=== Groundhogg β€” CRM, Newsletters, and Marketing Automation === Contributors: trainingbusinesspros, Groundhogg Tags: wordpress crm, marketing automation, crm, email marketing, email automation Donate link: https://groundhogg.io/pricing/ Requires at least: 6.9 Tested up to: 7.1 Requires PHP: 7.4 Stable tag: 4.9 License: GPLv3 License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.md Groundhogg is the best WordPress CRM & Marketing Automation plugin. Create flows, email campaigns, and have a CRM all within your WordPress site. == Description == ## Groundhogg 4.0 is here! Groundhogg 4.0 introduces the **Flow Editor** which makes Groundhogg the most powerful marketing automation tool currently available for WordPress. Seriously, no other WordPress CRM comes close, we checked. Create beautiful flows that convert leads into customers! Your customers will thank you. [youtube https://youtu.be/HID8m2vRi-A] Do your business a favor and switch to Groundhogg. ## Epic WordPress CRM, Email & Marketing Automation Businesses that switch to Groundhogg save on average **$240/m** on CRM fees. πŸ‘‰ [Official Site](https://groundhogg.io/) | πŸ“ƒ [Documentation](https://groundhogg.io/documentation) | πŸŽ“ [Training](https://groundhogg.io/events/) 🌎 [Facebook Group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/groundhoggwp/) | πŸ“Ί [YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/groundhogg) | [β…© (Twitter)](https://twitter.com/Groundhoggwp/) πŸš€ [**14-day demo!** Try before you buy.](https://groundhogg.io/try/) πŸ† [2020 Gold Stevie Award Winner](https://groundhogg.io/press/gold-2020-stevie-award-winner-our-first-award/) Groundhogg CRM & Marketing Automation for WordPress can help you dramatically improve how you acquire leads and make more sales! Our award winning WordPress CRM is the very best alternative to [Keap](https://groundhogg.io/comparison/keap-infusionsoft/), [ActiveCampaign](https://groundhogg.io/comparison/activecampaign/), [HighLevel](https://groundhogg.io/comparison/gohighlevel/), [HubSpot](https://groundhogg.io/comparison/hubspot/), [MailChimp](https://groundhogg.io/comparison/mailchimp/) and [other SaaS platforms](https://groundhogg.io/crm-type/saas/). You don’t have to sacrifice CRM features when you switch to our self-hosted solution. In fact you can **[save $1,000s per year](https://groundhogg.io/compare/)** and have the added benefit of owning all your information. If you are an agency, WaaS, WordPress developer, LMS/Course Creator, WordPress freelancer, or CRM implementation service provider then the Groundhogg CRM and Marketing Automation suite is for you. ## πŸͺ“ Ax the "Success Tax" Other SaaS (Software as a Service) CRM platforms will charge you more as your list grows. **But not us!** When using the Groundhogg CRM & Marketing Automation suite free or with any of our paid plans, _we'll never charge you more_! ### 🚫 There are *no limits* on: * Number of contacts * Number of flows (automations) * Number of emails sent When using Groundhogg CRM & Marketing Automation you will **never** be limited on the amount of **anything**! Unlike [other SaaS platforms](https://groundhogg.io/compare/). Businesses [save $1,000s a year](https://groundhogg.io/pricing/) after switching to Groundhogg. ## πŸ’½ You own your data! The reality of SaaS CRMs is that you pay, and pay, and pay, and you invest all this money into a system to help your business thrive, but it can be taken away at a moments notice. Putting your data in a SaaS CRM is like renting an apartment, but with less protection and stingier landlords. You can get evicted at any time, for any reason. There is no recourse. This leaves your business exposed. What would happen to your business if your CRM was turned off? With Groundhogg you actually [own your data](https://groundhogg.io/learn/email-and-self-hosting-is-now-more-critical-than-ever/)! No one except you can make impactful changes. ## πŸ”Ž At A Glance Everything your business needs to thrive! * Best in class CRM & Marketing Automation suite. * Organize and segment your contacts to send more relevant communications. * Automate your communications to save you time and increase your productivity. * Collect data and mine your list so you can stop bleeding money. "The money is in the list!" * Own your data so you’ll never be at the mercy of a SaaS company again. * Control your expenses! There are NO LIMITS on how many contacts and users you can have! Groundhogg grows with you! Your costs do NOT increase when your lists grows. We don’t tax you for scaling up! * Translate & configure into any language. ## 🌎 We care! Join our Community! Groundhoggers are very generous with their business intelligence. Just as the Groundhogg CRM & Marketing Automation team is deeply committed to helping! So we create lots of tools to help you succeed. * πŸš€ [**Free** 1-Hour Quickstart Course!](https://academy.groundhogg.io/course/groundhogg-quickstart/) * 🌎 Community care & support in the [open Facebook group!](https://www.facebook.com/groups/groundhoggwp/) * πŸ“Ί Over **60 hours** of easy Groundhogg [Youtube tutorials!](https://www.youtube.com/groundhogg) * πŸ“ƒ Use our [Knowledge Centre](https://groundhogg.io/documentation/) to get the answers you need. * πŸŽ™οΈ Ask your burning questions in **Office Hours** on our _live Facebook stream every Tuesday!_ ## πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ Who can benefit from Groundhogg CRM and Marketing Automation? The Groundhogg CRM & Marketing Automation suite is being used by a wide variety of 3,000+ businesses in over 35+ countries. The diversity of use cases is huge! If you're business is using WordPress, you can use Groundhogg. Here are some of the more common use cases: * Digital Marketing Agencies * WordPress Freelancers * LifterLMS, LearnDash, or TutorLMS sites * WooCommerce Sites * WaaS Multisite Platforms * Blogs and News Sites * Coaches and Trainers * Educators and Public Speakers * Business Directories * And many more! ## πŸ’‘ Made by people who know CRM & Marketing Automation! Our team is based in Niagara Falls, Canada! We've been helping small businesses implement CRM and Marketing Automation since 2014 working with tools like Keap, ActiveCampaign, and HubSpot. After some time, it became apparent that there was a desperate need in the WordPress ecosystem for a capable CRM and Marketing Automation tool for WordPress site owners. One that could match SaaS platforms on features and reliability did not yet exist, so we built it! Starting in 2018, Adrian Tobey (founder) and his team took their combined 20+ years of experience in the CRM and Marketing Automation industry to create a better option for WordPress based businesses. We know flows, CRM, and marketing automation like the back of our hands! You can trust us to not only provide you with stellar software and support, but also provide you guidance on the kinds of flows and automation you should be building to get maximum value from our products. ## ❀️ Businesses Love Groundhogg CRM & Marketing Automation! 3,000+ businesses in 35+ countries are using Groundhogg CRM & Marketing Automation to launch their flows, grow their lists and scale their businesses. Here's what a few of them had to say about our products and support! From πŸ‘¨ **[Chris Badget](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/best-crm-and-marketing-automation-for-wordpress/)**, _CEO of [LifterLMS](https://groundhogg.io/best-lifterlms-crm/)_ > Great team, great product, and works with all the key WordPress tools I’m using. > So nice to be able to do broadcast emails, tagging, and marketing automation all from inside my WordPress website. From πŸ‘¨β€πŸ¦± **[Francisco Opazo](https://groundhogg.io/best-buddyboss-crm/)**, _Marketing Manager at [BuddyBoss](https://groundhogg.io/best-buddyboss-crm/)_ > Groundhogg CRM & Marketing Automation is essential for many community builders, course creators, and membership site owners to achieve higher rates of engagement and retention. It simplifies many complex processes including onboarding, email marketing, flows, and enables you to scale your marketing efforts more efficiently. From πŸ‘¨ **[Jonathan Denwood](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/great-crm-product/)**, _Podcaster & Owner of [WP-Tonic Agency](https://groundhogg.io/best-crm-for-agencies/)_ > Adrian and his team have really built a great WordPress based CRM that’s really competitive with the big guys like ActiveCampagin. I would highly recommend it to anybody who is running WordPress. There are over [110 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/groundhogg/reviews/?filter=5) for Groundhogg on WordPress.org and even [more reviews on our Facebook Page](https://www.facebook.com/groundhoggwp/reviews/)! **Kris Britton of the KAYBE marketing agency moved all of his clients from HubSpot to Groundhogg!** [youtube https://youtu.be/EzQW0oexYFs] ## Features Here are the tools you can use to launch your funnel, grow your list, and scale your business faster with Groundhogg CRM & Marketing Automation! ### πŸ•Ί Straightforward CRM & Contact Management * Advanced searching and filtering on any data * Unlimited CRM custom fields * Segmentation with tags * Activity and email history * Profile pictures * Automatic location discovery * CRM Notes * CSV importing & exporting * Sync contacts in the CRM with WordPress users * View congregated information other WordPress plugins in the contact record. **Quickly and easily segment your list with Groundhogg's unrivaled search filter system!** Groundhogg's search filters give you more control than any other CRM to segment your list to find exactly the leads you're looking for. Our integrations with [WooCommerce](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/woocommerce/), [AffiliateWP](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/affiliatewp-integration/), [LearnDash](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/learndash-integration/), [and more](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/category/integrations/) add additional search filters you can use to create powerful segments so you can send hyper targeted messages. [youtube https://youtu.be/TI0WV62dSU0] ### βš™οΈ Flows & Marketing Automation Features * Create highly effective customer journeys with our easy to learn funnel builder. * Over 30+ integrations available to connect the CRM with your favorite WordPress plugins. * Create simple flows or complex ones! * Measure the effectiveness of your flows with easy to read metrics. * Start flows from forms, payments, new users, and more! * Open API to add your own triggers & actions. [youtube https://youtu.be/uWZ8pNgBysg] ### πŸ“§ Simple Email Marketing & SMTP * Use images, headers, paragraph and more. * Simple preview & testing. * Perfect for sales emails, newsletters, transactional notifications and more. * Send broadcast emails to your contact lists. * Distinguish between **transactional** and **marketing** emails. ### πŸ“ˆ Unmatched Analytics Reporting * We track EVERYTHING in the CRM! * Granular details of how your site is performing. * See open rates, click through rates and conversions at a glance. * Detailed results from your flows and broadcast emails. * Integrate with Ecommerce to see revenue from your marketing. * Learn more about your audience with demographic reporting. * See which flows/emails are under-performing. **Use campaigns to make comparing reporting results easier** [youtube https://youtu.be/LIEVWVBC2Ww] ### πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡Ί GDPR Ready * Simple GDPR features to keep you compliant. * Automatic preferences center, data download, and opt out. * Track GDPR consent in your CRM * Prevent marketing to those who withdraw consent. ### πŸ€– AI & MCP Ready Let AI assistants and agents work inside your CRM β€” safely. * Groundhogg registers **abilities** with the WordPress Abilities API, so AI agents and MCP clients can act on your CRM through a supported, permission-checked interface. * **Contacts:** find, create, update, and search contacts, read and add notes, and list tags, owners, custom fields, and saved searches. * **Email:** list saved emails and sender profiles, and send a saved or one-off email to specific contacts. * **Broadcasts:** schedule a broadcast to a segment, list and cancel broadcasts, and read open & click reports. * **Flows:** list flows and add a contact or a whole segment to one. * Every action runs through the same capability and per-object permission checks as the rest of Groundhogg β€” an agent can only do what its user is allowed to do. This is an early release and an active work in progress. More abilities, including SMS, are on the way. ## πŸ™Œ Get more with premium features! Groundhogg CRM & Marketing Automation has 45+ extensions to help you expand and integrate Groundhogg to help you build your all in one solution. πŸ‘‰ Bundle all of our incredible premium features into a [flat rate plan](https://groundhogg.io/pricing/). [Yearly](https://groundhogg.io/pricing/) & [monthly](https://groundhogg.io/pricing/monthly/) options available. You can also use our **[⏱️ 14 day $1 demo](https://groundhogg.io/try/)** to see a preview of these stellar features. Over **[24+ extensions](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/category/add-ons/)** to help you handle more... * [Extend your CRM with Custom Fields](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/advanced-custom-meta-fields/) * [Extend your CRM with Custom SMTP](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/smtp/) * [Extend your CRM with Advanced Email Preferences](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/advanced-preferences/) * [Extend your CRM with Superlinks](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/advanced-features/) * [Extend your CRM with Lead Scoring](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/lead-scoring/) * [Extend your CRM with Booking Calendars](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/booking-calendar/) * [Extend your CRM with Social Proof Popups](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/proof/) * [Extend your CRM with Signed Contracts](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/contracts/) * [Extend your CRM with Company Management](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/companies/) * [Extend your CRM with a Sales Pipeline](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/pipeline/) * [Extend your CRM with Birthday Automation](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/birthdays/) * And [many more...](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/) Over **[30+ integrations](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/category/integrations/)** to connect to your favorite WordPress plugins. Integrate with... * **[Connect LifterLMS to your CRM](https://groundhogg.io/best-lifterlms-crm/)** | _[FREE COURSE](https://academy.groundhogg.io/course/course-creator-essentials/)_ * **[Connect LearnDash to your CRM](https://groundhogg.io/best-learndash-crm/)** | _[FREE COURSE](https://academy.groundhogg.io/course/course-creator-essentials/)_ * **[Connect BuddyBoss to your CRM](https://groundhogg.io/best-buddyboss-crm/)** | _[FREE COURSE](https://academy.groundhogg.io/course/essentials-funnels-for-buddyboss/)_ * **[Connect GiveWP to your CRM](https://groundhogg.io/press/nonprofits-can-finally-leverage-their-data-to-collect-more-donations-with-groundhogg-and-givewp/)** * **[Connect Easy Digital Downloads to your CRM](https://groundhogg.io/best-crm-for-easy-digital-downloads/)** * [Connect WooCommerce to your CRM](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/woocommerce/) * [Connect HelpScout to your CRM](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/woocommerce/) * [Connect Elementor to your CRM](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/elementor/) * [Connect Amazon Web Services to your CRM](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/aws/) * [Connect SendGrid to your CRM](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/sendgrid-integration/) * [Connect AffiliateWP to your CRM](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/affiliatewp-integration/) * [Connect ThriveCart to your CRM](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/thrivecart/) * [Connect WPForms to your CRM](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/wpforms/) * And [many more...](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/category/integrations/) ## ⏱️ Want to test out the premium Groundhogg CRM and Marketing Automation suite? If you'd like a trial of our premium plans, please check out our [$1 sandbox demo](https://groundhogg.io/try/). ## Milestones * Serving 3,000+ businesses in 35+ countries. * ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rated software and support! * 40+ Certified partners. * πŸ† [Gold Stevie Award 2020](https://groundhogg.io/press/gold-2020-stevie-award-winner-our-first-award/) for Tech Start up of the Year _(American Business Awards)_. * πŸ† [Gold Stevie Award 2021](https://groundhogg.io/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/gold-winner-01.jpg) for Best In Class Customer Service _(American Business Awards)_. * πŸ… Best Software Innovation 2020 finalist _(Canadian Search Awards)_. * πŸ… Canadian Small Business Awards 2021 finalist _(Canadian Search Awards)_. ## External services & APIs This plugin connects to several 3rd party services to provide crucial functionality. Each is listed below with what services are used and what information is shared, if any. ### Email and flow templates Email and flow templates are pulled periodically from a remote repository via API at `https://library.groundhogg.io`. No information about you or your site is shared or logged in this request. ### Dashboard notices and widgets Recent blog posts from `https://groundhogg.io` are shown in the dashboard and are fetched periodically. No data or information is logged or shared. Important notifications and dashboard notices are pulled from `https://groundho.gg` periodically. No data or information is logged or shared. ### Telemetry and usage You can opt-in and opt-out of site telemetry from Groundhogg Β» Settings Β» Misc Β» Danger Zone Β» Opt-in to anonymous usage tracking. When enabled, the following information will be periodically shared with `https://groundhogg.io`: Your admin email address; Whether your site has a valid and active license from `groundhogg.io`; The license if one exists; Whether Groundhogg is white labelled; System information such as WordPress version, PHP Version, the Groundhogg plugin version, the site time sone, and site language; Usage statistics such as the number of active flows, the number of new contacts, and the number of emails sent; The list of active Groundhogg add-ons on the site; No information is shared or collected when telemetry sharing is disabled. ### Google Recaptcha If you have the Google Recaptcha integration enabled, scripts will be loaded from `https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js` and requests will be made to `https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api/siteverify` sharing only essential information (such as your recaptcha site key) to facilitate the integration. ### Cloudflare Turnstile If you have the Cloudflare Turnstile integration enabled, scripts will be loaded from `https://challenges.cloudflare.com/turnstile/v0/api.js` and requests will be made to `https://challenges.cloudflare.com/turnstile/v0/siteverify` sharing only essential information (such as your turnstile site key) to facilitate the integration. ### Geolocation services Groundhogg will attempt (if licensed) to geolocate a contact (country, region, timezone, etc...) based on their IP address using our Geolocation service `https://ipinfo.groundhogg.io`. No data is stored remotely and no PII is used. We use a third party based in Romania to provide geolocation services. [](http://coderisk.com/wp/plugin/groundhogg/RIPS-RLU9faYUDI) == Screenshots == 1. Create flows in the CRM quickly using our drag & drop editor. 2. Use dozens of triggers, actions, and logic steps to create your flow. 3. Start with pre-written templates based on real CRM use cases. 4. Quickly write, preview, test and send personalized emails from the CRM. 5. Start from beautiful templates, or import HTML from a 3rd party. 6. Groundhogg's CRM reports give you the most data visibility of any small business CRM and Marketing Automation suite. 7. Create your personalized CRM report dashboard to monitor your most important metrics. 8. The Groundhogg CRM pulls data from all your integrations to show all activity and data on a single screen. 9. Filter contacts in the CRM using dozens of search filters to segment based on tags, custom fields, activity, purchase history, and more! 10. Send out mass emails to your list and view details reports of your subscribers' engagement. == Installation == = Plugin Repo = * Install Groundhogg CRM and Marketing Automation * Activate * Complete the guided setup * Start Marketing = FTP = * Upload the zip archive * Unzip * Activate through the plugins manager * Complete guided setup * Start Marketing == Frequently Asked Questions == = Does Groundhogg need any additional marketing software like MailChimp? = No, Groundhogg is a completely standalone, lightweight CRM and marketing automation system designed to save you $1,000s while helping you generate more revenue. = Does Groundhogg require and external transactional email service like SendGrid? = No, but it is **highly** recommended. Without a proper transactional email service your emails are likely to end up in spam. Groundhogg provides a number of recommended solutions: * [MailHawk](https://mailhawk.io/) * [SendGrid](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/sendgrid-integration/) * [AWS SES](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/aws/) * [Elastic Email](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/elastic-email-integration/) * [Basic SMTP](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/smtp/) for other services. Groundhogg will automatically use the mail solution you have configured on your WordPress website. = Does Groundhogg have any required monthly fee or upgrades? = No, you can use Groundhogg CRM and Marketing Automation for free forever. Groundhogg is a Open Source project designed to democratize CRM and email marketing automation and provide simple easy to use tools to new and none tech savvy business owners. That being said, our [premium upgrades](https://groundhogg.io/pricing/) can seriously help your business! Use our proven tools and strategies to supercharge your marketing and WordPress site! = Does Groundhogg connect to Woocommerce or other plugins? = Yes, Groundhogg can [integrate with over 30+](https://groundhogg.io/downloads/category/integrations/) of the most popular WordPress plugins around to crate an even more powerful CRM. = Does Groundhogg work with my theme? = Groundhogg is theme agnostic, meaning it will work with every and any theme. Groundhogg is mostly administrative and very little is seen by visitors. = Does Groundhogg track my subscribers? = Yes, Groundhogg has a very smart tracking system that will allow you to monitor your clients interactions with your emails and your site. = Does Groundhogg Integrate with my membership plugin? = Yes, Groundhogg has a builtin connection with the WordPress user API, meaning it will automatically use user roles in your site, like from a membership plugin. = Is Groundhogg secure? = We follow all best WordPress security practices. Plus it's open source, so we have a large community looking out for potential weaknesses when it comes to your data. = Is Groundhogg GDPR, CANSPAM, or CASL compliant? Yes, we have tools available to meet the criteria of all the worlds ANTI-SPAM & privacy legislation. = Is Groundhogg better than my current CRM/Marketing Automation tool? = Well, that's up to you! We'll never say Groundhogg is better than anyone, but it is **different.** And sometimes different is better than better. = Where can I upgrade to premium? = You can purchase a premium plan for access to support and our premium extensions & integrations on our [pricing page](https://groundhogg.io/pricing/). = How can I report security bugs? = You can report security bugs through the Patchstack Vulnerability Disclosure Program. The Patchstack team helps validate, triage and handle any security vulnerabilities. [Report a security vulnerability.]( https://patchstack.com/database/vdp/9e5fb9d9-417e-4ba2-a0bf-8b7529b7122b ) == Changelog == = 4.9 (2026-10-01) = * ADDED Receive replies in Groundhogg. Turn on Incoming Messages in Settings > Email (needs an active Groundhogg license), then switch on "Save replies as messages" in an email's settings, and replies to it are saved to the contact who replied instead of going to your own mailbox. You can also BCC your site's private inbox address to keep a copy of emails you send from your own mailbox. * A Messages tab in the contact record shows your conversation with each contact, the emails you've sent them and their replies, laid out like a chat. Emails you composed to contacts before this update are moved into it in the background. * A "Replies" dashboard widget lists contacts who've replied and haven't been read yet. Open a conversation right from the dashboard to read it, reply, or mark it read or unread. * When composing an email to a contact, choose who it's from out of your sender profiles. * ADDED A new, shorter guided setup that gets your site ready to send: your business and who emails come from (with details filled in from WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads), privacy, your license, receiving replies, and updates. The last step helps you get started with AI, invite your team, and add your site's users as contacts. * ADDED Flow abilities for AI assistants. * "Get Flow", "Edit Flow", "Publish Flow Changes" and "Discard Flow Changes" abilities, so an AI assistant can read an existing flow and add, change, move, duplicate, lock or delete its steps. Changes to an active flow are staged until they're published, the same as in the flow editor. * Segments used by the abilities can target contacts by behavior: email opens and clicks, page visits, form submissions, flow conversions, and other activity. They can also exclude another segment, and contact searches link to the matching contacts in the Contacts page. * The simulate abilities can run against a flow's unpublished changes, so a change can be tested before it's published. * ADDED When you publish changes to a flow or activate it, you choose what happens to contacts waiting at steps you deleted: cancel their events, or move them to another step. Before, they were silently removed from the flow. Deleted steps that contacts have already been through are archived, so their history and reports still work. * TWEAKED The flow editor has been rebuilt to be much faster. Adding, moving, deleting and changing steps shows right away and saves in the background, and undo and redo now cover step settings, duplicated steps and pasted steps too. * TWEAKED If a flow or an email is changed from somewhere else while you have it open in the editor, the editor tells you and offers to reload. * TWEAKED Public form submissions are limited to 20 per form, per IP address, every 10 minutes. People who can add contacts aren't limited. * TWEAKED The send time optimization option is hidden in the broadcast scheduler for now. * Only one person can edit a flow at a time, so two people can't overwrite each other's changes. The flow is unlocked as soon as its editor is closed. * Duplicating a step with branches, like a Yes/No, copies the steps in its branches too, and steps copied from one flow can be pasted into another. * Steps that other steps rely on, like the step a Reroute goes to or the step another flow's "Add to Flow" starts at, can't be deleted until those steps are changed. * The search in the add steps panel stays while you switch between Triggers, Actions and Logic. * The flow editor tour is written for people new to Groundhogg. * TWEAKED Faster reports, segments and contact timelines. * Segments, reports, and contact timelines that filter activity by type or by contact and date are faster, thanks to new indexes on the activity table. Existing sites get them from a background task after updating. * Reports and contact counts are cached, so dashboards and reports load faster. * TWEAKED Number filters in contact searches understand numbers formatted for your locale, and the flow, step and email filters can match more than one at a time. * TWEAKED Settings and integrations. * The telemetry setting explains exactly what's shared when it's turned on. * Groundhogg's capabilities are grouped under "Groundhogg" in the User Role Editor plugin. * Dashboard notices and the template library load from Groundhogg's CDN, with the original servers as a fallback. * FIXED Flow triggers and timing. * A trigger's "Can be triggered" limit, like "At most once per contact" or "Up to X times per contact in X days", was never enforced. * When a trigger fired more than once at the same time, for example tagging several contacts at once, contacts after the first could get the first contact's details in the flow. * Delay timers set to run on the last day of the month never ran, dates that don't exist like April 31 ran on the next month, runs on the 29th to the 31st could skip a month, and long delays could ignore which days they were allowed to run on. * Delay timers in flows built with the abilities were titled "Wait 3 days" whatever they were set to. * FIXED Flow editor and simulator issues. * Unsaved step settings were lost when the flow editor couldn't save, and autosave stopped after a failed save. * The Publish Changes button stayed off when the only change to a flow was deleting steps, and deactivating a flow brought back steps deleted while it was inactive. * The flow simulator stayed stuck loading when the contact it last simulated with had been deleted. Now it asks you to select a contact. * The REST API's commit route for flows always returned an error, and importing a flow could interfere with flows imported before it. * Branch, trigger and jump lines that should curve were drawn straight when the editor was scrolled. * FIXED Contact searches and counts could show out-of-date results right after a tag, activity or custom field changed, and a search combining two flow activity filters ignored the step and date range of the second one. * FIXED Email tracking and contact identification. * The open tracking pixel was missing from HTML emails that weren't a full HTML document. * Contacts that arrived from a link in a tracked email weren't recognized as who they are, so merge tags like {user.*} were blocked for them. * FIXED Activating a license from the guided setup or the troubleshooter failed, and the old guided setup never saved its privacy and sender settings. * FIXED Forms on pages served by a full page cache could fail to submit because of an out of date nonce. * FIXED Triggers that pass a WooCommerce order to a flow logged an "Order properties should not be accessed directly" notice on every paid order. * FIXED The query table ability returned every contact, with the wrong total, when it was given filters. It now points to the search contacts ability instead. * SECURITY Access and verification hardening. * An account could get administrator access by posing as the Groundhogg support user when an admin turned on support access. * Contacts created by a form submission are no longer treated as verified visitors, since anyone can submit a form. * The privacy policy and terms links in settings are only saved as real links. * DEV The flow editor's canvas, settings panels and add steps panel are drawn in JavaScript, and edits are saved as operations through the `gh_flow_operations` and `gh_flow_action` ajax actions. * Step types can register JavaScript settings, titles and branch previews with `Funnel.registerStepType()`. `Funnel_Step::save()`, `get_posted_data()`, `setting_name_prefix()` and `setting_id_prefix()` work as before. See docs/flow-architecture.md. * `Step::save()` takes the settings to save, and `Step::update_settings()` changes some of them. * DEV Query caching and the activity table. * Queries take a `cache` var, `false` to skip the cache or a number of seconds that results can be stale for, and the `groundhogg/query/table_cache_group` filter lets queries on other plugins' tables be cached. `Table_Query::where()` and `Where::subWhere()` accept a callback. * The activity table has two new indexes, `type_time_contact_idx` (activity_type, timestamp, contact_id) and `contact_time_idx` (contact_id, timestamp, activity_type, email_id, step_id), which replaces `contact_idx`. New `DB::index_exists()`, `DB::add_index_online()` and `DB::is_being_altered()` methods. * DEV New `groundhogg/email/reply_to_messages` and `groundhogg/inbox/address_prefix` filters, and `gh/v4/messages/unread` and `gh/v4/messages/read` REST endpoints. * DEV Add-ons register their abilities on ordered actions: `groundhogg/abilities/register_schema_extensions`, `groundhogg/abilities/register_step_types`, `groundhogg/abilities/register_categories` and `groundhogg/abilities/register_abilities`, so step types see the schema extensions of every add-on. See docs/abilities-registration.md. * DEV New `groundhogg/form/v2/rate_limit` and `groundhogg/form/v2/rate_limit_window` filters for the form submission limit, `0` turns it off. * DEV The `Legacy_Contact_Query` class, deprecated since 3.2, has been removed. = 4.8.3 (2026-09-18) = * ADDED Custom reports have been rebuilt for a faster, more consistent editor, with new "Table (Tags)" and "Pie Chart (Tags)" report types that group contact counts by one or more tags, with drill-down to the matching contacts. * TWEAKED Calendar date pickers have clearer hover states, greyed-out dates that are out of range, and a more interactive month picker. * FIXED Admin Notification steps could fail with a fatal error, leaving events stuck "In Progress" and sending duplicate notifications. * FIXED Groundhogg's bundled select2 replacement no longer takes over other plugins' select2 dropdowns in wp-admin. * FIXED "Translation loading for the groundhogg domain was triggered too early" notice on WordPress 6.7+, by loading the plugin textdomain before the plugin initializes. * FIXED Forms built with the "Create Flow" ability could not be submitted. * SECURITY Further hardened how contact data and email rendering are handled for visitors whose identity has not been verified. Credit: Ayukiab, via Patchstack. = 4.8.2 (2026-09-16) = * ADDED "Add to Flow" action step, so a flow can enroll the contact in another flow (or restart the same one) at its first step or a step you choose, instead of requiring a separate manual step or automation to do it. * ADDED "Simulate Flow" and "Live Simulate Flow" abilities, so an agent can trace what a flow would do for a contact from a given step (branches taken, roughly when timers resolve) with no side effects, or actually run it for real - the same simulation the funnel editor's own "Simulate" panel uses. * ADDED "List Settings" and "Update Settings" abilities, backed by a new settings registry with JSON-schema validation, so an agent can discover and change a plugin's registered settings instead of only the objects (contacts, emails, flows, etc.) abilities already covered. * ADDED "Add Custom Field" and "Update Custom Field" abilities for creating and editing a contact's custom fields, with the same validation rules the contact editor itself uses. * ADDED A "Groundhogg Extensions" ability category: "List Extensions" to see which official add-ons are installed and licensed, "Check License" and "Activate License" to manage a license key, and "Install Extension" to remotely install and activate one - gated on WordPress's own `install_plugins`/`activate_plugins` capabilities since it installs code on the site. * ADDED "Create Tag" and "Create Campaign"/"Associate Campaign" abilities for creating tags and campaigns and attaching a campaign to other objects, rather than requiring one to already exist. * TWEAKED Dashboard widgets can now be reordered by drag-and-drop; the layout is remembered per-browser. * SECURITY Hardened handling of contact-submitted data to prevent it from being reinterpreted as active content elsewhere in the CRM. Credit: Ayukiab, via Patchstack. = 4.8.1 (2026-09-14) = * ADDED "Create Flow" and "Activate Flow" abilities, so an AI agent can build a flow (funnel) from scratch, including branching steps, and turn it on. A new "List Step Types" ability lists the buildable step types and their settings so an agent can discover what's available before building. * ADDED "List Replacement Codes" ability for discovering the merge tags available for use in emails. * ADDED Add-ons can now register their own ability categories and abilities alongside Groundhogg's, and extend the contact and segment schemas with their own fields, so the WordPress Abilities API integration introduced in 4.8 isn't limited to what Groundhogg itself provides. * TWEAKED Email-related abilities are now named consistently around "email template" (`create-email-template`, `update-email-template`, `get-email-template`) instead of a mix of "email" and "email-template". * TWEAKED Ability descriptions now link out to relevant documentation for easier reference when working with an agent. = 4.8 (2026-09-10) = * ADDED AI agents and other tools can now act on your CRM through the WordPress Abilities API: find and manage contacts and their notes, create and send saved or one-off emails, schedule and report on broadcasts, and add contacts to flows. Every ability runs through the same capability and per-object permission checks as the rest of Groundhogg. This is an early release β€” more abilities, including SMS, are coming in future updates. * ADDED Redesigned contact activity timeline: flow runs and browsing sessions are grouped into collapsible sections, and email opens and clicks are nested under the email they belong to. * Failed flow events now show in the timeline along with the error that caused them. * Filter the timeline by a specific flow, email, or broadcast, or by activity type, using the new filter picker. * "Load earlier activity" button to page further back through a contact's history. * Relative date headers and a date/time gutter in the timeline for easier scanning. * The contact timeline now loads in a single request, fetched by date range instead of a fixed number of items. Refreshing and paging load only the new slice and update the view in place instead of rebuilding it. * ADDED Broadcasts now open in a month calendar instead of a table, so you can see what is going out and when at a glance. Click a broadcast for its send time, audience size, and open and click stats, with links through to its report, preview, recipients, or to cancel it. * Click any day from today onwards to schedule a broadcast for it, with the date already filled in. * Filter by status from the legend above the calendar: sent, sending, scheduled, pending, or cancelled. * The month you are viewing is kept in the address bar, so leaving the page and coming back returns you to where you were. * The previous table is still there behind the "List view" link, for searching, sorting, and bulk actions. Whichever of the two you switch to becomes your default the next time you open the page. * ADDED The Licenses settings tab now shows a notice when an installed extension has no active license or its license has expired, with a link to groundhogg.io to purchase or renew. * ADDED Contacts with no name now display a name inferred from their email address (e.g. "jane.doe@example.com" shows as "Jane Doe") in the contacts table, page title, and profile card. * TWEAKED Dropdowns in the admin now use Groundhogg's native item picker instead of the bundled select2 library, for a consistent look and a lighter page load. * SECURITY Viewing, editing, deleting, or creating a note or task now also requires access to the contact (or other object) it is attached to. Previously `view_notes` / `view_tasks` alone could expose notes and tasks on contacts a user was not otherwise permitted to see, both through the REST API and anywhere the `view_note` / `view_task` capabilities are checked. * SECURITY Links shown in the contact timeline (such as clicked email links) are validated against a scheme allowlist before rendering, and long links are truncated with hover-to-expand. * FIXED Popovers anchored to something near the right edge of the screen could extend past it. They are now kept within the viewport horizontally, as they already were vertically. * FIXED Step is_entry()/is_conversion() could trigger "Undefined property" warnings. * FIXED Broadcasts using a segment with filters from an outdated add-on could schedule duplicate emails, far more than the segment's contact count. The contact query no longer silently falls back to the legacy engine, and such broadcasts are cancelled with an error instead of scheduling. * DEV Abilities API: a first set of abilities is registered on `wp_abilities_api_init`, covering contacts (get, create, update, search, notes), tags, owners, custom fields, and saved searches; emails (create, list, and send saved emails, list sender profiles, send a saved or composed email to specific contacts); broadcasts (schedule to a segment with optional batching, list, cancel, read open/click report); and flows (list, add a contact or segment). Abilities live in `includes/abilities/`, each extending `\Groundhogg\Abilities\Ability`; reusable output shapes are `\Groundhogg\Abilities\Schemas\Schema` subclasses. * DEV Custom objects (experimental β€” schema and API may change): register lightweight object types with `register_custom_object( $type, $args )` instead of creating a dedicated table. Each type is backed by the shared `gh_objects` / `gh_object_meta` tables and resolves through `get_db()`, `create_object_from_type()`, and the query builder like any first-party object. Extend `\Groundhogg\Custom_Object` for a typed runtime class. Pass `'show_in_rest' => false` to skip the `gh/v4/objects/{type}` REST controller (CRUD, meta, relationships) and keep the type PHP-only. * DEV Contact_Query::used_legacy_fallback() exposes when a query dropped to the legacy engine; new `groundhogg/contact_query/legacy_fallback` action and `groundhogg/contact_query/throw_on_legacy_fallback` filter. * DEV `view_note` / `view_task` (and their edit/delete counterparts) now cascade into a view check on the associated object. New `groundhogg/roles/note_association_cap_check_types` filter controls which associated types participate (contact, deal, company by default); a type left out keeps the prior behaviour of the blanket `view_notes` / `view_tasks` capability plus author scoping. * DEV New `MakeEl.Calendar` month view component. Give it an array of events plus `getEventDate` and `renderEvent` and it handles the grid, per-day overflow ("+ N more"), day and event clicks, and month navigation; `dayProps` and `eventProps` add classes and attributes per cell or chip. The displayed month can be left to the component or driven from outside with the `month` prop and `onMonthChange`, which is what you want when each month's events have to be fetched. Also exported: `mergeAttributes`, and the date helpers `toDate`, `startOfDay`, `startOfMonth`, `dayKey`, `addDays`, and `addMonths`. `enqueue_broadcast_calendar_assets()` loads the broadcast calendar's own scripts and styles. * DEV `gh/v4/broadcasts` accepts `context=embed`, which leaves the email or SMS behind each broadcast out of list responses. Serializing a broadcast in full also builds and merges the whole message, which is far too expensive for a month of them at a time. * DEV Scheduling a broadcast dispatches a `groundhogg/broadcast/scheduled` event on `document`, with the new broadcast in `event.detail.broadcast`. * DEV admin.js no longer depends on select2. When `$.fn.select2` is undefined a polyfill backed by `MakeEl.ItemPicker` is registered that maps the select2 options still in use (`data`, `ajax`, `multiple`, `tags`, `placeholder`, `allowClear`) and keeps the underlying `