Cognito Forms alternative with servers in Germany

Cognito Forms is a form builder with calculations, workflows and payments. It's run by Cognito, LLC from South Carolina, and according to its privacy policy the data sits in data centers in the USA. We found no option to store data in the EU. Mailiy offers conditions, calculations, signatures, Stripe payments and workflows on a hosted form page, with servers in Germany.

Mailiy and Cognito Forms compared

Feature	Mailiy	Cognito Forms
Operator	26LAB.IO, Mettmann (Germany)	Cognito, LLC (USA)
Server location	Hetzner in Germany, own mail server	Data centers in the USA, no EU option found
Storing submissions	Encrypted, retention of your choice down to “Don't store”	Yes, until you delete entries by hand
Free	250 submissions a month, 1 website	100 entries a month, unlimited forms, with branding
Paid plans	From €9 a month	Pro $24 a month, $19 billed yearly (2000 entries)
Spam protection	Honeypot, rate limits, content filter, optional captcha (self-hosted ALTCHA, hCaptcha; Turnstile and reCAPTCHA from Developer)	Built-in bot detection instead of a captcha
File uploads	Up to 5 files, 10 MB, encrypted in the EU	On every plan, up to 100 MB per file, 250 MB from Pro
Webhooks	From Developer	From Pro
DPA under Art. 28 GDPR	Concluded when you sign up	Standard DPA, signed in the account; transfers under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework

As of 6 November 2026, based on the provider's public pages. Prices and plans change, so check them there before you switch: www.cognitoforms.com/pricing, www.cognitoforms.com/legal/privacy.

When Cognito Forms is the better fit

You need HIPAA, which Cognito offers on its Enterprise plan.
Your visitors upload large files: Cognito allows up to 250 MB per file from Pro.
You want unlimited forms on the free plan and the data may go to the USA.

Switch from Cognito Forms to Mailiy

Create a free account, then under “New form” pick “Hosted by Mailiy” and “In the editor”.
Rebuild the questions from Cognito Forms with the blocks: text, email, choice, date, file, rating and more. Set conditions per field under “Only show when”.
Publish the page. You get a link, a QR code and an iframe embed code.
Replace the old Cognito Forms link or embed on your website, in emails and on flyers.

Every block, condition and payment option is described in the hosted form docs. If you have your own website, you can also build the form in HTML yourself; the guides show how.

Before you cancel

After the change, send a test message and check that it reaches your inbox and the dashboard.
Enter the domains the form may send from in the dashboard.
If you used webhooks or Zapier flows with Cognito Forms, set them up again in Mailiy. From the Developer plan, Slack, Discord and Telegram are built in, and everything else runs through a webhook.
Update your privacy policy and name Mailiy as the recipient of form data.
Cancel Cognito Forms only after the new form has run for a few days without problems.

What matters when comparing

Server location and operator

A contact form transfers names, email addresses and often more. If the provider sits outside the EU or stores data there, you need a legal basis for the transfer to a third country and have to name it in your privacy policy. With a provider based and hosted in Germany, that step goes away.

Storage

Many services keep every submission so you can see it in a dashboard. That is handy, but it adds to the data you have to protect and delete at some point. Check whether you can set the retention yourself or switch storage off entirely.

Limits on the free plan

The number of submissions is rarely the problem. More often the free plan lacks uploads, custom redirects or a way to remove the branding. Check which feature you actually need before you decide on price. On Mailiy the Free plan has uploads and custom redirects too. You remove the branding from Developer with a €9 a month add-on, and Agency Plus has none.

Spam protection

A honeypot stops most bots without visitors noticing. Captchas help against persistent spam but cost conversions and often load third-party scripts. A good service lets you add a captcha only when you need one.

What else a contact form needs for the GDPR is covered in the GDPR checklist.

Frequently asked questions

Where are Cognito Forms's servers?

Data centers in the USA, no EU option found. Mailiy: Hetzner in Germany, own mail server.

How much does Cognito Forms cost?

Free: 100 entries a month, unlimited forms, with branding. Paid: Pro $24 a month, $19 billed yearly (2000 entries). As of 6 November 2026.

Do I have to rebuild my form to switch from Cognito Forms?

Yes. Mailiy does not import forms from Cognito Forms, so you rebuild the questions in the editor. A form holds up to 50 fields. Conditions work on every plan; multi-page forms, signatures and calculations need Developer.

Can I bring my old submissions over from Cognito Forms?

Yes, from the Agency plan, if you have them as a CSV file. Export them from Cognito Forms before you cancel and import the file in the form's Submissions tab. On smaller plans, keep the file separately. Mailiy collects new submissions from the first test on.

Do I need a new DPA with Mailiy?

Yes, because Mailiy processes your visitors' data on your behalf. The DPA is concluded when you sign up, so there is nothing to print or sign. In your privacy policy, replace the old provider with Mailiy.

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