How to Create a Form in HubSpot (2026 Guide)
To create a form in HubSpot, open the Forms tool, pick a form type (embedded, standalone, or pop-up), drag in the fields you want, set the follow-up action, and publish. Forms are available on every HubSpot plan including the free tier, with field and styling limits that loosen as you move up to Marketing Hub Starter, Professional, and Enterprise.
1. Open the Forms tool
- Log in to HubSpot and go to Marketing > Forms in the top navigation. On newer portals this may live under CRM > Forms.
- Click Create form in the top right.
The free version of HubSpot includes the Forms tool, so you don’t need a paid Marketing Hub seat to build one. Free and Starter forms carry a small HubSpot branding badge; Professional and Enterprise can remove it.
2. Choose a form type
HubSpot offers several form types. Pick the one that matches where the form will live:
- Embedded form: sits inline inside a page (your own site or a HubSpot page). The most common choice for contact and demo-request forms.
- Standalone page: a HubSpot-hosted form with its own URL, useful when you don’t have a page to embed it on.
- Pop-up form: overlays an existing page. Three sub-styles:
- Pop-up box (centered modal)
- Dropdown banner (drops from the top)
- Slide-in (slides up from a corner)
Select your type, then choose a blank template or a prebuilt one, and click Next.
3. Add and configure fields
You’re now in the drag-and-drop form builder.
- Drag fields from the left panel onto the form canvas. Each field maps to a contact property (Email, First name, Last name, Company, Phone number, and any custom properties you’ve created).
- Click any field to open its settings on the left:
- Required toggle so the form can’t submit without it
- Edit the label and placeholder text
- Set a default value or hidden value
- Add logic (Professional and above) to show or hide fields based on prior answers
- Email is the minimum required field, it’s how HubSpot creates or matches the contact record.
Keep the field count low. Every extra field lowers completion rate, so ask only for what you’ll actually use.
4. Set the follow-up and submission behavior
Open the Options tab at the top of the builder.
- Post-submit action: choose Display a thank-you message (inline text) or Redirect to another page (a URL or HubSpot page).
- Follow-up email: under the follow-up section, turn this on to automatically send a confirmation email to the person who submitted. You can send up to a few follow-up emails per form on paid tiers; the free tier supports a single simple follow-up email.
- Notifications: choose which team members get an internal email when the form is submitted.
For anything more involved than a confirmation email (lead routing, multi-step nurture), connect the form to a workflow instead. See how to create a workflow in HubSpot.
5. Style the form
Switch to the Style & preview tab.
- Set font, colors, button style, and field spacing.
- Toggle Set as raw HTML form if you want to style it entirely with your own site CSS instead of HubSpot’s.
- Use the live preview to check desktop and mobile rendering.
Styling controls are broader on Professional and Enterprise; free and Starter forms inherit more of HubSpot’s default look.
6. Publish and embed the form
- Click Update (existing form) or Publish (new form).
- To embed:
- For a HubSpot page: add a Form module to a landing page or blog and select your form.
- For an external site: open the Share or Embed panel, copy the embed code, and paste it into your site’s HTML where you want the form to appear. The snippet looks like:
<script charset="utf-8" src="//js.hsforms.net/forms/embed/v2.js"></script> <script> hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: "XXXXXXX", formId: "xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx" }); </script>
- For a standalone form, copy the hosted URL and share it directly.
Quick Reference
| Form type | Where it lives | Best for | Free tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Embedded | Inline on any page | Contact, demo, signup forms | Yes |
| Standalone | HubSpot-hosted URL | No page to embed on | Yes |
| Pop-up box | Overlay modal | High-intent offers | Yes |
| Dropdown banner | Top of page | Announcements, newsletter | Yes |
| Slide-in | Corner of page | Subtle secondary CTA | Yes |
Every type works on the free plan. Removing HubSpot branding, progressive fields, and advanced logic require Marketing Hub Professional or higher.
Let Carly Handle the Leads After They Submit
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More on HubSpot: How to create a workflow in HubSpot · How to create a list in HubSpot · How to import contacts into HubSpot · HubSpot integration
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