Online forms are the backbone of user engagement for modern websites and web applications. From simple contact forms to complex multi-page order forms – they enable crucial user interactions like registrations, survey responses, payments and more.
Choosing the right online form builder can have a significant impact on form conversion rates and overall customer experience on your site. In this exhaustive guide, we will look at the 10 best free form builders that can help you create professional looking forms quickly without needing any coding experience.
Why Online Forms Matter
Here are some key reasons why online forms are integral for modern websites across niches:
- Lead Generation: Forms like newsletter subscriptions, demo signups, contact forms etc. help generate more leads by capturing user information
- Payments: Order and payment forms facilitate ecommerce transactions, donations, event fee submissions securely
- Analytics: The submission data can provide crucial insights into your target audience and content performance
- Automation: Forms can integrate with other tools like CRMs and email services to automate workflows
- Surveys: Online surveys forms help gather customer feedback, reviews and suggestions at scale
Pro Tip: Match form design and content to your specific goals – whether lead capture, transactions or surveys. Ask only relevant questions to improve form fill rate.
Form Design Best Practices
Here are some key best practices to keep in mind:
- Mobile Responsiveness: Use forms builders with responsive templates that work seamlessly on mobile
- Break long forms into multiple pages to avoid overwhelming users
- Prominently highlight the Call to Action like “Submit” button
- Use form logic to skip irrelevant questions based on previous responses
- Personalize forms by adding your branding colors, logo and themes
- Allow users to save and resume partially filled forms to improve completion rate
- Provide clear in-context error messages for incorrect inputs
- Offer preview option before final submission
- Send confirmation emails and set up thank you page post submission
Next, let us look at the top free online form building tools:
1. JotForm
JotForm is one of the most full-featured online form builders that makes it easy to create eloquent forms without needing to code.
Key Features
- 100+ free form templates for different needs
- Drag and drop form editor with 150+ form elements
- Supports form logic, conditional fields, calculations etc.
- Form styling with themes, fonts, colors and branding
- Accept payments, file uploads and signatures
- View detailed submissions reports and analytics
- Integrates with 1000+ apps via Zapier
JotForm is suitable for all form use cases – contact forms, order forms, application forms, surveys, quizzes etc. It has a free forever starter plan allowing unlimited forms and 100 submissions per month.
Ideal For: Small business websites, surveys, event registrations
2. Wufoo
Wufoo is a user-friendly form builder loaded with hundreds of templates and integrations with marketing platforms.
Key Features
- Pre-built templates for surveys, job applications, payments etc
- Embed forms easily into websites with custom styling
- Accept payments via Stripe, Paypal etc.
- View insightful reports on form performance
- Entry rules and conditional logic to personalize forms
- Zapier integration to connect with other apps
- Multilingual forms supported
Wufoo offers a forever free plan for basic forms allowing 100 submissions per month. It is easy to use even for non-technical folks.
Ideal For: Survey forms, Job applications, Simple order forms
3. Typeform
Typeform is beloved by marketers for its gorgeous form templates that convert.
Why It Stands Out
- Beautiful responsive templates focused on conversion
- Present one question at a time instead of lengthy forms
- 100% customizable themes to match branding
- Logic jumps, hidden fields and calculations
- Seamlessly embed forms or share via links
- Integrates with over 1000+ platforms
Although Typeform’s free plan only allows 10 questions and 100 responses per month, the superior user experience makes it worthwhile.
Ideal For: Lead capture forms, NPS surveys, Quizzes
4. Cognito Forms
Cognito Forms excels at advanced form capabilities even in its freemium version.
Key Capabilities
- 100+ premade form templates
- Intuitive drag and drop editing
- Supports complex multi-page form workflows
- Robust entry management with folders and views
- Custom branding with themes, colors and CSS
- Accept payments and upload files
- Additional security via 2 step verification
- Zapier integration
With unlimited forms and entries in free account, Cognito Forms is feature-packed for both simple and complex data collection scenarios.
Ideal For: Advanced multi-page forms, Payments acceptance, Business workflows
5. Google Forms
Part of Google Workspace, Google Forms need no introduction when it comes to free online form builders.
Why Choose It
- Tightly integrated into Google ecosystem
- Premade templates for surveys, Quizzes, Registrations etc
- Easy to create and share forms via links
- Real time response dashboard and graphical analysis
- Collect open-ended or multiple choice responses
- Add images, videos and custom styling
- Export response data to Sheets for further analysis
- Collaborate with other Google users
Google Forms allow unlimited free form creation and responses with sufficient capabilities for most basic form needs.
Ideal for: Internal use, HR surveys, Event registrations, Quizzes
6. 123 Form Builder
123 Form Builder lives up to its name with an incredibly easy drag and drop form creator and extensive customization options.
Notable Features
- 2000+ premade form templates
- Multilingual support for forms
- Accept payments and upload files
- Multi page forms and branching logic
- Real-time data view and alerts
- Customized email notifications
- Integrate via API or Zapier with 1000+ apps
- GDPR and HIPAA compliant
123 Form Builder has a forever free plan for basic forms and unlimited responses. The only limit is form customization features.
Ideal for: Survey forms, Job applications, Payments collection
7. Formspree
Formspree stands out with its lightweight embeddable contact form builder tailored for developers.
Why Choose It
- No account signup needed
- Easy form embedding into websites
- Customizable form fields
- Real time email notifications
- Data exported in CSV/JSON
- 100 submissions free per month
- Supports unlimited forms
Developers love Formspree for its simplicity and focus on core form capabilities.
Ideal for: Contact forms, Lead generation embedding
8. FormGet
FormGet makes it easy for small teams to create forms with its simple free plan.
Main Benefits
- Drag and drop form builder
- Custom form templates
- Real-time response analytics
- Multi-page forms and branching
- Partial form saving
- Slack and Telegram bot integration
- Email and SMS notifications
- Unlimited forms and 100 entries per month
For teams already using Slack or Telegram, FormGet makes collaborating around forms effortless.
Ideal for: Teams, data collection automation via bots
9. FormCrafts
FormCrafts is a code-free forms builder with handy dashboard and collaboration capabilities.
Standout Features
- Custom form fields and templates
- Conditional logic and copy fields
- Role based dashboard access
- Charts and graphing of response data
- SMTP and email integrations
- Partial form saving capability
- Keyboard friendly and 508 compliant
- Unlimited forms and 100 entries per month
The access control and visual data representation make FormCrafts valuable.
Ideal for: Business teams, data analysis and reporting
10. FormFire
FormFire keeps form creation delightfully simple while still supporting robust features.
Noteworty Capabilities
- Form scheduling and close dates
- Partial saves and unauthorized access rules
- Custom form processing flows
- Multi language support
- Real time analytics dashboard
- Intelligent conditional form fields
- Email and SMS notifications
- Payment form templates
- 100 entries free per month
For use cases not requiring tons of templates, FormFire hits the sweet spot between simplicity and customization capabilities.
Ideal For: Developers, Custom registration flows
Find the Best Fit
The type of online form that would work best for you depends entirely on your specific needs and scenario.
Here is a quick decision matrix highlighting the best free form builders for different common use cases:
| Form Use Case | Best Fit Choices |
|---|---|
| Contact and Lead Capture Forms | JotForm, Wufoo, Typeform |
| Payment Collection and Orders | Wufoo, Cognito Forms, JotForm |
| External Surveys and Quizzes | Typeform, Google Forms |
| Advanced Workflows | Cognito Forms, JotForm |
| Lightweight | Formspree, Google Forms |
| Developers prefernce | Formspree, 123 Form Builder |
Most of the popular form builders have forever free versions with sufficient capabilities for simple forms. Advanced integrations, analytics and customization abilities differentiate the premium plans.
For absolute basic contact forms, also check out our list of the best free contact form plugins for popular CMS platforms like WordPress and website builders like Wix.
Conclusion
I hope this comprehensive guide helped you select the ideal online form builders for your specific needs. The key is matching the form builder capabilities to your use case scenario, budget, audience and environment.
Here are some key takeaways:
- Use form design best practices to maximize conversions
- Choose mobile-friendly and easy to use builders for better experience
- Assess features like conditional logic, payments and analytics based on requirements
- Integrate forms with other tools to streamline workflows
- Test different builders with sample forms to determine the best fit
Do share any feedback or questions you may have in comments section below! Feel free to share if you found this guide to the free online form builders useful.
