Title: HTML Forms & Contact Form for WordPress: Narrative Forms
Author: narrativecode
Published: 8 de junio, 2026
Last modified: 14 de junio, 2026
---
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# HTML Forms & Contact Form for WordPress: Narrative Forms
By [narrativecode](https://profiles.wordpress.org/narrativecode/)
[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/narrative-forms.1.0.3.zip)
* [Details](https://pe.wordpress.org/plugins/narrative-forms/#description)
* [Reviews](https://pe.wordpress.org/plugins/narrative-forms/#reviews)
* [Installation](https://pe.wordpress.org/plugins/narrative-forms/#installation)
* [Development](https://pe.wordpress.org/plugins/narrative-forms/#developers)
[Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/narrative-forms/)
## Description
Narrative Forms is the HTML form plugin for WordPress. Instead of dragging boxes
around a builder, you write plain semantic HTML, or paste it straight from an AI
like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini, and Narrative Forms turns it into a real form with
fast AJAX form submissions and stored, exportable data. Any input with a name attribute
is saved. That is the whole idea: forms are just HTML, so there is no field type
registry, nothing proprietary to lock you in, and no ceiling on what your form can
be. If you want a clean, fast, developer friendly HTML form plugin, a simple contact
form, or a custom form that a heavy form builder cannot easily produce, this is
it. It stays lightweight, loads its assets only on pages that contain a form, and
is built to scale to millions of submissions.
#### Why an HTML form plugin beats a drag and drop builder
Most WordPress form plugins lock you into a drag and drop form builder and a fixed
list of field types. If the builder does not offer a field, you cannot have it.
Narrative Forms is an HTML form plugin with no field registry: a field is simply
an HTML element with a name. Need a multi step layout, an unusual input, a custom
widget, or markup your designer already wrote? Paste it in and it works. You keep
full control of the markup, the classes, and the look, so your contact form or custom
form renders exactly the way you built it. Drag and drop made sense years ago. Today
you describe what you want or paste what you already have. No builder, no bloat,
and no fighting a clunky UI to recreate a form you can already picture. That is
why people who outgrow a drag and drop form builder move to a real HTML form plugin.
#### Build forms with AI: paste from ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini
Because forms are just HTML, any large language model can build one for you. Ask
ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or your favourite AI for a contact form with a name, email,
a dropdown, and a file upload, copy the HTML it returns, and paste it into Narrative
Forms. There is no proprietary field format to satisfy, so whatever the AI generates
simply works as an HTML form. That makes Narrative Forms an AI friendly form plugin:
you bring your own model, paste the markup, and ship the form. The free plugin is
completely model agnostic, so you are never tied to one AI. Prefer it built in?
AI form generation that writes the HTML for you inside WordPress is on the Narrative
Forms Pro roadmap. For now, the free HTML form plugin already works with any AI
you paste in.
#### Everything in the free HTML forms plugin
The free HTML forms plugin is a complete forms solution, not a teaser. Here is what
every install includes:
* **Fast AJAX form submissions.** Forms submit without a page reload, and there
is a graceful fallback when JavaScript is turned off, so the form never breaks
for a visitor. AJAX form submissions also keep your pages cache friendly, because
the page can stay static while the form posts in the background.
* **A built in HTML editor.** One click field buttons generate the markup for common
fields, and a live preview shows the form as you type. Write the HTML by hand,
scaffold it quickly with the buttons, or paste a form an AI wrote for you. The
editor never hides your markup behind a visual builder, so what you see is what
ships.
* **Email notifications.** Send a clean, readable email for every form submission,
to yourself or any address, in plain text or HTML. Each field is formatted tidily,
and you can route different forms to different inboxes with separate email actions.
* **Webhook actions.** Send form data to any URL when the form is submitted. Connect
your forms to Zapier, Make, a CRM, or your own endpoint with a webhook, no code
required, and add more than one webhook action per form so one submission can
fan out to several services.
* **File upload form fields.** Accept a file upload field with a maximum file size
and a maximum number of files per field. Uploaded files are stored safely in
the WordPress media folder and recorded with the submission, so building a file
upload form is one paste of HTML away.
* **Stored form submissions and CSV export.** Optionally keep every submission
in a fast, indexed database table that you browse in the admin. Run a CSV export
of your form submissions at any time; the export streams in batches, so it works
even with very large numbers of submissions and never times out.
* **Layered spam protection.** Stop bots with a honeypot, a time trap that rejects
instant submissions, a same origin referrer check, a limit on the number of links
in a message, and an optional rate limit per IP. You can also switch on Cloudflare
Turnstile for a privacy respecting CAPTCHA. This spam protection adds no third
party tracking to your site.
* **Custom messages and redirects.** Set your own success and error messages, redirect
to any URL after a successful submit, and use template tags so the form behaves
exactly how you want.
* **Clean, optional styling.** A calm, minimal stylesheet ships with the plugin
and is on by default, and you can switch it off in one click if your theme or
custom CSS should own the look. Semantic wrapper classes keep your theme in charge
of how your HTML form appears.
Every output is escaped and every input is sanitised, following WordPress coding
and security standards, so the plugin stays review safe and secure.
#### Contact forms, custom forms, and every form in between
Narrative Forms is a general purpose form plugin, so the same HTML first workflow
covers almost any form you need to build. Use it for a simple contact form, a lead
capture form, a support request form, a job application, an RSVP, a survey, a registration
form, a file upload form, or a custom form with a layout that a drag and drop builder
cannot easily produce. Because a field is just an HTML element with a name attribute,
you can mix text inputs, email fields, dropdowns, checkboxes, radio buttons, date
pickers, textareas, and file upload fields in any structure you like.
Agencies and developers reach for this HTML form plugin when a client needs a form
that does not fit a builder’s template: a multi column layout, a branded card, a
stepper, a pricing calculator, or markup a designer handed over. You paste the HTML,
give the fields names, and the form is live with AJAX form submissions, stored data,
and CSV export. There is no template to fight and no field type you cannot add,
which is the difference between an HTML form plugin and a drag and drop form builder.
It is also a great fit when you want to keep your stack lean. A single lightweight
form plugin handles your contact form, your file upload form, and your custom forms,
with email and webhook actions for routing, layered spam protection to keep out
bots, and stored form submissions you can export to CSV whenever you need them.
Whether you collect a handful of submissions a month or millions over time, the
same plugin scales with you.
#### Developer friendly HTML form plugin
Narrative Forms is built for people who like control. Prefill fields with template
variables such as {{ user.email }}, {{ get.utm_source | default:’direct’ }}, or {{
site.name }}, using providers like user, URL parameters, post, site, and date, each
with filters such as default, upper, lower, date, and truncate. On the front end,
public JavaScript events (`nrfm-submit`, `nrfm-submitted`, `nrfm-success`, `nrfm-
error`) let you push conversions to Google Tag Manager or your dataLayer, show a
toast, or run any custom logic with a tiny nrfm.on() helper. Filters and actions
sit at every decision point, including the form HTML, validation, and webhook request
arguments, so you can extend this HTML form plugin without forking it.
#### Built to scale to millions of form submissions
Narrative Forms is engineered for sites that collect a lot of data. Form submissions
live in a dedicated, indexed database table rather than bloated post meta, so lookups
stay fast as the table grows. Repeated reads are cached, queries are paginated and
bounded, CSV export streams in batches, and heavy work can run in the background
so the front end stays quick. Whether you collect ten form submissions a month or
millions over time, this lightweight form plugin is designed to stay responsive.
Scaling to millions describes the architecture, indexed storage, caching, and bounded
queries, rather than a benchmarked guarantee.
#### Who this HTML forms plugin is for
* Developers and agencies who want a contact form or custom HTML form they fully
control, without a heavy builder.
* Anyone who uses an AI assistant: generate the HTML, paste it, and you are done.
* Site owners who need reliable form submissions, email notifications, file upload
forms, and CSV export without the bloat.
* Teams that have outgrown a drag and drop form builder and want a faster, lighter
way to build forms.
Common uses include contact forms, lead capture, support requests, job applications,
RSVPs, surveys, file uploads, registrations, and multi field custom forms that a
drag and drop builder cannot easily produce.
#### Upgrade to Narrative Forms Pro
Narrative Forms Pro keeps the same lightweight, HTML first core and adds the power
features that busy sites and agencies need:
* Conditional logic: show or hide fields, and trigger actions, based on what the
visitor enters.
* Save and resume: let visitors save a long form as a draft and finish it later
from where they left off.
* Submission notifications: a badge for unread form submissions in the admin so
a new entry never slips by.
* Require login: restrict any form to logged in users only.
* Schedule windows: open and close a form automatically on the date and time you
set.
* Advanced webhooks: reusable webhook templates, automatic retries with backoff,
and a delivery log for every call.
* REST API: read form submissions programmatically and connect your forms to anything.
* Share links: generate a hosted, shareable link to any form.
AI form generation, which writes the HTML for you from a plain language description,
is on the Pro roadmap. Today the free HTML form plugin already works with any AI
you paste in. Learn more at https://narrative-forms.com/?utm_source=wordpress.org&
utm_medium=readme&utm_campaign=free
#### Publish form submissions with Frontend Submissions (Views)
Most form plugins keep submissions locked in the admin. The Narrative Forms Frontend
Submissions add on turns your form submissions into front end content with reusable
Views: display any form’s submissions as a public directory, a testimonial wall,
a photo gallery, a job board, an event timeline, or product reviews, with instant
search, pagination, single pages, per field privacy, and approval moderation. Frontend
submission display is a paid add on that requires the free Narrative Forms plugin.
Collect with the form, publish with a View. Learn more at https://narrative-forms.
com/?utm_source=wordpress.org&utm_medium=readme&utm_campaign=free
### Privacy
Narrative Forms uses the [Appsero](https://appsero.com) SDK to collect some telemetry
data, but only after you confirm it. This helps us troubleshoot problems faster
and make product improvements.
The Appsero SDK **does not gather any data by default.** It only starts collecting
basic telemetry **when you allow it through the admin notice**. We collect the data
to ensure a great experience for all of our users.
Integrating the Appsero SDK **DOES NOT IMMEDIATELY** start gathering data, and never**
without your confirmation.**
Learn more about how [Appsero collects and uses this data](https://appsero.com/privacy-policy/).
### External services
This plugin connects to external services only in these optional cases, and each
is off until you enable or allow it.
* **Cloudflare Turnstile (optional CAPTCHA).** Used only if you enable Turnstile.
When a page with a form loads, the browser requests `https://challenges.cloudflare.
com/turnstile/v0/api.js` to render the widget; on submit, the server sends the
Turnstile token, your secret key, and the visitor’s IP address to `https://challenges.
cloudflare.com/turnstile/v0/siteverify` to verify it. Terms: `https://www.cloudflare.
com/website-terms/` Privacy: `https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/`
* **Webhooks (optional, configured by you).** Used only if you add a Webhook action.
After a successful submission, the submitted form fields plus limited metadata(
timestamp, IP address, user agent, referrer) are sent as JSON or URL encoded
data to the exact URL you configure, on a domain you choose. Example URLs in
the UI are placeholders and receive nothing. The destination is your choice,
so consult that service’s terms and privacy policy.
* **Appsero (optional usage analytics).** Off until you allow it through the admin
notice; nothing is sent before that. It then sends basic environment details (
site URL, WordPress and PHP versions, active theme and plugins, locale, and the
admin email used to confirm) to `https://api.appsero.com`, plus an optional survey
if you deactivate. No form submissions or visitor data are sent. Privacy: `https://
appsero.com/privacy-policy/`
## Screenshots
[⌊Build an HTML contact form by pasting markup, even an AI's: here a custom RSVP
card with pill buttons and a star rating.⌉⌊Build an HTML contact form by pasting
markup, even an AI's: here a custom RSVP card with pill buttons and a star rating
.⌉[
Build an HTML contact form by pasting markup, even an AI’s: here a custom RSVP card
with pill buttons and a star rating.
[⌊No field type limits in this HTML form plugin: a table booking form with a seating
switcher, a guest stepper, and native date and time pickers.⌉⌊No field type limits
in this HTML form plugin: a table booking form with a seating switcher, a guest
stepper, and native date and time pickers.⌉[
No field type limits in this HTML form plugin: a table booking form with a seating
switcher, a guest stepper, and native date and time pickers.
[⌊Build a custom form fast: an instant quote form with selectable option cards and
range sliders that update a live price.⌉⌊Build a custom form fast: an instant quote
form with selectable option cards and range sliders that update a live price.⌉[
Build a custom form fast: an instant quote form with selectable option cards and
range sliders that update a live price.
[⌊The built in HTML editor with one click field buttons, a live preview, and a file
upload form field with size and count limits.⌉⌊The built in HTML editor with one
click field buttons, a live preview, and a file upload form field with size and
count limits.⌉[
The built in HTML editor with one click field buttons, a live preview, and a file
upload form field with size and count limits.
[⌊Form settings: store form submissions, hide the form, or redirect after submit,
with template tokens like [NAME] and [NRFM_IP_ADDRESS].⌉⌊Form settings: store form
submissions, hide the form, or redirect after submit, with template tokens like [
NAME] and [NRFM_IP_ADDRESS].⌉[
Form settings: store form submissions, hide the form, or redirect after submit,
with template tokens like [NAME] and [NRFM_IP_ADDRESS].
[⌊Email notifications for every form submission, in plain text or HTML, with a template
token for each field.⌉⌊Email notifications for every form submission, in plain text
or HTML, with a template token for each field.⌉[
Email notifications for every form submission, in plain text or HTML, with a template
token for each field.
[⌊Webhook actions: send form data to any webhook URL after every submission, with
no code.⌉⌊Webhook actions: send form data to any webhook URL after every submission,
with no code.⌉[
Webhook actions: send form data to any webhook URL after every submission, with
no code.
[⌊Appearance and protection settings: an optional stylesheet, honeypot, and Cloudflare
Turnstile, privacy friendly with no third party tracking.⌉⌊Appearance and protection
settings: an optional stylesheet, honeypot, and Cloudflare Turnstile, privacy friendly
with no third party tracking.⌉[
Appearance and protection settings: an optional stylesheet, honeypot, and Cloudflare
Turnstile, privacy friendly with no third party tracking.
[⌊Advanced spam protection and data settings: a time trap, same origin check, link
limit, and rate limit per IP.⌉⌊Advanced spam protection and data settings: a time
trap, same origin check, link limit, and rate limit per IP.⌉[
Advanced spam protection and data settings: a time trap, same origin check, link
limit, and rate limit per IP.
## Installation
1. Install Narrative Forms from Plugins, then Add New in your WordPress dashboard,
or upload the plugin folder to `/wp-content/plugins/` and activate it. A ready
to use Contact Form is created on a fresh install, so you can start from a working
example instead of a blank screen.
2. Go to Narrative Forms, then Add New, then write or paste your form HTML, or use
the one click field buttons to scaffold it. You can also paste markup generated
by an AI such as ChatGPT or Gemini. Make sure every input, select, and textarea
has a name attribute so its data is saved.
3. Copy the form’s shortcode and paste it into any post, page, or block where you
want the HTML form to appear.
4. Optional: enable stored form submissions, set up email or webhook actions, configure
spam protection, and customise the success message and redirect under the form’s
tabs.
That is it. Your HTML form is live with fast AJAX form submissions and stored, exportable
data.
## FAQ
### What is the best HTML form plugin for WordPress?
If you want full control of your markup, Narrative Forms is built to be the simplest
HTML form plugin for WordPress. You write or paste plain HTML, or generate it with
an AI, and any input with a name attribute becomes a saved field. There is no drag
and drop builder and no field type registry to limit you, so the form is exactly
what you build, from a basic contact form to a complex custom form.
### How do I create an HTML contact form without a builder?
Go to Narrative Forms, then Add New, and write or paste your contact form HTML,
or use the one click field buttons to scaffold it. Give every input, select, and
textarea a name attribute so its value is saved. Copy the generated shortcode into
any post, page, or block, and your HTML contact form is live with fast AJAX form
submissions and optional stored data.
### Can I paste a form from ChatGPT or another AI?
Yes. Ask ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or any AI for the form markup, then paste it straight
into the editor. Because Narrative Forms saves any named HTML field and has no proprietary
field format, whatever the model generates works as is. If you would like AI form
generation built into WordPress so you can create a form from a single sentence,
that is on the Narrative Forms Pro roadmap.
### Is there a drag and drop builder?
No, and that is on purpose. Drag and drop form builders are slow and limit you to
their field types, while an HTML form plugin lets you build anything. With Narrative
Forms you write, paste, or AI generate plain HTML and keep full control of the markup
and styling. For anyone comfortable with HTML, or with an AI assistant, it is dramatically
faster than a drag and drop form builder.
### Does it support file upload forms?
Yes. Add a file upload field to your HTML and Narrative Forms handles it, with a
configurable maximum file size and a maximum number of files per field. Uploaded
files are stored safely in the WordPress media folder and recorded with the submission,
so a file upload form takes one paste of HTML.
### Where are form submissions stored, and can I export them to CSV?
You can optionally store every submission in a dedicated, indexed database table
that you view in the admin. Run a CSV export of your form submissions at any time;
the export streams in batches, so it works even with very large numbers of submissions.
You can also forward form submissions by email or webhook instead of, or in addition
to, storing them.
### How do I send form data to a webhook?
Open the form’s Actions tab and add a webhook action with your endpoint URL. On
each submission the field data is sent to that webhook URL, so you can connect Narrative
Forms to Zapier, Make, a CRM, or your own service without writing any code. You
can add more than one webhook per form.
### How does Narrative Forms block spam?
It layers several lightweight, privacy friendly checks for spam protection: a honeypot
field, a time trap that rejects instant bot submissions, a same origin referrer
check, a limit on the number of links in a submission, and an optional rate limit
per IP. You can also enable Cloudflare Turnstile for a privacy respecting CAPTCHA.
This spam protection adds no third party tracking to your site.
### Is it a lightweight form plugin that works with caching and at scale?
Yes. The plugin loads its CSS and JavaScript only on pages that contain a form,
the admin is intentionally minimal, and form submissions use a fast indexed table
with cached reads and bounded, paginated queries. It is a lightweight form plugin
built to stay quick from your first submission to your millionth, and it works with
page caching because submissions go through AJAX.
### How do I track form conversions in Google Tag Manager or analytics?
Narrative Forms fires public JavaScript events on submit; `nrfm-success` is the
one you usually want. Listen for it with the nrfm.on(‘success’, …) helper or a standard
event listener, then push a custom event to your dataLayer for Google Tag Manager
or fire a Google Analytics event. You can also read the submitted values with FormData.
### Can I display form submissions on the front end?
Yes, with the Narrative Forms Frontend Submissions add on, which publishes your
form submissions as public Views such as directories, testimonials, galleries, and
listings, with instant search, single pages, per field privacy, and approval moderation.
Frontend submission display is a paid add on; the free HTML form plugin focuses
on collecting, storing, and routing your form submissions.
## Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
## Contributors & Developers
“HTML Forms & Contact Form for WordPress: Narrative Forms” is open source software.
The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
* [ narrativecode ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/narrativecode/)
[Translate “HTML Forms & Contact Form for WordPress: Narrative Forms” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/narrative-forms)
### Interested in development?
[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/narrative-forms/),
check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/narrative-forms/),
or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/narrative-forms/)
by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/narrative-forms/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).
## Changelog
#### 1.0.3
* Fixed a Security check failed error that could appear when dismissing the usage
analytics notice on the form edit screen.
* Deleting submissions now shows a confirmation message, and bulk deletes ask before
removing.
* Fixed the form preview being clipped at its edges.
* Internal cleanup: removed unused code, including a dead admin action handler
and an unused plugin constant.
#### 1.0.2
* New installs now include a ready to use Contact Form with a dropdown, so you
do not start from a blank screen.
* The basic Narrative Forms stylesheet is now enabled by default on new installs.
* Simplified the field setup panel by removing a nested box.
* Removed the redirect after error option. Form errors now always show inline,
the same way in AJAX and non JavaScript submissions.
* Forms whose template includes its own form tag now render and submit correctly;
the plugin always provides the form wrapper.
#### 1.0.1
* Added optional usage analytics through the Appsero SDK. Nothing is collected
unless you allow it in the admin notice. See the Privacy section.
* Readme updated.
#### 1.0.0
* Initial release of Narrative Forms, the HTML form plugin built on plain HTML.
* Build contact forms and custom forms by writing or pasting any semantic HTML.
* Built in editor with one click field buttons and a live preview.
* Fast AJAX form submissions with a fallback when JavaScript is off.
* Stored form submissions in a dedicated, indexed table with batched CSV export.
* Email notifications and webhook actions for every submission.
* File upload form fields with a size limit and a file count limit for every field.
* Layered spam protection: honeypot, time trap, referrer check, link limit, rate
limit per IP, and optional Cloudflare Turnstile.
* Template variables for prefilling fields, public JavaScript events, and developer
hooks.
* Customisable success and error messages, redirects, and template tags.
## Meta
* Version **1.0.3**
* Last updated **2 días ago**
* Active installations **Fewer than 10**
* WordPress version ** 6.2 or higher **
* Tested up to **7.0**
* PHP version ** 7.2 or higher **
* Language
* [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/narrative-forms/)
* Tags
* [contact form](https://pe.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/contact-form/)[custom form](https://pe.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/custom-form/)
[form builder](https://pe.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/form-builder/)[frontend submission](https://pe.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/frontend-submission/)
[HTML forms](https://pe.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/html-forms/)
* [Advanced View](https://pe.wordpress.org/plugins/narrative-forms/advanced/)
## Ratings
No reviews have been submitted yet.
[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/narrative-forms/reviews/#new-post)
[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/narrative-forms/reviews/)
## Contributors
* [ narrativecode ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/narrativecode/)
## Support
Got something to say? Need help?
[View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/narrative-forms/)