The Hidden Problem Nobody Talks About: Keeping Gravity Forms Data in Sync
If you’ve been using Gravity Forms for any length of time, you’ve probably run into this scenario: A customer updates their phone number on one form, but now you have outdated information scattered across entries in three other forms. Or maybe you’re tracking project status in one form but need that data reflected in a related client management form.
The solution most people resort to? Manual updates. Copy, paste, repeat. It’s tedious, error-prone, and frankly, it’s 2026—we shouldn’t still be doing this.
That’s exactly why we built Field Sync for Gravity Forms.
What Makes Field Sync Different
Field Sync does something surprisingly rare in the Gravity Forms ecosystem: it synchronizes data between separate form entries automatically and in real-time. When a customer updates their contact information in Form A, that change can instantly propagate to their related entries in Form B, Form C, and beyond.
This isn’t about populating fields while someone fills out a form. It isn’t about creating nested parent-child relationships. It’s about keeping your existing entry data consistent across your entire Gravity Forms database—without lifting a finger after the initial setup. If you’re looking to use Gravity Forms as a more robust data system, check out our guide on using Gravity Forms as a relational database.
How It Works
Field Sync uses a feed-based system with flexible key pair matching. Here’s the basic concept:
- Define your source and target forms — Choose which form triggers updates and which form(s) receive them
- Set your matching key — This could be an email address, customer ID, project number, or any field that links entries together
- Map your fields — Select which fields should stay synchronized
- Let it run — From that point forward, updates happen automatically
Need bi-directional sync? Create two feeds pointing in opposite directions. It’s that straightforward.
Real-World Use Cases
1. Customer Data Management (The CRM You Already Have)
Many WordPress sites use Gravity Forms as a de facto CRM. You might have:
- A contact form that captures initial customer information
- A support request form that references customer details
- An order form with billing information
- A feedback survey that includes customer identification
With Field Sync, when a customer updates their email address through your account update form, every related entry across all these forms stays current. No more hunting through entries to fix outdated contact information.
2. Project Management and Status Tracking
Imagine you’re running a creative agency. You have:
- A project intake form where clients submit new requests
- An internal project tracking form your team uses
- A client-facing status update form
When your team updates the project status internally, Field Sync can push that update to the client-facing entry. When the client provides additional information, it syncs back to your internal tracking. Everyone stays on the same page without anyone manually copying data between systems.
3. Multi-Location or Multi-Department Data
For organizations with multiple locations or departments that each have their own forms, Field Sync creates a connective tissue between them. A headquarters form can push policy updates to all regional forms. Regional forms can sync local data back to a central dashboard form.
4. Event and Registration Management
Running recurring events? You might have:
- A master attendee registration form
- Individual event-specific forms
- A volunteer coordination form
When an attendee updates their dietary restrictions or accessibility needs in one place, those preferences sync everywhere they’re registered. No more last-minute scrambles because someone’s allergy information didn’t make it to the catering team.
5. Educational and Enrollment Systems
Schools and training programs often juggle:
- Application forms
- Enrollment forms
- Course registration forms
- Emergency contact forms
When a parent updates their phone number on the emergency contact form, Field Sync ensures it’s reflected in enrollment records and course registrations. Data consistency isn’t just convenient here—it’s critical.
6. Membership and Subscription Management
Membership organizations typically spread data across multiple forms:
- Initial membership application
- Annual renewal forms
- Event registration forms
- Volunteer sign-up forms
Field Sync keeps member profiles consistent. When someone’s membership level changes on their renewal form, that status updates everywhere—affecting what events they can register for, what volunteer opportunities they see, and more.
How Does This Compare to Other Solutions?
You might be wondering: can’t I do this with existing tools? Let’s look at the alternatives.
Gravity Flow + Form Connector
Gravity Flow is a powerful workflow automation tool, and its Form Connector extension can update entries across forms. However:
- It requires a Gravity Flow license (starting at $199/year) plus the Form Connector extension
- It’s designed for complex multi-step workflows, not simple data synchronization
- The learning curve is significantly steeper
If you need full workflow automation with approvals, user assignments, and complex routing, Gravity Flow is excellent. But if your primary need is keeping data in sync across forms, it’s like using a sledgehammer to hang a picture frame.
Populate Anything
Gravity Wiz’s Populate Anything is a fantastic add-on, but it serves a fundamentally different purpose. It populates fields during form filling—pulling data from posts, users, entries, or external sources to pre-fill or dynamically update fields while someone is actively using the form.
Field Sync operates after submission, keeping existing entries synchronized over time. These are complementary tools, not competitors. In fact, they work great together.
Nested Forms
Nested Forms creates parent-child relationships, embedding one form within another. This is useful for collecting repeating data sets (like adding multiple attendees to a registration), but it’s architecturally different from synchronizing independent form entries.
Zapier or External Integration Tools
You could theoretically use Zapier to watch for Gravity Forms submissions and update other entries via the API. But:
- Zapier adds monthly costs that scale with usage
- It introduces external dependencies and potential points of failure
- Setup requires more technical knowledge
- There’s inherent latency in external webhook processing
Field Sync keeps everything within WordPress, operates in real-time, and doesn’t add recurring costs tied to your submission volume.
WPSyncSheets (Google Sheets Integration)
WPSyncSheets can sync Gravity Forms entries to Google Sheets, and you could use Sheets as middleware to coordinate data between forms. It’s clever, but:
- Requires Google Sheets as an intermediary
- Adds complexity to what should be a simple operation
- Introduces external dependencies
If you’re already using Google Sheets as your data hub, this might work. But for direct entry-to-entry synchronization, Field Sync is more elegant.
Why We Built This
Gravity Forms is incredibly powerful for data collection, but it was designed around individual form submissions. As organizations use it for increasingly complex data management, the need for entries to “talk to each other” becomes obvious—yet surprisingly few solutions address this directly.
We built Field Sync to fill that gap. It’s not trying to be a workflow engine or a form builder or a CRM. It does one thing: keeps your Gravity Forms entries synchronized. And it does that one thing really well. For more tools that extend Gravity Forms functionality, see our roundup of time-saving Gravity Forms add-ons.
Pricing That Makes Sense
We’ve kept Field Sync affordable because we want it to be accessible to anyone who needs it:
- Single Site: $59.99/year
- 10 Sites: $125/year
- Unlimited Sites: $199/year
- Unlimited Lifetime: $299 (one-time)
Compare that to cobbling together Gravity Flow plus extensions, or paying monthly Zapier fees that grow with your usage. Field Sync is straightforward value.
What’s Coming Next
We’re actively developing Field Sync, and conditional logic support is on the roadmap. Soon you’ll be able to set conditions for when synchronization should (or shouldn’t) occur—giving you even more control over your data flows.
Ready to Stop Copying and Pasting?
If you’re tired of manually updating entries across forms, or if you’ve been looking for a simple way to keep related Gravity Forms data in sync, give Field Sync a try. We offer a 14-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked.
Your data should work for you—not the other way around.