griffinforms-form-builder

Description

GriffinForms is a contact form plugin and WordPress form builder built for structured, multi-step forms. It uses a drag and drop layout system (pages, rows, and columns), supports conditional logic, and stores submissions on your site so your data stays under your control.

If you need a WordPress form plugin that can handle everything from a simple contact form to a multi step form workflow, GriffinForms focuses on clean layouts, predictable form behavior, and practical admin tools.

For teams that need stronger oversight, GriffinForms includes compliance-ready controls, submission metadata, and audit-friendly logging. You can review submission context (version, metadata events), download compliance data, and use builder warnings to catch common gaps before publish.

Installation

1. Upload the plugin to the /wp-content/plugins/griffinforms-form-builder directory or install it via the WordPress plugin screen.
2. Activate it through the Plugins screen.
3. Go to the GriffinForms menu in the admin sidebar to start building forms.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I build multi-step (multi-page) forms?

Yes. Use pages in the builder to create multi-step forms with navigation.

Can I collect file uploads?

Yes. Add a File Upload field to accept documents or media with a submission.

Can I create payment forms with Stripe?

Yes. Stripe forms are supported when payments are enabled and configured.

Can I send emails via SMTP/SendGrid/Mailgun?

Yes. Configure Custom SMTP, SendGrid, or Mailgun for email delivery.

Do I need Stripe to use payments?

Stripe is required for payment processing. If you do not enable Stripe, you can still use GriffinForms for non-payment forms.

Does GriffinForms support conditional logic?

Yes. You can show or hide conditional fields based on user input.

Does it work with Gutenberg or page builders?

Yes. Use the shortcode in the block editor or your page builder’s shortcode/widget block.

How do I add a contact form to WordPress?

Create a form in GriffinForms, then embed it with the shortcode [griffinforms_form id="123"] in any post or page.

How do I reduce spam (reCAPTCHA/Turnstile/hCaptcha)?

Choose a CAPTCHA provider (reCAPTCHA, Cloudflare Turnstile, or hCaptcha) and enable it in the integrations settings.

Is GriffinForms free?

Yes. The core plugin provides the full feature set with no paid tiers.

Where are submissions stored?

Submissions are stored in your WordPress database. File uploads are stored in the WordPress uploads directory.

Where can I find documentation?

See the docs at GriffinForms Docs.

Screenshots

Drag-and-drop WordPress form builder with pages, rows, columns, and fields

Frontend form view with the default theme

Frontend themed form (light preset) applied

Editing the themed form (same theme as screenshot 3)

Frontend themed form (dark preset) applied

Live editing of the dark themed form (admin builder)

Frontend form with Product/Payment field

Frontend Review & Pay step for Stripe payments

Frontend file upload field with queued files

Email notification sent by GriffinForms

Theme selection modal with presets

Edit theme view (Theme Designer controls)

Conditional Logic modal (rules list view)

Conditional Logic modal (edit rule view)

Dragging a field pill to create a new field

Dragging a row to sort layout structure

Resizing a column to adjust layout

Text field edit view with validation settings

Checkbox field edit view + frontend preview (creating a multi-column checkbox grid)

Form creation modal with template selection

Integrations modal grid view

Stripe integration info view

Stripe integration configure view

Autoresponder email mapping view

Settings view (Mailing tab)

Edit upload field with file settings

Admin Attachments list view

Admin Themes list view

Admin Logs list view

Admin Submissions list view

Admin single submission view

Admin Forms list view

Changelog

2.3.0.0 – 2026-02-06

• Feature: Compliance profiles (Standard, GDPR, HIPAA‑ready) with per‑form inherit/custom overrides.
• Feature: Submission metadata timeline with page + payment events and form version context.
• Feature: Builder warnings pipeline with status bar counts and overlays.
• Feature: WordPress Tools export/erase integration for GriffinForms data.
• Improvement: Compliance downloads now include full layout snapshots for traceability.
• Improvement: GDPR profile masks IPs and stores summarized user agent details.

2.2.0.0 – 2026-02-01

• Feature: Form builder right sidebar now includes Form and Element tabs with auto-switching.
• Feature: Form tab adds Summary, Structure, Recent Logs, and Recent Submissions widgets.
• Improvement: Right sidebar structure tree visuals refined (chips, counts, row bars) and accordion controls added.
• Improvement: Form summary now links to submissions list and theme modal.

2.1.9.1 – 2026-01-30

• Improvement: Auto-select phone country based on browser locale when no selection is set (phone + address).
• Improvement: Phone country dropdown width now adapts to display mode (flag + code + name vs code-only).
• Fix: Divider visibility between phone dropdown and number input in the form builder.
• Fix: Narrow layouts no longer push the phone dropdown/input onto separate rows.

Upgrade Notice

1.1.1.0

Includes powerful new templates, folder icon support, and UI enhancements across admin views. Recommended update for all users.

1.2.0.0

Fullscreen builder mode and new menu system added for better editing experience. Recommended for all users.

1.2.1.0

Templates update with new Simple Contact, Request a Quote, and Internship Application forms. Recommended for all users who use templates.

1.2.2.0

New templates (Webinar Registration, Workshop Signup, Technical Support Request, Bug Report Report) + minor Create Form modal CSS adjustments. Recommended for all users.

1.3.0.0

Major release introducing File Upload field, Rate Limiter security, and File Storage management. Recommended for all users.

1.4.0.0

Major release introducing the new Logging system. Admins can now enable or disable logging, choose which types of events to track, and control how many logs are kept. Includes a dedicated Logs list screen, single log view with detail, and automatic pruning to keep things tidy. Recommended for all users who want more insight into their form activity.

1.5.0.0

Major release introducing the new Attachments view. Admins can now browse, filter, and manage uploaded files directly in WordPress with icons, badges, and links to submissions. Recommended for all users who use file uploads.

1.6.0.0

Conditional Logic is now complete! Animated connectors, guided overlays, and smarter safeguards make rule building the missing piece GriffinForms fans have been waiting for. Upgrade now and enjoy the flow.

1.6.1.0

Templates patch: server-side previews, no preview AJAX, safer DOM injection in Create Form modal, and consistent preview control styling. Recommended for all users.

1.6.2.0

Major Conditional Logic upgrades: user browser time conditions, row‑level actions, submit button label/state controls, and clearer natural‑language summaries. Recommended for all users building time-sensitive or after-hours workflows.

1.6.3.0

Adds five comprehensive templates and aligns dropdown data with GriffinForms’ optgroup format. Recommended for everyone using the template gallery or custom select fields.

1.6.4.0

New Phone field with international formatting, instant flag detection, and stricter validation rules. Upgrade to collect cleaner numbers and display tel: links in submissions.

1.6.5.0

New Address field with country filtering, automatic state/province dropdowns for many countries (US, CA, GB, IN, FR, DE, IT, ES, CH, AU, NZ, ZA, SA, AE, BR, JP, CN), and per-part validations. Upgrade to capture cleaner, standardized mailing addresses across forms, emails, and entries.

1.6.6.0

Adds a full Terms & Conditions consent field with modal display, smarter rule summaries, and tightened validation. Upgrade to collect policy acceptance with polished UX and accurate reporting.

1.6.7.0

Password field with strength meter, confirmation input, and optional AES-256 encryption. Upgrade to collect secure passwords with live feedback and encrypted storage.

1.6.8.0

New Time field with HTML5 time picker, min/max validation, and 12/24-hour format support. Upgrade to capture precise time values with native browser controls.

1.6.9.0

New Recent Entries Widget shows the latest 5 submission values for any field directly in the Form Builder sidebar. Monitor user behavior, spot validation issues, and navigate to submissions with one click. Upgrade to see what your users are actually submitting while you build.

2.0.0.0

The Theme Designer has landed! Browse 46 curated presets, preview them live, build your own JSON-driven looks with custom fonts/CSS/JS, and enjoy automatic responsive adjustments plus portable import/export. Upgrade to give every GriffinForms submission a polished, on-brand experience.

2.1.0.0

Adds payments, new captcha options, and richer integrations. Recommended update for users who collect payments, improve spam protection, or need more email delivery choices.

2.1.1.0

Submission logs now load faster on large histories with batched loading, a shared log timeline renderer, and upcoming actions (jobs) shown inline where available. Recommended update for admins who troubleshoot submissions and integrations.

2.1.2.0

Polish release focused on layout and clarity: file upload lists now ignore theme padding, the builder summary stays out of the way during drag‑and‑drop, attachments headers align, and long settings history values are easier to read. Logging labels for mail and payment are clearer and more consistent. Recommended update.

2.1.3.0

Admin alerts can now use per-recipient message templates with mail-merge placeholders, and the message editor includes a token builder. Includes new starter templates and improved mail logging. Recommended update.

2.1.4.0

Adds a native Gutenberg block with a lightweight, theme-aware editor preview and quick links to edit forms. Recommended update for block editor users.

2.1.5.0

Adds a settings history trail with expandable entries and shows a JavaScript-required notice when scripts are disabled on the frontend. Recommended update.

2.1.6.0

Adds a new Academic templates category with new and upgraded higher-education forms, plus conditional logic enhancements. Recommended update for anyone using templates.

2.1.7.0

Multi-page CAPTCHA now renders on every page, and submission retention cleanup runs on a scheduled job with a manual “Clean Up Now” action. Recommended update.

2.1.8.0

Adds a form availability window, lifetime submission counting (with admin exclusion + reset), and a new frontend request-locking system. Settings tabs and no‑JS notice styling are also refreshed. Recommended update.

2.1.8.1

Fixes repeated schema checks by caching migration completion. Recommended update.

2.1.9.0

Adds an uninstall feedback prompt and upgrades the phone field with country selection + E.164 normalization. Recommended update.

2.1.9.1

Upcoming: locale-aware country selection, improved dropdown sizing, and a clearer divider in the phone field UI.

# Admin Notifications With Form Data

Send submission alerts to one or more admin emails and include key fields (name, email, selections) using merge tags. This is helpful for support, sales, and intake workflows where you need details right away.

# Autoresponders (Email Users After Submission)

Enable an autoresponder to send a confirmation email to the person who submitted the form. You can include their answers in the message using merge tags so the email is personalized and useful.

# Conditional Logic For Smarter Forms

Conditional logic lets you build adaptive forms that respond to user input. Use it to show or hide fields, simplify longer questionnaires, or guide users through the right path based on their selections.

# Email Notifications

Send admin notifications or autoresponders using WordPress mail or a configured provider such as Custom SMTP or SendGrid.

# External Services

GriffinForms can connect to these third-party services when enabled:

• Google reCAPTCHA (spam protection): Terms and Privacy
• Stripe (payments): Terms and Privacy
• Cloudflare Turnstile (spam protection): Terms and Privacy
• hCaptcha (spam protection): Terms and Privacy
• SendGrid (email delivery): Terms and Privacy
• Mailgun (email delivery): Terms and Privacy

# Key Features

• Drag and drop form builder: build structured forms with pages, rows, columns, and multiple field types.
• Multi-page forms: add steps for longer workflows with clear page navigation.
• Conditional logic: show or hide fields and sections based on user input (conditional fields).
• File upload fields: collect documents or screenshots when your workflow needs attachments.
• Submissions in WordPress: view entries in the admin and keep data in your database.
• Themes: apply form themes so your contact form matches your site design.
• Payments (Stripe): collect payments when enabled and configured.
• CAPTCHA options: support reCAPTCHA, Cloudflare Turnstile, or hCaptcha.
• Email delivery: send notifications using WordPress mail or configured providers like Custom SMTP or SendGrid.

# Layout-First Builder

GriffinForms treats layout as a core part of form building. Use pages to split long flows, rows to group content, and columns to control alignment. This structure makes complex forms easier to maintain and helps users complete longer submissions without fatigue.

# Learn More

• Documentation: GriffinForms Docs
• Templates: Form Templates
• Releases: Release Notes
• Privacy: Privacy Policy

# Payments When You Need Them

If you enable Stripe, you can build payment forms that collect payments as part of a submission. This is useful for donations, paid applications, and simple order-style forms.

# Privacy And External Services

By default, GriffinForms stores form data on your site. External services are only used when you enable them (payments, CAPTCHA, or email delivery). See the External Services section below for details.

# Products In Forms

Add products or services to a form using the Payment field and let users select quantities. This turns a contact form into a simple order or donation form when Stripe is enabled.

# Quick Start

1. Create a form in GriffinForms → Forms.
2. Build your layout with pages, rows, and columns, then add fields.
3. Publish with the shortcode [griffinforms_form id="123"].

# Spam Protection

Choose a CAPTCHA provider that fits your site. GriffinForms supports Google reCAPTCHA, Cloudflare Turnstile, and hCaptcha so you can add spam protection without locking every form behind a heavy challenge.

# Submissions And Data

Submissions are stored in your WordPress database. You can review entries from the admin area, and logs are available for troubleshooting when enabled.

# Themes And Styling

Apply presets like a dark form theme or create your own so forms match your brand.

# Turn A Form Into A Template

If you need the same form on multiple sites, export it as JSON and import it elsewhere. You can also import a form directly as a template so it stays in your template library instead of being created as a new form. This is a quick way to reuse onboarding, registration, or request forms without rebuilding them.

# Use Cases

• Contact form pages and support intake
• Registration and request forms
• Multi step form wordpress workflows with multiple pages
• File upload forms for applications or support tickets
• Payment forms (Stripe forms) for donations or simple orders

License

GriffinForms is open source and licensed under GPLv2 or later.