Tap Forms Organizer and Secure Database App Reviews

The title says it all; this is my replacement for Bento. Well done! After the initial learning curve, I had no issues importing the data from Bento.

This app is just amazing. I love it.

Like so many others my upgrade to Mavericks has cost me the use of IWorks. After much research I have purchased Tap Forms to replace my database, which was created a very long time ago in IWorks. Although it’s not IWorks I have managed to easily recreate my database. Tap Forms has a simple approach keeping the learning curve to a minimum. It has limitations. But for my purposes and the cost to purchase, has made it a great choice.

Like one of the prior reviewers, I migrated to Tap Forms from Bento. Some of the features I really appreciate are the syncing between the iOS and Mac apps, as well as the ease of use. Need to call out the developer for pushing out lots of good updates as well - this is a well supported application and it is appreciated. Support quality software development and buy this app if you need a felxible and user friendly database.

I have been very happy with Tap Form since I switched my database from Bento. This app is easy to use and very stable (I have never lost my data so far), It is frequently updated with improvements. I have been also using the iPhone version, and syncing works well between my Mac and iPhone/iPad. The company provides great (really good!) customer service as well.

I was an an older version of Bento and after I upgraded my O/S…no Bento! I was dead in the water. I did some research and found this app, it’s truly been a lifesaver, I was able to bring all my Bento data over successfully. Import and export support is very good and it can read/write different file types for maximum flexibility. I actually have more functionality than Bento and will expand the use of the database to other purposes. The price is also a bargain in my eyes. The app is easy to use and very flexible. I’ve needed claarification on some things during my transition and the developer has been exceptionally responsive, I couldn’t hope for better support..kudos!!

Tap Forms is a great database application. It has been years since I needed to purchase a database app. Tap Forms has changed the way I think of how database apps look, feel & work. I’v never seen a form / database app that is so easily customizable. Impressive. After purchase I emailed support a question and received a quick courteous response.

This app is essential for me to keep track of my varied hobbies. I keep track of everything related to sewing, painting and other crafts. Threads, patterns, sewing machine feet, paints, brushes, clay etc… if there’s a list associated with stuff, I keep it in Tap Forms. Then combine it with the iPad/iPhone version and syncing, I can go into a store that’s having a sale and look up what I have on my iPhone. When I’m working on a project at home and quickly need to check on something, I can flip open my iPad and check. With Tap Forms, it’s easy to setup new forms and made changes to existing forms. I’m constantly tweaking adding info, moving info, making it what I need instead of trying to fit it into one or more other apps. Tap Forms lets me keep the list of all my supplies, accross different hobbies in one app just the way I like and with each revision, it just keeps getting better.

For those of us suffering from the loss of Bento and who have had experience with Filemaker Pro but just can’t cough up the $400, Tap Forms is it. Finally I can make my databases look like something more than a visually dull Windows screen. I know it’s the content that counts, but when one has a creative streak, bland just doesn’t cut it. Thanks Brendan!

Update of Oct 1 2015 = unable to run the app. I type in my passcode and it shuts down immediately. Not impressed, fix it!

TapForms has been helping to run the Special Education program that I teach for the past 18 months. My students all have personalized goals and assignments and a customized TapForms database allows me to EASILY keep track of them all. While TapForms does not yet have a full reporting feature, the ability to save (and print) searches provides a similar functionality. Another noteworthy point is the excellent customer support provided by the program’s author.

Years ago, I used to use the database function of ClarisWorks (later AppleWorks) all the time to help me keep me and my students work organized. I used it to grade papers according to my rubrics. I used it to assess oral presentations. I used it to keep track of the French language movies that we had at our school. After AppleWorks was abandoned, I discovered Bento. Bento was cool because I could sync my databases on my Mac to my iPod touch, allowing me to be more mobile in the classroom while assessing. After Bento was abandoned, I discovered Tap Forms. I can do everything I had been doing since ClarisWorks, and it does it more reliably and faster. Back in the Bento days, it would take me about an hour to rustle up a form to assess an oral presentation. I can create a form in Tap Forms that surpasses my old Bento forms in about 1/3 the time! Tap Forms gives me more options for fields. It is easily to make formulas in the calculation field. It is easier than Bento for printing out individual records. Forms made with Tap Forms are cleaner, more professional looking. Not only does Tap Forms allow me to sync my database between my Mac and Tap Forms for iOS, but it also allows me to create forms in iOS -- something that not even Bento could do. No drawbacks what-so-ever ! None !

I jumpted on board after Filemaker dropped Bento and am very glad I did. This is a very useful program which I use for many things: tracking mileage, financial budgets, CD libraries etc. It synchronizes extremely well with all my Apple devices and is more practical than using Filemaker. The developer is a very kind, accessable guy who answers my questions quickly and releases useful updates in a timely manner. It’s a welcome change from big companies that really don’t care about you. I would strongly recommend this software.

After hearing about the demise of Filemaker’s much-loved Bento and knowing that other Filemaker software was not an option for me, I was greatly relieved to learn of Tap Forms as a possible alternative. Nervous about how easy it would be to transfer data between Bento and Tap Forms I imagined I would be doing a lot of cutting and pasting of data between the two applications. Instead, I exported each of my notebooks from Bento as bento templates, then imported them into Tap Forms. It was as simple as that. I’ve had a few glitches with re-ordering my records in alphabetic order, but it just took repetition and patience and eventually it worked. Even better is that all of my data can now be synced via the cloud, so in under an hour I went from useless isolated Bento databases no longer syncing between computer and phone, to having everything in Tap Forms and all of it syncing via iCloud. I can live with the fact that I will have to import photos separately, I am just so relieved to have all of my data accessible again while on the move. Thanks Tap Forms. Looking forward to seeing how this App develops.

Been using this app for over a year and a half since the time when FileMaker Pro pulled the plug on Bento. It may not have the slickness that Bento did but it has been more than an adequate replacement for my needs. Support is top notch as well, had a problem recently when I swapped my main HD, posted on the forums and the developer responded with the fix within a couple of hours.

2015.10.03追記 データベースを格納してあるフォルダを一時退避するとインストール直後のデフォルトのデータベースでウインドウは開く。 データベースを格納してあるフォルダを戻すとまたウインドウが開かない。 アプリケーションが自ら作成したデータベースをマイグレーションできないのは本来機能の欠陥だ。 これではせっかく作成したデータベースが利用できず意味を成さない。 データの可用性の観点から全く勧められない。もはやこのアプリケーションは死んだ。 Saving temporary folder that contains the database and in the default database after installation open window. Return to the folder that contains the database and also opens the window. Its original function defect cannot migrate the application you created database. In this long-awaited database is unavailable make sense. In terms of data availability not recommended at all. No longer the application is dead. 2015.10.01 追記 OS X El Capitanに対応したというver.3.5.4をOS X El Capitan.0で起動してもウインドウが開かれない。 もはやこのアプリケーションは死んだ。 Ver.3.5.4 for OS X El Capitan is running on OS X El Capitan.0 window is not open. No longer the application is dead. 2014.06.17 Ver.2.2.3について追記 今回のバージョンアップでの白眉は、iCloud同期がリセットされずにそのまま使い続けられたことだ。 今までは、0.0.xのバージョンアップであってもiCloud同期がリセットされていたが、これがなくなったのは大きな前進だ。 そして、Ver.2.2.3の更新内容に記載されているパフォーマンスの改善だが、テキストだけの400レコードほどフォームと200レコードほどのフォームを切り替えるだけでもレインボーカーソルが出ていたが、これがなくなった。 さらに、この400レコードほどのフォームにレコードの追加や検索をすると一呼吸待たされることがあったが、これもなくなった。 ちなみに、「Ver.2.1について追記」した不具合はその後のバージョンアップで解消されている。 ちょいとDBをかじったことのある人であれば、一般的にはMicrosoft ExcelやNumbers等の表計算アプリケーションで情報を管理するよりも有用だろう。 残る不満点は、ウインドウサイズの最小値が制限されていることだが、これをなくしてくれればさらにうれしい。 2014.02.23 Ver.2.1について追記 テキストフィールドにカーソルインすると、入力ソースが英語に固定されてしまって日本語が入力できない不具合が出ています。 2013.09.30に販売が終了するBentoから移行しまた。 公式サイトのBLOGでBentoの画像入りデータの移行方法が公開されていたので試してみましたが移行できず。 わたしの運用方法では画像データの重要性は低かったのであきらめはつく。 Bentoよりも優れている点は、Bentoが最後までなしえなかったiCloud経由での同期が実装されていることだろう。 Sale switches over from finished Bento to 2013.09.30; again. Without because migrattion of data with image of Bento was shown in BLOG of the official site, having tried it, but being able to migration. Because it was low, the reconciliation points out the importance of the image data in my modi operandi. The point that is superior to Bento will be that synchronization via iCloud which Bento was not able to make till the last is implemented.

Awesome software! Worth every penny spent. Everything is intuitive, plain and simple. Takes minutes to configure the DB form layout the way you like. I used Bento, FilaMaker and few minor BDs, but they all were lot more confusing than this one. Sync with iPad/iPhone via iCloud is great. I’d certainly recommend this for everyone looking for a personal and business BD which is fun and easy to work with.

It’s a fantastic app... and I have been using it or a while now. I can easly sync everything correctly using iCloud. My computers and my iPad are all one thing now thanks to this app. Just one small thing I’d like to suggest: try and develop a way to integrate the alerts with iCal, it would be great. Keep up the good job! A great tool to store and manage all your data in one place.

The current version 3.5.4 is not compatible with the new OS X 10.11 El Capitan.

This app has become indispensable to me since the disappointing demise of Bento. Its pretty simple as databases go so you dont have to be a genius. The best thing is that Brendan is SO responsive when I have a question. It is so rare to get help from a developer that I give apps 100 extra points for that. I use TF to keep info on a variety of subjects, e.g. room reservation clients, medical providers, stores, and restaurants. I use Evernote too, for free form info but Tap Forms is better for more structured uses. I’m syncing with the iPhone using Dropbox and it works well most of the time.