If you’ve been using WordPress for a while, you might have noticed something missing – a built-in way to create forms.
Yep, that’s right. For all its flexibility, WordPress doesn’t come with a default form builder. But here’s the thing: forms are crucial for your website.
They’re your direct line to customers for registrations, bookings, price estimates, surveys, feedback, and so much more. Without forms, your site is like a storefront with no door – people can look, but they can’t come in.
Now, you could code forms from scratch, but let’s be real – who has time for that? Plus, you want control over the design, automated email confirmations, payment integrations, and all those nifty features that make forms truly powerful.
Over the years, we’ve tried our fair share of form builder plugins. Some were great, some… not so much. We’ve also tested the popular ones, the underdogs, and pretty much everything in between.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the best form builder plugins for WordPress. Let’s dive in!
Overview of the Best Form Builder Plugins
| Best For | Price | Free Version | |
|---|---|---|---|
| WPForms | Creating any form you need | $49.50 per year | ✅ |
| Thrive Leads | Generating leads and signups | $99 per year | ❌ |
| Formidable Forms | Configuring advanced forms | $39.50 per year | ❌ |
| HubSpot Forms | All-in-one marketing solution | $75 per month | ✅ |
| Gravity Forms | Making simple to complex forms | $59 per year | ❌ |
| Ninja Forms | Creating basic forms for free | $99 per year | ✅ |
| OptinMonster | Create conversion-focussed forms | $7 per month | ❌ |
How We Test and Review Form Builders
At WP101, we don’t just test form builders – we use them daily. Our team has over a decade of experience with most of these plugins on our own sites.
We know their ins and outs, strengths and quirks. For each review, we create various forms on different types of websites. We look at ease of use, features, speed, and how well they play with other plugins. We also try out their customer support – because we know how crucial that is.
Here’s our general testing process:
- We install each plugin on actual WordPress sites. This helps us spot any compatibility issues with themes or other plugins you might be using.
- We put ourselves in your shoes, evaluating everything from the initial setup to day-to-day use. We’re looking for intuitive interfaces, customization options, and rock-solid reliability.
- We know every website is unique. That’s why we dig deep into each plugin’s special features, helping you find the perfect fit for your specific needs.
We combine our expertise with feedback from our community of users to provide a well-rounded perspective. Our goal is to find plugins that make it easy for you to create forms, customize them to your needs, and embed them anywhere on your site. Ready to explore our top picks? Let’s dive in!
Why Trust WP101
We’ve been helping people master WordPress for close to 2 decades now. We break down complex WordPress concepts into easy-to-understand lessons.
We also thoroughly test and review popular WordPress tools to help you find reliable tools for your site. As WordPress evolves, so does our tutorials and reviews. We keep our content fresh and relevant.
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The Best WordPress Form Builder Plugins
Here are the best form builder plugins we’ve reviewed for you. You can use the quicklinks below to jump to the plugin that interests you the most.
We’ve made sure to include a variety of plugins to match different website owners’ needs. That said, let’s get started.
1. WPForms: The Best Form Builder Plugin for Versatility
WPForms is the best form builder for WordPress. I’ve used this plugin for years and it has 4+ million active installations around the world and for good reason.
To get started, there are 2000+ pre-built form templates such as WordPress contact forms, registration forms, order forms, survey forms, donation forms, and more. These templates can save you time and serve as starting points for your forms.
Next, there’s an intuitive drag-and-drop form builder, making it easy for both beginners and experienced users to create custom forms without needing to write any code. You can add and arrange form fields, customize settings, and see real-time previews of how the form will look.
Some of the fields available include dropdown, multiple choice, star ratings, GDPR agreement, file upload, and Likert scale. You can also set up customized email notifications that will go to you or your users when a form is submitted.
Finally, this user-friendly plugin also lets you connect to various third-party services and tools, including email marketing services like Constant Contact and AWeber, payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe, and CRM systems like Salesforce.
WPForms offers reliable customer support, tutorials, and documentation to help users with any questions or issues they may face while using the plugin.
WPForms Highlights
- Conditional logic: This lets you show or hide certain fields or sections based on user input.
- Multi-Page Forms: Create forms with multiple pages, breaking longer forms into sections. This improves user experience as it prevents overwhelming users with too many fields on a single page.
- File Uploads: Let users upload files through your forms, which is useful for scenarios like job applications or image submissions.
- Form Entry Management: View, sort, and export form submissions right inside your WordPress dashboard
- User Survey and Polls: Create surveys, polls, and questionnaires to gather user opinions and feedback.
- Conversational Forms: Use conversational style of asking one question at a time to make your form interactive and engaging
- Built-in Anti-Spam Protection: WPForms features honeypot spam protection and you can add captcha options. This prevents spam bots from submitting your form with fraudulent or malicious entries.
Who is WPForms Best For?
WPForms is designed to be easy for anyone to use from beginners to seasoned WordPress users. You can create any kind of form you need including registration, login, event booking, and payment forms.
WPForms Pricing
The free version of this plugin called WPForms Lite lets you create basic contact forms and other simple forms. The pro version starts at $49.50 per year and comes with powerful features to accept post submissions, collect donations and online payments, set up user registration forms, create unlimited forms, and much more.
Why I Recommend WPForms: This is an incredibly flexible, user-friendly plugin that lets you create all sorts of forms, from a simple contact form right through to detailed application forms.
WPForms’ drag-and-drop editor and wide range of pre-made templates mean you don’t need any specialist skills to develop professional-looking forms for your WordPress website.
2. Thrive Leads: The Best Form Builder for Generating Leads
Thrive Leads is one of the best lead generation plugins that lets you create optin forms on your WordPress site. You can build inline forms, 2-step opt in forms, Yes/No forms, Multiple Choice forms, and more.
You can also create popup boxes and floating bars where users can enter their email and sign up for your newsletter. It’s super easy because you just drag and drop elements to design the form.
A neat feature is that you can control when and where your form shows up. That means you can target your audience at the right time and place. You can even pick where they appear based on what you’ve written, like posts, categories, or tags.
Thrive Leads also comes with A/B testing. This lets you test two versions of your form to see which one people like more. Plus, you get reports that tell you how your popup is doing and where most of your visitors come from.
Thrive Leads Highlights
- Beautiful templates: There are dozens of templates to create eye-catching, effective list building forms
- Advanced targeting: Show relevant, highly targeted offers to your visitors based on posts, categories, tags and more
- A/B Testing: Split test designs and content to see which one drives better results
- Actionable reporting & insights: View how your form is performing over time and where your most valuable traffic comes from
Who is Thrive Leads Best For?
This plugin is best for those who want to grow their email subscriber list and boost conversions. It provides various opt-in form types, A/B testing, smart targeting options, and detailed analytics to improve conversion rates. If you’re focussed on lead generation and conversion optimization, Thrive Suite is the best all-in-one marketing suite.
Thrive Leads Pricing
Thrive Leads can be bought for $99 per year. However, it’s worth mentioning that this plugin is part of a bigger bag of tools called Thrive Suite that costs $299 per year. It features a page builder, quiz builder, scarcity marketing campaigns, and other conversion tools.
Why I Recommend Thrive Leads: This powerful tool is perfect for creating high-converting subscription forms. With its advanced options for targeting website visitors and built-in A/B testing, you can show the perfect form to the right person, at exactly the right time.
This makes Thrive Leads essential for anyone who’s serious about expanding their audience and growing their email list.
Get started with Thrive Leads »
3. Formidable Forms: The Best Form Builder for Advanced Customization
Formidable Forms is another popular WordPress form builder plugin and is known for its flexibility and advanced customization options.
Similar to WPForms, it has a drag-and-drop interface to create forms with various field types, including text fields, checkboxes, radio buttons, dropdowns, file uploads, and more. The plugin lets you design advanced forms with custom layouts and styling to match your website’s branding.
You can also use pre-designed form templates to save time. What stands out about Formidable Forms is its powerful conditional logic and calculation features. You can create complex forms that change based on user input and perform calculations using form field values. This is great if you want to set up a calculator game or quiz to engage users. You can even use it for estimations on eCommerce sites.
Formidable Forms is a more advanced builder for WordPress. It’s also developer friendly and comes with 125+ webhooks and customizable HTML.
Formidable Forms Highlights
- Multi-Step Forms: Break your form into steps to make it more manageable
- Views and Visualizations: Display form data on your website in various formats, such as tables, lists, directories, and graphs
- Data Export and Import: You can export form entries and import data from other sources, making it easier to manage and migrate your form data.
- Dynamic Fields: Automatically populate fields with saved entries, user meta and much more.
Who is Formidable Forms Best For?
Formidable Forms is great for users who need advanced form-building features and data management. It offers features like repeater fields, calculations, conditional logic, and integration with third-party services for robust form functionalities.
Formidable Forms Pricing
Formidable Forms comes in a premium version that starts at $39.50 per year for the Basic plan. There’s a 14-day unconditional money back guarantee.
Why I Recommend Formidable Forms: This plugin is a powerhouse for users who need much more control and flexibility over their forms. Its advanced customization options, including features like conditional logic and calculations, make Formidable Forms ideal for building complex forms.
Get started with Formidable Forms »
4. HubSpot Forms: The Best Form Builder for Marketing Integration
HubSpot Forms is a free form builder offered by the renowned inbound marketing and sales platform HubSpot. The form builder is included in the HubSpot WordPress plugin along with live chat, popups, analytics, and other marketing features for your website.
So if you’re already using HubSpot’s email marketing and CRM platform, then adopting this form builder will be the easy choice. You can link your forms to other HubSpot features.
It also seamlessly integrates with other form tools featured on our list, including WPForms, Formidable Forms, Gravity Forms, and others.
HubSpot Forms Highlights
- Premade templates: Start with a form with pre-selected fields for a specific use case
- Form fields: Includes multiple choice, checkbox, radio select, dropdown select, date, file upload, phone number, or blog subscription field
- Payment integration: Collect secure online payments through your forms
- Automatic chat tickets: Connect your support team to ticket submissions through your support form
Who is HubSpot Forms Best For?
HubSpot Forms is best for those who want to integrate their forms into the HubSpot marketing platform. It’s geared to those who want to build lasting customer relationships and drive business growth.
HubSpot Forms Pricing
HubSpot’s forms tool is free to get started with. That said, this tool is part of the HubSpot Marketing Hub. If you’re looking for more advanced features to help automate and scale your marketing, plans start at $75 per month.
Why I Recommend HubSpot Forms: This is the perfect choice for users who already use HubSpot products.
It integrates seamlessly with HubSpot’s powerful Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and marketing tools, so you can directly connect form submissions with your customer data and marketing campaigns. This helps you build and nurture those valuable customer relationships.
Get started with HubSpot Forms »
5. Gravity Forms: The Best Form Builder for Workflow Automation
Gravity Forms is a feature-rich WordPress form builder plugin that is widely used for creating a variety of forms, from simple contact forms to complex applications.
There’s a visual front-end form editor to design your forms and configure settings. Then you can easily embed the forms anywhere on your site. Gravity Forms also supports online payments so you can sell products, subscriptions, or collect donations.
This plugin stands apart from the rest due to its workflow automation. This feature lets you show or hide fields, sections, pages, and buttons based on user selections.
Gravity Forms Highlights
- Entry Management and Export: View, manage, and export form entries with ease
- Conditional Notifications and Confirmations: Set up conditional notifications to send customized emails to different recipients based on user selections or form inputs.
- File Uploads and Storage: Users can upload files through forms which can then be stored securely
- Integrations: Connect to marketing, email, and payment apps like PayPal, Stripe, Mailchimp, HubSpot, and Zapier
Who is Gravity Forms Best For?
Gravity Forms is ideal for developers and advanced users who need highly customizable forms and extensive integration options. It comes with advanced features like multi-page forms, file uploads, conditional logic, and developer-friendly hooks and filters.
Gravity Forms Pricing Starts at $59 per year. Gravity Forms is a premium plugin with different pricing tiers based on the features and support you need. There’s no free plugin but you can sign up for a demo to explore how it works before investing in it.
Why I Recommend Gravity Forms: This plugin is renowned for its robust features and flexibility, making it an excellent choice for automating your business workflows. Gravity Forms can even automatically send form data to third-party services like Zapier for more advanced automations.
Get started with Gravity Forms »
6. Ninja Forms: The Most Cost-Effective Form Builder
Ninja Forms is a free WordPress contact form plugin that you can use to create the forms you need for your WordPress site. It’s built and maintained by WP Ninjas.
This plugin gives you the basic form builder for free and then you can buy addons separately. selling addons separately. This means you don’t have to purchase a costly bundle. Instead, you can choose just the features you need.
Ninja Forms Highlights
- File Uploads: Accept files from users. You can set allowed file types, sizes, upload directories and save to WordPress, Google Drive, and more
- Export: Send or export submissions as a PDF, Microsoft Excel file, even Google Sheets
- Lead Generation: Create fully customizable email subscription forms or lead generation forms
- Mobile Responsive: Choose from mobile-friendly templates and layouts
- Save Progress: Let users save their progress and continue filling the form later
Who is Ninja Forms Best For?
Perfect for users who want flexible and scalable forms. It offers a modular approach which means you need to add extensions for additional features like conditional logic, file uploads, and CRM integration, tailored to specific needs.
Ninja Forms Pricing
The core Ninja Forms plugin is free. Paid plans start at $99 per year.
Why I Recommend Ninja Forms: It offers a very cost-effective way to start building forms, thanks to its free core plugin and optional paid extensions. This gives you the flexibility to start for free and then scale up by purchasing more add-ons as your business grows.
Get started with Ninja Forms »
7. OptinMonster: The Best Form Builder for Conversion Optimization
OptinMonster is a more fun take on form building. It’s popularly known as a lead generation tool and you can use it to build popup forms, inline forms, optin forms, and more.
OptinMonster is designed to capture attention at the right moment with popups, slide-ins, floating bars, and inline forms.
We’ve used OptinMonster to create everything from simple newsletter signup forms to highly targeted exit-intent popups.
The drag-and-drop builder makes it easy to design forms, and the built-in templates save a ton of time. We don’t need any coding knowledge to get started, which is a huge plus.
OptinMonster Highlights
- Multiple Form Types: Create a variety of forms including popups, floating bars, slide-ins, full-screen welcome mats, and inline forms to engage visitors in different ways.
- Targeted Display Rules: Show forms based on user behavior such as exit-intent, time spent on page, scrolling, or specific URLs to increase conversions.
- Drag-and-Drop Builder: Easily design and customize forms with no coding required, using the intuitive builder and pre-designed templates.
- A/B Testing: Test different form designs, headlines, and calls-to-action to find the most effective combination for boosting conversions.
- Seamless Integrations: Integrate effortlessly with popular email marketing platforms like Mailchimp, ConvertKit, and Constant Contact to automate follow-ups.
- Advanced Analytics: Track the performance of your campaigns and form conversions, helping you optimize and make data-driven decisions.
- Mobile Optimization: Forms are mobile-responsive and optimized for fast loading, ensuring a smooth experience for visitors across devices.
Who is OptinMonster Best For?
OptinMonster is a great choice if you’re looking for a conversion-focused tool that helps capture leads effectively, without being intrusive. It gives you an easy way to create high-converting popups and forms.
OptinMonster Pricing
OptinMonster starts at $9 per month.
Why I Recommend OptinMonster: This plugin is specifically designed with conversion optimization in mind, offering powerful tools like exit-intent pop-ups and targeted campaigns.
It’s perfect for websites that want to boost conversions by displaying forms strategically at key moments. OptinMonster also includes built-in analytics so you can measure the success of your campaigns.
Get started with OptinMonster »
What Is the Best Form Builder Plugin for WordPress?
Choosing a form builder for your WordPress site can feel overwhelming.
But the truth is, the ‘perfect’ form plugin depends on what you need it for – every site is different. Do you want something simple and user-friendly, or do you need to create very powerful, advanced forms?
That said, WPForms is my top recommendation for most users, as it’s the ideal all-around solution. It’s incredibly user-friendly and powerful, making it the perfect starting point for everyone from brand-new beginners to seasoned developers.
However, if WPForms isn’t quite right you, then there’s a few other plugins I recommend for specific use cases:
- If you need to generate and capture more leads, Thrive Leads is your best option. It’s built for conversions and has powerful options for targeting specific visitors.
- If you need highly customizable and complex forms, Formidable Forms may be exactly what you’re looking for. It offers robust customization and calculation features, making it an incredibly powerful form builder.
- If you’re already using HubSpot’s other tools, HubSpot Forms is the simplest choice. It integrates flawlessly with all your existing marketing and CRM tools.
If you’re still wondering where to begin, just install WPForms. Its beginner-friendly design and straightforward features make it the easiest way to get your first professional form online, right now.
My Must-Have Checklist: What I Actually Look For in a WordPress Form Plugin
If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent way too much time staring at a long list of form builder plugins, wondering which one is actually worth your time.
To save you the headache, I’ve put together the non-negotiables that I keep in mind when I’m looking for a new form builder plugin.
Drag-and-Drop Simplicity
This is my #1 rule. If I have to touch a single line of code just to create a basic contact form, then it isn’t the right plugin for me.
When I first started building websites, I wasted hours trying to tweak code in a poorly-designed form to get the spacing right. Now, I always look for things like a drag-and-drop editor and ready-made templates, as they save me a ton of time.
Integration with Other Tools
If a plugin can’t talk to my other tools and WordPress plugins, then I don’t want it.
This isn’t a nice-to-have; it’ll save you a ton of time and effort, and help you avoid frustrating conflicts. Seamless integrations are also the first step to setting up automated workflows, which are essential if you want to grow your business.
Performance and Speed Optimization
Some form builders load so many extra scripts and assets that they drag your entire site down. That’s why I always check for clean code and performance optimizations.
It’s also smart to test your site’s speed before and after installing the plugin, just to be sure it isn’t hurting your website’s performance.
Pricing and Value for Money
Money matters, especially when you’re just starting out. I never want to overpay for features I won’t use. That’s why I look for plugins that offer a really solid free version. This lets me test the plugin before spending a dime.
If I do decide to upgrade, then I want clear, simple pricing tiers. I hate getting hit with a huge price jump just because I needed one extra feature.
Reliable Support and Documentation
It’s normal to encounter problems and errors from time-time. However, when my contact form stops sending emails, that’s an emergency!
I learned early on that poor customer support is a dealbreaker. Now, I look for plugins with fast customer support and detailed, up-to-date documentation.
That kind of help is priceless when a critical form goes down.
FAQs on WordPress Form Builders
Does WordPress have a form builder?
No, WordPress.org does not have a built-in form builder. You need to install a plugin for form creation.
What is the best free form builder for WordPress?
We recommend WPForms as the best free form builder for WordPress. It’s popularly known as the best contact form builder, but it lets you build any kind of form you need. It gives you access to templates, the visual editor, and other essential features you need to create a good functional form for your site.
How do I publish a form on my WordPress site?
WordPress plugins let you publish your form using Gutenberg blocks, widgets, or shortcodes. You simply need to add the block to any page or post where you want the form to appear.
You can also paste a shortcode that the plugin gives you. With plugins like WPForms, they also integrate with popular page builders like SeedProd and Elementor. So if you’re using these builders, you’ll find the WPForms block available inside.
Is there a free version of WPForms?
Yes, WPForms Lite is a free version available in the WordPress.org plugin repository. This lets you create essential online forms you need for your site.
How do I install a form builder plugin on my WordPress site?
To install a form builder plugin, go to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to the Plugins » Add New page. Here, search for the desired form builder plugin, and click “Install” and then “Activate.”
See our guide on How to Install a WordPress Plugin (Beginner’s Guide)
Can I customize the appearance of my WordPress forms?
Yes, most form builders offer customization options to match the forms with your WordPress website’s design and branding. You can adjust colors, fonts, layouts, add custom CSS, and more to create a blended look with your existing WordPress theme.
What is conditional logic in form builders?
Conditional logic allows you to show or hide specific form fields or sections based on user responses. This makes forms more dynamic and personalized, as users see only the relevant fields based on their selections.
Can I use multiple form builder plugins on my site?
While it’s possible to use multiple plugins, it’s recommended to stick with one form builder to maintain consistency and avoid conflicts between plugins.
Do form builders affect website performance?
Well-coded form builder plugins like WPForms and Formidable are designed to have minimal impact on website performance. However, it’s a good practice to choose a reputable and well-optimized plugin to ensure smooth functionality.
Are there other form builders for WordPress?
Yes, there are other form builders like Formstack, WeForms, Contact Form 7, JetPack, and Fluent Forms. We’ve mentioned only the top 7. Email marketing services like Campaign Monitor and Mailchimp also let you create basic sign-up forms for your WordPress website.
Is Contact Form 7 a good form builder?
Contact Form 7 is a free form plugin but it isn’t beginner friendly. You can create a basic form on your site but you’ll get limited customization options. You might want to consider using one of the popular third-party form builder plugins mentioned above such as WPForms, Formidable Forms, Gravity Forms, Ninja Forms, or Forminator.
Why is my WordPress form not sending emails?
This usually happens due to improper server configurations. Consider using an SMTP plugin on your site like WP Mail SMTP. Follow this course for step by step instructions: WP Mail SMTP 101.
Why do I need spam filtering on WordPress forms?
Hackers and spammers target forms as they have input fields where they can send you spam messages and malicious code. It’s best to have spam filtering on your forms.
Plugins like WPForms come with anti-spam features, plus it supports Google Recaptcha and hCaptcha. I hope you liked this post on the best WordPress form builder plugins.
You may also want to see our guide on the Best WordPress SEO plugins to boost rankings and traffic. Don’t miss our Ultimate WordPress Toolkit which has everything you need to set up and grow your WordPress website successfully.
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