Tap Forms Organizer and Secure Database App Reviews

Bought Tap Forms last year, but didn’t really start using it till now. Was using Apple’s Bento which is no longer supported, and now crashes in El Capitan 10.11 during sync. Had to clean up some of the data, and found it is better to just export bento data to excel/numbers. Used that to clean up the data before importing straight to Tap Forms. I have both mac and IOS versions, and appreciate the encryption before transferring through iCloud. Unlike bento, I am able to synchronize to all my apple devices. I am able to do everything in Tap Forms in almost the same way I was doing it in Bento. Small learning curve, but didn’t take long to understand the differences. Keep up the support, and the stars will always be a five!

I think a lot of people felt “left out in the lurch” when Bento was discontinued (and Bento frankly never worked that well anyway). In my opinion, this is definitely the best replacement. I’m not looking for expensive, high-end complicated database features as much as just storing information in a way that is easy to access. The iOS and Mac OS X versions both work well and sync well. The developer is responsive and fixed a bug I reported.

This is by far the best personal database app in the app store. You can make countless different form templates. The developer is patient and responsive to support questions. If you like the Mac app, he also has iOS apps that syncronize via iCloud or Dropbox.

First, it is the best thing, within a respectable price range, to any Access Database. The opportunities to create are endless. It does take some getting used to and I can tell you from experience that I messed up the first couple of times and lost some data. However, the support is untimely. Went on the website and emailed the support with a question and received initial reply within minutes. At first I thought it was just an automated reply but then realized it wasn’t. Right there, Brendan and I figured out what the solution was and my error. The entire process was done within 20 minutes…that is from my initial request. You cannot find support like that very often in today’s world.

I’ve used the last several versions of this app up to and including 3.5.7 from its release, and have found that its power continues to grow by leaps and bounds. It easily handles my multi-thousand record database with its 11 fields of various types on down to my smallest ones (some of the smaller ones having even more fields), and any time I’ve had issues with it, I’ve either been able to fix them myself using the very clear online help manual or if there’s something not covered to get VERY prompt and capable help from the developer in absolutely minimal time. The developer, Brendan Duddridge, absolutely stands behind his product and he really knows his way around a Mac (or iPhone) as well. The app itself continues to be more and more bulletproof and stable with each release in my experience. I highly recommend it.

If I delete the app and download it again, will my content still be there? I don’t know what to do! Was working until last update.

What kind of nonsense is this. If I delete the app I will lose all my data. Is this really their recommendation. Why was it damaged, I did nothing unusual. I would not recommend this app if the only solution is to delete the app and all the data that I have collected for the last few years. Find another solution.

I needed this app as a substitute for Bento which no longer is supported. This is a well done application whch is better in some ways than Bento—has multiple search functions on the mobile app, has a better looking interface , but lacks some of Bento’s printing and viewing features. This application is produced by a one-man operation in Calagary so no one can expect him to compete with Filemaker’s resources. But he has done an admirable job and is supper attentive to support requests. This program is a very good value and maybe the best consumer level database for Mac users.

Tap Forms does everything I need. Securely saving log-in and account information. Even my Credit Card info. The one weak area is iCloud sync. It works, but it seems like I need to manually reset it all the time. I have other Mac/iOS apps that sync flawlessly via iCloud … but of course they are not as secure. So I am willing to under go a little pain for secure encryption. FWIW - I got bit by the corrupted application bug. I deleted Tap Forms and reinstalled all my data was still there without having to resync. Of course I also had an iCloud backlup and a backup in DropBox (and YOU should too) so I didn’t have much to lose but a little time (your experience may be different)

Well, this a very nice app and works reasonably well. It is essentially one of two decent database apps that sync using iCloud between Macs and iDevices (the other is Ninox). I am getting frustrated with the times I get sync errors and restting and resyncing my devices. Not sure how Ninox does it, but that app certainly has less sync issues. I really hope this issue get fixed soon!

Used to be Great. Now Syncing Issues ruins it! 1. Used to be a solid database. Now Syncing is difficult to setup and keeps corrupting so that I have to continually reset syncing on all devices. FIX THIS ASAP!!! Sync should be easy and smooth as butter, not this complicated. Syncing now ruins this product. 2. Another issue I’ve had since the early days of this database is the concept of using pick lists. Pick list are great but sometimes I need need only drop down lists. Better yet make the ability to set pick lists up to be local to a database form or universal to all database forms. Sometimes I dont want to pollute my universal pick list list with a list only used once in a single form. Fix these and stars go back up. No. 1 is Sync! Fix this first.

3.5.9 shows how dedicated the developers of this app are! They are constantly paying attention to the activity and users using this app and sincerely works to ensure a problem-free product. TapForms has not only been our Bento replacement, but saved us from having to pay costly fees for professional software when TapForms itself is professional. We are a full service web design firm and we use TapForms to maintain client data, internet logins, and payment method information. It’s sync with dropbox is KEY so we don’t have to worry about having the latest data and a crashless app ensures reliability and dependability! Thank you TapForms!

Count me in as another happy user of Tap Forms! I run a small business building websites and doing SEO work, and need to constantly update multiple accounts with new "fields" and change things across several clients information at once. Spreadsheets are not a good option when you have to add a new "field" across 100+ accounts at once, a good database is key! Like many others I didnt need the size & complexity (or cost) of Filemaker, and was a happy user of Bento for years (although never totally satisfied with Bentos iOS offerings). When Filemaker ceased development of Bento, I looked around for a solution, and found something that is actually better than Bento was! It syncs better with things like the built in Contacts, the iPad and iPhone apps work really well, and support from the developer is awesome, something Bento never had! The only things that kept me from giving a 5 star rating, are a few small annoyances. There are a few quirks with the "layout designer" that make it a bit cumbersome to use - headings cant be selected or "copied & pasted"and some functions like "default value" doesnt actually give a text field any default value. But these are small gripes in an excellent product that I use daily in my business, and Tap Forms is an essential part of my work flow! Highly recommended!

I purchased this app, along with both iOS versions, for use on a Macbook Pro, iPad and iPhone. I’ve used databases for years, from Palm to Appleworks and beyond. TapForms is without a doubt the most flexible, stable and reliable. iCloud synching has been flawless. The developer stays on top of any needed adjustments when any Mac or iOS updates come around, and has responded quickly and clearly to any questions I’ve had.

I’ve been using Bento for years, and a few years back switched to Tap Forms. It took the forms I had already designed and made them work. With Bento I could not use my “all-years” database, which contains my 30+ years of business invoices. Tap Forms imported them perfectly, and I now can use all my data. The only feature that I miss is not being able to email a form, or print the form to PDF that can be emailed. Thanks very much for a wonderful product!

As a former Bento user, I was happy to find a data base program to replace it which would easily import my Bento files and have a brief learning curve. The support and helps are excellent, and I was up and running quickly. I have been using Tap Forms for almost two years, since Bento bit the dust. I have it on my Mac, my iPhone, and my iPad. I find it quick and easy, and every update adds useful features. If you are looking for a general use data base for Mac that does the job, looks good, and works easily so you can focus on your data and not how to work the program, this is it. When I have run into an issue, I have gotten quick and clear responses from customer care. Usually within an hour. Refreshing! Highly recommended.

however, TECH SUPPORT is superlative. My hubby and I bought Tap Forms in 2009. We now have the apps for iPhone. iPad and Mac versions. We have created at least 11 databases. Brendan (app developer) hasn’t failed me. He is very accommodating. I have NO qualm of recommending Tap Forms. In fact, the majority of my friends own Tap Forms.

The app is pretty good, but on two seperate occasions in the past, a number of attached images seemingly vanished. In both cases I was able to go into a backup and retireve the images, going though the long process of attaching images back to thier items. Unfortuanty it has happened again, but not having used the app in several months, and having lost my backup during a drive transfer a number of months back, they are permenently gone… What’s even worse is that my iOS app which syncs showed a number of images that my desktop computer did not have. I attempted to sync my iOS version but the images did not come across. I then tried resettings sync on both devices, enabling the iOS version first, syncing it, then finally enabling my desktop. Unforutantly not only did the images that were showing in the iOS version not make it to the desktop, I came to find that the images that were present on the iOS version disappeared. I’m now left with the daunting task of having to retake and re-edit 500+ images, which is going to take a few weeks at least. As good as the app seems, this is the last time I will rely upon it to hold images without having a full backup of every images in a safe place outside the app.

I was a Bento user and this was the best choice for replacing it. In the beginning the learning curve was challenging, but then to control any software there is lots to learn. Once I got my MacBook Pro, iMac, and iPhone synced up - took some tooling - I quickly became a solid believer in Tap Forms. Brendan’s email responses to any and all of the above was quick and thorough. No doubt it will continue to get better. Suggestions? None that I know of now. I don’t have an issue with dropping photos (I use backup and sync continuously on close and startup - never needed a restore but it’s there if needed). For $35 it’s an awesome DB. Keep it going Brendan!

I imported my Bento database with no issues and have been using the Tap Forms-specific features which are all quite excellent. Syncing between my Mac and iPhone has been an issue, though. I keep on resetting the sync but it inevitably fails. I needed a password that was on my iPhone database recently and could not complete my task beause the database had not properly synced from my Mac! Frustrating! I’ve been hoping that they would fix this issue but after several upgrades and not seeing a fix I feel it necessary to report it here. Perhaps this will give them some additional motivation : )