Formative – A Custom Form Builder Plugin for WordPress icon

Formative – A Custom Form Builder Plugin for WordPress

Formative is a WordPress plugin with the following stats:

  • #4,134 Global Rank
  • Since 2025 1 years active

PF Score (About PF Scores)

PF Score is not a quality guarantee. It is a ranking based on available public signals.

Bronze45.8
Platinum
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Low

Score Breakdown

0
Popularity 40% No install data
60
Reputation 35% No ratings yet
99
Freshness 25% Updated 25 days ago

No vulnerability history

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Vulnerabilities

No known vulnerabilities

This plugin has no records in the Wordfence Intelligence vulnerability database.

About Formative

Powerful custom form builder with multi-step, conditional logic, styling, and 12+ integrations. Drag-and-drop interface for professional forms.

Formative is a professional-grade WordPress form builder that combines ease of use with powerful features. Create everything from simple contact forms to complex multi-step surveys with conditional logic, custom styling, and seamless integrations.

🎯 Key Features

Visual Form Builder
* Modern, intuitive drag-and-drop interface
* Real-time form preview
* SaaS-like admin experience
* Responsive design controls
* No coding required

Advanced Layout System
* Multi-column layouts (2, 3, 4+ columns)
* Responsive width controls
* Independent desktop, tablet, and mobile settings
* Nested field arrangements
* Drag-and-drop field positioning

Comprehensive Styling Options
* Custom colors (background, text, border, labels)
* Typography controls (font size, weight, line height)
* Spacing adjustments (padding, margin, field gaps)
* Border customization (width, radius, style)
* Box shadows and effects
* Width and alignment options
* Device-specific visibility
* Custom CSS support

Conditional Logic
* Show/hide fields based on user input
* Multiple condition types (is, contains, greater than, etc.)
* AND/OR logic operators
* Support for all field types
* Real-time condition evaluation

Multi-Step Forms
* Unlimited form steps
* Multiple progress indicator styles (bar, circles, numbers, dots)
* Custom step titles and descriptions
* Step icons (Dashicons, Font Awesome)
* Customizable navigation buttons
* Allow/prevent step jumping
* Progress tracking

Pre-Built Templates
* 9 professional form templates
* Contact forms, surveys, registrations
* Job applications, booking forms
* Newsletter signups, feedback forms
* One-click template loading
* Customizable after import

Powerful Integrations
* Email Marketing: Mailchimp, MailPoet, ConvertKit, AWeber, GetResponse, ActiveCampaign
* CRM: HubSpot
* Communication: Slack
* Automation: Zapier, Custom Webhooks, REST API
* Productivity: Google Sheets
* Connection testing built-in
* Flexible authentication options

📝 Field Types

Basic Fields
* Text, Email, Number, URL
* Telephone, Password
* Textarea (with row control)
* Date, Time
* Hidden fields

Choice Fields
* Checkbox (single and multiple)
* Radio buttons
* Select dropdown
* Multi-select

Advanced Fields
* File Upload (with size and type restrictions)
* Rating (customizable scale)
* Range Slider
* reCAPTCHA
* HTML Block
* Section Break
* Terms & Conditions

⚙️ Form Settings

  • Custom success messages
  • Email notifications to admins
  • Redirect after submission
  • Post creation from submissions
  • Spam protection
  • AJAX submission
  • Data validation
  • Entry management
  • CSV export

🔒 Security Features

  • Nonce verification
  • Data sanitization
  • SQL injection prevention
  • XSS protection
  • CSRF protection
  • Capability checks
  • Server-side validation

🚀 Developer Friendly

  • REST API based
  • PSR-4 autoloading
  • React component architecture
  • WordPress coding standards
  • Extensible and hookable
  • Well documented code

Privacy Policy

Formative stores form submission data (which may include personal information) in your WordPress database. This data is necessary for the plugin’s functionality.

What data is collected:
* Form field responses submitted by users
* Submission timestamp
* User IP address (optional)
* User agent information (optional)

How data is used:
* To display form entries in the admin dashboard
* To send email notifications
* To integrate with third-party services (if configured)
* To export data via CSV

Data retention:
* Submissions are stored indefinitely unless manually deleted
* You can disable entry storage in plugin settings
* Entries can be deleted individually or in bulk

Third-party services:
* If you enable integrations, data may be sent to external services
* Each integration is optional and requires your configuration
* Review the privacy policies of services you integrate with

Your responsibilities:
* Configure the plugin according to your privacy requirements
* Add necessary privacy disclosures to your forms
* Comply with GDPR, CCPA, and other applicable regulations
* Inform users how their data will be used

Support

For support and documentation:
* Visit the plugin documentation
* Check the included docs folder (README.md, QUICK_START.md, DEVELOPER_GUIDE.md)
* Open a support topic on WordPress.org
* Report bugs on our GitHub repository

When reporting issues, please include:
* WordPress version
* PHP version
* Plugin version
* Theme name
* Steps to reproduce
* Error messages (if any)

Credits

Formative is developed with ❤️ using:
* React for the admin interface
* WordPress REST API
* PSR-4 autoloading standards
* WordPress coding standards

Special thanks to the WordPress community for their continuous support and inspiration.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I add a form to my page?

You can add forms in three ways:
1. Gutenberg Block: Search for “Formative” in the block inserter
2. Shortcode: Use [formative id="123"] (replace 123 with your form ID)
3. Widget: Add the Formative widget to any widget area

Can I create multi-step forms?

Yes! Enable multi-step mode in Form Settings Multi-Step tab. You can:
* Add unlimited steps
* Customize step titles and icons
* Choose progress indicator styles
* Customize navigation buttons
* Control step navigation behavior

How does conditional logic work?

Conditional logic shows or hides fields based on user input:
1. Edit a field’s settings
2. Go to the Advanced tab
3. Enable Conditional Logic
4. Add conditions (e.g., “Show this field if Email is not empty”)
5. Choose AND/OR logic for multiple conditions

Where are form submissions stored?

Submissions are stored as formative_entry custom post types in your WordPress database. You can:
* View entries in Formative Entries
* Export to CSV
* Disable storage in plugin settings if needed

Can I customize form styling?

Absolutely! Each field has extensive styling options:
* Colors, typography, spacing
* Borders and shadows
* Width and alignment
* Custom CSS
* Responsive visibility
* Device-specific settings

What integrations are available?

Formative integrates with:
* Email marketing: Mailchimp, MailPoet, ConvertKit, AWeber, GetResponse, ActiveCampaign
* CRM: HubSpot
* Communication: Slack
* Automation: Zapier, Webhooks, REST API
* Productivity: Google Sheets

Is this plugin secure?

Yes! Security features include:
* Nonce verification for all requests
* Data sanitization and validation
* SQL injection prevention
* XSS protection
* CSRF protection
* Capability checks
* Secure file uploads

Can I import/export forms?

Currently, you can:
* Start with pre-built templates
* Export form entries to CSV
* Duplicate existing forms

Full import/export functionality is planned for a future release.

Does it work with my theme?

Yes! Formative works with any WordPress theme that follows WordPress standards. Forms are designed to be responsive and adapt to your theme’s styling.

Is it GDPR compliant?

Formative provides tools for GDPR compliance:
* Option to disable data storage
* Entry deletion capability
* Terms & Conditions field type
* User consent fields
You are responsible for configuring the plugin according to your privacy requirements.

Ratings & Reviews

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Changelog

1.3.0 – 2026-07-16

  • 🔒 Security: passwords are stripped from stored submission data
  • 🔒 Security: custom CSS is validated with safecss_filter_attr; improved reCAPTCHA handling
  • ✨ File uploads: complete implementation with media library integration and proper sanitization
  • ✨ Validation: enhanced URL/number/phone validation; conditional logic respected during validation
  • ✨ Settings: dedicated form settings page replaces the modal (Fluent Forms style)
  • ✨ Entries: new entry detail page; form view tracking added
  • ✨ Email: configurable From address/name with fallback to global settings
  • ✨ Pro: submission handlers converted to hooks/filters for extensibility (used by Formative Pro)
  • 🐛 Improved field naming collision detection
  • 💅 Compact header redesign; canvas preview now matches frontend styles exactly

1.2.0 – 2026-04-10

  • ✨ Saas Like editor feel.
  • ✨ Elementor Like editing controls.

1.1.0 – 2026-01-20

Initial Release

  • ✨ Modern drag-and-drop form builder
  • ✨ 13+ field types (text, email, select, file upload, etc.)
  • ✨ Multi-column responsive layouts
  • ✨ Advanced field styling options
  • ✨ Conditional logic system
  • ✨ Multi-step form functionality
  • ✨ 9 pre-built form templates
  • ✨ 12+ integrations (Mailchimp, Zapier, HubSpot, etc.)
  • ✨ Entry management and CSV export
  • ✨ Email notifications
  • ✨ reCAPTCHA spam protection
  • ✨ REST API architecture
  • ✨ Gutenberg block integration
  • ✨ Shortcode support
  • ✨ Mobile-responsive design
  • ✨ AJAX form submission
  • ✨ Server-side validation
  • ✨ Security hardened (nonce, sanitization, XSS protection)
  • ✨ Admin dashboard with stats
  • ✨ Form duplication
  • ✨ Custom success messages
  • ✨ Redirect after submission

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