A form backend service for developer-owned forms.
A form backend service is a hosted API endpoint that receives your form's POST request, filters spam, stores the submission, and sends a notification — without you running a server. splitforms is a form backend service: point any HTML, React, or Next.js form at https://splitforms.com/api/submit with a hidden access_key field and every submission lands in your dashboard with email alerts included free.
<form action="https://splitforms.com/api/submit" method="POST">
<input type="hidden" name="access_key" value="YOUR_ACCESS_KEY" />
<input name="name" autocomplete="name" required />
<input name="email" type="email" autocomplete="email" required />
<textarea name="message" required></textarea>
<!-- Honeypot — bots fill it, humans never see it -->
<input type="checkbox" name="botcheck" style="display:none" tabindex="-1" autocomplete="off" />
<!-- Time-trap — set on page load, checked on submit -->
<input type="hidden" name="form_loaded_at" id="form_loaded_at" />
<button type="submit">Send</button>
</form>
<script>
document.getElementById("form_loaded_at").value = Date.now();
</script>You do not need to build the form backend yourself.
Mail code
No PHP mailer, SMTP script, nodemailer handler, or deliverability work.
Database work
No submissions table, admin view, CSV export, or retention cleanup to build first.
Spam stack
No separate CAPTCHA vendor, honeypot parser, or content-scoring job to maintain.
Webhook retries
No queue, signature scheme, replay screen, or dead-letter workflow to write.
How to connect your form to a backend service
Four steps, no server code. Works the same whether your form is plain HTML, a React component, or a Next.js form.
Create a free access key
Sign up and copy the access key from your dashboard. Free covers 500 submissions/month across unlimited forms, no card required.
Point your form at the endpoint
Set the form action to https://splitforms.com/api/submit and method POST, or send the same fields as JSON with fetch(). Add the hidden access_key field.
Add spam protection
Keep the botcheck honeypot field empty and add the form_loaded_at time-trap field so bot submissions get filtered automatically.
Test delivery and check the dashboard
Submit the form once, confirm the owner email notification arrives, and see the entry stored in your dashboard.
Best form backend
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Form backend service FAQ
What is a form backend service?
A form backend service is a hosted API endpoint that receives your form's POST request, validates fields, filters spam, stores entries, and sends email notifications or webhooks — without you running a server. splitforms is a form backend service: point any form at https://splitforms.com/api/submit with a hidden access_key field and every submission lands in your dashboard.
When should I use a form backend service?
Use one when your site already has a form UI but no backend to process submissions. It is a good fit for static sites, React apps, Next.js apps, Webflow embeds, and landing pages.
Is this different from a form builder?
Yes. A form builder usually hosts the whole form UI. A form backend service lets you keep your own HTML, CSS, and framework components while outsourcing submission handling.
How much does a form backend service cost?
Free covers 500 submissions/month across unlimited forms, with email notifications, spam filtering, and dashboard storage included. Starter is $1/mo for 1,000 submissions plus CSV/XML/PDF exports, webhooks, and integrations. Pro is $5/mo for 5,000 submissions plus CC/BCC and priority support. A 3-Year plan is $59 one-time for 15,000 submissions/month.
Can I use this with React or Next.js instead of a plain HTML form?
Yes. The endpoint accepts a standard form POST or a fetch() call with JSON — multipart is also supported for file fields. Keep your own React or Next.js form markup and submit to https://splitforms.com/api/submit with the access_key included.
Can the same backend send webhooks?
Yes. splitforms stores the submission and sends owner email on every plan. Starter and above can also forward a single signed webhook (HMAC-SHA256, prefixed sha256=) to CRMs, automation tools, or your own API, with an 8-second timeout and no automatic retries.
How do I stop spam without a CAPTCHA?
Every plan includes a botcheck honeypot field (must stay empty) and a form_loaded_at time-trap that flags submissions sent faster than a human could type, plus server-side content heuristics and rate limiting at 6 submissions/minute per IP. Optional reCAPTCHA v2 is available if you want an extra layer.
Can an AI agent or script use the same form backend?
Yes. The free MCP server exposes tools like create_form, generate_form, and list_submissions for AI agents, and the REST API (GET /api/submissions with a Bearer token from Dashboard → MCP) lets any script read leads directly.
Connect your form to a real backend.
Free includes 500 submissions per month, owner email notifications, spam filtering, and dashboard storage.
Start free