Are you trying to decide which WordPress form builder plugin to use? Looking for a WPForms alternative? Read our comparison of Formidable Forms vs WPForms to help you decide.
Your search for the perfect form builder is not an easy one. With so many WordPress form builders to choose from, how do you pick the right one for you?
We've already compared a few WordPress form builder plugins to help you decide.
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Today, we've got another drag and drop form builder comparison for you. We will be comparing a big name in the form building world – WPForms. Let's see how it compares with Formidable Forms and whether our plugin can be a WPForms alternative.
👉 Read more: Best Free WordPress Form Plugins
What is Formidable Forms?
Formidable Forms is an open source drag and drop form builder. Unlike other WordPress form plugins, it gives you control over how to use collected form data. It's an advanced form builder that lets you build complex forms for your WordPress website. However, it's also simple to use, no matter your level of HTML or coding experience.
We aim to provide a tool that sparks the confidence to take on bigger projects. We believe that anyone can find success with the right tools, without the need for big resources.
What is WPForms?
WPForms is a popular name in WordPress form building. It operates in a similar way to Formidable Forms because it's simple to use and has a drag and drop interface. WPForms is easy to learn and navigate because of its clean layout and emphasis on the user experience.
WPForms targets those new to form building, whereas Formidable Forms typically targets more experienced users. However, both types of people can find success with either plugin.
What should you look for in a WordPress form builder?
While there are many different topics we could cover, we want to get the basics down. We will be looking at four key areas to think about when choosing a form builder.
- Ease of use
- Support
- Pricing
- Integrations/add-ons
Which one will come out on top: Formidable Forms vs WPForms? Keep reading to find out.
Ease of use
Both Formidable Forms and WPForms have a clean and clear drag and drop interface. They're designed to be easy to use for beginners and experienced users alike. You can build a simple contact form within minutes on either plugin.
While these plugins are easy to use, they don't limit those who already know a thing or two about form building.
WPForms is particularly easy to learn and use with its clean layout and simple user interface. That makes it very user friendly for beginners in particular.
The Formidable form builder has a simple, clean and minimalist layout that's easy for site owners and developers alike.
Winner: Tie
Support
Formidable Forms has a lot of documentation available to help you get the most out of all the features and integrations. We operate a tiered ticketing system where support response time is based on whatever plan you're on.
We also support bug reports and generally respond to free users within 24 hours. You can learn more about our support and take a look at our reviews through WordPress.org.
One thing that sets Formidable Forms apart is our Slack community. We run a Slack instant messaging community for user-provided support, advice and even development help.
WPForms operates a similar tiered ticketing system, with those on higher plans receiving faster support turnaround. They also have extensive documentation to help you learn more about the plugin and how to improve your forms.
You can take a look at their reviews on WordPress.org to learn more.
Winner: Formidable Forms (for the Slack community)
Pricing
Both Formidable Forms and WPForms operate with a freemium model. This just means that there’s a free version and a premium version.
Formidable Forms
Besides the lite version, Formidable Forms offers four paid plans to choose from. Prices range from $99 for 1 site, to $599 for an unlimited number of sites with Formidable Views. Formidable does a great job of distributing the features wisely among the pricing plans.
WPForms
WPForms also has four paid plans to choose from (WPForms Pro, Plus, etc.). Prices range from $79 for 1 site to $599 for an unlimited number of sites.
You get only a 5-site license in the $399 plan of WPForms. Formidable offers a 10-site license at the same cost. The Formidable pricing is comparatively more versatile.
Winner: Tie (because of the feature distribution among the plans)
Integrations and add-ons
Formidable Forms offers a wide range of integrations and 3rd-party add-ons. It supports payment options like Stripe and PayPal, and CRM systems such as Salesforce, eCommerce tools, and email marketing platforms.
Formidable Forms offers more than just form-building capabilities. Our form builder can act as a multi-functional tool that streamlines different areas of your business from one place.
WPForms offers many similar integrations and add-ons, including partner brands such as OptinMonster and MonsterInsights. You can integrate with email marketing services, CRM systems, payment processors, and many more.
This means that in terms of integrations, it's difficult to see who comes out on top. Both plugins offer so much more than simple form building.
Winner: Tie
Why choose Formidable Forms?
Create complex applications with form data
The feature that makes Formidable Forms stand out the most amongst the competition is the built-in Views. Views allow you to dynamically display data you've collected through forms in a number of ways. It's commonly used for things like job boards, event calendars, and real estate listings.
Display data in graphs or charts
Another way Formidable Forms helps to do more with collected data is through graphs and charts. You can display form data in graphs or charts on any page, post, widget, or View. These charts work with live data, which automatically updates whenever new entries are received.
Let users edit their own submissions
Sometimes your users need to update their own form submissions. Making this easy to do can be a great help which saves time for you and your users. With our front-end editing tool, you can choose which submissions are editable for your users. This could be a list of clickable entries, a View, or a user's only entry.
Accept multiple items in one section
If your users need to input the details of several things at once, this is easy with Repeaters. You can allow users to add in a group of fields any number of times. This is commonly used to request contact details for a group of people or for lists of qualifications in job application forms.
Look up data from other forms
When you need multiple forms to interact and share data behind the scenes, Cascading Lookup Fields can help. With Lookup fields, you can populate fields in your form with data from completely different forms. You can automatically retrieve values for dropdown, checkbox or radio fields.
For example, your users can search for car models by selecting the 'Make' in one dropdown field. This will then show only 'Models' related to the 'Make' selected. This is a time-saving alternative rather than showing all Models from all Makes on the website.
Customize your form HTML
We want you to have full control over how your form looks and functions. That's why we've included customizable HTML on our form builder. You can customize CSS classes, move fields around and have full control over which fields are visible to which website visitors.
Use powerful form calculations
If you sell products or services online, it helps to have an easy way to make calculations based on form selections. Form calculations let you quickly set up basic and advanced calculations to make things easier for you and your users. You can even connect this to payment fields to make the buying process even smoother.
Why choose the WPForms plugin?
Conversational forms
WPForms give you the option to build conversational, interactive forms. These types of forms are closely tailored to user selections with conditional logic. However, the styling of the form shows typically one or two questions at a time with regular page breaks. That means there are no overly long forms you need to scroll through, creating a refreshing user experience.
Offline form saving and submission
We've all had that moment of panic when we try to submit a form and the connection suddenly goes. WPForms has this covered with an offline form submission add-on. This allows your users to save their form progress and then submit them when the internet connection is restored.
Form abandonment add-on
Anyone who builds forms will know just how frustrating it is to see forms being abandoned. WPForms has a form abandonment add-on for saving partial entries for following up with prospects that don't finish the form. This helps you improve your leads and traffic on your website and prompts users to continue with the form.
👉 Google Forms Alternatives: Formidable Forms VS WPForms VS Typeform
Which is right for you: Formidable Forms vs WPForms?
Either plugin will be a good option for you based on ease of use, support, pricing, and the integrations and add-ons.
Both options will help you create any type of online form. From basics like surveys to user registration forms and email address collection forms to create email lists. They let you create complex forms with conditional logic. Both have lots of form templates available to deploy in clicks.
WPForms is great if you're new to building forms. The options are more limited to make it easy to learn. There are interesting and creative ways to display forms, for example through the conversational-style setup.
However, if you want more control over using your data, Formidable Forms is a better choice. The built-in Views, graphs, and charts make it easy to display data in a number of interesting ways. Imagination is the only limit!
Another thing to bear in mind is that WPForms lacks many advanced features. This includes form calculations, cascading lookup fields, Repeaters, quizzes, and some automation and integrations. If you think you'd need any of those features, perhaps Formidable Forms is better suited to you.
We hope this Formidable Forms vs WPForms comparison has helped you make the best decision for your needs. Good luck in your search!
Want to give Formidable Forms a go? Have a look through our list of features and integrations to learn more about what we can do for you.
Hi your post was very helpful to my project, I am building out a form and I wanted to make sure I chose the correct form. You helped me figure that out, thank you.