Finding the Right WordPress Form Builder
Many WordPress users seek form builders to simplify their workflows. After years of experience with WordPress, we understand the importance of user-friendly form builders for creating various types of forms. We’ve had positive experiences with WPForms for contact forms, OptinMonster for popups, and UserFeedback for gathering visitor input.
This guide provides expert picks for WordPress form builders, catering to different use cases.
Top 5 Form Builder Picks (Comparison Table)
| Form Builder | Best for | Form Templates | Pricing |
|—|—|—|—|
| WPForms | All types of WordPress forms | 1900+ | Freemium, starting at $49.50 per year |
| OptinMonster | Lead generation forms | 700+ | Starting at $9.97 per month |
| Thrive Leads | Lead generation forms | 450+ | Starting at $99 per year |
| UserFeedback | Feedback forms, surveys, polls | 20+ | Freemium, starting at $49.50 per year |
| Formidable Forms | Surveys, quizzes, calculators, custom forms | 300+ | Starting at $35.55 per year |
How We Tested and Reviewed WordPress Form Builders
We thoroughly tested each form builder, considering factors like features, ease of use, integrations, and affordability. We evaluated tools we use on our own websites, including WPForms, OptinMonster, and UserFeedback, as well as other popular options.
We assessed form types, ease of use, form templates, customization options, notifications, third-party integrations, support, and pricing.
Top Form Builder Picks (Detailed Reviews)
1. WPForms (Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Surveys, and More)
WPForms, used by over 6 million websites, is a multipurpose WordPress form builder known for its ease of use and power. We use it for contact forms and our annual reader survey. Its drag-and-drop form builder simplifies the process.
WPForms is AI-powered, allowing users to generate lists for dropdowns, checkboxes, and multiple-choice fields instantly. Simply describe the list, and the AI tool creates it. You can then edit, reorder, or adjust as needed.
WPForms Pro offers advanced features and add-ons. For example, ‘smart conditional logic’ lets you customize forms dynamically based on user responses, creating personalized, interactive forms that adapt in real-time. The ‘Geolocation add-on’ allows you to see where users are when they submit forms, enabling you to adjust marketing strategies to target different areas and engage users with localized content.
WPForms pro versions come with 1,900 pre-built form templates, facilitating quick creation of various form types, including survey forms, multi-page forms, file upload forms, calculation forms, payment forms, log-in and registration forms, and much more.
You can customize the look and feel of your forms in the block editor. WPForms Lite, available in the WordPress plugin directory, offers key contact form features and integration options for the Constant Contact email marketing service and the Uncanny Automator automation plugin.
WPForms provides multiple support channels: easy-to-follow documentation, email support, and a Facebook group.
*Pros*
* Beginner-friendly with drag-and-drop functionality
* A library of more than 1900 form templates
* Pre-configured notifications with smart tags
* Customizable themes for personalizing the form’s look and feel
* Comprehensive add-ons and third-party options
* Multiple support channels
*Cons*
* Some of the great features are only available in the premium plans
*Why we chose the WPForms plugin:* WPForms is the best all-in-one form builder with over 1,900 templates, flexible customization options, and built-in spam protection. It also has advanced features like conditional logic, conversational forms, and automated workflows.
*Pricing:* WPForms lets you start for free with WPForms Lite, which includes basic templates and integrations. To access more features, you will need to upgrade to the premium version starting at $49.50 per year.
2. OptinMonster (Lead Generation Opt-In Forms)
OptinMonster is the leading lead-generation form plugin for WordPress. It allows you to create various opt-in forms, including popups, floating bars, fullscreen forms, inline forms, slide-in forms, and gamified forms.
We use OptinMonster to share special offers and deals through popups, slide-ins, and header banners. Each campaign type comes with a wide range of pre-built templates, including holiday-specific campaigns like New Year’s and Black Friday.
OptinMonster’s ‘Display Rules’ and ‘Exit Intent Technology’ can be valuable for online stores. ‘Display Rules’ let you control who sees what, when, and where. You can also apply a MonsterLink to make campaigns appear when someone clicks on a specific image or link. The ‘Exit Intent Technology’ catches visitors just as they are about to leave, helping you grow your email list, reduce cart abandonment, and boost conversions.
We’ve seen significant results with this strategy, increasing our email subscribers by 600% using OptinMonster’s exit-intent technology.
OptinMonster also offers personalized conversion tracking and split testing, making it an excellent tool for growing online businesses. You can reach OptinMonster’s support via live chat and email and explore their comprehensive documentation.
*Pros*
* 6 campaign types with 700+ pre-built templates
* Customizable display rules
* Powerful exit intent detection to recover abandoning visitors
* Split testing functionality with built-in analytics tools
* Comprehensive documentation
*Cons*
* Limited payment integrations
* Has no free version
*Why we chose the OptinMonster plugin:* OptinMonster is awesome for boosting conversions and growing your email list. The drag-and-drop builder lets you create opt-in forms in minutes. It truly delivers, making it great for any website size.
*Pricing:* OptinMonster has 4 affordable plans, with the Basic plan costing $9.97 per month, perfect for small websites or blogs. It includes lightbox pop-ups and integrates with email tools like Constant Contact and Brevo to grow your subscriber list.
3. Thrive Leads (Lead Generation Opt-In Forms)
Thrive Leads, part of the Thrive Themes package, offers a drag-and-drop tool for creating various lead-generation forms. It provides numerous templates for opt-ins and popups, including lightbox popups, in-content forms, slide-ins, ribbons, and scroll mats.
While it’s a powerful option for boosting email lists and engaging audiences, Thrive Leads is less beginner-friendly and quick to use than OptinMonster. The builder has many menu items that aren’t always easy to navigate, and it can be slow at times.
However, Thrive Leads excels in advanced trigger options, letting you control when your opt-ins appear using triggers like exit intent, time delay, scrolling, and clicks. This flexibility ensures that your opt-in forms are shown to the right people at the right time, boosting conversion chances.
Thrive Leads also offers personalized targeting, allowing you to customize forms based on factors like post type, categories, and tags. This enables you to show specific offers to different audience segments, pushing existing subscribers further down your sales funnel. You can set up A/B split testing and use the tool’s built-in analytics to track performance.
Thrive Leads provides a knowledge base, community forums, and support tickets for help. You can also access video tutorials and webinars to better understand the platform.
*Pros*
* 9 campaign types and 450+ form templates
* Advanced trigger options
* Personalized forms based on audience segmentation
* A/B split testing with performance analytics
* Multiple support channels
*Cons*
* Less intuitive than OptinMonster
* No free version available
*Why we chose the Thrive Leads plugin:* Thrive Leads is great for boosting your email list and audience engagement with lead generation forms like popups and slide-ins, making it a strong alternative to OptinMonster. Though it has a learning curve, its advanced triggers, personalized targeting, and A/B testing make it worthwhile.
*Pricing:* Thrive Leads’ comes in the Thrive Convert Packages. The Basic Plan costs $99 per year, and it offers various form types, integration with 20+ email tools, and A/B testing. The Thrive Suite All Access Bundle, priced at $1697, offers all Thrive Suite Pro tools.
4. UserFeedback (Feedback Forms, Surveys, Polls, and More)
UserFeedback is the best WordPress feedback form builder. It lets visitors share opinions, report issues, suggest improvements, or give ratings through a slide-in form. You can add it to your apps, websites, or other digital platforms.
We use UserFeedback to collect insights from our visitors. Setting up UserFeedback is simple, involving a 5-step process. After choosing a question, integrating features, and setting up notifications, you are redirected to the ‘Surveys’ panel. The status of your slide-in UserFeedback form is ‘Published’ on your WordPress site.
UserFeedback emphasizes the importance of randomizing answer choices in multiple-choice questions to minimize bias and ensure more accurate results. The ‘Behavior add-on’ lets you control when and how long the form shows up, while the ‘Branding add-on’ allows you to adjust colors and choose between light and dark mode.
The free version of UserFeedback provides the necessary features to build simple surveys, including built-in reporting tools to track form responses and impressions. You can submit a support ticket via email or explore their comprehensive documentation.
*Pros*
* Step-by-step instructions in every setup process
* Supports various question types
* 20+ survey templates plus a dark mode
* Offers randomized answer options for multiple-choice questions
* Allow response exports to CSV or Excel files
*Cons*
* All add-ons are available as premium features only
*Why we chose the UserFeedback plugin:* UserFeedback is easy to use for creating feedback forms, surveys, and polls. It supports various question types, offers 20+ templates, and includes answer randomization. It’s simple to set up and has a free version for beginners.
*Pricing:* The free UserFeedback plugin is great for simple surveys with Google Analytics integration. The Plus plan, starting at $49.50 per year, adds advanced features like device targeting, more templates, branding, and export options.
5. Formidable Forms (Survey, Quiz, Calculator, Custom Forms, and More)
Formidable Forms is the best builder for advanced, complex WordPress forms. With over 300 templates, it lets you quickly make lots of specific-use forms, like mortgage calculators and directories.
Formidable Forms’ advanced field options are notable. The multi-page feature allows you to split long forms into easy steps, perfect for job applications. Conditional logic lets you show different skills checkboxes based on the selected job.
Formidable Forms offers 6 theme presets and a dark mode option in the ‘Style’ tab. You can also create your own style. The ‘Addon’ section includes 20+ add-ons to extend functionality, including ‘Export View to CSV’ for downloading submissions, ‘Quiz Maker’ for creating quizzes, and ‘Visual Views’ for displaying data in various formats.
The free version of Formidable Forms offers basic features and field types. You can reach the Formidable Forms team by submitting an email ticket, exploring their documentation, or joining the official community.
*Pros*
* 300+ pre-built, mobile-responsive templates
* Advanced field types and multi-page form support
* 6 theme presets with custom styling options
* Pre-configured form actions
* 20+ add-ons for extended functionality
*Cons*
* Learning curve for advanced features
*Why we chose the Formidable Forms plugin:* Formidable Forms is one of the best WordPress form builders with powerful features. It has advanced fields and lets you create complex, multi-page forms.
*Pricing:* Formidable Forms offers a free lite version and 4 premium plans. The premium plan, starting at $35.55 per year, includes 65+ templates and advanced features like conditional logic.
6. HubSpot Form Builder (Support, eBook Download, Newsletter Sign-Up Forms)
HubSpot is a comprehensive marketing and sales platform that offers a content management system (CMS), CRM, email marketing, and lead generation tools. The HubSpot plugin includes a form builder called HubSpot Form Builder for creating custom, interactive forms on your WordPress site.
You can choose from 6 templates available in the HubSpot library and a range of field types, such as text fields, date pickers, and checkboxes. While you can’t create and edit HubSpot forms directly from the WordPress dashboard, you are redirected to the editor on the HubSpot website.
The integration with HubSpot CRM is a significant advantage, automatically transferring submitted form information to your HubSpot database. This allows you to follow up with emails and personalized messages easily.
HubSpot offers a knowledge base, academy, developer documentation, the HubSpot community, and a blog for help. Depending on your plan, you can contact support via email, chat, or phone.
*Pros*
* All-in-one platform
* 6 available templates with a range of field types
* Automatic integration with HubSpot CRM
* Extensive resources and active community
*Cons*
* You can’t customize forms directly from the WordPress dashboard
* Limited features compared to the other form builders
* Email, chat, and phone support are available for higher-tiered plans only
*Why we chose the HubSpot Form Builder plugin:* HubSpot Form Builder is perfect for businesses because it connects automatically with HubSpot CRM. This makes it easy to capture leads, organize workflows, and boost your marketing all in one place.
*Pricing:* HubSpot Form Builder is part of the HubSpot Marketing Hub and starts for free. For advanced features, you can upgrade to the Starter plan at $15 per month per user. This includes HubSpot Payments (U.S. only), email and chat support, and basic marketing automation.
7. Charitable (Donation and Fundraising Forms)
Charitable is a comprehensive donation and fundraising form builder for your WordPress website. It lets you create unlimited fundraising campaigns, collect donations, and manage them efficiently. You can run multiple campaigns, set goals and end dates, or keep them open-ended.
Charitable offers various ready-made templates categorized by unique categories like ‘Animal/Pets,’ ‘Environmental,’ ‘Medical,’ and more. It supports multiple payment methods, including PayPal, Stripe, and offline donations.
One of the best parts about using Charitable is that it doesn’t charge any commission fees. It also supports PayPal’s discounted rates for registered non-profits, saving you money. The ‘Recurring Donations add-on’ lets you collect weekly, monthly, or annual donations, and Charitable allows supporters to donate anonymously.
Charitable’s dashboard makes it easy to track donations, with import/export options. You can find detailed guides and tips on WP Charitable’s website, and premium users have access to expert assistance through support requests.
*Pros*
* 10+ templates across various categories
* Create and manage unlimited fundraising campaigns simultaneously
* Various payment methods with no commission fees
* Recurring and anonymous donations
* Dedicated dashboard for managing and tracking donations
*Cons*
* Expert assistance is for premium users only
*Why we chose the Charitable plugin:* Charitable is the best donation form builder for nonprofits. The free version lets you create unlimited forms and accept payments through Stripe and PayPal. It’s user-friendly and customizable.
*Pricing:* The Charitable free version is powerful enough for unlimited forms and payments via Stripe or PayPal. Upgrading to premium plans unlocks advanced features like extra payment gateways, recurring donations, and email marketing integrations. The Basic plan is $99 per year.
8. Gravity Forms (Online Calculators, Quizzes, Surveys, Payment Forms, and More)
Gravity Forms is a highly regarded form builder plugin for WordPress. It’s great for creating online calculators, quizzes, surveys, and payment forms.
Gravity Forms offers a drag-and-drop interface with a clean design. The live preview is on the left, and customization tools are on the right. It excels in various use cases, including creating contest entry forms, quizzes, and surveys. It also offers 9 ready-made variations for conversational forms.
Notable features include ‘Partial Entries,’ which captures data from abandoned forms, allowing you to understand why users left and re-engage them. The ‘Dynamic Population’ feature pre-fills fields as users fill out forms, speeding up the process and reducing errors.
You can access Gravity Forms detailed documentation or visit the support forums. You can also reach out through the email ticket system, available Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM US Eastern Time.
*Pros*
* 14 ready-made form templates and 9 conversational form templates
* Form abandonment tools
* Dynamic population to automatically pre-fill fields as users complete the form
* Accessibility compliance
* Detailed documentation and support forums
*Cons*
* Premium only
* Limited professional support hours
*Why we chose the Gravity Forms plugin:* Gravity Forms is a feature-rich form builder. The Basic plan is great for single-site use, while the Pro and Elite plans offer advanced features and support for multiple sites. These are ideal for developers, agencies, and businesses with more extensive needs.
*Pricing:* Gravity Forms offers 3 pricing plans to cater to different needs. The Basic plan at $59 per year allows for unlimited forms and submissions, along with access to conditional logic and file uploads.
9. Ninja Forms (Calculators, Quizzes, Payments, Repeaters, and More)
Ninja Forms excels in handling complex calculations, making it ideal for budget estimations or knowledge test forms. It also supports online payments through popular gateways like PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net, and Elavon.
Ninja Forms includes ‘Repeater Fields’ that allow users to duplicate copies, useful for forms requiring multiple sets of similar information, like registration and application forms. Its wide range of integrations includes popular CRM systems like Zoho and Salesforce and email marketing platforms like ActiveCampaign, AWeber, Email Octopus, and more.
Ninja Forms prioritizes security, offering spam protection features like Google reCAPTCHA, honeypots, and field validation to prevent duplicate submissions. It also includes various settings to ensure GDPR compliance.
Ninja Forms has a strong community and support, with detailed online documentation and professional assistance to resolve issues.
*Pros*
* 16 ready-made templates
* Supports online payments through popular gateways
* Repeater fields
* CRM, email marketing, and automation service integration
* Comprehensive security measures
*Cons*
* Limited template selections
*Why we chose the Ninja Forms plugin:* Ninja Forms is great for budget estimates or knowledge tests. Its repeater fields duplicate sections, which is perfect for registration forms. It also supports major payment gateways, ideal for eCommerce and donation pages.
*Pricing:* You can start with Ninja Forms’ free version for basic needs. For more features like unlimited forms, file uploads, and multi-step forms, you can upgrade to the ‘I’m Growing’ plan at $99 per year, which also includes PayPal payments and email marketing integrations.
10. Zoho Forms (Specific Use Forms and Surveys)
Zoho Forms is easy to use and offers tons of customization options, security features, and workflow automations. You can create a form from scratch or choose from multiple form templates designed for various industries and business units.
Zoho Forms’ templates are very specific, such as the ‘Bug Tracker’ template for reporting bugs on your site. You can customize templates’ backgrounds and colors or apply a form theme. Zoho Forms offers 50+ themes to choose from.
Zoho Forms includes a range of fields, including the ‘Matrix Choice’ field, which lets users rate multiple items using a grid. You can create a choice field with radio buttons, checkboxes, dropdown boxes, text inputs, number inputs, or currency fields.
Zoho Forms enables you to route form data to various apps from other Zoho applications, eliminating manual data transfers and increasing productivity. You can access Zoho Forms’ support through tickets and explore their comprehensive User Guide, How-Tos, Webinars, and FAQ section.
*Pros*
* 50+ form templates and 50+ form themes
* Workflow automation with other Zoho tools
* Advanced fields, including unique fields like Matrix Choice
* Extensive self-help resources
*Cons*
* You can’t customize forms directly from the WordPress dashboard
*Why we chose the Zoho Forms plugin:* Zoho Forms is super user-friendly and has unique industry-specific templates. You can start from scratch or adjust a pre-made form with themes and customizations.
*Pricing:* As for pricing, it’s very competitive. The starter plan is just $10 per month when billed yearly. It gives you plenty to work with, such as lots of form templates, reporting tools, and basic customization options. Plus, you get Zoho CRM perks included.
11. Quill Forms (Surveys, Quizzes, Registration Forms in Conversational-Style)
Quill Forms is a fantastic WordPress form builder plugin for creating interactive forms. Whether you need to build surveys, quizzes, registration forms, or conversational forms, Quill Forms has got you covered.
Quill Forms uses a unique approach to editing form templates. You’ll go through each section or question one by one to edit the pre-made copy. It features an ‘Answers Piping’ feature, allowing users to reuse answers from previous fields in subsequent questions. For multiple choices, you can use the ‘Randomize’ feature to show choices in different orders for different users.
Quill Forms offers seamless connections to platforms like MailChimp, Constant Contact, GetResponse, HubSpot, Google Sheets, and Zapier. While the form-building process is fun and unique, Quill Forms is the only plugin we tried that doesn’t come with pre-configured form notifications. You can access their support through various channels, including their website, live chat, WordPress forums, Github, and social media.
*Pros*
* 12 ready-made form templates
* Step-by-step form editing
* Answer piping and randomize feature
* A wide range of third-party integrations
* Various support channels
*Cons*
* Most of the cool features are in the paid plan
* No pre-configured notifications
*Why we chose the Quill Forms plugin:* Quill Forms is a top choice for interactive, conversational forms. With cool features like answer piping and a built-in calculator, plus solid integrations, it’s great for creating engaging forms.
*Pricing:* The Basic Plan starts at $99 per year for one site and is ideal for smaller setups. Need more features? Quill Forms’ higher-tier plans unlock integrations with big names like Zapier, PayPal, and HubSpot.
12. HTML Forms (Simple HTML Contact Forms)
The HTML Forms plugin is an excellent WordPress form builder for creating simple HTML forms without the hassle of server-side setup.
HTML forms are typically created using HTML code within a text editor, requiring website owners to define form fields themselves. HTML Forms simplifies the process by providing a user-friendly interface, eliminating the need to code from scratch.
HTML Forms handles text-to-HTML conversion. It offers customizable, pre-written messages for various cases and provides admin notifications with badges for new submissions, visible in the admin menu and form list. It also allows file uploads, with uploaded files manageable from your WordPress Media Library. You can easily export form submissions to a CSV file with a single click.
HTML Forms lets you set up webhooks to connect with other services and automate your workflow.
*Pros*
* Ready-to-use, customizable HTML contact form
* User-friendly text and visual editor
* Pre-made form messages
* Automated admin notifications
* 1-click export form submissions to a CSV file
* Webhooks support
*Cons*
* Only 1 form template
*Why we chose the HTML Forms plugin:* The HTML Forms plugin makes creating HTML forms easy. Plus, it supports various features like file uploads, CSV exports, and webhook integrations.
*Pricing:* The free version is suitable for basic contact forms. For advanced needs, the Single plan at $79 per year includes all premium features, such as admin notifications, submission limits, file uploads, CSV exports, webhooks, and data management tools.
Don’t Recommend: Contact Form 7
While we generally don’t recommend Contact Form 7, it remains noteworthy as one of the oldest and most downloaded contact form plugins in the official WordPress directory.
*Pros*
* Free.
* Third-Party Addons.
However, if you’re looking for a free WordPress form plugin, the better alternatives are WPForms Lite, Formidable Forms Lite, and Ninja Forms. These plugins offer more features and ease of use.
*Cons*
* User Interface.
* Limited Support.
* Addon Accessibility.
In summary, while Contact Form 7 has historical significance and a large user base, other free options like WPForms Lite, Formidable Forms Lite, and Ninja Forms offer superior functionality and user experience.
What is the Best WordPress Form Builder?
Out of all the plugins we tried, WPForms is the best form builder for any purpose. It’s super easy to use, has lots of features, and is really flexible.
You can drag and drop to create forms, whether you need a simple contact form or something more complex like a survey or payment form. It’s easy for beginners but also has cool options for more advanced users, like conditional logic and multi-page forms.
Next, we have OptinMonster as our top pick for lead generation forms. It has various campaign types and templates to help you create opt-in forms in minutes, making it perfect for any website size.
If you need more advanced forms, consider Formidable Forms. It has features like calculator fields and custom form actions, which are perfect for developers and experienced users who want more than just simple forms.
For nonprofits, Charitable is the best choice. The free core plugin lets you create unlimited donation forms and accept payments via Stripe and PayPal. The premium plans offer features like recurring donations and peer-to-peer fundraising.
To sum up, WPForms is the best overall for its simplicity and flexibility. OptinMonster is ideal for boosting conversions and growing your email list with its easy-to-use opt-in forms. For advanced forms, you can go with Formidable Forms. And for nonprofits, Charitable is the best for fundraising.
FAQs About the Best WordPress Form Builders
To help you choose the best WordPress form builder plugin, we’ve answered some common questions below.
*Can you build forms in WordPress?*
Yes, you can easily build forms in WordPress using a variety of form builder plugins. One of the most beginner-friendly options is WPForms, which offers a drag-and-drop interface to create forms without any coding knowledge.
*Which contact form is best for WordPress?*
The best contact form for WordPress depends on your needs, but popular choices include WPForms and Formidable Forms. For a detailed comparison, check out our article on the best contact form plugins.
*What is the most advanced form plugin for WordPress?*
Formidable Forms is often considered the most advanced form plugin for WordPress. It allows you to create complex forms with conditional logic, multi-page forms, and dynamic fields.
Gravity Forms is another highly advanced option. It’s known for its wide range of add-ons and robust functionality, making it suitable for developers and power users who need a highly customizable solution.
Further Reading
* How to Create a Contact Form
* How to Use Contact Forms to Grow Your Email List
* How to Create a More Interactive Contact Form and Increase Conversions
* How to Customize and Style Your WordPress Forms
* How to Block Contact Form Spam
* How to Set Up WordPress Form Tracking on Google Analytics
* How to Track and Reduce Form Abandonment
We hope this article has helped you learn more about the best WordPress form builders. Next, you might want to see our comparison article of WPForms vs. Gravity Forms vs. Formidable Forms or our guide on how to add a contact form popup in WordPress to improve form submission rates.
This is a summary of the original article found at ‘https://www.wpbeginner.com/showcase/best-wordpress-form-builders/’.