Tap Forms Organizer 5 Database 4+

Fun and easy to use -- but powerful

I don’t know why it took me so long to discover this database program! I’ve been using a Mac since the late 1980’s and have successively used HyperCard, Panorama, Bento, and most recently FileMaker for my personal database needs. I enjoy using database programs, but for my needs FileMaker was just too much work and expense. So I’ve been using Tap Forms now for about two months and the more I use it the better I like it. It has a short learning curve, excellent online user manual, and outstanding developer support. It runs perfectly on Mac OS 11.1 Big Sur. It easily and accurately imported my FileMaker data files. The two things I especially like about Tap Forms are first, I’ve found it very easy to make changes in how I catalog my information in the database over time. So, it’s surprisingly flexible for people like me who may not have planned their database structure perfectly from the start. Second is that it syncs my data quickly and flawlessly among all my devices through iCloud – no glitches. It’s actually now one of my favorite programs. It’s fun and easy to use (but powerful), and JUST WORKS. A big thank-you to the developer, Tap Zapp Software, for a great database program!

so far not so good

I just bought this today. There are supposed to be 33 built in forms. I can find ZERO. I have tried to play the training videos. They never load. I have tried to import my contacts, I cannot. I am supposed to be able to link forms, I cannot figure out how. I have used MS Access very successfully. I was able to teach the Apple Store trainers how to use Bento and connect forms in ways they truly did not know were possible. For years I have searched for a Bento replacement without having to buy FileMaker for several $100’s. This should be easier and there should be usable directions. If I cannot make this work in a reasonable amount of time and effort, I will be requesting a refund for both the iPhone app and the Mac app.

Update: after about an hour of searching I found the 33 built in forms. However, I cannot move them to the folders I want them in. I do not want to mix personal and business. Still cannot figure out how to import contacts, or link databases. So frustrated. I have downloaded the FileMaker Pro free trial. I wish I had not downloaded this paid version from the Apple App store, as there is a free trial version on the Tap Forms website. Try it before you buy it. It is not as easy and flexible as implied so far. If I were completely new to databases that would be one thing, but I have enough experience to understand how they “should” work in general.

Developer Response ,

Thanks for purchasing Tap Forms 5. For anyone else concerned about the 33 built-in forms, they're in the Sample Forms document that is automatically installed when you launch Tap Forms 5.

There is a Contact field type you can add to your form to reference contacts from the Apple Contacts database. In Tap Forms 5.2 (coming soon), I've added an Import Contacts function to import them all in one go. But for now just add a Contact field type to reference individual contacts.

For linking forms together, add a Link to Form field to your form. See the chapter on "Relationships" in the online user manual, which you can view from the Help menu.

The video screencasts are just on my Vimeo website so should load into any web browser, such as Safari. You can access them from under the Help menu.

If you would like further help, please contact me at support@tapforms.com or visit my support form on my website by clicking the Forums button there. - Brendan.

What a Perfect personal/professional DB app!

After a very thorough "scoping survey" of just about every Mac database app, product, and service out there (and after countless free trials), I concluded that Tap Forms 5 is in the exact sweet spot for ease of use, functionality, and features. I'm an academic physician doing research in diagnostic reasoning (among other things), and my first micro-project was to create a master table of cross-referenced cognitive biases (those important and specific to clinical reasoning). Piece of cake! I loaded it up with a partial CSV file (flawlessly imported and mapped to the correct fields), whipped together a fast-entry layout in well under an hour, and topped the table off with new entries. Then I sync'ed the DB across all my Macs and IoS devices with a single click. This was my "canary in a coal mine" for every product I tested - and Tap Forms was the breakaway winner.

And the support and development is first-rate. Brendan is very helpful and responsive - he answered my initial questions within a business day. And it sures looks as though he's in this for the long haul. This app has been around for years, and just keeps getting better. This is the one, folks.