Add a contact or quote form to your website for $0

An email link is enough when customers can explain the job in one sentence. Use a form when you need consistent details before you can quote, book, or route the enquiry.

Tally free-plan limit

Tool	Free allowance	Limits	Upgrade only when
Tally Free · CA/US Checked 2026-09-12· Recheck due; confirm with provider	Unlimited forms and submissions under fair-use rules	Custom domains, branding removal, and some team controls are paid.	You need a branded form domain, shared workspaces, or advanced controls.

Build the smallest form that can start a conversation

For a basic contact form:

• name
• email or phone
• preferred contact method
• “How can we help?”
• consent to the follow-up they requested

For a quote form, add only fields that change eligibility, timing, or price. Good examples are service needed, general location, target date, and one optional file. Do not ask for a date of birth, government ID, payment card, detailed health information, or account password.

The Tally setup

1. Create a free Tally account using a business-owned email.
2. Start a blank form and add the minimum fields.
3. Make contact details and the job description required.
4. Type /recaptcha to add Tally’s free reCAPTCHA v2 block immediately before Submit, then publish and test it.
5. Configure an owner notification that contains the answer summary.
6. Write a confirmation message with a realistic response time.
7. Submit the form from a different device and reply to the test.

Linking to the hosted form is the most reliable route. Embed it only after the standalone version works, then test the embed on a narrow phone screen and with a keyboard.

Give each real enquiry an owner, a specific next action, and a due date using the follow-up workflow. A form notification is only the beginning of the reply process. Its downloadable workbook includes a solo-owner lead tracker.

Google Forms is a workable fallback if the team already uses Google Workspace. It looks less like your site and its sharing settings are easier to misconfigure, so test it in a private browser window.

Spam protection needs a real end-to-end test

Tally’s reCAPTCHA instructions place the block just above Submit. In a multi-page form, putting it near the beginning can let validation expire before the customer finishes, forcing another challenge. The block helps reduce abuse; it does not guarantee every submission is legitimate.

Test the hosted form and embed on a phone and with a keyboard. Try a normal submission, errors, the challenge where it appears, and a browser that blocks the challenge. Confirm both the saved response and the owner’s notification. Keep a visible email or phone alternative for someone who cannot complete it, then follow the accessibility review.

Review spam and genuine requests on a schedule instead of trusting notifications alone. Do not automatically open suspicious attachments. If notifications stop, check form responses, notification settings, and the mailbox troubleshooting steps before purchasing another tool.

If someone builds a custom Turnstile form

A managed hosted form is the simpler starting point for most owners. For a custom form, Cloudflare’s Turnstile documentation requires the receiving server to call Siteverify and reject failed validation. Pasting a widget into static HTML alone does not protect the receiving endpoint. The secret key belongs on the server, never in public HTML or browser JavaScript. Ask the implementer to demonstrate rejection of missing, invalid, expired, and reused tokens as well as successful delivery. Do not confuse a visible checkbox with verified server protection.

Privacy by market

Canada: collect only information appropriate for the stated purpose, link your privacy policy beside the form, restrict access, and set a deletion routine. The federal privacy commissioner’s business guidance is a practical starting point. United States: avoid sensitive information, say how the enquiry will be used, and do not turn a quote request into marketing messages the person did not expect. Quebec: name the person responsible for personal information in the privacy policy, document the reason for collection, and review the Commission d’accès à l’information’s guidance for private organizations. This is practical setup guidance, not legal advice.

The free route and upgrade trigger

The free route is a hosted Tally form linked from every contact button. Its limitation is branding and advanced team administration, not ordinary submission volume.

Upgrade only when you need a custom form domain, shared workspace controls, branding removal, or an advanced workflow that saves recurring staff time. If the actual problem is missed notifications, fix ownership and testing before buying more features.

If the contact path works but suitable enquiries are scarce, use the first-customer experiment to test your offer and channels within a cash and time limit before adding another tool.