Contact form for Netlify — no backend required

Netlify Forms are convenient but host-locked and limited. Agencies often outgrow them.

Setup

Deploy your static site to Netlify as usual.
Create a FormHeron form.
Use FormHeron as the form action (do not enable Netlify Forms on the same form).
Set origin allowlist to your Netlify domain.

Working example

contact.html

<form action="https://formheron.com/f/YOUR_KEY" method="POST">
  <label>
    Email
    <input type="email" name="email" required />
  </label>
  <label>
    Message
    <textarea name="message" required></textarea>
  </label>
  <!-- honeypot: off-screen, not type=hidden -->
  <input type="text" name="_hp" tabindex="-1" autocomplete="off"
         aria-hidden="true" style="position:absolute;left:-9999px" />
  <button type="submit">Send</button>
</form>

Common problems

data-netlify attributes

Remove them if you want FormHeron only — dual handlers cause confusing behaviour.

Netlify Functions for mail

Unnecessary for contact forms when FormHeron stores and notifies.

Branch deploys

Add *.netlify.app preview URLs to the allowlist while testing.

FAQ

Is FormHeron a Netlify Forms alternative?

Yes — portable across hosts, with a lead inbox and paid webhooks/Slack.

Do I need Netlify Functions?

Not for a standard contact form.

Pricing?

Free 250/mo; Indie $9 adds webhooks and Slack; Pro $19 adds CSV and higher limits.

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