We wrote 300 contact-form messages: 150 spam messages of every kind we see on Squarespace forms, and 150 real ones, the way real customers actually write. Then we sent all of them through Pengon exactly as a Squarespace form sends them, with the live filter and the default settings. Nothing was tuned for the test, and the filter had never seen these messages.
The result: Pengon stopped 150 of the 150 spam messages (100%) and delivered 144 of the 150 real messages (96%).
What went in
The spam half covers what reaches small-business inboxes in 2026: SEO and backlink pitches, web-design and app pitches, generic “I came across your website” outreach, lead brokers writing “on behalf of a luxury hospitality group”, the polished fake warm leads (“a founder friend mentioned you… we're in stealth”), crypto and loan offers, fake copyright and invoice threats, bot junk, adult and casino spam, job scams, wholesale suppliers, and sales pitches in German, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.
The real half is deliberately hard. Detailed project enquiries, yes, but also one-line questions (“Are you open on Sunday?”), messages from existing customers, messages typed on a phone with no punctuation, job and internship applications, press and school requests, and real enquiries in six languages. It also includes messages that look like spam on the surface: a real customer who “found your website on Google”, a neighbour proposing a collaboration, a client asking for SEO help, a journalist asking for an interview.
What came out
Sales pitches (SEO, web design, marketing, suppliers): 52 of 52 stopped.
Fake enquiries and 'collaboration' requests: 44 of 44 stopped.
Scams, fake invoices, prizes and loans: 26 of 26 stopped.
Bots, junk and adult spam: 18 of 18 stopped.
Spam in other languages: 10 of 10 stopped.
Real customer messages: 144 of 150 delivered.
Real messages in other languages: 23 of 24 delivered.
Very short real messages: 26 of 26 delivered.
Pengon took 0.3 seconds to read a typical message. The visitor doesn't notice; the form sends as usual.
Spam that got through
None. Every spam message in the test was held.
Real messages that were held
6 real messages were held by mistake:
Beat Schneider <[email protected]>: “Hello, I'm the president of FC Oberrieden. We're looking for sponsors for our junior teams' jerseys (CHF 500 per season, your logo on the back). You'd be in the club magazine too. Would you be interested? Happy to come by.”
Pengon: stopped (score 0.84, ai:cold_outreach).
Leon Hofstetter <[email protected]>: “Hello, I'm a trained carpenter (EFZ, finished 2024) and I'm looking for a new position in the Aarau area. I can start in June. Could I send you my CV?”
Pengon: stopped (score 0.78, ai:cold_outreach).
Julie Perret <[email protected]>: “Hi, I'm a photography student at ECAL in Lausanne and I'd love to assist you on shoots this summer (July–August). I have my own equipment and a driving licence. My portfolio: julieperret.ch”
Pengon: stopped (score 0.75, ai:cold_outreach).
Mireille Dupont <[email protected]>: “Bonjour, je suis fleuriste diplômée (CFC 2019) avec 5 ans d'expérience à Genève et je déménage à Zurich en septembre. Cherchez-vous du personnel à 60–80 % ? Je peux vous envoyer mon CV.”
Pengon: stopped (score 0.77, ai:cold_outreach).
Timo Brunner <[email protected]>: “Hi, I'm a web developer (3 years, mostly Squarespace and Webflow) and I'm looking for freelance work for 2 days a week from April. If you ever need an extra pair of hands on client projects, I'd be happy to meet for a coffee.”
Pengon: stopped (score 0.92, ai:service_pitch).
Marco Bürgi <[email protected]>: “Good morning, I'm a landscape gardener (EFZ) with 6 years' experience, currently in Luzern, and I'd like to move to the Zürich area. Do you have an opening for a foreman or team leader from summer?”
Pengon: stopped (score 0.69, ai:cold_outreach).
A held message is not lost. It sits in your dashboard for 90 days with the reason, and one click on Recover emails it to you.
A few of the close calls
Spam that reads like a real enquiry, and was still stopped:
Sarah <[email protected]>: “Hello, I came across your beautiful portfolio while researching design partners in the Zurich area. I'm reaching out on behalf of a luxury hospitality group that is expanding into Switzerland in 2026 and looking for the right studio to collaborate with. Your aesthetic aligns with our brand vision. Would you be open to a quick call next week to explore a potential partnership? Best regards, Sarah”
Pengon: stopped (score 0.97, ai:lead_broker).
Victoria Hale <[email protected]>: “Good afternoon, I represent a family office with real estate holdings across Europe. Our client is looking for a design partner for several residential projects in Switzerland and your work was recommended. Could we arrange an introductory call?”
Pengon: stopped (score 0.88, ai:lead_broker).
Marcus <[email protected]>: “Hi, I work with a boutique fashion brand that is launching in the Swiss market later this year. They've asked me to shortlist studios with a refined aesthetic, and yours stood out. Would you be open to a conversation about a potential collaboration?”
Pengon: stopped (score 0.93, ai:lead_broker).
Charlotte Reed <[email protected]>: “Hello, we're introducing you to one of our partners, a premium wellness brand expanding into Europe. They are seeking creative partners in your region. Please let me know if you'd be interested in receiving more details.”
Pengon: stopped (score 0.97, ai:lead_broker).
Real messages that look like spam at first glance, and were still delivered:
Peter Frey <[email protected]>: “Are you open on Sunday?”
Pengon: delivered (score 0.06, ai:legit).
Monika Steffen <[email protected]>: “Do you still have the green linen dress in size 38?”
Pengon: delivered (score 0.03, ai:legit).
Lars <[email protected]>: “Table for 6 on Friday 8pm possible?”
Pengon: delivered (score 0.03, ai:legit).
Beatrice Amrein <[email protected]>: “How much is a haircut and colour?”
Pengon: delivered (score 0.04, ai:legit).
How we ran it
Every message was sent to Pengon the way the Squarespace form sends it: a name, an email address and the message, from a browser, one at a time. Pengon ran its normal checks: the hidden field only bots fill in, the throwaway-address list, and then the AI reading the message. The site was on the default “balanced” setting. We did not look at the results until all 300 were through, and we did not change anything afterwards.
We wrote the messages ourselves, so this is our test, not an independent one. The names, companies and email addresses in it are invented. Your own dashboard shows what Pengon does with the real messages on your site, and the free 21-day trial exists so you can see that before you pay.
The complete list, all 300 messages with Pengon's answer to each, is here: download the test as a CSV file.
Pengon is an AI spam filter for Squarespace contact forms. It reads every message and holds the fake enquiries and sales pitches that reCAPTCHA lets through, while real messages reach your inbox as normal. Try it free for 21 days, no card needed, or pay once, $149, and use it forever. Built in Zürich by Quad Studio.