WPSmartPay – Payment Forms, Invoices, Donations & Subscriptions

FAQ

Is WPSmartPay free?

Yes. The core plugin is completely free and includes the Gutenberg form builder, invoice management, tax control, anti-spam protection, dashboard reports, email templates, and the PayPal Standard gateway — no credit card required to install.

How is WPSmartPay different from other WordPress payment plugins?

Most payment plugins are either a full store (WooCommerce and its cart, products, and shipping) or a single-purpose donation button. WPSmartPay is neither — it’s a standalone form-and-gateway tool built for anyone who needs to get paid without running a store: invoicing built into the same admin screen as your forms, three anti-spam options out of the box, and a free tier that includes invoicing and donation forms, which most competing free plugins don’t.

Do I need WooCommerce to accept payments?

No. WPSmartPay is a fully standalone payment plugin. There is no cart, no store setup, and no WooCommerce required. Install, connect a gateway, and start getting paid in minutes.

Which payment gateways are supported?

Free: PayPal Standard and Manual/Free gateway. Pro adds Stripe, Authorize.net, Paddle, Razorpay, Mollie, bKash, toyyibPay, and Paytm. See the full gateway list

Is Stripe supported?

Yes — Stripe is available in WPSmartPay Pro. It supports cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link, and 135+ currencies across 47+ countries. Learn more

Can I send invoices from WordPress?

Yes. WPSmartPay includes a built-in invoice management system. Create invoices, send them to customers by email, and track their status from Draft through Sent, Paid, and Overdue — all from the WordPress admin.

Can I accept recurring or subscription payments?

Yes, with WPSmartPay Pro. Set up recurring billing on any payment form with weekly, monthly, or yearly billing cycles. Membership plans with role-based access are also included.

Can I collect donations?

Yes. Enable the custom amount field on any payment form to accept one-time donations. Recurring donations are available with WPSmartPay Pro.

Does it work with PayPal?

Yes. PayPal Standard is built into the free plugin. Connect your PayPal account under SmartPay → Settings → Payment Gateways and start accepting payments immediately — no Pro license required.

Is there a coupon or discount code feature?

Yes. Create percentage or fixed-amount coupon codes, set expiry dates, and apply them at checkout. Basic coupon management is included in the free plugin. Pro adds bulk generation, per-customer limits, and CSV export.

What is the difference between free and Pro?

The free plugin includes PayPal, manual payment, payment forms, invoices, coupons, customer management, and dashboard reports. Pro adds premium gateways (Stripe, Authorize.net, Mollie, Paddle, etc.), subscription billing, advanced tabbed reports, CRM/marketing integrations, LMS integrations (LearnDash, Tutor LMS, LifterLMS), bulk coupons, and outgoing webhooks. Compare plans

Does it work with the Gutenberg block editor?

Yes — the form builder is built entirely on Gutenberg blocks and integrates natively with the WordPress editor. Embed forms anywhere using the SmartPay block or the [smartpay_form] shortcode.

Is WPSmartPay GDPR compliant?

Yes. Payment card data is never stored on your server — all sensitive data is handled directly by the payment gateway (Stripe, PayPal, etc.). Turnstile and hCaptcha are privacy-first anti-spam options; reCAPTCHA v3 is also supported.

Can AI agents like Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor manage my payment forms and store?

Yes, with WPSmartPay Pro. The plugin ships a built-in Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that exposes 15 abilities to any MCP-compatible AI agent. Agents can create payment forms from a natural-language prompt, query payments and customers, create and send invoices, bulk-generate coupon codes, and manage subscriptions — all without writing custom code. Learn more

What PHP version is required?

PHP 8.1 or higher. WordPress 6.0 or higher.

How do I install and set up WPSmartPay?

Go to Plugins → Add New in your WordPress dashboard, search for “WPSmartPay”, click Install Now, then Activate. A guided setup wizard walks you through currency selection, page creation, and connecting your first payment gateway — the entire process takes just a few minutes.

Do I need a merchant account to accept payments?

No. You only need an account with a supported payment gateway such as Stripe, PayPal, or Mollie. Funds go directly into your gateway account — there is no separate merchant account required.

Will WPSmartPay slow down my website?

No. WPSmartPay is built to be lightweight. It only loads its scripts and styles on pages where a payment form is actually present, so your other pages remain fast and unaffected.

Can I add custom fields to my payment forms?

Yes. The form builder lets you add text fields, dropdowns, checkboxes, phone numbers, addresses, and other input fields. This is useful for collecting company names, dietary preferences, agreement to terms, or any extra information you need from customers.

Can I issue refunds from the WordPress admin?

Yes. Open any payment from the Payments screen and click Refund. For gateways like Stripe and Paddle, the refund is processed automatically through the gateway and the money returns to the customer’s original payment method.

Can I export my payment and transaction data?

Yes. Export your payment records from the Payments page as a CSV file that you can open in Excel or Google Sheets for accounting, tax reporting, or team sharing.

Can customers manage their own subscriptions and payment details?

Yes. WPSmartPay provides a customer self-service portal where subscribers can view payment history, update their payment method, pause, or cancel their subscriptions — without needing access to your WordPress admin.

Can I offer a free trial for subscription plans?

Yes, with WPSmartPay Pro. Add a trial period to any subscription form — for example, a 7-day free trial before the first charge. Trial settings are configured directly in the form builder.

Can I create installment plans for expensive products or courses?

Yes, with WPSmartPay Pro. Break a large payment into smaller installments — for example, 6 monthly payments of $100 instead of $600 upfront. This makes expensive products and courses more affordable and can increase conversions.

Can I run multiple donation campaigns at the same time?

Yes. Create as many donation forms as you need, each with its own goal amount and progress tracker. Every campaign tracks independently so you can run different fundraisers simultaneously on your site.

Can I show a progress bar on my donation page?

Yes. WPSmartPay can display a live progress bar that updates automatically each time a new donation is received, showing donors how much has been raised toward your campaign goal.

Does WPSmartPay take a percentage of my donations or sales?

No. WPSmartPay charges zero transaction fees on top of what your gateway charges. The only fees you pay are the standard processing fees from your payment gateway (for example, Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction in the US). All funds go directly to your own account.

Can I use multiple payment gateways at the same time?

Yes. Enable as many gateways as you need and let customers choose their preferred payment method at checkout. For example, you can offer both Stripe and PayPal on the same form so customers can pick whichever they prefer.

Can I sell online courses with WPSmartPay?

Yes, with WPSmartPay Pro. The plugin integrates with LearnDash, Tutor LMS, and LifterLMS. When a student completes payment, they are automatically enrolled in the course — no manual steps required.

What currencies does WPSmartPay support?

WPSmartPay supports over 157 currencies. Set your default currency in the general settings to accept payments from customers worldwide in their local currency.

Does WPSmartPay work with my WordPress theme and page builder?

Yes. WPSmartPay is designed to work with all standard WordPress themes and popular page builders. Payment forms inherit your theme styles and look like a natural part of your website.

Can I connect WPSmartPay to email marketing tools like Mailchimp?

Yes, with WPSmartPay Pro. WPSmartPay integrates with Mailchimp, FluentCRM, MailerLite, and ActiveCampaign. When a customer makes a payment, their information is automatically added to your email list with the correct tags and segments.

What happens when a subscription renewal payment fails?

WPSmartPay Pro includes a built-in payment recovery system. When a renewal fails, the system automatically retries the charge using smart retry logic and notifies the customer to update their payment details. The Recovery Report tracks all failed and recovered payments so you can see exactly how much revenue was saved.

Can I track which payment forms generate the most revenue?

Yes, with WPSmartPay Pro. The Forms Report shows views, payments, and conversion rates for each form, so you can identify your top performers and focus on what works best.

Can I add a surcharge or percentage fee to specific payment methods?

Yes. WPSmartPay Pro includes a tax and surcharge system that lets you add percentage-based or fixed-amount fees globally or per form. The surcharge line item is displayed clearly on the checkout page and in receipts so customers see exactly what they are paying for.