The best WordPress forms plugins are WPForms, Gravity Forms, Fluent Forms, Formidable Forms, Ninja Forms, Forminator and Contact Form 7. For a simple contact form, a free plugin is enough. For payments, calculators, multi-step flows or integrations with other tools, you will want a plugin with a paid tier.
This guide covers ten forms plugins, what each is good at, whether a free version exists, and how to choose without overbuying. If you also want to compare broader form tools, read our guide to software for fillable forms.
What to look for in a forms plugin
- Builder. A drag-and-drop editor saves time. Check that it works well on a phone, not only on a desktop screen.
- Spam protection. Look for honeypot fields, captcha support and anti-spam options. A form that fills your inbox with junk is worse than no form. Our guide on how to add Cloudflare captcha on WordPress shows one approach.
- Notifications and confirmations. You should control who gets an email and what the sender sees afterwards.
- Entries. Decide whether you need to store submissions in WordPress, export them, or send them straight to another system.
- Integrations. Email marketing, CRM, payment gateways and automation tools matter more as a site grows.
- Data and privacy. Forms collect personal data. Check how a plugin stores entries, whether it can delete them on request and whether it supports consent checkboxes.
1. WPForms
WPForms is a drag-and-drop form builder with many templates. The free Lite version covers basic contact forms, and paid plans add payments, advanced fields, and integrations. It is easy to learn and suits owners who want a form online quickly.
Best for: beginners and small business sites that want a guided builder.
2. Gravity Forms
Gravity Forms is a paid form plugin with no free version. It has a deep feature set, conditional logic, multi-page forms, a large add-on library and a developer-friendly set of hooks, which is why agencies often use it for complex projects.
Best for: developers and agencies building complex, integrated forms.
3. Fluent Forms
Fluent Forms is a drag-and-drop builder that supports conditional logic, multi-step forms, quizzes and conversational forms. A free version is available, and a paid version adds integrations and extras.
Best for: owners who want a rich free tier with advanced features.
4. Formidable Forms
Formidable Forms goes beyond contact forms into calculators, surveys and views that display submitted data on the front end. The free version handles standard forms, and paid plans add the advanced features.
Best for: sites that use forms as a data tool, such as calculators, directories or application flows.
5. Ninja Forms
Ninja Forms is a modular builder: the core plugin is free, and add-ons extend it with integrations, payments and more. You buy only what you need.
Best for: owners who like to add features one at a time.
6. Forminator
Forminator builds contact forms, payment forms, polls and quizzes in one free plugin. It is made by WPMU DEV and links with its other tools.
Best for: owners who want forms, polls and quizzes without paying first. Compare it with our guide to polls and surveys plugins and the best quiz plugins if those are your main use.
7. Contact Form 7
Contact Form 7 is one of the oldest and most widely installed forms plugins. It is free and lightweight, and you build forms by editing a simple template rather than by dragging fields. It has no visual builder out of the box and relies on extensions for features such as storing entries.
Best for: developers and owners who want a small, free tool and are comfortable editing form markup.
8. Everest Forms
Everest Forms is a drag-and-drop builder with a free version for contact, payment and survey forms, and paid plans for advanced fields and integrations.
Best for: small sites that want a modern builder and a free starting point.
9. MetForm
MetForm is built for Elementor. It adds a form builder to the Elementor editor, with a free version and a paid one for extras. Elementor’s own paid plans also include a form widget, so check whether that already covers you.
Best for: sites built with Elementor that want forms inside the same editor.
10. SureForms
SureForms is a block-based form builder that works inside the WordPress editor, with AI-assisted form creation and a free version for contact, payment and survey forms.
Best for: owners who want forms built with blocks in the editor they already use.
Other forms plugins worth a look
- JetFormBuilder is a block-based form builder that fits sites built with blocks.
- Kali Forms is a drag-and-drop builder with a free version.
- weForms is a drag-and-drop form builder with a free version.
- Happyforms is a form builder with a free version and paid plans.
Comparison table
| Plugin | Free version | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| WPForms | Yes (Lite) | Beginners and small business sites |
| Gravity Forms | No | Complex forms, agencies, developers |
| Fluent Forms | Yes | Rich free feature set |
| Formidable Forms | Yes | Calculators and data views |
| Ninja Forms | Yes | Modular, add-on style |
| Forminator | Yes | Forms, polls and quizzes |
| Contact Form 7 | Yes | Simple, lightweight forms |
| Everest Forms | Yes | Modern builder, free start |
| MetForm | Yes | Elementor sites |
| SureForms | Yes | Block editor sites |
What free versions usually leave out
Free forms plugins handle the basics well. The limits tend to appear in the same places, so check these before you build:
- Payments. Some free versions take payments through a single gateway, and others reserve all payments for paid plans.
- Entry storage and export. Check whether you can keep and export submissions, or whether a limit applies.
- Conditional logic and multi-step forms. Showing or hiding fields based on answers is a paid feature in some plugins and free in others.
- File uploads. Letting people attach files often sits behind a paid tier.
- Integrations. Connections to email marketing, CRM tools and automation services are often paid add-ons.
- Support. Free versions usually rely on community forums, while paid plans include direct support.
Read the feature comparison on each vendor’s site, because plans change over time.
Set up your first form in six steps
- Write down what you need to know. Every extra field lowers the number of people who finish. Ask only for what you will use.
- Pick a template or start blank. Templates save time for contact, quote and booking forms.
- Set the notification. Choose who receives the email, a clear subject line and a reply-to address that is the submitter’s email.
- Write a useful confirmation. Tell people what happens next and how long it usually takes.
- Add spam protection. Turn on a honeypot and a captcha or another check.
- Test it. Submit the form from a phone and a desktop, then confirm the email arrives and the entry is saved.
Forms for different kinds of sites
Business and service sites mostly need a contact form and a quote request form. A free plugin handles that. Online shops need forms for returns, wholesale enquiries and product questions, and may want a plugin that connects to the shop. Membership and community sites use forms for applications, event sign-ups and feedback, so entry storage and notifications matter more. Agencies build forms for clients and benefit from a plugin with reusable templates and a developer-friendly set of hooks.
How to choose
Match the plugin to the job, not to the longest feature list.
- A simple contact form: Contact Form 7, WPForms Lite or Fluent Forms free are all enough.
- Taking payments or donations: check which payment gateways the plugin supports and whether payments need a paid tier.
- Multi-step forms, quizzes and calculators: Fluent Forms, Formidable Forms and Gravity Forms cover these.
- A site built with Elementor or blocks: pick the form plugin that works inside your editor, such as MetForm or SureForms. Our guide to WordPress page builders covers the editors themselves.
- Collecting data from many people: choose a plugin that stores entries and lets you export or delete them.
Keep forms fast and safe
- Load form scripts only on pages that contain a form. Many plugins offer this setting.
- Add spam protection from day one, and check your spam folder for the first few weeks.
- Test submissions on a phone and confirm that email notifications arrive. Use an SMTP plugin if your host’s email is unreliable.
- Add a consent checkbox and link to your privacy policy when you collect personal data.
- Limit how long you keep entries. Old submissions are a liability, not an asset.
- Test the form after every major plugin or theme update.
If your form lives in a popup, see our guide to popup plugins for tools that pair with forms.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free WordPress forms plugin?
Fluent Forms, WPForms Lite and Contact Form 7 are the common free picks. Contact Form 7 is the lightest, WPForms Lite is the easiest, and Fluent Forms gives the most features in its free version.
Is Gravity Forms worth paying for?
It is worth it if you build complex, integrated forms, or if you build sites for clients. It has no free version, so for a basic contact form a free plugin is a better value.
Do I need a forms plugin, or can I use a contact page from my theme?
A forms plugin is the better choice. It gives you spam protection, stored entries, notifications and integrations. Most themes do not include a form builder.
Which forms plugin is best for payments?
Several plugins on this list accept payments, including WPForms, Gravity Forms, Fluent Forms, Formidable Forms and Forminator. Check which gateways are supported and whether payments require a paid plan.
How do I stop spam on my WordPress forms?
Turn on a honeypot field and a captcha or similar check, and keep your plugin updated. Most forms plugins include these options. If spam continues, add a challenge at the network edge, such as Cloudflare.
Where are form entries stored?
Most plugins store entries in your WordPress database, and you can view and export them from the dashboard. Contact Form 7 does not store entries by default and needs an extension for that.
Will a forms plugin slow my site?
It can if it loads scripts on every page. Pick a plugin that loads assets only where a form appears, and test your page speed after you install it.
Moving from one forms plugin to another
Switching plugins later is possible but rarely painless. Forms are stored in each plugin’s own format, so you usually rebuild them by hand, and old entries stay in the old plugin unless you export them first. Export your entries as a CSV before you deactivate anything, rebuild the forms in the new plugin, test each one and only then remove the old plugin. Keep the old one active for a short while so no submission is lost during the switch.
Next step
Pick one plugin, build your most important form, and send yourself test submissions from a phone. Compare it against a second plugin only if the first one misses a feature you need. For wider options beyond WordPress plugins, read our guide to fillable forms software.