splitforms.com
LEAD CAPTURE · CONTACT FORM TEMPLATE

Client Intake Form (Freelancers & Consultants)

The difference between a freelancer who's always on discovery calls and one who's always billing is the intake form. Scope, budget, and timeline up front — so the first call is a proposal conversation, not an interrogation.

500/mo free·no card·works on any host
form.htmlhtml31 lines
01<form action="https://splitforms.com/api/submit" method="POST">
02 <input type="hidden" name="access_key" value="YOUR_ACCESS_KEY">
03 <input type="hidden" name="subject" value="New consultation request">
04
05 <label for="name">Full name *</label>
06 <input id="name" type="text" name="name" placeholder="Tomás López" required>
07 <label for="email">Email *</label>
08 <input id="email" type="email" name="email" placeholder="tomas@example.com" required>
09 <label for="phone">Phone *</label>
10 <input id="phone" type="tel" name="phone" placeholder="+1 555 0184" required>
11 <label for="topic">Topic *</label>
12 <select id="topic" name="topic" required>
13 <option value="">Choose…</option>
14 <option>General inquiry</option>
15 <option>Strategy</option>
16 <option>Financial planning</option>
17 <option>Legal advice</option>
18 <option>Other</option>
19 </select>
20 <label for="details">What do you need help with? *</label>
21 <textarea id="details" name="details" placeholder="Be specific so we can match you with the right advisor." required></textarea>
22
23 <!-- honeypot — bots fill every field -->
24 <input type="checkbox" name="botcheck" style="display:none" tabindex="-1" autocomplete="off">
25
26 <button type="submit">Send</button>
27</form>
28
29<p style="margin-top:12px;font-size:11px;color:#888;text-align:right">
30 Powered by <a href="https://splitforms.com" style="color:#888;text-decoration:none" target="_blank" rel="noopener">splitforms</a>
31</p>
500
submissions / mo, free
5
fields, ready to ship
5
code outputs
60s
from copy to inbox
§ 01Why it mattersthe qualifying-fields argument

Every freelancer learns the same lesson: unqualified discovery calls are where billable hours go to die. A proper intake form filters before the calendar fills — what they need, when they need it, and the budget band they're working with. The budget dropdown does the heavy lifting; 'under $1k' leads get a productised offer or a polite referral, while 'over $10k' leads get a call slot the same day. The form isn't a gate, it's triage — and it signals professionalism before you've said a word.

Budget ranges + timeline up front — discovery calls become proposal calls.
✦ at a glance
  • Free consultation · 5 fields
  • HTML, JS, React, PHP, cURL outputs
  • One POST endpoint, no SDK
  • Honeypot + classifier, no CAPTCHA
§ 02Live previewinteractive · sandboxed · no key required

See exactly what your visitors see — and you’ll receive.

Left: the rendered form, fully interactive in a sandboxed iframe. Right: the email and dashboard view that lands the moment a visitor submits.

preview · client-intake-formlocalhost:3000
✦ what you’ll see in your inbox

Every submission becomes an email plus a dashboard row. The fields below are the exact payload your form will send. Reply-to is wired to the visitor’s email so hitting reply goes back to them.

dashboard · new submission14ms · 200 OK
SUBJECT · New consultation request
Full name
Maya Iyer
Email
maya@studio71.co
Phone
+1 415 555 0142
Topic
General inquiry
What do you need help with?
Loved your last open house in Hayes — looking for similar with parking. Pre-approved through Wells Fargo.

Iframe is sandboxed — submit doesn’t actually fire. Get your access key to wire it up live.

§ 03Three steps3 steps · ~60 seconds

Generate, embed, receive.

Three actions stand between you and your first lead. None of them require a backend, a database, or a CAPTCHA library.

STEP 01GENERATE

Ask scope, timeline, budget

Project type dropdown (tailored to your services), a 'what are you trying to achieve?' textarea, target timeline, and a budget-range dropdown. Four answers tell you whether to send a calendar link or a courteous pass.

Create your form
key=sk_live_••••••••
STEP 02EMBED

Make budget a range, not a blank

Open budget fields stay empty; ranges get answered. Bands like 'under $1k / $1-5k / $5-10k / $10k+' feel safe to click and map directly to your minimum engagement.

snippethtml
<form action="https://splitforms.com/api/submit" method="POST">
  …
</form>
STEP 03RECEIVE

Route by qualification

Webhook qualified leads ($5k+, timeline this quarter) to your phone or Slack for a same-day reply; everything else gets the auto-responder with your services PDF and a 'we'll be in touch this week'.

inbox · 1 newjust now
FROM contact@yoursite.com
New consultation request
Maya Iyer maya@studio71.co
Loved your last open house in Hayes — looking for similar with parking. Pre-approved through Wells Fargo.
§ 04Copy & ship5 languages · same endpoint

Five outputs. One backend.

HTML by default. Click open the language you ship in — every variant POSTs to the same /api/submit endpoint.

01HTMLform.html31 lines
<form action="https://splitforms.com/api/submit" method="POST">
  <input type="hidden" name="access_key" value="YOUR_ACCESS_KEY">
  <input type="hidden" name="subject" value="New consultation request">

  <label for="name">Full name *</label>
  <input id="name" type="text" name="name" placeholder="Tomás López" required>
  <label for="email">Email *</label>
  <input id="email" type="email" name="email" placeholder="tomas@example.com" required>
  <label for="phone">Phone *</label>
  <input id="phone" type="tel" name="phone" placeholder="+1 555 0184" required>
  <label for="topic">Topic *</label>
  <select id="topic" name="topic" required>
    <option value="">Choose…</option>
    <option>General inquiry</option>
    <option>Strategy</option>
    <option>Financial planning</option>
    <option>Legal advice</option>
    <option>Other</option>
  </select>
  <label for="details">What do you need help with? *</label>
  <textarea id="details" name="details" placeholder="Be specific so we can match you with the right advisor." required></textarea>

  <!-- honeypot — bots fill every field -->
  <input type="checkbox" name="botcheck" style="display:none" tabindex="-1" autocomplete="off">

  <button type="submit">Send</button>
</form>

<p style="margin-top:12px;font-size:11px;color:#888;text-align:right">
  Powered by <a href="https://splitforms.com" style="color:#888;text-decoration:none" target="_blank" rel="noopener">splitforms</a>
</p>
02JavaScriptform.js47 lines
<form id="lf-form">
  <label for="name">Full name *</label>
  <input id="name" type="text" name="name" placeholder="Tomás López" required>
  <label for="email">Email *</label>
  <input id="email" type="email" name="email" placeholder="tomas@example.com" required>
  <label for="phone">Phone *</label>
  <input id="phone" type="tel" name="phone" placeholder="+1 555 0184" required>
  <label for="topic">Topic *</label>
  <select id="topic" name="topic" required>
    <option value="">Choose…</option>
    <option>General inquiry</option>
    <option>Strategy</option>
    <option>Financial planning</option>
    <option>Legal advice</option>
    <option>Other</option>
  </select>
  <label for="details">What do you need help with? *</label>
  <textarea id="details" name="details" placeholder="Be specific so we can match you with the right advisor." required></textarea>
  <button type="submit">Send</button>
</form>

<p style="margin-top:12px;font-size:11px;color:#888;text-align:right">
  Powered by <a href="https://splitforms.com" style="color:#888;text-decoration:none" target="_blank" rel="noopener">splitforms</a>
</p>

<script>
  document.getElementById('lf-form').addEventListener('submit', async (e) => {
    e.preventDefault();
    const data = new FormData(e.target);
    data.set('access_key', 'YOUR_ACCESS_KEY');
    data.set('subject', 'New consultation request');

    const res = await fetch('https://splitforms.com/api/submit', {
      method: 'POST',
      body: data,
      headers: { Accept: 'application/json' },
    });

    const json = await res.json();
    if (json.success) {
      e.target.reset();
      alert('Sent!');
    } else {
      alert('Error: ' + (json.message || 'Try again'));
    }
  });
</script>
03React / Next.jsForm.tsx62 lines
'use client';

import { useState, type FormEvent } from 'react';

export default function ConsultationForm() {
  const [status, setStatus] = useState<'idle' | 'sending' | 'sent' | 'error'>('idle');

  async function onSubmit(e: FormEvent<HTMLFormElement>) {
    e.preventDefault();
    setStatus('sending');

    const data = new FormData(e.currentTarget);
    data.set('access_key', 'YOUR_ACCESS_KEY');
    data.set('subject', 'New consultation request');

    const res = await fetch('https://splitforms.com/api/submit', {
      method: 'POST',
      body: data,
      headers: { Accept: 'application/json' },
    });

    const json = await res.json();
    setStatus(json.success ? 'sent' : 'error');
    if (json.success) e.currentTarget.reset();
  }

  if (status === 'sent') return <p>Thanks — we&rsquo;ll be in touch.</p>;

  return (
    <>
    <form onSubmit={onSubmit}>
      <label htmlFor="name">Full name *</label>
      <input id="name" type="text" name="name" placeholder="Tomás López" required />
      <label htmlFor="email">Email *</label>
      <input id="email" type="email" name="email" placeholder="tomas@example.com" required />
      <label htmlFor="phone">Phone *</label>
      <input id="phone" type="tel" name="phone" placeholder="+1 555 0184" required />
      <label htmlFor="topic">Topic *</label>
      <select id="topic" name="topic" required>
        <option value="">Choose…</option>
        <option>General inquiry</option>
        <option>Strategy</option>
        <option>Financial planning</option>
        <option>Legal advice</option>
        <option>Other</option>
      </select>
      <label htmlFor="details">What do you need help with? *</label>
      <textarea id="details" name="details" placeholder="Be specific so we can match you with the right advisor." required />

      <button type="submit" disabled={status === 'sending'}>
        {status === 'sending' ? 'Sending…' : 'Send'}
      </button>

      {status === 'error' && <p>Something went wrong. Try again.</p>}
    </form>

      <p style={{ marginTop: 12, fontSize: 11, color: '#888', textAlign: 'right' }}>
        Powered by <a href="https://splitforms.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style={{ color: '#888', textDecoration: 'none' }}>splitforms</a>
      </p>
    </>
  );
}
04PHPsubmit.php28 lines
<?php
// Drop into a PHP page. Receives a form POST and proxies it to splitforms.com.
// Useful when you want to add server-side validation or rate limiting.

if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'POST') {
    $allowed = ['name', 'email', 'phone', 'topic', 'details'];
    $payload = ['access_key' => 'YOUR_ACCESS_KEY'];
    $payload['subject'] = 'New consultation request';

    foreach ($allowed as $f) {
        if (isset($_POST[$f])) $payload[$f] = $_POST[$f];
    }

    $ch = curl_init('https://splitforms.com/api/submit');
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, http_build_query($payload));
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, ['Accept: application/json']);
    $response = curl_exec($ch);
    $status   = curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_HTTP_CODE);
    curl_close($ch);

    header('Content-Type: application/json');
    http_response_code($status);
    echo $response;
    exit;
}
?>
05cURLtest.sh9 lines
curl -X POST https://splitforms.com/api/submit \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -d "access_key=YOUR_ACCESS_KEY" \
  -d "subject=New consultation request" \
  -d "name=Jane Builder" \
  -d "email=jane@example.com" \
  -d "phone=+15555555555" \
  -d "topic=General inquiry" \
  -d "details=Hello from cURL" 

Replace YOUR_ACCESS_KEY with the key from your dashboard. That’s the only edit.

§ 04bUse this template with…25 frameworks · same backend

One template. Every framework.

The same field set works on every framework splitforms supports. HTML, React, Next.js, Vue, Astro, Hugo, WordPress — same POST, same backend.

Free consultation for HTML/forms/html/consultationFree consultation for Next.js/forms/nextjs/consultationFree consultation for React/forms/react/consultationFree consultation for Vue/forms/vue/consultationFree consultation for Astro/forms/astro/consultationFree consultation for Svelte/forms/svelte/consultationFree consultation for Webflow/forms/webflow/consultationFree consultation for Carrd/forms/carrd/consultationFree consultation for WordPress/forms/wordpress/consultationFree consultation for Tailwind CSS/forms/tailwind/consultationFree consultation for AJAX (vanilla JS)/forms/ajax/consultationFree consultation for Hugo/forms/hugo/consultationFree consultation for Gatsby/forms/gatsby/consultationFree consultation for Eleventy/forms/eleventy/consultationFree consultation for SvelteKit/forms/sveltekit/consultationFree consultation for Framer/forms/framer/consultationFree consultation for Nuxt/forms/nuxt/consultationFree consultation for Alpine.js/forms/alpinejs/consultationFree consultation for Bootstrap/forms/bootstrap/consultationFree consultation for Jekyll/forms/jekyll/consultationFree consultation for Vite/forms/vite/consultationFree consultation for JavaScript/forms/javascript/consultationFree consultation for Cloudflare Pages/forms/cloudflare/consultationFree consultation for Netlify/forms/netlify/consultationFree consultation for Vercel/forms/vercel/consultation
§ 06FAQ4 answered

Things people ask before they ship.

Direct answers, no marketing fluff. Missing one? Email hello@splitforms.com.

01Won't asking for budget scare off good clients?
It scares off clients with no budget, which is the point. Serious buyers expect the question — agencies have asked it for decades. A range dropdown (rather than a blank field) keeps it low-pressure, and an 'I don't know yet — advise me' option catches the genuinely unsure.
02Should I embed Calendly instead of using a form?
Calendly without intake means anyone can book your hour. The strong pattern is form first, calendar second: qualified submissions get the booking link in the auto-reply or your follow-up. You still book calls fast — just only the right ones.
03Can I send intake data to my CRM or Notion?
Yes — webhook the JSON into Notion, Airtable, HubSpot, or Pipedrive via Zapier or a direct endpoint. Each lead arrives as a structured record with scope, budget, and timeline as fields you can filter and sort, not prose buried in an email.
04What about contracts and onboarding paperwork?
Keep them out of the intake form. Intake qualifies; onboarding (contract, brand assets, access credentials) happens after the proposal is accepted — usually a second form or a client portal. Two short forms at the right moments beat one intimidating one.
✻ ✻ ✻

Ship your client intake form (freelancers & consultants) in 60 seconds.

500 free submissions per month. No credit card. Copy the snippet, paste your access key, watch leads land in your dashboard.

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founders pricing locked in · early access open