Insta forms vs Carbon
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Insta forms
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Insta Forms is the fastest way to build, fill, and share surveys and fillable PDF forms right on your iPhone or iPad. Everything works offline, sharing works through AirDrop or peer-to-peer, and forms exported as PDFs are true interactive AcroForm documents that anyone can fill in Files, Preview, or Adobe Acrobat. Build Any Form • 13 question types: short text, paragraph, number, email, date, time, multiple choice, checkboxes, dropdown, star rating, linear scale, yes/no, and image. • Reorder questions with drag and drop. • Attach images to any question or use image-only reference questions. • Optional "Why did you pick this?" comment box on rating, scale, choice, and yes/no questions. • Mark any question as required with built-in validation before submission. Fill and Collect • Complete surveys directly inside the app using the appropriate control for each question. • Every response is stored locally with SwiftData. • Auto-save drafts so you can continue later. • Edit submitted responses anytime. • View all responses for each form, sorted by newest. Export as PDF Generate two types of PDFs directly on your device: • Flat PDF for printing and sharing. • Fillable AcroForm PDF with interactive text fields, radio buttons, checkboxes, and dropdowns compatible with Files, Preview, and Adobe Acrobat. • Preview and fill PDFs before sharing. • Export completed responses as flat PDFs or editable pre-filled forms. Share Anywhere • Share through AirDrop, Messages, Mail, Files, or any app supported by the iOS Share Sheet. • Send forms directly to nearby devices without an internet connection. • Recipients open encrypted .instaform files and receive the exact same form. • Encrypted files can only be opened with Insta Forms. Start from a Template Includes 17 ready-to-use templates: • Healthcare: Patient Intake, Symptom Check-in, Post-Visit Feedback. • Schools and Colleges: Student Enrollment, Course Evaluation, Field Trip Permission. • Corporate: Employee Onboarding, Performance Review, Manager Feedback. • Real Estate and Home: Home Inspection, Rental Application, Move-In Checklist. • Events: Event Registration, RSVP, Post-Event Feedback. • Business and Services: Customer Feedback, Contact Form, Job Application. • Automotive: Vehicle Inspection, Service Check-In. Choose any template, customize the questions, and start collecting responses. Made for iOS • Built with native SwiftUI and SwiftData. • Supports Light, Dark, and System appearance. • 10 accent color themes. • Animated splash screen and onboarding. • Search and filter forms by keyword, draft status, or response count. • Archive forms and restore them anytime. • Offline indicator with quick access to iOS Settings. Insta Forms is built for professionals who need fast, private, and reliable forms. Perfect for home inspectors, healthcare staff, teachers, HR teams, businesses, and anyone who wants a powerful form builder without subscriptions.
Carbon
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Carbon copies events from one calendar to another, so time blocked in one shows up in the other. Point it at a source calendar and a destination, choose what to copy, and Carbon keeps the destination in step. One way, always Carbon copies from a source calendar to a destination. It never writes back to the source. Your work calendar stays exactly as your employer's system left it. Choose what crosses over Copy full event details, or copy only a "Busy" placeholder that reserves the time without revealing the title, location, or notes. Set this per mirror, so a sensitive work calendar and a shared family calendar can be handled differently. See it before it happens Every new mirror shows you a preview of exactly what will be created before anything is written to your calendar. It won't touch what you've touched Carbon only ever changes events it created. Edit one of its copies yourself and Carbon steps back and leaves it alone - permanently. Undo any sync Sync history shows your recent runs. Reverse any one of them and the events it created are removed. Filters that keep the noise out Skip all-day events, skip invitations you declined, skip anything shorter than a set length, or exclude events whose titles contain particular words. Two years ahead if you want it Choose how far each mirror reaches - up to two years ahead and a year back. Keep the window narrow for quicker syncs, or open it up so next year is already blocked out. Everything stays on your device No account. No server. No analytics. Carbon has no way to send your calendar anywhere. The only thing it ever sends is your purchase, to Apple. Free for 30 days, then pay once Try every feature for 30 days. After that, one purchase and Carbon is yours. No subscription, no renewals, nothing to cancel. If you decide not to buy, Carbon stops syncing and leaves every event it copied exactly where it is - nothing is deleted, and you can remove the copies yourself whenever you like. When Carbon syncs Carbon syncs when you open it, and periodically in the background when iOS allows. iOS decides how often background refresh happens, and it can be infrequent. For syncs on a schedule you control, add Carbon's "Sync Calendars" action to a Shortcuts automation - Carbon walks you through it. A note on invitations iOS does not allow apps to add attendees to an event, so copies are standalone events without invitees. This is an iOS limitation, not a Carbon one. A note on work calendars Some employers restrict copying work calendar data to personal accounts, and managed accounts may block access entirely. Check your organization's policy.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Insta forms at daily against Carbon's every 9 days. Carbon's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Insta forms ships an update daily, Carbon every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Insta forms | Carbon |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Daily — better | Every 9 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.5 | 18.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Vijayvir Singh | BMP Research LLC |
In-app purchases
Insta forms
No in-app purchases
Carbon
No in-app purchases







