Wondering what form builder to choose for your WordPress site? Or is Ninja Forms not sending email (again)? Let's take a deep dive into the best Ninja Forms WordPress alternative: Formidable Forms.
Are you looking for a form builder plugin but aren’t sure which one to go with? Whether you’re new to all this or are looking to break away from a plugin that isn’t working for you, we want to help!
Choosing the right plugin for your website can make all the difference to your efficiency, data management, and conversion rates. So, if you’re unhappy with the way things are now but can’t decide which is right for you, keep reading.
Need a Ninja Forms alternative?
The Ninja Forms plugin for WordPress may be on your list of form builders to learn more about. As always, we aim to be fair and objective. We’ll discuss what each plugin offers and the key elements to look for in a form builder. Then, we'll provide a quick summary at the end.
What is Formidable Forms?
Formidable Forms is a form builder that gives you control over how you use submitted data. Even better, a drag-and-drop design makes this complex form builder made easy to use. You can effortlessly build basic and custom forms with its advanced features and user-friendly interface.
Not only can you build simple contact forms, but also calculators, surveys, quizzes, and payment forms. Then you can use the form data to create directories, real estate listings, classifieds sites, and whatever else you can come up with.
But Formidable doesn't stop there. With its advanced features, you can have those directories and listings updated in real-time anytime a user submits data in a form!
Best of all, you don't need to know any coding to use Formidable Forms.
What is a Ninja Forms for WordPress?
Ninja Forms prides itself on being a user-friendly form builder. It includes a great user interface in both the premium and free versions.
A plus to Ninja Forms is its ability is to offer more integrations for WordPress websites than competitors such as Gravity Forms but at a lower cost. They also offer flexible pricing plans to stay affordable, including a free alternative version.
Ninja Forms Vs. Formidable Forms
Let's dive right in!
Ease of use
Both Formidable Forms and Ninja Forms are easy to use, with a drag-and-drop interface to help you build a form with columns.
Formidable Forms is easy for beginners but also allows developers unlimited customizations.
Ninja Forms operates in a similar way for basic forms. They have a really handy form layout builder, which makes forms with side-by-side fields. This makes it easy for beginners.
However, Ninja Forms relies heavily on add-ons for vital features such as conditional logic, multi-page forms, file uploads, and form layout. This makes it more time-consuming to use and runs the risk of slowing down your website.
Support
When it comes to getting help, both plugins offer great support with a lot of documentation. Support operates through a simple ticketing system for both plugins.
This is important because Formidable Forms is constantly developing new features and improving current ones.
There have also been numerous big security issues with Ninja Forms, several of which have gone unfixed. When changes are made, a common issue among users is that installing updates causes websites to crash and go offline. Or sometimes, users have had problems with Ninja Forms not showing up.
And remember those times Ninja Forms didn't send email? There's a reason that's one of the top searches that comes up when searching Ninja Forms!
Comparing support, you can see ratings for both plugins on WordPress.org. Formidable Forms' support has a rating of 4.7 vs 4.4 for Ninja Forms reviews.
Integrations
As far as integrations go, Formidable Forms offers a wide range of integrations including payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal, and eCommerce platforms.
In addition to these, Formidable offers integrations with marketing and CRM systems like Salesforce and HubSpot. This form builder plugin also offers email marketing service integrations to build subscription forms.
This large array of integrations shows that Formidable Forms goes beyond just form building as a multi-faceted business tool.
Many of Ninja Forms' major features, however, are available through separate add-ons. This means that their plugin is built with integrations in mind.
Ninja Forms offer similar integrations, but with a wider range of available apps. They also support popular business apps like Trello, Slack, and ConvertKit, on top of the usual payment, CRM, and eCommerce integrations.
To conclude this section, Ninja Forms offers more integrations than Formidable, but you have to add each one separately.
Pricing
When it comes to pricing, both plugins operate with a freemium model. This is a fancy word that means that both plugins offer a free version and premium options.
Formidable Forms offers a free version plus plans ranging from $79 to $599 per year.
Ninja Forms also offers a free version, plus options ranging from $99 to $499 a year. Their fifth option is the à la carte plan which allows you to purchase each add-on separately.
That way you only get the exact features you want, which can change as your business grows. Prices for this range from $29 to $129 for each add-on, depending on how many you need.
Why choose Formidable Forms as a Ninja Forms alternative?
So now that we have the basics established between the two, let's look at features and usability:
Create complex applications with form data
One of the key elements of Formidable Forms is control over what you do with your data once you've collected it. This makes it stand out among many of our competitors.
One of the most popular features is built-in Views. This add-on allows you to display a list of collected data on any WordPress website. For example, it's handy for real estate listings, job boards, and event calendars.
Unfortunately, there isn't an easy way to display Ninja Forms submissions in WordPress.
Display data in graphs or charts
Following on from the previous point, you can also do more with your data through graphs and charts. You can display entries on any View, page, post, or widget. Any charts you create will display live data which will automatically update whenever new entries are received.
This is a feature unique to Formidable Forms.
Provide front-end editing capabilities
If you need users to update their own form submissions, they can do so with our front-end editing tool. You can choose which submissions are editable for your users, whether that's a View, a list of clickable entries, or a user's-only entry.
Easily accept multiple items in one section
Some forms require users to input details of multiple items at once. With our Repeaters form field feature, you can do just that. Users can add a group of form fields any number of times. For example, you could use it to list multiple contact details or names for a sports team registration form.
Connect relational databases from forms
Sometimes you need multiple forms to interact with each other behind the scenes. With our Cascading dropdown lookup fields feature, you can populate fields with values from other forms. Values can automatically be retrieved and used in a dropdown, checkbox, or radio field.
For example, if you need customers to be able to search for car models, they can select the 'Year' in one field and 'Make' in the next one. From there, the 'Model' field will only show car models related to the chosen make.
Add variety to your forms with different fields
Want to add more variety to your forms, either to boost conversions or get more accurate results? You can add time, scale, slider, and toggle fields to your forms to collect different types of submissions.
Not everything can be answered with a checkbox or a one-word answer. These fields can give users the freedom to give you more accurate answers in quiz score calculators.
Have total control over HTML
If you want more control over how your form looks and functions, you have the option to customize form HTML. You can add a CSS class or move fields around how you want, as well as have control over what sections are visible to your users.
Go paperless with electronic signatures
The era of paper forms is coming to an end. With Formidable, you can ditch the paper and allow electronic signature submissions on your forms. This saves everyone time and reduces the reliance on paper.
Ensure your forms are accessible to all
With online forms so important to businesses and individuals alike, we think it's essential that forms are accessible to all. Formidable keeps WCAG accessible guidelines in mind to ensure every form is more accessible and screen-reader friendly.
Why choose Ninja Forms WordPress?
So if Formidable is so awesome, why choose Ninja Forms? It has some awesome features, too:
Handy tips/hints in your forms
Ninja Forms offers helpful tooltips to provide more information. Simply hover over an item and a small ‘hover box’ will appear to give helpful tips. This can help users fill in forms more accurately and improve conversions.
Manage more apps in one place
Ninja Forms supports a wide range of add-ons with other apps to make everything easier to manage in one place. However, version 3.0 isn’t currently compatible with many of their add-ons, so bear this in mind.
Is Formidable Forms the best Ninja Forms alternative?
First, let's summarize the main points of difference between Formidable Forms and Ninja Forms:
| Formidable Forms | Ninja Forms | |
| Starting Price | $39.50 for first year | $49.50 for first year |
| Rating on WP.org | 4.7 (93% 4+ star) | 4.4 (84% 4+ star) |
| Free Form Layouts | Yes | No |
| Native Integrations | 10 | 16 |
| Form Templates | 165+ | <10 |
| Baseline Memory Load | 2.7 MB | 5.8 MB |
| Accessible Forms | Yes | No |
Overall, both form builder plugins offer file uploads, conditional logic, form templates, and spam protection. Simple contact forms are included free in both plugins.
Many users choose Formidable Forms for a simple and effective way to manage and display submitted data. This is what makes Formidable Forms really stand out in the market.
The Ninja Forms' free version doesn't allow you to style forms. Formidable Forms, on the other hand, offers a visual styler in the free version.
However, if you’re looking for easy form layouts and plenty of different add-ons, then Ninja Forms could be a good choice for you. Their à la carte plan is handy for those looking only for specific add-ons, and who would rather not purchase a full plan.
We hope this post has helped you understand the key differences and features of each plugin, to help you make the best possible choice.
And if you're still looking, we've also compared a few other WordPress form builder plugins to help you decide.
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Caldera Forms Alternative: Formidable Forms vs Caldera ComparedAre you a business owner or managing a site that needs a contact form plugin for WordPress? Take a look at the Formidable Forms great form builder features to see how we can help you create forms or build a website you want. With our drag and drop form builder, it's easier than ever!
Please can you make a comparison table? Thanks.
Can you Add another category to your comparison table. Forms are famous for there ability to collect and store data. I find it almost impossible to benchmark these add-ons to bridge from HTML to JavaScript and ultimately JSON Restful API effortlessly, or better put needing in-depth technical support. Can you include a comparison of what it takes to set up API.
Hi We currently use caldera forms and the data is loaded into our CiviCRM database.
Can Formidable Forms completely replace the caldera ones?
Hi there,
We don't have a native CiviCRM integration so you wouldn't be able to send data there automatically. It is possible it would work to do this using Zapier or similar service.