Web3Forms or FormSubmit: the two simplest ways to get a form into your inbox
Both get a form into your inbox for free. FormSubmit is the absolute minimum: your email address goes straight into the action attribute and there is no signup of any kind. Web3Forms asks for one step more, verifying your email to get an access key, and in return keeps your address out of the page source, keeps a copy of submissions, and offers paid plans with webhooks.
The difference that decides it
The practical difference is what sits in your HTML. FormSubmit's action URL contains your email address, which means anyone viewing source can read it, and so can the scrapers that harvest addresses for spam lists. You can avoid that by generating a hashed endpoint first, but the default puts the address in plain view.
Web3Forms replaces the address with an access key, so nothing identifying sits in the markup. It also keeps submissions, for up to three years under its terms, and sells paid plans with webhooks, Google Sheets and captchas if a form ever needs more. FormSubmit is entirely free with no paid tier, and with it the email you receive is the only record that the form was filled in.
Side by side
| Capability | Web3Forms | FormSubmit |
|---|---|---|
| Signup | Verify an email address to get an access key | None at all |
| What is in your HTML | An access key | Your email address, unless you generate a hashed endpoint |
| Stored submissions | Kept up to three years under its terms | None, the email is the record |
| Destinations | Email; webhooks and Google Sheets on paid plans | Email only |
| Dashboard or delivery log | A dashboard; a delivery log is not documented | No dashboard and no log |
| Spam filtering | A honeypot field; reCAPTCHA and Turnstile on paid plans | Honeypot and a captcha option via a special field |
| Pricing | Free tier plus paid plans | Entirely free, no paid tier |
"Not a documented feature" means it is not in their published documentation as we read it, not that it can never be done. Check with them before ruling something out.
Which to choose
Choose Web3Forms if
Choose Web3Forms when you do not want your email address in the page source, when you want a copy of submissions outside your inbox, or when you want the option of a paid tier with webhooks rather than a hard ceiling.
Choose FormSubmit if
Choose FormSubmit when you want to write one line of HTML and be finished, with no account anywhere and a guarantee it will always be free. For a weekend project it is hard to beat.
Pricing, as each lists it
Copied from each pricing page on the date shown. Prices change without notice, so check the current figure before deciding.
Web3Forms
As listed on , in EUR. Current pricing
- Personal: Free, 250 / month
- Starter: EUR 50 / year, 5,000 / month (Yearly only, for students and non-profits)
- Pro: EUR 13 / month, 10,000 / month (Billed yearly at EUR 151)
- Agency & Team: EUR 34 / month, 20,000 / month (Billed yearly at EUR 406)
FormSubmit
No published pricing table to quote. Check their site for current terms.
A third option, honestly assessed
If either of these does the job, use it: they are genuinely good at being simple. People move on when one inbox stops being enough, often the first time a notification lands in spam and nobody notices. WebForms logs every delivery attempt and suppresses an address the moment it bounces, so a missed notification shows up in the log instead of disappearing, and its free plan delivers by email with no card. The paid plans add Slack, Discord, Telegram and webhooks from the same submission.
WebForms vs Web3Forms · WebForms vs FormSubmit · Our pricing