=== FlowForms – Conversational Form Builder for WordPress === Contributors: priyanshuchaudhary Tags: contact form, conversational form, typeform, form builder, survey Requires at least: 6.2 Tested up to: 6.9 Requires PHP: 7.4 Stable tag: 1.0.0 License: GPL-3.0-only License URI: https://opensource.org/licenses/GPL-3.0 The Typeform alternative for WordPress. Build beautiful, conversational step-by-step forms, surveys & quizzes — self-hosted, free, no monthly fees. == Description == **FlowForms is the easiest way to build Typeform-style conversational forms in WordPress — without the SaaS price tag.** Most contact form plugins give you a wall of fields. FlowForms gives your visitors a *conversation*. One question at a time, guided and focused — the result is higher completion rates, better responses, and a user experience that feels modern and intentional. Whether you're collecting leads, running surveys, gathering testimonials, or building customer feedback forms, FlowForms delivers a premium, interactive form experience that lives on *your* server, under *your* control, with no monthly subscription required. **Why FlowForms?** Typeform costs $25–$83/month. FlowForms is self-hosted and free. Same conversational UX — your WordPress site, your data. [View Demo](https://www.wpflowforms.com/demo) | [Templates](https://www.wpflowforms.com/templates) = Conversational, Step-by-Step Forms = FlowForms presents one question at a time, just like Typeform. This reduces overwhelm, keeps respondents focused, and significantly improves form completion rates compared to traditional multi-field forms. Every form flows through three stages: * **Welcome Screen** — customisable title, description, start button, and background image * **Questions** — any combination of 8 field types, drag-to-reorder * **Thank You Screen** — closing message with optional redirect URL, delay, and social share buttons = Drag & Drop Form Builder = Build any form in minutes without touching a line of code. The intuitive React-powered drag-and-drop builder lets you add, reorder, and configure questions visually. What you build is exactly what your visitors see. = 8 Ready-to-Use Field Types = FlowForms ships with all the essentials: * **Short Text** — single-line text input * **Long Text** — multi-line paragraph / textarea * **Multiple Choice** — single-select with optional "Other" answer * **Checkboxes** — multi-select with min/max limits and optional "Other" answer * **Rating** — star rating with configurable max stars and shape * **Yes / No** — two-button question with customisable labels * **Email** — with format validation and optional confirm-email mode * **Number** — numeric input with optional min/max validation = Beautiful Design Customisation = Every form is independently styled with a live design panel. Customise: * Background colour * Title, description, answer, hint, field, and button colours * Button hover colour and text * Star rating colour * Layout alignment: left or centered * Border radius: angular, rounded, or full * Google Fonts * Font size: small, regular, or large Forms look great on every device — FlowForms is fully responsive and mobile-ready. = Flexible Embed Options = Embed your forms anywhere in WordPress using your preferred method: * **Shortcode:** `[flowform id="123"]` * **Gutenberg Block:** native `FlowForm` block — drag it straight into the editor * **Full-Page URL:** `/flowform/{id}` — share a direct link to a distraction-free form page = Pre-Built Form Templates = Get started in seconds with 4 ready-to-use templates: * Contact Form * Lead Generation Survey * Customer Feedback * Testimonial Form = Submission Management = Every submission is stored securely in your WordPress database. The built-in entries dashboard gives you full control: * Paginated list with search and sorting * Individual entry detail view * Bulk actions: mark read/unread, star, trash, delete permanently * Status filters: All, Starred, Spam, Trash * Unread count badge in the admin menu = Email Notifications = Get notified the moment someone submits your form. Configure the recipient, subject, sender name, reply-to address, and message body — all with smart tag support. **Available smart tags:** `{admin_email}`, `{site_name}`, `{form_name}`, `{all_fields}` = Built-In Spam Protection = Three layers of anti-spam run automatically on every submission — no CAPTCHA plugins required: 1. **Honeypot field** — invisible to humans, catches bots 2. **Rotating server-side token** — tied to each form, refreshed daily 3. **Akismet integration** — if Akismet is active, submissions are checked automatically; spam entries are flagged and saved for review = Multilingual Ready = Every user-facing string — button labels, validation messages, placeholders, error messages — is customisable from the Global Settings panel. No translation plugin needed to adapt FlowForms for any language. = FlowForms Pro (Coming Soon) = We are actively researching the features WordPress users most want to pay for. The Pro version will be a self-hosted annual licence — significantly cheaper than Typeform or Jotform — and will extend the free plugin without replacing it. Candidate Pro features under research: * Conditional logic (show/hide questions based on answers) * Multiple email notifications and respondent confirmation emails * Email marketing integrations (Mailchimp, ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign, and more) * File upload field * Stripe payment field * CSV / Excel entry export * Opinion scale / NPS field * Date & time picker field * Phone number field with country code * GDPR consent checkbox field * Form scheduling (open/close at a specific date) * Submission limits (cap responses at a set number) * Zapier / webhook integrations * Calculator & quiz scoring * Extended pro template library Want to influence what we build first? [Request a feature](https://www.wpflowforms.com/roadmap) and tell us which feature matters most to you. = Why Self-Hosted Beats SaaS for Forms = * **Monthly cost:** Free (vs $25–$83/mo for Typeform, $34–$99/mo for Jotform) * **Your own server:** Yes — all data stays in your WordPress database * **Your own data:** Yes — no third-party servers, no vendor lock-in * **WordPress-native:** Yes — Gutenberg block, shortcode, full-page URL * **Conversational UX:** Yes — one question at a time, just like Typeform = Full Feature List = * Drag-and-drop conversational form builder * 8 field types: short text, long text, multiple choice, checkboxes, rating, yes/no, email, number * Welcome screen and thank you screen for every form * Redirect on completion with configurable delay * Social share buttons on thank you screen * Live design customisation — colours, fonts, layout, border radius * Google Font supported * Layout alignments: left and center * Progress bar (show/hide) * Navigation arrows (show/hide) * Gutenberg block embed * Shortcode embed * Full-page form URL * 4 free starter templates * Submission entries database with full admin management * Read/unread, star, trash, spam entry statuses * Unread count badge in WordPress admin menu * Email notifications with smart tags * Honeypot, token, and Akismet spam protection * Customisable user-facing strings * GDPR-friendly — all data stored on your own server * 100% mobile responsive * Developer hooks for extensibility == Installation == 1. Upload the `flowforms` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/`, or install directly via the WordPress plugin screen. 2. Activate the plugin through the **Plugins** screen in WordPress. 3. Go to **FlowForms → Add New** to create your first form. 4. Embed the form using the Gutenberg block, the shortcode `[flowform id="YOUR_ID"]`, or share the full-page URL. == Frequently Asked Questions == = How is this different from Contact Form 7 or WPForms? = Traditional form plugins display all fields at once on a single page. FlowForms shows one question at a time in a guided, conversational flow — similar to Typeform. This typically increases completion rates and produces more thoughtful responses. = Is this a Typeform alternative for WordPress? = Yes. FlowForms is built specifically to bring the Typeform-style conversational form experience to self-hosted WordPress — without a monthly SaaS subscription. = Where are form submissions stored? = All submissions are stored in your own WordPress database. No data is sent to external servers. = Does it work with the block editor (Gutenberg)? = Yes. FlowForms includes a native Gutenberg block. You can also use the `[flowform id="123"]` shortcode in classic editor or anywhere shortcodes are supported. = Does it work with page builders? = Any page builder that supports shortcodes will work with the `[flowform id="123"]` shortcode. = Does it work with Akismet? = Yes. If Akismet is active on your site, FlowForms automatically checks submissions and flags spam entries in your dashboard. = Can I customise the form design? = Yes. The form builder includes a Design panel where you can adjust colours, fonts, button styles, and layout to match your brand. = Can I translate the form interface into another language? = Yes. Every user-facing string is customisable from **FlowForms → Global Settings → Messages** — no translation plugin required. = What happens if I trash a form? = Trashed forms display a notice to admins on the frontend, and an empty string to visitors. You can restore a form from the All Forms page. = What is the draft/publish workflow? = Changes you make in the builder are auto-saved to a draft. Your live form is only updated when you click **Publish**. This lets you safely edit a live form without affecting visitors until you are ready. = Is there a Pro version? = A Pro version is in active research. [Join the waitlist](https://www.wpflowforms.com/#pro-waitlist) to be notified at launch and help us decide which features to build first. == Screenshots == 1. The drag-and-drop form builder 2. A conversational form as seen by respondents 3. The entries manager — view and manage all submissions 4. Form design customisation panel 5. Email notification settings with smart tag support == Source Code == The full source code, including all JavaScript source files and build configuration, is publicly available on [GitHub](https://github.com/priyanshuchaudhary53/wp-flowforms) == Changelog == = 1.0.0 = * Initial release * Drag-and-drop conversational form builder * Gutenberg block and shortcode embed * Entries manager with star, trash, and spam support * Email notifications with smart tags * Welcome and Thank You screens * Free starter templates: Contact Form, Lead Generation, Customer Feedback, Testimonial * Three-layer anti-spam with Akismet integration * Design customisation panel * Draft/publish workflow * Full-page form URLs == Upgrade Notice == = 1.0.0 = Initial release.