Today, we review Formstack another competitor of Typeflow.
Generate professional PDFs directly from Google Docs templates, in minutes – no tech skills needed.
Choosing the right software is crucial if you want to generate PDFs from Airtable data. Focusing only on the pricing isn't relevant. Indeed, many solutions are available that different people can adapt. Some let users create PDFs with technical skills. Others suit non-techies. And paying for software that offers more than users' use cases would be irrelevant.
Today, I'm comparing Formstack Document to Typeflow.
Formstack is a well-established company. It has existed for a long time, and it knows how to generate documents.
Formstack is another solid tool for generating PDFs. It has features that help users:
The paper's features are solid. But they must be easy to use to generate PDFs. It's particularly true when users aren't technical or used to those types of software.
The learning curve for Formstack is steep. Building complex flows, like conditional logic, can require some technical skills. It can be a blocker if users need to learn how to use it. Hiring a technical person can be the solution.
Using a pre-built template can be a solution. For example, the invoice template includes conditional logic. Yet, the template could be more appealing, and it can be daunting to understand how to change it. Also, it takes a lot of work to follow the entire process to generate PDFs with Airtable.
Information is everywhere. For example, Formstack integrates with Airtable to generate PDFs. Yet, users need to figure out that information themselves. Once users find that out, they need to go back and forth between Airtable and Formstack to:
Set up the API key.
Do the mapping between Airtable Formstack.
The steep learning curve and need for technical skills, plus the back and forth between Airtable and Formstack, cause some friction. That hurts the user journey. It can prevent users from achieving their initial goals. So that's why at Typeflow, we ensure that our flow to generate PDFs based on Airtable data is simple:
You do not need any technical skills for line item implementation.
You do not need any back-and-forth to put in place the flow.
Native integration with Airtable.
Google Docs to create a new template.
As of today, Typeflow doesn't support conditional logic, but it will definitely do so soon.
Of course, Formstack has many other uses besides generating PDFs with Airtable data. So, if you have many use cases, Formstack is a no-brainer. If you want only to generate PDFs with Airtable data, then it is relevant to use Typeflow.
Here is a video on how to export a PDF with Airtable data through Formstack.
Formstack integrates with many solutions, from Salesforce to Microsoft, Dropbox, BambooHR, and HubSpot. This indicates that it targets larger companies with sophisticated software, not small businesses.
Of course, that technology integration makes it far more potent than Typeflow. But that integration also explains why the software is harder to use than Typeflow. Companies using those software usually have the budget and team to put it in place.
With Typeflow, we want to help small companies succeed. They should focus on customers and revenue. The implementation should be easy since generating PDFs isn't a priority.
Over the long term, we plan to be the best solution for them to generate PDFs with Airtable data.
Of course, Formstack's pricing is higher. It makes sense based on its integration. It starts at $83 per month for 600 annual merges.
On our side, it starts at $25 per month for 600 PDFs generated per month or $200 per year.
(Today, 23rd October, we have a lifetime plan for $150! It will end at the beginning of November.)
Again, we adapt our pricing for small businesses.
Choosing between Formstack and Typeflow will depend on your use case, budget, and team.
If you need more than exporting Airtable data to PDF, then Formstack is better. But ensure that you know how to set up your scenario with precision.
If, in the other case, you only need to generate PDFs from Airtable data, then Typeflow might be better. It is cheaper and easier to integrate.
Generate professional PDFs directly from Google Docs templates, in minutes – no tech skills needed.