Title: Essential Form – The lightest plugin for contact forms, ultra lightweight and no spam Author: Jose Mortellaro Published: February 28, 2023 Last modified: December 4, 2025 --- Search plugins ![](https://ps.w.org/essential-form/assets/banner-772x250.png?rev=2872333) ![](https://ps.w.org/essential-form/assets/icon-256x256.png?rev=2872333) # Essential Form – The lightest plugin for contact forms, ultra lightweight and no spam By [Jose Mortellaro](https://profiles.wordpress.org/giuse/) [Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/essential-form.1.0.2.zip) * [Details](https://srd.wordpress.org/plugins/essential-form/#description) * [Reviews](https://srd.wordpress.org/plugins/essential-form/#reviews) * [Installation](https://srd.wordpress.org/plugins/essential-form/#installation) * [Development](https://srd.wordpress.org/plugins/essential-form/#developers) [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/essential-form/) ## Description Looking for a no-fuss, ultra-lightweight contact form that just works? **Essential Form** gives you exactly what you need — no more, no less. Use the shortcode `[essential_form]` wherever you want a simple contact form with the following fields: * Name * Email * Message * Agreement checkbox That’s it. No extra fluff, no performance hit. #### ⚡ Zero Bloat. Zero Requests. Zero Spam. Essential Form adds **no HTTP requests**, loads **no external libraries**, and runs on **pure Vanilla JavaScript** — only **1 kB of inline script**, injected **only on pages with a form**. When we say it’s the lightest contact form ever made, we mean it. The entire plugin zip is just **14 kB**. #### 🛡️ Anti-Spam, Reinvented (No Captchas, Ever) Our **invisible anti-spam system** blocks all automated bots — no annoying captchas, no puzzles, no headaches. Here’s how it works: * Each form submission uses a **unique, random token** * **20 random security keys** are generated per site * AJAX actions have **unpredictable names** like `essential_form_fbe52b696` * Robots can’t guess or simulate a valid submission The result? **Only real humans** get through. Bots don’t stand a chance. #### 🧘‍♀️ Keep It Simple Most of the time, all you need is a name, email, message, and a simple checkbox. That’s exactly what Essential Form gives you. If you need complex forms with extra fields or logic, this plugin isn’t for you — try Contact Form 7 instead. But if you want something fast, clean, and incredibly secure, **Essential Form** is for you. **Try Essential Form today — and enjoy a faster, cleaner contact form experience.** ### How to add a contact form on the page * Add the shortcode [essential_form] * Done! ### Features of the Contact Form * **Extremely lightweight** – The plugin inlines about 1 kB of pure Vanilla JavaScript( even smaller when compressed) only on the page where you use the shortcode — and **never above the fold**. On all other pages, it doesn’t exist at all. You could say it only “exists” on a page because the form is visible — otherwise, you’d never know the plugin is there. No tool will be able to measure any meaningful resource usage caused by this plugin. * The **contact form** includes only four fields: name, email, message, and an agreement checkbox. Nothing else. If you need more fields, this plugin isn’t for you. But if that’s all you need — you’ll love how simple and fast it is. * It **inherits your theme’s styles** automatically. If you want custom styling, you can add your own CSS — or use a different plugin if you need more built-in design options. * It includes a **powerful, invisible anti-spam system**. Bots won’t be able to send messages through your form. Only real humans can submit it — and if you ever get spam, it will be from a human doing it manually. * **No captchas, no puzzles, no user frustration.** The anti-spam system works entirely behind the scenes — quietly and effectively. ### Shortcode Parameters You can customize the form labels and messages using these shortcode parameters: * `label_email` * `label_message` * `button_text` * `agreement_text` * `success_message` **Example usage:** ``` [essential_form label_email="Your email" label_message="Your message" button_text="Send" agreement_text="You agree with our privacy policy" success_message="Thank you for your message!"] ``` If you don’t provide these parameters, the plugin will use the default values. ### How to customize the contact forms You can also customize the contact forms throught the filter hook ‘essential_form_settings’. Here an example. ``` add_filter( 'essential_form_settings',function( $options ){ return array( 'email_from' => 'youremail@mail.com', 'email_to' => 'youremail@mail.com', 'email_subject' => sprintf( esc_html__( 'Message from %s','your-domain' ),get_bloginfo( 'name' ) ), 'label_name' => __( 'Name','your-domain' ), 'label_email' => __( 'Email','your-domain' ), 'label_message' => __( 'Message','your-domain' ), 'button_text' => __( 'Send','your-domain' ), 'agreement_text' => __( 'By submitting this form I agree with the privacy policy','your-domain' ), 'success_message' => __( 'Form submitted successfully! Thank you for your message!','your-domain' ), 'name_missing_error' => __( 'Name is a required field!','your-domain' ), 'email_missing_error' => __( 'Email is a required field!','your-domain' ), 'email_not_valid_error' => __( 'Email not valid!','your-domain' ), 'message_missing_error' => __( 'Message is a required field!','your-domain' ), 'message_too_long_error' => __( 'This message is too long! Please, write not more than 50000 characters.','your-domain' ), 'missing_agreement_error' => __( 'You have to agree with our privacy policy to submit the form.','your-domain' ) ); } ); ``` If you need to do a custom action after the sending of the email, you can use the action hook ‘essential_form_after_sending’. Here an example. ``` add_action( 'essential_form_after_sending',function( $name,$email,$message,$post_id ){ //$name is the name of the user who submitted the contant form //$message is the message which is sent through the contact form //$post_id is the ID of the page where is included the contact form //Your code here },10,4 ); ``` If you need to customize the message that is included in the email, use the filter hook ‘essential_form_message’. Here you have an example. ``` add_filter('essential_form_message',function( $message,$name,$email,$post_id ){ if( isset( $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'] ) ){ $message .= '

IP: '.sanitize_text_field( $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'] ).'

'; } return $message; },10,4 ); ``` If you need to customize the agreement text, use the filter hook ‘essential_form_agreement_text’. Here you have an example. ``` add_filter( 'essential_form_agreement_text',function( $text ){ return 'By submitting this form I agree with the Privacy Policy'; } ); ``` ### Limitations The limits of [Essential Form](https://wordpress.org/plugins/essential-form/) are many, but they are what make this plugin the best if you need a ultra-lightweight contact form with just name, email, comment, and privacy agreement. If you need more, you can always install more complete but also heavier contact forms like: [Contact Form 7](https://wordpress.org/plugins/contact-form-7/) [WPForms](https://wordpress.org/plugins/wpforms-lite/) [Forminator](https://wordpress.org/plugins/forminator/) [Formidable Forms](https://wordpress.org/plugins/formidable/) [Ninja Forms](https://wordpress.org/plugins/ninja-forms/) and many other amazing plugins for contact forms. ### How to speed up the form submission and avoid conflicts with other plugins * Install and activate [Freesoul Deactivate Plugins](https://wordpress.org/plugins/freesoul-deactivate-plugins/) * Go to Freesoul Deactivate Plugins => Plugin Manger => Actions => Essential Form * Deactivate all the plugins for the actions “Getting secret key during submission” and “Form submission” By using [Freesoul Deactivate Plugins](https://wordpress.org/plugins/freesoul-deactivate-plugins/) to clean up all the other plugins, the form submission will be faster and without any conflict with third plugins. ### Demo You can see [Essential Form](https://wordpress.org/plugins/essential-form/) in action on my blog post [The Lightest Contact Form Plugin Ever](https://josemortellaro.com/the-lightest-contact-form-plugin-ever/) You don’t need any demo for the backend, because there are no settings for this plugin. Just use the shortcode [essential_form] where you want to add the form, and customized as mentioned in the description. #### I need this plugin to do something custom If you want to integrate this plugin with other tools or workflows, I offer a custom development service for WordPress plugin integrations and feature extensions. Learn more about [advanced custom functionality for WordPress](https://josemortellaro.com/advanced-functionality-for-wordpress/). ## Installation 1. Upload the plugin files to the `/wp-content/plugins/essential-form` directory, or install the plugin through the WordPress plugins screen directly. 2. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ screen in WordPress. 3. Add the shortcode `[essential_form]` to any post, page, or widget where you want the contact form to appear. ## FAQ ### Can I add more fields? No. Essential Form is intentionally minimal. It includes only name, email, message, and agreement checkbox. ### Does it work with caching plugins? Yes, it’s compatible with most caching setups because the form token is dynamically handled. ### Does it support AJAX submissions? Yes, form submissions use AJAX to send messages without reloading the page. ### Is it GDPR-compliant? Yes. No data is stored on your server. Everything is handled via email, and the agreement checkbox helps you get user consent. ## Reviews ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/8e4a8c5cac93ffbc34301e51e4c6540a953573af6bdd53a6d33daebf72ada301? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[Wonderful](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wonderful-1108/)󠁿 [myjosephines](https://profiles.wordpress.org/myjosephines/) January 30, 2026 1 reply Simple and no bloat, love it ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7130a18795b70d383df56c4c94551286a153a0ade74158a65ab1f34a3b0d24f2? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[Can’t send mail](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cant-send-mail-3/)󠁿 [eleventyseventy](https://profiles.wordpress.org/eleventyseventy/) January 24, 2026 Sorry, I removed the text as I should have posted in “Support Threads” instead ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/307766eb54bca9c928d5a7514b55c3316a6128618c0fc07943ed3ebfa1972a50? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[Perfect, Sometimes](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/perfect-sometimes/)󠁿 [sybydesign](https://profiles.wordpress.org/sybydesign/) January 13, 2026 Like you say, love it or hate it. This is perfect for one of my sites, and I love it. Not enough form for my other site, but that’s OK. It works great for what it works for. Thank you for making this light easy form plugin. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1d0d6bd27d03348b9b53a873d4fa66fe894ff94b2212f091d4754167961ad86e? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[Excellent](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/excellent-13954/)󠁿 [N.g](https://profiles.wordpress.org/loralora/) June 10, 2025 1 reply Very fast, thank you! ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/8e05289a0fdb71bccf1671bc67e6da474f3457b08c922fd860ff253bb5d32073? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[Simply best contact form for wordpress](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/simply-best-contact-form-for-wordpress/)󠁿 [mcdeth](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mcdeth/) April 20, 2025 1 reply Got rid of contact form and wpform, no more bloats. Hands down to Jose ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/8c753b92f15f47835aee8922cf945ef47bfcb816bb081d727c86684d09df469a? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[I want to believe, but it’s not there yet](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/i-want-to-believe-but-its-not-there-yet/)󠁿 [Gabriel R.](https://profiles.wordpress.org/gabrielradic/) March 26, 2025 1 reply It should use the theme style, but it’s not, fields and buttons are tiny and HTML defaulty looking. [ Read all 19 reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/essential-form/reviews/) ## Contributors & Developers “Essential Form – The lightest plugin for contact forms, ultra lightweight and no spam” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin. Contributors * [ Jose Mortellaro ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/giuse/) “Essential Form – The lightest plugin for contact forms, ultra lightweight and no spam” has been translated into 6 locales. Thank you to [the translators](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/essential-form/contributors) for their contributions. [Translate “Essential Form – The lightest plugin for contact forms, ultra lightweight and no spam” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/essential-form) ### Interested in development? [Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/essential-form/), check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/essential-form/), or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/essential-form/) by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/essential-form/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss). ## Changelog #### 1.0.2 * Added: filter hook ‘essential_form_include_source_in_email’ to include or not the source page info in the email. * Fix: mispelled words in the text before the main message. #### 1.0.1 * Added: filter hook ‘essential_form_submit_style’ to customize the submit button style. * Fix: privacy policy page not taken on multisites. #### 1.0.0 * Added: label of the checkbox agreement is now clickable. #### 0.0.9 * Fix: line spaces removed in the email message. #### 0.0.8 * Added: translated in French. Many thanks to @queertimes for the translation. * Fixed: translation files not loaded from the WordPress language directory. #### 0.0.7 * Added: translated in German. Many thanks to @cutu234 for the translation. * Added: possibility to remove only the agreement checkbox without removing the text by using the filter add_filter( ‘essential_form_agreement_checkbox_required’,‘ __return_empty_string’ ); #### 0.0.6 * Added: possibility to remove the agreement checkbox by adding define( ‘ESSENTIAL_FORM_ASK_FOR_AGREEMENT’, false ); in wp-config.php #### 0.0.5 * Improved: increased the expiration time of the random key #### 0.0.4 * Added: integration with Freesoul Deactivate Plugins to unload all the other plugins during the form submission #### 0.0.3 * Fix: warning on activation #### 0.0.2 * Added: allowed link in the privacy aggreement chcekbox * Translated in Italian #### 0.0.1 * Initial release ## Meta * Version **1.0.2** * Last updated **4 months ago** * Active installations **500+** * WordPress version ** 4.6 or higher ** * Tested up to **6.9.4** * PHP version ** 7.2 or higher ** * Languages * [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/essential-form/), [Greek](https://el.wordpress.org/plugins/essential-form/), [Italian](https://it.wordpress.org/plugins/essential-form/), [Russian](https://ru.wordpress.org/plugins/essential-form/), [Spanish (Chile)](https://cl.wordpress.org/plugins/essential-form/), [Spanish (Spain)](https://es.wordpress.org/plugins/essential-form/), and [Ukrainian](https://uk.wordpress.org/plugins/essential-form/). * [Translate into your language](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/essential-form) * Tags * [anti-spam](https://srd.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/anti-spam/)[contact form](https://srd.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/contact-form/) [email](https://srd.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/email/)[light](https://srd.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/light/) * [Advanced View](https://srd.wordpress.org/plugins/essential-form/advanced/) ## Ratings 4.9 out of 5 stars. * [ 18 5-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/essential-form/reviews/?filter=5) * [ 1 4-star review ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/essential-form/reviews/?filter=4) * [ 0 3-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/essential-form/reviews/?filter=3) * [ 0 2-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/essential-form/reviews/?filter=2) * [ 0 1-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/essential-form/reviews/?filter=1) [Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/essential-form/reviews/#new-post) [See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/essential-form/reviews/) ## Contributors * [ Jose Mortellaro ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/giuse/) ## Support Issues resolved in last two months: 0 out of 2 [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/essential-form/)