How to Stop SureForms Spam with ActiveLayer

Would you like to stop SureForms spam without adding a CAPTCHA to your forms? ActiveLayer checks every submission with AI on its servers and blocks fake entries before they’re saved or any email reaches your inbox.

This tutorial will show you how to set up ActiveLayer to block SureForms spam, manage protection for individual forms, and review the submissions it checks.

To see everything ActiveLayer does for SureForms, visit our SureForms integration page.

In This Article:

Requirements:

• You’ll need a WordPress site with SureForms installed and activated. Both the free version and SureForms Pro are supported.
• You’ll need admin access to your WordPress dashboard.

Creating Your Free ActiveLayer Account

To get started, you’ll need an ActiveLayer account. Go to activelayer.com and sign up for a free or paid plan. The free plan includes 200 spam checks and doesn’t require a credit card.

Once you’ve signed up, you’ll land on your ActiveLayer dashboard at app.activelayer.com. Click the New Project button.

Next, enter a Project Name, select your Platform (WordPress), and click Create Project. Your API key will appear on the next page.

Note: Your API key is only shown once. Copy it somewhere safe, or keep this tab open until you’ve connected it to WordPress.

Installing the ActiveLayer Plugin

Next, you’ll need to install and activate the free ActiveLayer plugin. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add Plugin, search for ActiveLayer, and click Install Now. Once it’s installed, click Activate.

You’ll now see a new ActiveLayer item in your WordPress admin menu.

Connecting Your API Key

Then, go to ActiveLayer > Settings and paste your API key into the field. Click Verify Key to connect your site.

A green checkmark confirms that your site is connected.

Note: If verification fails, check that you haven’t copied any extra spaces at the start or end of your key.

Turning On SureForms Protection

Once your API key is verified, ActiveLayer automatically protects every SureForms form on your site. There’s no extra setting to turn on, and you don’t need to edit your forms.

To confirm this, go to ActiveLayer > Integrations. You’ll see SureForms in the list with an Active badge.

ActiveLayer checks each submission before SureForms processes it. If ActiveLayer flags a submission as spam, SureForms doesn’t save the entry or send your notification emails, so spam never reaches your inbox.

Turning Off Protection for a Specific Form (Optional)

If you’d like a particular form to skip ActiveLayer’s checks, such as an internal form only your team uses, you can turn protection off for that form alone.

To do this, go to ActiveLayer > Integrations and click the Configure button next to SureForms. Under Select which forms to protect, you’ll see a list of your SureForms forms, each with a checkbox.

Uncheck the form you’d like to exclude, then click Save Settings. You’ll see a Settings saved. message once your change is stored.

Note: Turning off ActiveLayer for one form doesn’t affect your other forms. They stay protected, and any new form you create is protected automatically.

Reviewing Blocked SureForms Spam

Because ActiveLayer blocks spam before SureForms saves it, you won’t find blocked submissions in your SureForms entries. Instead, ActiveLayer keeps its own log of every submission it checks, both blocked and clean. To view it, go to ActiveLayer > Submissions.

Each entry shows the form it came from, the verdict, the IP address, date, and status (clean or spam).

You can also see the same results on the Analytics page of your ActiveLayer dashboard at app.activelayer.com.

If ActiveLayer gets a verdict wrong, you can mark the entry as spam or clean right from the log.

Testing Your Setup

Before you rely on ActiveLayer, it’s a good idea to send a test submission. To do this, open one of your forms on the front end of your site, fill it in the way a real visitor would, and submit it.

Then, check the Analytics page in your ActiveLayer dashboard on app.activelayer.com, or go to ActiveLayer > Submissions. Your test should appear at the top of the log within a few seconds, with a clean verdict. You’ll also find the entry in SureForms and receive your usual notification email.

That’s it! ActiveLayer is now checking your SureForms submissions and keeping spam out of your entries and inbox, without asking your visitors to solve a CAPTCHA.

Next, would you like to protect other plugins on your site? ActiveLayer also works with WPForms, Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, WooCommerce, and more. See all ActiveLayer integrations.

Still stuck? Contact ActiveLayer support, and we’ll help you get set up.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I stop SureForms spam without a CAPTCHA?

Install the ActiveLayer plugin, connect your free API key, and protection turns on for every SureForms form automatically. ActiveLayer checks each submission on its servers, so visitors never see a CAPTCHA, and spam is blocked before it’s saved.

Do I need to remove the honeypot or other spam settings in SureForms?

No. You can keep SureForms’ own spam settings turned on. ActiveLayer adds an AI check on top of them.

What happens if ActiveLayer can’t be reached?

Your forms keep working. If the ActiveLayer service is unavailable, returns an error, or your plan has run out of checks, submissions go through as normal. Protection resumes automatically once the service is available again.

Does ActiveLayer work with the free version of SureForms?

Yes. ActiveLayer works with both the free version of SureForms and SureForms Pro.

Will a blocked submission still trigger my notifications or integrations?

No. When ActiveLayer blocks a submission, SureForms stops before saving the entry, so it doesn’t send notification emails or run integrations.