ACF Frontend Form Element Pro

For people building portals where others publish, not for anyone who just wants a contact form

Giving a client, a partner or a registered user access to the WordPress dashboard usually goes badly: menus they don't understand, settings they shouldn't touch, and you explaining over the phone where the save button is. ACF Frontend Form Element Pro moves that editing to the public pages of the site.

It suits you if you build front-end dashboards, profile areas or any site where someone who isn't an administrator must create or modify content. It is the piece that connects a content type to a form that publishes or edits it.

It is not for you if you only want a simple contact form: it is designed to create and edit WordPress content, not to collect messages. And there are limits worth knowing before you buy:

• The visual styling of the forms can only be customized with Elementor.
• Payments are one-time payments through Stripe or PayPal.
• Emails, multi-step forms, PDFs, payments, WooCommerce and Mailchimp belong to the Pro side.

Edit content without stepping into the WordPress dashboard

The core of ACF Frontend Form Element Pro is letting users add and edit posts and custom post types from the public side, even without logging in to the admin area. That is what lets you build a dashboard on the front end instead of handing out back-end access.

Around that idea there are useful pieces:

• Profile editing and user registration from forms on the site.
• Permissions to decide who can access what, plus an option to hide the admin area from certain users.
• Inline fields: you display a field's value with a shortcode and whoever is authorized can edit it on the site.
• Block editor field and modal windows.

Long forms, notifications and PDFs: what the Pro version unlocks

A company sign-up form or a service request form rarely fits on one screen. The Pro version lets you split it into several steps, limit how many submissions each user can make and send automatic emails when someone submits or changes content.

It also generates PDFs from submissions, useful if you need a receipt or a downloadable sheet. And it lets you edit global site options, such as the title or the logo, from the front end, something worth reserving for trusted administrators.

Charge and sell from the front end with ACF Frontend Form Element Pro

If your portal needs money or a contact list, the Pro version includes one-time payments through Stripe or PayPal, creation of WooCommerce products from the front end and management of Mailchimp subscribers with each form submission.

Think carefully about the use case: a seller creating their own products from the front end is very different from a customer paying for a service. Nor is it a recurring subscription gateway.

Elementor, Bricks, Gutenberg or shortcodes: how it fits your builder

It works with Elementor, Bricks and Gutenberg, and with any other builder through shortcodes. In Elementor you get a nestable forms widget where you drag the fields, and it is the only builder where you can adjust the styling to match your brand.

This is the same plugin that used to be called ACF Frontend PRO. You can still display ACF fields and field groups inside the forms, but the plugin works on its own and does not need other plugins for its front-end functions.

Frequently asked questions before choosing it

Do I need to know how to code?

No. The forms are built with fields and settings, without writing code.

Can I use it if I don't work with Elementor?

Yes, with Bricks, Gutenberg or shortcodes. Only the visual styling of the forms depends on Elementor.

Do I have to install ACF?

It is not required for it to work, although you can display your ACF fields in the forms.

Can a user edit content without an account?

Yes, it is possible to allow edits of posts and custom post types without logging in to WordPress. Set up the permissions carefully.