Choose the Best WordPress Form Plugin for Your Website

When you’re building your website, you want every single thing, every simple thing, to be perfect. And you work hard to accomplish that by starting everything from scratch after thorough research. 

Your website is the home for your brand, where the forms are the doors. You need to make them reflect your brand values to welcome the right audience. And if you’re a WordPress user, you definitely need the best WordPress form plugin to pull that off.

So how do you identify which form plugin is the best for you? What approach should you take while researching that? 

Let me simplify the process for you and be a part of your amazing journey towards success. 

In this blog, I’ll compare the 7 best WordPress form plugins in my experience and walk you through the steps to conduct your own research on choosing the right form plugin for your site.

TL;DR

1. Fluent Forms – Best overall (the complete package)
2. Gravity Forms – Best for complex workflows
3. Forminator Forms – Best free option
4. Formidable Forms – Best for developers
5. WPForms – Best for beginners & non-technical users
6. Ninja Forms – Best for modular form building
7. Contact Form 7 – Best for code-based customization

7 best WordPress form plugins compared

I’ve done my due research to help you make an informed decision and listed the 7 best WordPress form plugins worth considering for your website. Here’s an overview:

The following section covers a basic comparison among the plugins’ free and pro features and their pricing. Go with the plugin that has your requirements covered in the free version, and has the advanced functionalities to accommodate your growth.

1. Fluent Forms: the master key

Fluent Forms is the ultimate powerful contact solution for your website. As the fastest form builder, it won’t affect your page load speed. Moreover, its flexibility and easy learning curve makes form building super fun. Pair that with AI form building, advanced conditional logic (any/all/group), and all the functionalities, you can create any form imaginable.

Additionally, it offers payment fields on the free version (except coupon & inventory) and Stripe payment (including subscription payment) for a 1.9% charge per transaction.

Here’s a list of the notable Fluent Forms free & pro features:

Some of the lesser-known features of Fluent Forms are user geolocation, address autocomplete, form version history & undo-redo, save & resume, frontend post creation, hidden field, net promoter score & star rating, checkable grid, color picker, repeater container, translation, etc.

Moreover, you can customize the looks of your forms using the advanced styling options, or choose from a variety of templates. You can also design a landing page with the premium version of Fluent Forms.

Pricing: Pricing for the premium version of Fluent Forms starts at $79/year. All the premium versions offer all the functionalities and differ only in the number of domain licenses. Fluent Forms offers priority ticket support to all its free and pro users.

2. Gravity Forms: developers’ secret weapon

While Gravity Forms is a very dominant form plugin in usability and features, it has no free version available. They offer various add-ons for three different plans. The basic plan comes with the core features and marketing & security integrations.

The pro plan comes with all the basic add-ons and payment processors & more CRM integrations. The elite license comes with all the basic and pro-add-ons and additional features like geo-locations, conversational forms, coupons, Google Analytics, polls, quizzes, surveys, signature, partial entries, chained select, etc.

Here’s a list of the notable Gravity Forms features:

Pricing: Gravity Forms pricing starts at $59/year.

3. Forminator Forms: the free toolkit

Forminator Forms offers you some powerful features on the free plan including calculation, and Stripe & Paypal single payments (not recurring/subscription) free of charge. They also let you set conditions to show or hide a field. 

Moreover, you get to upload files and style your forms with the free version. With the premium version, you can access user’s geo-location, generate PDFs, and so on.

However, the field insertion isn’t a drag-and-drop feature in Forminator Forms, making form building a not-so-smooth experience.

Here’s a list of the notable Forminator Forms free & pro features:

Pricing: Forminator pro pricing starts at $15/month. All the paid plans offer the same premium features only differing in the number of site licenses. Premium users also receive expert support.

4. Formidable Forms: the application framework

Formidable Forms is your another friendly neighborhood form plugin offering a smooth drag-and-drop form-building experience.

Its free version, basic, and pro plan allow you to accept payment via Stripe at a 3% charge. However, you can’t unlock the product item or product quantity fields with the free plan.

The free version also offers you visual form styling options. Moreover, you can turn submitted data into directories, listings, and web applications with the premium version.

Here’s a list of the notable Formidable Forms free & pro features:

Pricing: Formidable forms basic plan pricing starts at $79/year. However, many of the premium features are available only for business or elite plans.

5. WPForms: the quick‑start champ

WPForms is a great drag-and-drop form builder and comes with 2000+ templates. Its free version allows you to show payment items & total payment amount, and accept payment via Stripe. However, it charges a 3% fee per transaction when using Stripe until you upgrade to the Pro or Elite plan. 

However, entry previews are unavailable with WPForms Lite (the free version), and you get the entries in your email after each submission. They also don’t offer ticket support to free users.

Here’s a list of the notable WPForms free & pro features:

Pricing: WPForms basic pricing starts at $99/year. However, to unlock most of its potential you have to upgrade to the pro or elite plan.

6. Ninja Forms: the LEGO set

Ninja Forms is a beginner-friendly form builder that offers simple numeric calculations in the free version, however, I found it a little tricky to set it up.

Its styling add-on isn’t very intuitive either because you can’t see the change real time. You have to check the style in a different preview tab and come back to the styling tab to make adjustments.

The paid versions each unlock some feature and 3rd party add-ons. You can also purchase from their 40+ add-ons on a need basis without upgrading to a premium plan.

The premium users get discounts on add-on purchases though the discount percentage depends on their pricing plans. Premium users also receive priority support from the Ninja Forms team.

Here’s a list of the notable Ninja Forms free & pro features:

Pricing: Ninja Forms plus pricing plan starts at $99/year.

7. Contact Form 7: the minimalist classic

Contact Form 7 is a completely free contact plugin with all the basic form features, however, it’s not much of a visual builder like other modern form plugins. To use advanced form features, you require coding knowledge or 3rd-party add-ons. 

Fortunately, there are many 3rd party add-ons (both free and paid) for Contact Form 7. Those plugins will allow you to make databases (for entry management & others), integrate payment processors, enable advanced conditional logic, advanced styling, and many more. 

However, you should get 3rd party add-ons only from the trusted providers, and make sure they don’t make your site heavy.

Here’s a list of the notable Contact Form 7 features:

Pricing: Contact Form 7 is completely free of charge. 

Compare the free & pro features, and the pricing plans and decide which form plugin offers the necessary features in your budget. Note that, the plugin must have additional features available as well, so scaling up doesn’t become an issue for you.

Insider Secret: With multiple pricing tiers (each plan unlocks some paid features), you’ll have to level up/buy add-ons each time you decide to explore new features; which can sum up to quite a lot if there is no lifetime deal.

In the following section, I’ll guide you through the process of choosing the right form plugin for your site. Simply follow these steps if you’re new to the WordPress community or not sure about what to look for in a form.

6 steps to choose the right form plugin

Choosing the right form plugin is just like conducting any other research – searching the internet, and paying attention. We’ll just break the process down for you here, so you know exactly what to keep an eye out for.  

1. Search in the WordPress plugin repository

If you don’t know much about WordPress forms but want to do your research from scratch, the plugin directory is where you go. Search for forms or forms with specific features per your requirements. 

That was the easy part. Now there will be page after page of form plugins in the search results, and you have to find the right fit for your needs. Luckily, you’ll find most of the best WordPress form plugins on the first page.

2. Check the active installation number, ratings, & reviews

Since there are thousands of plugins for your search results, you need to make a shortlist. This way, you can thoroughly analyze the select few and make an informed decision for your website. 

Make the shortlist by scanning the active installation number (which suggests how many websites are using that plugin). Remember, a plugin with a lower installation number can serve you well too, especially when it’s new in the market.

Next, check the star ratings and reviews. See how users feel about the plugin, and whether it satisfies their needs. As long as the overall score is good, don’t worry about the isolated one-star rating or an occasional angry review.

3. Research features & input fields

Now it’s time to choose from your shortlisted form plugins. This step is very crucial. Here you check the plugin’s functionality.

A form can serve many purposes for your site, for example, generating leads, showcasing products & taking orders, collecting requests & customer reviews, creating polls & surveys, collaborating, etc. In plain words, your website communicates with the outside world using contact forms. 

You need to analyze which purposes you want the form to serve for your website. Then research the input fields and features of the shortlisted form plugins to check their compatibility.

Some of the must-have features of a form plugin include: 

• Smooth drag and drop (and we can’t stress enough how important it is for user-friendliness – you might need to experiment with the placement of different input fields, add new fields in the middle, etc. and not having drag and drop makes that task difficult)

• Conditional logic to hide unnecessary fields (only shows relevant fields in the next step based on which option users select/choose in the current step/field, making the form look clutter-free) 

• Necessary input fields like name, email with double opt-in, phone number, address, numeric fields, text fields, dropdown, radio, checkbox, file upload, Captcha, GDPR compliance, T&C, star ratings & net promoter score, HTML (inserting logo, headings, texts, etc.,) password, date & time, etc.

• Responsiveness to all device types so it offers an excellent user experience

• Necessary customization options for each field. It’ll allow you to tailor the labels, placeholder texts, asterisk placement, button sizes and texts, validations, instruction texts, admin-level texts, etc.

• Multi-step form with progress bar and save & resume options for longer forms

• Conversational forms for specific purposes like onboarding, quiz & survey, etc.

• Payment fields to display products, select product quantity, apply coupons, show inventory, showcase payment total/summary, manage subscriptions, accept payments, etc. 

• Calculation fields for specific forms

• Multi-column layout/ containers

• Form analytics like views and entries, data visualization through pie charts/graphs, number of entries from each type of browser & device, etc. 

• Customizable ready-to-use templates for different purposes

• Necessary settings & security options

• Form import, export, and migration

• Advanced styling options, custom CSS & JS 

Most of the popular form builders have similar functionality but differ in which plans they’re available in. If you’re only starting and prefer a free plan for the moment, see which plugins have your desired features in the free version. 

However, make sure the plugin offers you enough flexibility to scale up. It should have all the necessary features, so your brand can grow without losing any of the existing data or improvements simply by changing the plan.

4. See if the necessary integrations are available

Automated workflow is very important for efficiency. Streamline as many tasks as you can so you have more time for strategizing and creative work. Integrations with necessary tools take care of your repetitive tasks and security concerns and save you from manual data entry. 

Form plugins should integrate with tools like CRM, SMTP, project management platforms, data management tools/sheets, community platforms, booking platforms, security plugins, payment gateways, support plugins, texting channels, webhooks, analytics tools, geolocation, etc.

You might need only a handful of integrations in the beginning, but make sure the plugin you choose has a wide range of integration options for various purposes. It’ll allow you to integrate with the tool of your choosing anytime.  

5. Look into update frequency & support quality

See if the plugin you’re aiming for is updated regularly. A plugin needs to be updated at least once in ninety days, more is of course better. See if the plugin is compatible with the latest version of WordPress, and the PHP version.

Furthermore, check the plugin’s support forum. See if the support thread topics are resolved regularly. Some plugins also allow their free users to open support tickets. Those plugins are a wise choice if you are looking for a free plan.

6. Explore the user-friendliness via live preview 

What if we told you there’s a way to test a plugin yourself without installing it first? That’s right. You’ll find a live preview/ try yourself button in the plugin directory or the plugin’s website. Clicking the button takes you to a WordPress playground where the plugin is already set up.

While you’re testing the plugin, see if it’s beginner-friendly & clutter-free. Notice if the navigation is easy and self-explanatory. Observe the overall user-friendliness of the plugin. See how it feels to fill the form from the preview, how naturally it flows, and if the placeholders, checkboxes, buttons, etc. look good.

Don’t worry if your desired form doesn’t have the live testing option. If the plugin is listed on WordPress.org, staging sites like TasteWP allow you live browser-based plugin testing. Simply swap wordpress.org with tastewp.org in the URL and reload. 

For example, edit the link https://wordpress.org/plugins/fluentform/ to https://tastewp.org/plugins/fluentform/ and reload to test Fluent Forms live. 

Now you know how to conduct your own research to choose the best WordPress form plugin.

For more information, you should visit the plugin’s website. Their team should provide you with the necessary information, support, tutorials, and documentation.

Moving forward

Forms are a vital part of your website, from lead generation to getting paid, almost everything can be achieved through forms.

A website needs tens to hundreds of forms on average depending on the company’s size and functionalities. That’s why you need to be really careful while choosing a plugin responsible for creating and managing all those forms. 

Follow our step-by-step guide to learn how to conduct the research to find the best form plugin for your website. Additionally, check out the comparison among the 7 best WordPress form plugins to find out which plugin offers you the necessary features in your budget. 

When you land on the right form plugin for your site, see if those plugins offer you the flexibility to scale up and build more advanced forms. If the answer is yes, you’re good to go. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us for any queries or confusion you may have on the matter. If you have any insights, please share them with our audience in the comments!

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