This guide provides a high-level overview of the MachForm platform, its core capabilities, and the available deployment models.

What is MachForm?

MachForm is a professional-grade HTML form builder and data collection platform. It enables organizations to create complex, mobile-responsive forms without writing code. Beyond simple data entry, MachForm serves as a complete business process tool, handling payment processing, approval workflows, and data management.

The platform is designed to bridge the gap between simple contact forms and complex custom applications. It is widely used for:

• Internal Operations: HR applications, leave requests, and expense reports.

• Customer Engagement: Surveys, lead generation, and event registration.

• E-Commerce: Order forms with integrated payment gateways.

Key Features

MachForm consolidates several functional areas into a single interface:

• Visual Form Builder: A drag-and-drop interface for creating forms using over 20 standard field types, including file uploads, signatures, and matrix fields.

• Data Management: A built-in Entry Manager that allows users to view, search, filter, and export submission data to Excel, CSV, or PDF formats.

• Logic & Automation: Conditional logic engine to show/hide fields, skip pages, or route emails based on user input.

• Approval Workflows: Built-in process automation that allows multiple stakeholders to review, approve, or deny submissions. It supports multi-stage approvals, status tracking, and automated email notifications for decision updates.

• Enterprise-Grade File Uploads: A robust upload engine capable of handling large files and multiple attachments simultaneously. Features include progress bars, drag-and-drop support, file type validation, and resume capability for interrupted uploads.

• Payment Integration: Native support for major payment processors (Stripe, PayPal, Braintree, Authorize.net) to collect one-time or recurring payments.

• Security & Compliance: Features including Single Sign-On (SSO), 2FA, GDPR compliance tools, and field-level encryption.

Deployment Editions

MachForm is available in two editions. While the core feature set is identical, the deployment and maintenance models differ.

MachForm Cloud

A managed Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution hosted on MachForm's infrastructure.

• Maintenance: Automatic updates and server management handled by MachForm.

• Setup: Instant provisioning; no installation required.

• Ideal For: Organizations that prefer a turnkey solution without IT overhead.

MachForm Self-Hosted

A downloadable software package installed on your organization's own web servers (Linux/Unix or Windows).

• Control: Full access to the source code and database.

• Data Sovereignty: Data never leaves your infrastructure, which is critical for strict compliance requirements.

• Ideal For: Organizations requiring strict data ownership.

Next Steps

To begin using MachForm, select the guide relevant to your deployment type:

• Cloud Users: Proceed to Signing Up & Logging In to access your dashboard.

• Self-Hosted Users: Proceed to Installing MachForm Self-Hosted to configure your server environment.

• All Users: Once set up, refer to Creating Your First Form for a walkthrough of the builder interface.