Build a lead capture form that routes leads to your inbox and CRM.
A lead capture form is a short form — usually just email plus one qualifying field — that collects a visitor's details before you follow up, whether that's a demo request, a waitlist signup, or a gated download. splitforms is the backend for it: point your form's action at https://splitforms.com/api/submit with a hidden access_key field, and every submission lands in your dashboard and inbox in seconds, no server required. Free covers 500 leads a month; Starter ($1/month) adds signed webhooks so leads reach your CRM or email tool automatically.
Start your lead capture form with email, then qualify intent.
A lead form should not feel like an enterprise procurement questionnaire. Capture the email first, add only the fields that change your follow-up, and include the built-in spam guards — a hidden botcheck honeypot and a form_loaded_at time-trap — plus a redirect to your thank-you page.
<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 lead from landing page" />
<input type="hidden" name="redirect" value="https://yoursite.com/thank-you" />
<input type="hidden" name="form_loaded_at" value="" />
<input type="checkbox" name="botcheck" style="display:none" tabindex="-1" />
<input name="email" type="email" placeholder="Work email" required />
<input name="company" placeholder="Company" />
<select name="intent">
<option>Book a demo</option>
<option>Join the waitlist</option>
<option>Download the guide</option>
<option>Request a quote</option>
</select>
<button type="submit">Continue</button>
</form>
<script>
// time-trap: stamp the load time so instant bot submits get flagged
document.querySelector('[name="form_loaded_at"]').value = Date.now();
</script>Pick the lead capture form template that matches your funnel
Demo request form
Qualify SaaS sales leads by company size, role, use case, and timeline.
Waitlist form
Capture pre-launch demand and segment by use case before launch day.
Lead magnet form
Gate PDFs, checklists, and templates behind email plus one qualifier.
Newsletter signup form
Grow an owned audience with inline, footer, popup, or content-end forms.
Where a lead capture form sends your leads
- Every lead lands in your dashboard and inbox — owner notification email is free on every plan, including Free.
- Add signed webhooks or native integrations (Slack, Notion, Airtable, Google Sheets, Mailchimp) on Starter ($1/month) to push leads into a CRM or ESP the moment they arrive.
- Pull leads back out with GET /api/submissions, or let an AI agent read and create forms through the free MCP server.
How to build a lead capture form that reaches your CRM
The same six steps work whether the form sits on a plain HTML landing page, a React app, or WordPress.
- Choose your lead type. Decide whether this is a demo request, waitlist, lead magnet, newsletter, or quote request form — the qualifying fields you ask for should match it.
- Create a free access key. Sign up for splitforms (no credit card) and create a form in the dashboard. Copy its access_key — a public identifier that goes in a hidden field, not a secret.
- Keep the first field short. Ask for email first, then add one or two qualifying fields — company, role, budget, timeline — once the visitor has already committed.
- Add the spam guards. Include a hidden botcheck honeypot that must stay empty and a form_loaded_at time-trap field stamped with the page-load time. Both are checked automatically before a notification fires.
- Set a redirect and subject. Add a redirect field so visitors land on your thank-you page after submitting, and a subject field to customize the notification email's subject line.
- Route it beyond email. Owner notification email is free on every plan. Add signed webhooks or native Google Sheets, Notion, Airtable, and Slack integrations on Starter ($1/month) to reach your CRM or ESP automatically.
Lead capture form FAQ
What is a lead capture form?
A lead capture form collects contact details from a potential customer, usually email plus one or two qualifying fields like company, role, use case, budget, or timeline. splitforms is the backend for it: point the form at https://splitforms.com/api/submit with a hidden access_key field and every submission lands in email, dashboard, and — on Starter and above — the tools you already use.
What fields should a lead capture form include?
For most landing pages, keep it to email plus one intent field. Demo request forms can add company, role, team size, and use case. Lead magnet forms should ask for email first, then one qualifying question after the user has committed.
Can splitforms send leads to HubSpot, Salesforce, Mailchimp, or ConvertKit?
Yes. Use signed webhooks directly, or route through Zapier, Make, or n8n via a webhook (splitforms doesn't have a native Zapier app). Demo requests usually go to a CRM; newsletter and lead magnet forms usually go to an email platform.
Is a multi-step lead capture form better?
Often, yes. Capture email first, then ask one or two qualifying questions. The first step lowers friction, and the second step gives sales or marketing enough context to segment the lead.
Is splitforms free for lead capture forms?
Yes. Free includes 500 submissions a month, unlimited forms, spam filtering, the dashboard, and owner notification emails — no credit card required. Starter ($1/month) adds CSV/XML/PDF export, signed webhooks and integrations, and an auto-responder; Pro ($5/month) adds CC/BCC and priority support; the 3-Year plan is $59 one-time for 15,000 leads a month.
How do I stop spam on a lead capture form without a CAPTCHA?
splitforms checks a hidden botcheck honeypot field (it must stay empty), a form_loaded_at time-trap that flags instant bot submissions, and server-side content heuristics on every plan. You can also lock a form to allowed domains, turn on strict origin mode, or bring your own reCAPTCHA v2 secret for an extra layer.
Can I redirect leads to a thank-you page after they submit?
Yes. Add a redirect field with your thank-you page URL and splitforms sends the visitor there after a successful submission — useful for a calendar-booking link or a conversion-tracking pixel.
Can I pull leads out with an API instead of checking the dashboard?
Yes. GET https://splitforms.com/api/submissions with an Authorization: Bearer <API token> header returns { submissions, has_more }. Filter with form (id or access_key), and paginate with limit (default 25, max 100), before, and since. The same token also powers the free MCP server for AI agents.
Get your lead capture form live in minutes.
500 leads a month, free, no credit card required.