing it.

And they've made it so easy for anyone to use.

It's like having a whole data science team in a box.

I like that analogy.

And it's all thanks to the power of open source software.

By making the code freely available, they've made this kind of sophisticated

technology accessible to everyone.

It's really inspiring to see what's possible when you combine innovative

technology with a commitment to transparency and giving users control.

But before we wrap things up, I have one question that I just can't shake.

Oh, what's that?

Considering everything we've learned about Formbricks, the open source

licensing, the focus on privacy, the easy to use interface, it all seems

almost too good to be true.

What's the catch?

Is there something we're missing here?

That's a really good question.

And I think it's one that a lot of people have when they first

hear about Formbricks.

It's normal to be skeptical when something checks all the boxes.

But honestly, after spending a lot of time researching a platform and

talking to people who use it, I haven't found any major problems.

Really?

No hidden fees, no limitations, no tricks hidden in the fine print.

Of course, no software is perfect.

And there are always going to be limitations and compromises.

But from what I've seen, Formbricks is truly dedicated to its mission of

providing a powerful privacy focused and accessible platform for everyone.

That's good to hear.

It sounds like they're putting their money where their mouth is.

And I think that's what makes Formbricks so exciting.

It's a platform that's not just about technology.

It's about values.

It's about empowering users, respecting their privacy and building a more

transparent and equitable future for data collection and analysis.

I love that.

It feels like they're not just building software, they're building a community.

And speaking of community, before we wrap things up, I want to remind our listeners

about our sponsor for this episode, Safe Server.

They're the experts in hosting solutions and digital transformation, and they can

even help you host Formbricks yourself.

If you're looking for a reliable and secure hosting partner, especially if self

hosting is important to you, be sure to check them out at www.safeserver.de.

They've been amazing supporters of this deep dive and their expertise in these

areas really lines up perfectly with what we've been talking about today.

Absolutely.

And to our listeners, thank you so much for joining us on this journey

into the world of Formbricks.

I don't know about you, but I started this deep dive a little skeptical and now

I'm honestly really impressed with what they've built.

Yeah, me too.

It's a great example of open source done right.

You know, they've managed to combine some really advanced technology with a strong

ethical foundation and they really seem to understand what users need.

Yeah, it's a powerful combination.

It makes me think about the future of data collection and experience management.

You know, it feels like we're moving away from those confusing black box solutions

and towards something more transparent and empowering.

Right. It's a real shift in power.

And I think that's something to be excited about.

Formbricks shows how the shift can actually happen in a way that benefits both

individuals and organizations.

I couldn't agree more.

So if you're intrigued by what you've heard today, I encourage you to check out

Formbricks for yourselves.

Just play around with the platform, explore the documentation and see how it could

fit into your own projects.

And remember, we've only scratched the surface here.

There's a whole community of users and developers out there pushing the limits of

what's possible with Formbricks.

It's a great time to get involved.

That's right.

Keep exploring, keep learning, and most importantly, keep asking questions.

Keep exploring, keep learning, and most importantly, keep asking questions.