Are you looking for the best free WordPress form builder plugin for your website?
The range of options available can seem overwhelming, each offering unique features to suit various needs.
This article provides an in-depth look at the leading form plugins, focusing on their standout features, ease of use, and typical applications.
Whether your goal is to create straightforward contact forms or develop complex, interactive surveys, our guide will assist you in finding the WordPress best form plugin that enhances both functionality and user engagement on your site.
1. involve.me
involve.me is a dynamic and user-friendly best free WordPress form builder plugin designed to help businesses create engaging interactive content such as online forms, surveys, calculators, and quizzes.
This platform excels in enhancing user engagement and interaction, leading to higher response rates and valuable insights. With its intuitive interface and extensive customization options, involve.me stands out as an effective tool for brands looking to improve their digital engagement strategies. You can create different types of forms with involve.me, such as payment forms, user registration form, feedback form and more.
Pricing
involve.me offers several pricing plans to accommodate different needs and scales of operation:
Basic: $29/month for 5 live projects, 1,000 submissions per month, and other essential features.
Pro: $59/month includes 15 live projects, 5,000 submissions per month, and additional elements such as CAPTCHA validation and form validation rules.
Business: $129/month for 30 live projects, 15,000 submissions, and advanced features like Net Promoter Score® and Salesforce integration.
Agency: $199/month allows for 100 live projects, 30,000 form submissions, and specialized tools for client management and detailed analytics.
All plans offer options for custom domains, embeds on multiple websites, and AI credits.
Key Features
Drag-and-Drop Builder: Simplifies the creation of interactive forms and content with an intuitive interface.
Advanced Conditional Logic: Allows for personalized user experiences by adapting forms based on user inputs.
Comprehensive Integration: Compatible with powerful tools like Google Analytics, Mailchimp, and Slack, along with payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe.
Ready-made Templates: A vast library of pre-built form templates for starting any project quick and easy.
Mobile Optimization: Ensures forms display correctly across all devices and screen sizes.
AI Features: Elements like AI-generated text and AI analytics reports help deliver unique user interactions and deeper insights.
Rich Media and Customization Options: Includes options for file uploads, e-signatures, social links, and a media gallery to enrich forms.
Security and Compliance: Offers features like CAPTCHA and opt-in checkboxes to ensure compliance with data protection regulations and enhance form security.
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2. WPForms
WPForms is a comprehensive form maker that perfectly blends simplicity with advanced functionality, making it a favorite among both beginners and experienced WordPress users. Known for its user-friendly design, the plugin offers a visual drag-and-drop interface to create beautiful forms. It provides a variety of ready-made form templates that cover everything from basic contact forms to complex mortgage applications, allowing users to get started quickly and customize as needed.
Pricing
WPForms is available in both a free version called WPForms Lite and several premium versions. The Lite version offers essential features suitable for basic form creation. For users requiring more advanced features, WPForms offers four paid plans:
Basic: $49.50/year for one site
Plus: $99.50/year for three sites
Pro: $199.50/year for five sites
Elite: $299.50/year for unlimited sites
Key Features
Ease of Use: The drag-and-drop builder and live preview make it incredibly easy to create and customize forms without any coding.
Templates: Over 1,600 pre-made form templates are available, catering to a wide range of needs.
Integration: Seamlessly integrates with major marketing apps like Mailchimp, payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe, and utilities like Google Sheets.
Customization: Offers extensive customization options including conditional logic, multi-page forms, and conversational forms to enhance user engagement.
Security: Equipped with robust anti-spam features such as Google reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, and integration with Akismet.
Add-ons: Additional features can be added through numerous add-ons for surveys, payments, and marketing integrations.
Drawbacks:
Cost Barrier for Advanced Features: To access the more powerful features of WPForms, such as payment integrations and advanced form fields, a premium plan is necessary, which can be a significant investment.
Overwhelming Options: For new users, the vast array of features and settings available in WPForms require a steeper learning curve compared to more straightforward plugins.
3. Ninja Forms
Ninja Forms is one of the best WordPress contact form plugins, popular for its ease of use and adaptability. The plugin offers a free core version that is sufficient for creating basic contact forms with a drag-and-drop functionality. For users requiring more sophisticated features, Ninja Forms provides a range of premium options as well.
Pricing
Ninja Forms operates on a freemium model, with the core plugin available for free. For additional features, users can opt for one of the following annual subscription plans:
Basic: $49
Plus: $99
Pro: $199
Elite: $299
Individual add-ons are also available for purchase, starting at $18, with most priced around $50.
Key Features
Free Version Features:
Beginner-friendly drag-and-drop interface
Basic form fields and pre-built form templates
Ajax submissions for no-reload form processing
GDPR compliance features
Spam management
Premium Version Features:
Conditional logic and multipart forms
File uploads and enhanced layout options
Payment processing integrations with PayPal and Stripe
Additional styles and customization options
Integrations with popular CRM and email marketing services like Mailchimp, Salesforce, and Constant Contact
Drawbacks
Cost of Extensions: While the base plugin is free, the cost of premium extensions can add up, potentially making it as expensive as other complete solutions like WPForms or Formidable Forms.
Limited Core Features: The free version requires several paid add-ons to match the out-of-the-box elements offered by some competitors.
4. Gravity Forms
Gravity Forms is recognized for its reliability as a premium-only WordPress forms plugin. This plugin is particularly suited for power users who require advanced features like conditional logic, multi-step forms, file uploads, and intricate calculations. It's a preferred choice for creating custom forms, from simple contact forms to complex survey setups and more.
Pricing
Gravity Forms offers three tiered pricing plans, which are billed annually:
Basic: $59
Pro: $159
Elite: $259
Key Features
Advanced Form Features: Supports over 30 form fields, conditional logic, and automated email notifications.
Integration Options: Extensive add-ons link Gravity Forms with a variety of platforms, including email marketing tools, CRM platforms, payment gateways, and more advanced integrations like Zapier.
Developer-Friendly Tools: Offers numerous customization options, allowing developers to tailor forms precisely to specific requirements.
Enhanced User Experience: The latest version introduces new components and the Conversational Forms add-on to create interactive and personalized form experiences.
Design Flexibility: Despite limited pre-made templates, the drag-and-drop functionality and the option to use the WordPress block editor for form styling allow for extensive design customizations.
Drawbacks
No free version available, making it a pricier option for users only needing to create basic forms.
Additional costs for third-party add-ons required for certain features like views and directories.
5. Formidable Forms
Formidable Forms is a powerful WordPress form builder plugin designed for creating complex and advanced forms. It's particularly favored by developers and those who need sophisticated form solutions such as intricate surveys, calculators, quizzes, and feedback forms. This plugin excels in providing extensive customization through its developer-friendly features, including a vast array of hooks and filters for deep integration with various systems.
Pricings
Formidable Forms offers both a free and a premium version. The free version, known as Formidable Lite, provides basic elements suitable for simple form creation. For more advanced features, the premium version is available with several pricing tiers:
Basic: $39.50/year
Plus: $99.50/year
Business: $199.50/year
Elite: $299.50/year
All premium plans come with a 14-day money-back guarantee, allowing users to try the features risk-free.
Key Features
Free Version Features:
Drag-and-drop form builder for easy form creation.
Visual form styler to customize the look of forms without CSS.
Unlimited forms with unique layouts and autoresponders.
Mobile responsiveness and compliance with accessibility standards.
Basic spam protection and the ability to export form data to CSV.
Premium Version Features:
Advanced integrations with over 18 platforms.
Conditional logic, surveys, quizzes, and calculator and online forms.
Multi-page forms, user tracking, and custom post submission.
Extensive pre-made templates and front-end views for displaying entries.
API/webhooks for further customization and integration.
Drawbacks
Complexity for Beginners: The wealth of advanced features and focus on developer tools can make it less user-friendly for beginners compared to other form builders like WPForms.
Cost: While the free version offers basic options, accessing the full potential of Formidable Forms can be costly, especially if multiple premium features are needed.
So, Which is the Best Free Form Plugin?
We have explored five form builder plugins for WordPress, each with its unique strengths and limitations. After careful consideration, involve.me emerges as the standout choice among them. While other powerful plugins like Gravity Forms, Ninja Forms, WPForms, and Formidable Forms offer good features, they also come with certain drawbacks that may not suit every user's needs.
For instance, Gravity Forms and Formidable Forms, though powerful, are geared more towards developers and users comfortable with more complex form setups, potentially overwhelming for beginners. Ninja Forms and WPForms, while user-friendly, can become quite costly as you add more advanced features or require multiple integrations.
In contrast, involve.me provides a comprehensive suite of features to create forms on WordPress without any hassle. It combines an intuitive drag-and-drop functionality, extensive customization options, and powerful integrations, including advanced AI features, all of which are designed to improve user engagement effectively. Moreover, its pricing structure is flexible, making it accessible for both small projects and larger enterprises.
Thus, for users looking for the best free WordPress form builder plugin, involve.me is the ideal choice.
