There are only three main contact form plugins that have opportunity to save emails to database (hereinafter DB). One of them includes all features as Contact Form and an opportunity to save emails to DB. The others are only add-ons for certain plugins.
This article is for bloggers, users and people who want to control and keep tab on letters from their contact forms.
The users receive a lot of useful and additional functions from the use of plugin that category.
Well, let’s begin. We will review following plugins: Contact Form DB by Michael Simpson, Contact Form to Email by Codepeople and Contact Form to DB by BestWebSoft.
Each plugin has a number of advantages and disadvantages.
Best Contact Form Mail Management Plugins.
1. Contact Form DB.
It works only with certain plugins. This “CFDB” instrument saves contact form submissions to your WordPress database and provides shortcodes to retrieve and display the data. Once you install the plugin, it will automatically begin to capture submissions from:
• JetPack Contact Form plugin
• Contact Form 7 (CF7) plugin
• Fast Secure Contact Form (FSCF) plugin
Advantages:
• It is a functional plugin to store “contact us” data into database.
• Plugin displays data you collected from custom forms.
• CFDB will help you to find and recover the information that CF7 didn’t send.
Disadvantages:
• Multilanguage problem. When you import from CSV to Excel some languages can get missed.
• Developers of JetPack, Contact Form 7, Fast Secure Contact Form plugins are not the developers of this plugin. So, there is no single concept.
• It works only with certain plugins.
• Your WordPress site must be running PHP5 or better. This plugin will fail to activate if your site is running PHP4.
• It is so hard to install and there are a lot of additional installation processes.
• To extend the functionality of this plugin you need to use and install certain shortcodes.
Conclusion:
So what can we say about this plugin. It looks like it is a very functional and easy to use plugin but some little disadvantages can upset users of this plugin. For example for novice users it will be little difficult to clear up with using shortcodes or understand additional installation processes.
2. Contact Form to Email.
The main purpose of the Contact Form to Email is, as the name indicates, to create contact forms and send their data email addresses. In addition to that basic feature it also saves the contact form data into a database, provides printable reports and the option to export selected data to CSV/Excel files.
Advantages of this plugin:
• Gives the opportunity not to lose submissions and keep a record of the received contact form messages.
• Email delivery / notifications: The contact form data is sent by email to one or more email addresses. It also supports the configuration of auto-replies to the user who filled the contact form.
• Form data saved into the database: Avoid losing submissions and keep a record of the received contact form messages.
• Printable list of messages: Get the list of contacts received from the contact form within a selected date range and print it.
• Export data to CSV/Excel: Export the contact form data to a standard format that can be used by other applications. Export the email addresses and other contact form data using date and text search filters.
• Form Validation: Set validation rules for each contact form field. Keep your data clean.
• Anti-spam protection: Built-it captcha anti-spam protection. No need to rely on external services for the contact form anti-spam protection.
Disadvantages of this plugin:
• It is hard to use and install.
• Free version is not customizable. You have to get the professional version to be able to customize your contact form.
• Doesn’t include technical support (60 days of support service can be purchased for $25).
Conclusion:
I think that Contact Form to E-mail is rather difficult to use, because it provides functions of ?ontact form and an opportunity to save emails to DB. In this case using separate plugins would be much better because they perform their functions well. It is better to install two simple and multifunctional plugins than one very difficult. Also free version hasn’t got technical support. It is a payed function. So if you have one little question about this plugin you should pay 25$.
3. Contact Form to DB.
Contact Form to DB plugin is an exclusive add-on for the Contact Form plugin by BestWebSoft. The plugin provides a unique opportunity to manage messages sent from your site via the contact form. The list of its features is really impressive: messages can be saved, browsed, deleted or downloaded from the Dashboard. In case you decide to deactivate the plugin, it will serve as a repository for your old messages. There is also a premium version of the plugin, allowing to re-send and periodically delete old messages, manage attachments and get detailed support and answers to your questions within one business day.
Advantages of this plugin:
• You can save messages that have been sent from the site via the Contact Form to your database.
• You can manage messages (browse, delete and download messages) from Dashboard.
• In case you decide to deactivate the plugin, it will serve as a repository for your old messages.
• It’s extremely easy to install without any additional processes.
• There is an excellent support team from one team of developers as for Contact Form and for their add-on Contact Form to DB and it has a single concept.
• PRO version with additional options such as priority technical support.
• There is detailed documentation and text instructions with screenshots.
Disadvantages:
• This plugin is an add-on ONLY for Contact Form plugin by BestWebSoft.
• Priority technical support and guaranteed response during the day is available when purchasing Captcha PRO only. Requests from users of the free version can be considered up to five days.
• Every 6 months, you must renew the license of the product. If you do not renew your license, you can continue using the PRO version, but you will no longer be available have a priority technical support and future product updates.
Conclusion:
The main feature of this plugin is ease of use without any additional installation processes. We must admit that Bestwebsoft really understand that not all users are IT specialists. And also this plugin is a great couple with Contact Form. They work smoothly together. It is a huge advantage that Contact Form and Contact Form to DB were created by one team with common ideas and concept of development.
Conclusion:
Contact form mail management plugins are very useful for your blogs and websites because not all contact forms have such functions as to save emails to database. So having an easy to use plugin can make the work much smoother.
So we reviewed for you three best contact form mail management plugins for WordPress. Now all you have to do is simply choose the plugin you like and add it to your WordPress website.
