Do you want to let users upload files and submit content on the front end?
You can let users upload various file types without giving them access to the WordPress dashboard by using a front-end posting plugin. Documents, photos, videos, PDFs, guest posts, and more can all be submitted.
We’ll show you the top WordPress front-end posting plugins in this article.
Why Use a Front-End Posting Plugin for WordPress?
Users cannot upload or submit content on the front end by default with WordPress.
This implies that you must grant users access to your website’s admin area if you want them to submit guest posts or upload files to your site.
This procedure can take some time, and it also poses a security risk because it allows unauthorised users to view your WordPress dashboard.
A front-end posting plugin can be useful in this situation. It enables you to gather user-generated content and accept all kinds of files without allowing anyone access to the admin area or editing the code.
You could, for instance, create a multi-vendor marketplace, accept submissions for guest posts and real estate listings, or gather user reviews.
Having said that, let’s examine the top WordPress front-end posting plugins.
1. WPForms
Over 5 million websites use WPForms, the best WordPress form builder plugin available. You can create any kind of form using the drag-and-drop interface that it offers.
Without creating an account, you can collect user-generated content using their post-submission addon. On the front end, content submission is simple for your visitors. Additionally, you can accept payments for post submissions to business directories or real estate listings.
You have complete control over which content you accept and how you want to receive it with WPForms. For instance, you can link the Post Title, Content, and Featured Image fields in your form to a brand-new WordPress post.
A file upload form can be made to gather user-generated content. It includes a file upload form field where users can upload files, share presentations and other documents, and more.
In addition, WPForms provides a number of strong features, including spam defense, conditional logic, form abandonment, online signatures, locking particular forms, user journey tracking, and more.
Additionally, WPForms integrates quickly with email marketing platforms like Constant Contact, payment services like PayPal, and other third-party applications like Zapier, Google Sheets, and Uncanny Automator.
2. Formidable Forms
You can enable front-end posting using Formidable Forms, another strong WordPress form builder plugin.
It provides a front-end publishing feature for user-submitted posts and pages. The plugin allows your visitors to create new posts without needing admin access. You can collect user-generated content such as databases, listings, guest posts, resources, and community content in this way.
Users can upload various files using Formidable Forms’ file upload feature without logging into the admin area.
The user’s submitted file is automatically added to your WordPress media library after submission. You can browse, view, and filter various submissions from here with ease.
You can also create complex forms with Formidable Forms, including survey forms, quote calculators, payment forms, and more. The plugin provides pre-built templates, a drag-and-drop form builder, and strong integrations.
3. Easy Digital Downloads
One of the top WordPress eCommerce plugins is Easy Digital Downloads (EDD). You can use it to market and sell digital goods like software, eBooks, music, PDFs, spreadsheets, and more.
A frontend submissions extension provided by Easy Digital Downloads enables you to build websites that function similarly to those of eBay, Amazon, and AirBnB.
You can build a multi-vendor marketplace using the EDD extension, where users can sign up as vendors from the front end and then use your website to upload and sell digital goods.
From the front end, users can create new products, update existing products, view earnings information, interact with customers, and more.
Additionally, you can review new vendor registrations, track and record vendor commissions, and receive email notifications when a vendor adds a new product using Easy Digital Downloads.
The best part is that you can create forms for vendor registration, product submission, and vendor profiles using a drag-and-drop form builder.
EDD also incorporates with payment processors like PayPal and Stripe on top of that. The plugin can be integrated with third-party programmes like email marketing tools.
4. MemberPress
The most effective and user-friendly membership plugin for WordPress is MemberPress. You can limit access to pages, content, and files to subscribers only by creating an unlimited number of premium memberships.
You can build a membership website with MemberPress to access user-generated content. You could create organisations that are only open to members, like the Young Entrepreneur Council. In this manner, premium users contribute guest posts for the website. They can also share other content, participate in forum discussions, and more.
You can enable MemberPress’s file upload feature and display it in the account area. Subscribers can share various types of content on your membership website in this way.
Access controls and content restrictions are also provided by the plugin. You can make content uploads only accessible to members and lock premium forums. Apart from that, MemberPress integrates without difficulty with a variety of payment processors, email services, WordPress plugins, and third-party tools.
5. Thrive Ovation
A well-liked WordPress testimonial plugin is Thrive Ovation. The plugin can be used to gather testimonials as user-generated content.
This plugin makes it incredibly simple to gather reviews and feedback from existing customers. Testimonials are extremely effective for increasing sales and attracting new users.
It has an autopilot feature that streamlines the procedure for getting customer feedback.
Additionally, you can use Thrive Ovation to effortlessly turn WordPress comments into endorsements. Additionally, it assists in turning social media comments into website testimonials.
You can manage user-submitted content, WordPress comments, and other imported feedback from your WordPress dashboard with ease using the plugin’s testimonial library.
6. WordPress File Upload
The following free front-end posting plugin on our list is WordPress File Upload. On your WordPress website, users can submit content from any page, post, or sidebar.
To add a file upload form to your website, you can easily use a shortcode or the sidebar widget. You can manage the uploaded content using the plugin from your WordPress dashboard. The media library or an FTP location may both store the uploaded files.
In addition, you can add file size restrictions, manage allowed file extensions, and configure file upload filters for various WordPress user roles.
Additionally, you can display an upload progress bar and choose from a variety of customization options with WordPress File Upload. However, you can use other plugins on our list, such as WPForms and Formidable Forms, if you’re looking for more options to edit your forms.
7. WP User Front-end
A versatile and user-friendly WordPress plugin for accepting front-end submissions is WP User Front-end.
The plugin offers numerous customization options and a drag-and-drop form builder. To enable users to create new posts and submit guest posts, images, and other content, you can place the form anywhere on your website.
Users can also edit their profiles directly from the front end. This is great because users can create profiles without having access to the main dashboard.
In addition, you can make subscriptions and membership packages using the WP User Front-end plugin. You can easily manage transactions, add pay-per-post, and take payments.
8. User Submitted Posts
You can use the straightforward and cost-free WordPress plugin User Submitted Posts to enable file upload on the front end of your website.
Accepting guest posts, customer reviews, testimonials, images, and other user-generated content is a fantastic solution. Basic form fields like name, email, URL, post title, content, post category, post images, and agree to terms are provided by the plugin.
Using a shortcode, you can display the front-end posting form anywhere on your website. In order to create a profile without needing access to your website’s dashboard, users can use the User Submitted Posts plugin, which also provides a login and registration form.
However, when compared to other plugins like WPForms, the plugin doesn’t provide as many customization options, form templates, or features to manage file upload.
9. AccessPress Anonymous Post
Another free WordPress plugin you can use to accept guest posts and enable front-end posting is AccessPress Anonymous Post. It provides a flexible form that you can place anywhere on your website and easily customise.
Users can easily upload content, add a title, and enter tags, categories, URLs, images, and other information by using the form. You can access all of the submitted content from your dashboard because it is all saved in the WordPress database.
You can also make certain form fields mandatory, receive emails when someone uploads a file, and add a captcha for verification.
Bonus: File Upload Types by WPForms
A free WordPress plugin called File Upload Types by WPForms enables you to accept various file extensions on your WordPress website. WordPress restricts the file types that users can upload to the media library by default to a small number.
A “Sorry, this file type is not permitted for security reasons” error message will appear if someone attempts to submit a post for the site on the front end but uploads a file with an extension that WordPress does not support.
The File Upload Types by WPForms plugin is useful in this situation. Users are able to post any kind of file. You can accept file extensions like.zip,.xml,.ai,.csv,.svg, and more, for example.
The plugin will allow you to accept additional file types, but it does not have a feature to accept front-end posting, which is an important distinction to make. You’ll need another plugin there, such as WPForms or another from our list.
Which is the Best Front-End Posting Plugin for WordPress?
According to our research, WPForms is the top front-end posting plugin. You can accept guest posts, images, quotes, and other user-generated content, as well as allow file uploads.
You also get a drag-and-drop form builder, over 600+ pre-built templates, and a tonne of customization options to edit your form. You can display your form anywhere on the website and add a file upload form field.
Additionally, its field-mapping feature facilitates front-end drafting and editing and is ideal for websites that feature user-submitted content like real estate listings or guest posts.
Use Formidable Forms to create intricate and sophisticated forms, such as mortgage calculators. Additionally, it has a file upload function and enables simple front-end posting.
If you’re selling digital goods, on the other hand, you can use Easy Digital Downloads. Users can upload documents, images, and other content on the front end by using the plugin’s upload file extension. Additionally, you can build a multi-vendor marketplace using their front-end submissions extension.
We sincerely hope that this article assisted you in locating the top WordPress front-end posting plugin. You can also view our guide to the top WooCommerce plugins for your shop and information on how to drive more traffic to your blog.
