Clean Form Mail
Lightweight contact form plugin with spam protection, auto reply and flexible email delivery — simple, reliable and easy to use.
Use with caution
Clean Form Mail works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. Was last updated 4 months ago, and scores 49/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (<10 active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Clean Form Mail stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| auto-reply | >100 |
| contact form | >100 |
| >100 | |
| form mail | >100 |
| spam protection | >100 |
About Clean Form Mail
From the official readme · v3.3.0Description
Clean Form Mail is a lightweight, easy-to-use contact form plugin for WordPress that makes sending email from your site simple and reliable. It allows you to create adaptable forms directly from the admin panel, with built-in spam protection using honeypot fields and IP rate limiting to prevent abuse. Auto reply functionality ensures your users receive instant confirmation, while flexible email delivery keeps your communications dependable without any unnecessary bloat. Perfect for anyone who wants a straightforward, secure, and efficient way to handle form submissions on their site.
Key Features
- Lightweight & Efficient: Minimal code footprint ensures fast performance without slowing down your site.
- Adaptable Forms: Easily create multiple forms with configurable fields, recipients, and attachments — each with its own independent settings.
- Spam Protection: Built-in honeypot fields and IP rate limiting prevent spam submissions and repeated abuse attempts.
- Auto Replies: Automatically send personalised confirmation emails to users after submission, using {placeholders} to include their own details.
- Reliable Email Delivery: Leverages the WordPress mail system to ensure messages are delivered consistently. Works with any SMTP plugin for enhanced reliability.
- File Upload Support: Optional file uploads directly through your forms, with configurable file types and size limits.
- Easy Administration: Manage all forms and settings through the WordPress admin panel with an intuitive, clutter-free interface that follows your chosen WordPress colour scheme.
- 3 After-Submit Options: Show an inline success message, redirect to a personalised thank-you page using
[cfm_thankyou], or redirect visitors to any page on your site. - Click-to-Copy Shortcodes: Click any shortcode in the admin panel to copy it to your clipboard instantly.
Why Choose Clean Form Mail?
Many form plugins are bloated or complicated for simple sites. Clean Form Mail focuses on simplicity, reliability, and security. Whether you are running a personal blog, small business site, or portfolio, this plugin gives you everything you need for contact forms — without overwhelming settings or unnecessary features.
When you are ready to grow, the multi-form system means you can run different forms for different purposes — a general contact form, a quote request form, a support form — all from one plugin, each completely independent.
Shortcodes
Place a form on any page or post:
`[clean_form_mail]```
Use a specific form by its ID:
[clean_form_mail id="quote"]
Override the recipient or subject for one specific page:
[clean_form_mail id="contact" recipient="sales@yoursite.com" subject="Sales Enquiry"]
Personalised thank-you page (place on a dedicated page):
[cfm_thankyou id="contact"]
Support
For support, please use the WordPress.org support forum for Clean Form Mail, or visit the plugin page at https://ajb.co/wp-plugins/cfm/
Installation
- Download and install Clean Form Mail from the WordPress plugin directory.
- Activate the plugin via the Plugins menu in WordPress.
- Navigate to the Clean Form Mail menu in your admin panel to create and configure your forms.
- Customise form fields, recipients, and optional features like auto reply or file upload.
- Save your settings and embed your form using the shortcode
[clean_form_mail]anywhere on your site.
For reliable email delivery, install a free SMTP plugin such as WP Mail SMTP or FluentSMTP alongside Clean Form Mail.
Frequently asked questions
Can I have different forms on different pages?
Yes. Each form has its own unique shortcode ID — for example [clean_form_mail id="contact"] and [clean_form_mail id="quote"]. Each form has completely independent fields, recipient address, auto reply, and after-submit settings.
How do I use placeholders in the auto reply?
Use the field ID in curly braces — for example {name}, {email}, {message}. System placeholders {site_name}, {site_url}, and {date} are also available. If a visitor leaves an optional field blank, any line referencing that placeholder is automatically removed so the email always reads cleanly.
How does the spam protection work?
Clean Form Mail uses two layers. An invisible honeypot field is embedded in every form — real visitors never see or fill it in, but bots do and are instantly blocked. IP rate limiting allows you to set a maximum number of submissions per IP address per time window, preventing repeated abuse. No CAPTCHA puzzles are needed.
What happens if I delete a form that is still on a page?
The shortcode renders nothing and leaves an invisible HTML comment in the source code noting the form ID was not found, so you can easily locate and remove or update the shortcode.
How do I use the select dropdown field?
In the Form Fields tab, set the field type to Select. A dedicated Options input appears in that field’s row — enter your options comma-separated, for example General Enquiry,Sales,Support,Other.
Does it work with any theme?
Yes. The form inherits your theme’s font by default so it blends in naturally. All CSS class names are prefixed with cfm- to avoid conflicts. You can also set a custom Google Font from the admin panel.
Do I need to set up a database?
No. Clean Form Mail stores all settings in standard WordPress options. There are no custom database tables.
Changelog
New: Button style settings — colour, size, corner radius, alignment New: Label alignment setting — left, centre, or right Fixed: [cfm_thankyou] shortcode copy button was copying old shortcode name Fixed: Add New Form now works correctly from the forms list Improved: Button text colour chosen automatically for readability against chosen background
3.3.0
- New: Button style settings — colour, size, corner radius, alignment
- New: Label alignment setting — left, centre, or right
- Fixed: [cfm_thankyou] shortcode copy button was copying old shortcode name
- Fixed: Add New Form now works correctly from the forms list
- Improved: Button text colour chosen automatically for readability against chosen background
3.2.1
- Renamed to Clean Form Mail
- All CSS prefixes updated to cfm-
- Shortcodes updated to
[clean_form_mail]and[cfm_thankyou] - readme.txt updated with full documentation
3.2.0
- All output correctly escaped per WordPress coding standards
- wp_safe_redirect() used throughout
- wp_unslash() applied to all $_POST, $_GET, and $_SERVER input
- $_FILES validated before use
- Google Font enqueue version fixed
- Click-to-copy shortcodes added to admin
3.1.1
- Fixed deleted forms still rendering via shortcode
- Fixed backslashes accumulating in saved text on each save
3.1.0
- Admin panel now follows WordPress admin colour scheme automatically
- Button hover states corrected throughout
3.0.0
- Multiple independent forms — unlimited forms each with unique shortcode ID
- Per-form settings: fields, recipient, auto reply, after-submit, font
- Duplicate form feature
Screenshots
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best Clean Form Mail alternatives
All auto-reply plugins →FAQ
Clean Form Mail: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 11, 2026
Is Clean Form Mail free?
Yes. Clean Form Mail is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Clean Form Mail safe to use in 2026?
Clean Form Mail works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. Was last updated 4 months ago, and scores 49/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Clean Form Mail?
Clean Form Mail is active on <10 WordPress websites and has been downloaded 236 times since it launched in June 2026. It was downloaded 55 times in the last 30 days.
Does Clean Form Mail work with WordPress 7.1?
Clean Form Mail is officially tested up to WordPress 7.0.7, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Clean Form Mail need?
Clean Form Mail requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Clean Form Mail last updated?
The latest version, 3.3.0, was released on June 1, 2026 (4 months ago).
Who makes Clean Form Mail?
Clean Form Mail is developed and maintained by andrewjbruce.
What are the best alternatives to Clean Form Mail?
The most popular alternatives to Clean Form Mail are WebFacing™ (200+ installs), bbPress Activity Tracker (10+ installs) and AI Auto Responder Light (10+ installs).
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