Looking for a Formstack alternative? In this post, we'll compare Formstack to another option, Formidable Forms, so you can decide which one is best.
Approximate read-time: 6 minutes
Looking to compare Formstack and Formidable Forms? Or are you are searching for a Formstack alternative?
It's one of our most common presales questions. What's the difference between our WordPress form builder and the alternatives? Well, there's a lot to consider! Which you can see if you read any of the comparison articles we've already put together:
Form builder plugin comparisons
Formstack Alternative
Once again, let's start by comparing another Formidable Forms alternative: Formstack.
If you're new to Formstack, it's a drag and drop form builder. It has a WordPress plugin integration, but you build forms and store form data on the Formstack server.
If you've tried Formstack already and are looking for something else, Formidable is a very worthy alternative. in this post, we'll look at these two form builders side by side so you can decide which one is best for yourself.
👉 Read more: Best Free WordPress Form Plugins
What is Formidable Forms?
Formidable Forms is a drag and drop form builder with dozens of powerful features. One of the things Formidable is recommended for is it's drag and drop interface. Actually, Formidable's form builder looks very much like the one in Formstack (see below). The clear difference is that Formidable allows you to build everything from your WordPress admin. Being a dedicated WordPress plugin also means that Formidable is regularly updated.
Formidable has plenty of advanced features, but it can also keep things simple. With Formidable, you'll be able to add simple contact forms no problem. At the same time, you can use Formidable to build more robust solutions, like multi-step forms for example.
One thing that Formidable does that other builders can't? It can be used to display form data anywhere on your site. That means you can collect data, images, and other media with your forms and use that data to build your website in real-time. Forums, community websites, membership sites, and many other possibilities exist because of this one simple feature. Formstack does not have any such feature for a couple of reasons:
- In Formstack, data is stored on Formstack servers and is not easily accessible.
- Formstack doesn't have the features needed to manipulate your data to create anything other than reports (which are only viewable in a private website menu)
What is Formstack?
Formstack is a form builder that looks and feels quite similar to Formidable. They offer a range of form fields which should suit most users. It has some nice features, like the aforementioned form builder, several integrations, and advanced security features.
Where it all falls apart is in its pricing model. The basic plan is $19 per month which has significant limitations. You'll be limited to 5 forms and 700 submissions. And at that price, you'll be stuck with the Formstack logo all over your forms. Upgrading to the 2nd highest plan will get your 20 forms but only 1000 submissions. The price also skyrockets to $59 per month.
For comparison, you could get Formidable's highest level plan with dozens more features for just $34 per month for the first year.
So why would you use Formstack? If you are a WordPress user, that's not an easy question to answer. But for the sake of fairness, let's compare Formidable Forms and Formstack to learn more.
What should you look for in a form builder?
In this comparison, we'll be looking at 4 main areas:
- Ease of use
- Support
- Pricing
- Integrations/add-ons
To find out who comes on top in the Formidable Forms vs Formstack comparison, read on!
Ease of use
When considering ease of use between Formidable Forms and Formstack, it's pretty hard to give either form builder the edge. They both function in pretty much the exact same way. We could give Formidable more points if you are a WordPress user because you can build directly in your WordPress admin. This isn't possible for Formstack, but it might not be a deal-breaker depending on what you are creating. Call this one a draw.
🌟 Winner: Tie
Support
Here's what we usually consider when it comes to support:
- The size and usefulness of the knowledgebase
- Easy access to a human support team
When considering the knowledgebase, both Formidable and Formstack have a huge amount of resources. Formidable has hundreds of knowledgebase articles and so does Formstack. Formstack also has several guides that take users through the process of setting up different forms. Formidable also has several of these featured in their blog.
The quality of both knowledgebase sets is top-notch. Clearly a lot of effort has gone into the creation of either one.
Things differ when it comes to human support though. To gain access to priority support in Formstack, you'd need to be on their platinum plan - which costs a staggering $249 per month... yikes! Otherwise, you'd be stuck with email support. Formstack makes no guarantees about response time when it comes to their email support, which is ominous, to say the least.
Formidable however offers priority support to users at any premium plan level. They even offer free support via the forum on the WP.org plugin directory to free plugin users. Formidable Forms also has an active Slack community where users can find answers. Support wherever you want it!
The lack of priority support could be a real problem for many users. Since the Formstack platinum plan is a very expensive way to unlock priority support, we have to give this one to Formidable.
🌟 Winner: Formidable
Pricing
Formidable Forms has a free plugin, while Formstack does not. Let's run through the form fields offered by each plugin first, then talk about pricing in more detail.
Free form fields
Formidable free form fields
Formidable Forms has 13 form fields in its free WordPress plugin. Formstack doesn't have a free plan (although they do offer a free trial for 14 days with no credit card required, which is nice).
Premium form fields
Formidable's premium form fields
Formidable's premium plans unlock 25 more fields for a total of 38 form fields (there are also 3 additional pricing fields designed to streamline eCommerce form building).
Formstack premium form fields
Formstack has 18 total form fields in their form builder. We should also point out that there are no custom field options in Formstack, while Formidable allows you to create whatever fields you want (limited only by your web development knowledge).
Does Formstack stack up against Formidable? Well, if we look at the pricing model, the answer is definitely not. If you are using the most basic Formstack plan and find yourself only needing 5 forms, then it might be a good option for you. But let's run a little imaginary scenario to prove that 5 forms won't cut it for most websites.
Here are some of the standard forms that are common today:
- Contact form
- Signup form
- Lead generation form
- Registration form
- Survey form
Considering that it's normal to have a few different versions of your contact form, and a few different versions of your signup form, and a few... well, you get the point. 5 forms are a very limiting amount for any website.
So what if you upgrade to the next level of Formstack? Then you'd be paying $59 per month... which is more expensive than Formidable's most expensive plan. And as you can see from the above, even if we just compare these two options based on form fields, Formidable has vastly more features.
🌟 Winner: Formidable
Integrations and addons
When you evaluate the Formstack add-ons, their pricing model begins to make a bit more sense. They have a lot of integrations with enterprise-level custom solutions like Microsoft Dynamics, Pipedrive, and Marketo. They also have a WordPress integration, although it's 3 months out of date at the time we published this article. Formstack integrates into 40 different services, which is quite a lot.
Formidable doesn't have the same level of enterprise add-ons that Formstack does, but there are some that Formidable has that Formstack is missing. For example, ActiveCampaign integration is not found in Formstack. Formstack is also missing WordPress integrations like WooCommerce.
In this comparison, it really depends on what you are using your Forms for. If you want to integrate with a specific enterprise solution, you probably go with Formstack. If you are a WordPress user, you'd probably go with Formidable. Having said that, Formidable integrates with a few enterprise solutions, like Salesforce for example. Call this one a tie.
🌟 Winner: Tie
Formidable Forms vs Formstack: Which one wins?
Although there are some uses for Formstack (enterprise integrations for the most part), Formidable Forms is most likely going to be the better choice for most people. Does that mean that only beginners will find Formidable Forms useful? Not a chance! Formidable is called the most advanced form builder for a reason. Let's take a deeper look at what makes Formidable one of the top form builders for WordPress below.
Why choose Formidable Forms?
Formidable's free WordPress plugin is an extremely powerful option for free users. It's currently being used by more than 300,000 users around the world.
But advanced users can also find a lot to love when it comes to Formidable. This plugin has some serious power, with several features designed to maximize your online forms and make your WordPress website as strong as possible.
Top Formidable Forms features
Calculated Form Fields
Formidable Forms has one of the most advanced set of calculator features of any form builder. You can use Formidable to perform simple total calculations for eCommerce no problem. Of course, if you want to perform calculations across your form fields, that's possible too. But why stop there? Formidable can be used to compute advanced math equations too. Just be sure to follow the order of operations!
If that's not enough, you can even use stored values to calculate. Or you can save the results of your calculations to use for later. Or you can perform calculations within your Views... the possibilities are endless!
Integrations & Addons
Formidable Forms has all the most popular platforms at your fingertips. All you need to do is install the correct add-on and you're good to go. Connect with the best CRM, email marketing platforms, eCommerce, and much more. Stripe, Paypal, MailChimp, Zapier, Hubspot, ActiveCampaign... all the platforms you use!
Surveys & Polls
Formidable has built an awesome suite of survey & poll features that make surveying your audience a breeze. Using Formidable's many more fields to create surveys is easy and, dare we say it, fun! Advanced form fields like the star rating and scale make it easier to get the best survey data possible. And Formidable's charts and reports feature makes it easy to create beautiful reports on the fly.
Drag and Drop Form Builder
When you look at the Formstack form builder and compare it against the Formidable Forms builder, it's hard to say which one is the chicken and which one is the egg. We don't want to sow the seeds of conspiracy, but imitation is the greatest form of compliment isn't it? The Formidable Form builder has been leading the industry for quite a while - safe to say it has inspired quite a few of the other form builders out there.
Why choose Formstack?
You need an enterprise solution
If your business or website is heavily built around other expensive enterprise tools, you may want to consider Formstack. Having said that, it's not always necessary to integrate forms depending on what enterprise software you use.
You like Formstack workflow focus
Formstack got its start by putting together workflow systems for marketing, human resources, and other business uses. Some of them are really just glorified form templates, but with some research, you could find out if their workflow solutions will save you enough time to justify the increased price they demand.
Formidable Forms vs Formstack: Final Verdict
For most users, Formidable Forms will be the form maker of choice. Of course, the only catch is that users would need to be on a WordPress website.
We hope this Formidable Forms vs Formstack comparison has helped you learn the differences between the two form builders.
Formidable Forms is a great Formstack alternative. For more WordPress posts, stay tuned to the Formidable blog!
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Formidable Forms is the most advanced WordPress form builder on the market. Get started with our free WordPress plugin or one of our premium plans today!
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