Forms are a crucial part of most websites. They allow you to collect information from visitors, qualify leads, and drive conversions.
With the right WordPress form builder plugin, you can create forms that engage visitors and convert them into subscribers, customers and more.
In this comprehensive guide, we compare the top 14 WordPress form builder plugins available today based on features, ease of use, templates, pricing and other factors.
Why Do You Need WordPress Form Builder Plugins?
Here are some of the key reasons to use a dedicated form building plugin:
Collect Information from Visitors: Contact forms, lead gen forms, surveys and more.
Drive Conversions: Opt-ins, event signups, product purchases etc.
Get Feedback and Ratings: User reviews, testimonials, site feedback.
Create Calculators and Interactive Tools: Various niche-specific calculators.
Take Payments: Donations, memberships, product checkouts etc.
The right forms can significantly boost engagement and conversions for your site.
Top 14 WordPress Form Builder Plugins Compared
1. Gravity Forms
Gravity Forms is a hugely popular commercial form builder known for its flexibility, ease of use and integration options.
Some standout features include:
- Intuitive drag and drop builder
- Great selection of field types
- Multi-page forms
- Entry management and analytics
- Integration with payment gateways, email providers and more
- Trusted by over 1 million websites
The pricing starts at $39 annually for one site.
2. WPForms
WPForms is a freemium WordPress form builder plugin with all the features you’d expect in a premium solution.
Key features:
- Drag and drop form builder
- Mobile responsive forms
- Multi-page forms
- Smart conditional logic
- Over a dozen integrations via addons
- Trusted by over 6 million sites
The free version includes basic features while the Pro version (from $39 per year) unlocks advanced functionality.
3. Formidable Forms
Formidable Forms differentiates itself by facilitating complex form-based processes like quizzes, data capture across multiple steps, user registration and more.
Highlights:
- Create multi-step processes like courses, quizzes etc
- Display entries in custom views like calendars or galleries
- Drag and drop form builder with modern styling options
- Top rated support from real people when you need help
- Integrates with all major platforms including email and payment processors
Pricing starts from $47 per year for unlimited forms and entries.
4. Contact Form 7
Contact Form 7 is the most popular free WordPress form plugin, with over 50 million downloads. It’s ideal for simple contact forms.
What you get:
- Lightweight and fast
- Create basic contact forms for queries
- Google reCAPTCHA support
- Email notifications
- Akismet spam filtering
Lacks advanced features other premium builders offer but simplicity and ease of use is the appeal for many.
5. Ninja Forms
Ninja Forms is a user-friendly WordPress forms solution great for beginners but powerful for advanced users as well.
Why users love Ninja Forms:
- Beautiful form templates
- Drag and drop editor
- Multi-column layouts
- File uploads, multi-page forms etc.
- Great selection of integrations with addons
- Dedicated support from experts
Pricing starts from $99 per year for unlimited forms.
6. JetFormBuilder
JetFormBuilder is a freemium WordPress forms plugin with impressive functionality at zero cost.
Notable features:
- Unlimited forms on unlimited sites
- Drag and drop builder
- Mobile friendly forms
- Multiple columns and row types
- Smart conditional logic
- Basic integrations e.g MailChimp
The free forever plan has nearly all you could need while paid plans add priority email support and access to more advanced add-ons.
7. ARForms
ARForms enables you to create multi-step forms and surveys for data collection across pages, with real time analytics and insights.
Why customers love ARForms:
- 50+ pre-built form templates
- Multi-page forms with progress bar
- Modern form design elements
- Drag and drop builder
- Integrates with MailChimp etc
- Collect payments with Stripe/PayPal addons
Pricing starts from $29 per year including all features and unlimited usage.
8. Formaloo
Formaloo is a user-friendly drag and drop WordPress forms builder packed with capabilities.
Standout features:
- 100+ pre-built form templates
- Multi-page forms with progress bar
- Mobile responsive forms
- Real time form analytics dashboard
- GDPR compliant
- Integrate with email and other platforms
Free version has generous limits while paid plans start from $9 per month with unlimited forms.
9. weForms
weForms makes it easy for anyone to create high converting WordPress forms.
Why users love it:
- Intuitive drag and drop form builder
- 25+ pre-made form templates
- Smart conditional logic options
- Collect payments via Stripe
- Awesome form design options
- Great loading speeds
Free version has basic features while weForms Pro unlocks advanced functionality starting from $29 per year.
10. Kali Forms
Kali Forms is one of the easiest WordPress form plugins to get started with while offering a ton of advanced functionality.
Notable features:
- Beautiful ready-made form templates
- Intuitive drag and drop form creation
- Multi-page forms with progress bar
- Partial entries saving
- Conditional logic
- Akismet spam prevention
- File upload and Stripe integration addons
Pricing starts from $45 per year including all features and unlimited usage.
11. FormCraft 3
FormCraft is a premium WordPress form builder focused on flexibility and seamless integration with third party platforms.
Why users love FormCraft 3:
- Connect and manage data anywhere including email and 100+ apps via Zapier
- Multi-step form workflows
- Craft custom registration forms
- Collect payments easily
- Drag and drop form builder with multi-column support
- Great support from real people
Pricing starts from $39 per year including all features and unlimited usage.
12. Form Maker
Form Maker makes it easy for anyone to create multi-column WordPress forms with complex logic.
Key features:
- Drag and drop responsive form builder
- Smart conditional logic
- Mathematical equations
- Multi-page forms
- Partial submission saving
- View real time analytics
- PayPal payments integration
Starts from $19 for unlimited forms on one site, going up to $59 for unlimited sites.
13. Quform 2
Quform is a developer-focused commercial WordPress plugin for building complex, high performance forms.
Why developers like Quform:
- Create extremely customized forms
- Multilingual ready
- Partial and delayed email notifications
- Multi-page forms
- File uploads with progress bars
- Entry updating after submission
- Webhook integration
Pricing starts from $29 per year for regular licenses, going up to $249 per year for extended functionality.
14. Fluent Forms
Fluent Forms differentiates itself as the most stylish drag and drop WordPress form builder.
Notable features:
- Modern and beautiful form templates
- Highly customizable form styles
- Multi-column and multi-step forms
- Partial submission saving
- Smart conditional logic features
- Fast form loading times
- Payments and data integration add-ons
Pricing starts from $47 per year for unlimited sites.
Choosing the Best WordPress Form Plugin
With so many excellent WordPress form builder plugins available, how do you choose the right one?
Here are key criteria to consider:
Your Skill Level
If you‘re not technical, choose an easy drag and drop form builder like WPForms or weForms. Developers should consider FormCraft or Quform.
Budget
On a tight budget? Stick to Contact Form 7 or the free plan of quality freemium plugins like JetFormBuilder.
Form Features
Consider must-have features e.g calculations, file uploads, multi page etc. Gravity Forms, Formidable Forms have very advanced capabilities.
Integrations
If connecting to email marketing, CRM or payment tools is a priority, check Gravity Forms, WPForms or Ninja Forms.
Doing this quick evaluation helps match the right form plugin to your needs.
Tips for Creating Effective WordPress Forms
Creating a form is quick and easy with the right plugin. Making one that converts requires some strategy.
Here are tips to maximize form effectiveness:
Keep it Short
Don‘t ask for unnecessary information. Remove fields people may hesitate providing.
Use a Single Column
Left align form fields vertically for completion. Multi-column looks nicer but converts poorer.
Include Value Proposition
Tell people the tangible benefit they‘ll receive for submitting the form upfront.
Partial Save
Allow saving progress so people can complete forms conveniently across multiple visits if needed.
Limit Optional Fields
The more fields you make optional hoping for more data, the fewer completions you‘ll have. Pareto principle applies.
These tips will dramatically increase your WordPress form conversion rates.
Essential Plugins and Tools to Further Enhance WordPress Forms
The right supporting plugins and tools can take your WordPress forms to the next level.
Here are some worth checking out:
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Spam protection plugins like Akismet to prevent bot signups
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Form analytics tools like MonsterInsights to reveal form performance
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Form styler plugins like WP Forms Custom Styles to customize form appearance
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Email marketing plugins like Mailchimp to manage form signups
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Form backup plugins like UpdraftPlus to save form content
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User registration plugins like User Registration to create front-end registration forms
The WordPress plugin ecosystem makes enhancing forms easy.
How to Set Up Form Notifications, Confirmations and Connections
Creating a form is step one. Step two is setting up seamless connections to other platforms and tools to manage form data.
Here’s a quick guide to get set up:
Email Notifications
Most form plugins have built-in options to get new entry notifications. Configure email addresses under settings.
Confirmation Messages
Customize form confirmation messages to encourage further action after sign up.
Connecting to Email Marketing
Install addons in WPForms, Ninja Forms etc to sync email signups to Mailchimp, Constant Contact etc.
Connecting to CRM
Tools like Zapier enable connecting form data to CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot for managing leads.
Collecting Payments
Install payment addons in builders like Gravity Forms to easily collect payments, donations etc from WordPress forms.
A little initial setup makes your forms 100x more productive.
Monitoring Form Analytics and Metrics
Understanding form performance through key metrics is crucial for optimization.
Some key numbers to track regularly:
Views: How often is your form being seen?
Starts: How often do people start filling it out?
Submissions: How many completions are you getting?
Conversion Rates: Submissions divided by entrances shows you form effectiveness
Drop Off: Seeing which questions have maximum dropoff indicates pain points to fix through tweaks or improvements.
There can be huge differences between views and completions. Regularly monitoring analytics will show you where forms can improve.
Most WordPress form plugins include built-in reporting while Google Analytics works too.
Troubleshooting Common WordPress Form Issues
Occasionally you may face hiccups with forms not working as expected. Some common issues and fixes:
Forms Not Appearing
Check page IDs in settings match pages where forms are embedded.
Email Notifications Not Arriving
Double check email settings or try a different SMTP provider plugin like WP Mail SMTP.
Spam Entries
Use captcha, text questions (hidden by CSS) or tools like Akismet to fight automated spam form submissions.
Slow Loading
Reduce form size, fields and unnecessary code. Cache with a plugin like LiteSpeed Cache.
Issues After Changes
Recently installed plugins conflicting is a possibility. Try troubleshooting by disabling plugins one by one.
Hopefully these give you a headstart in addressing any form niggles that crop up.
Go Forth and Build High Converting WordPress Forms!
Creating forms in WordPress is much easier today thanks to so many form builder plugins available.
I hope mapping out the best WordPress form plugins along with tips for maximizing conversions, integrations, analytics and troubleshooting helps you succeed!
Now over to you.
Which WordPress form plugin are you using currently? Are you happy with it or looking to switch? Let me know in the comments!
