OVERALL VERDICT
5
Ease of use
4
Page speed
5
Scalability
4
Support
WPForms is a user-friendly plugin that allows you to create customizable forms for WordPress websites. Whether it's contact forms, order forms, or surveys, WPForms makes it easy to collect valuable customer information. With its drag-and-drop interface and advanced features like conditional logic, WPForms helps you create seamless and engaging forms. It's a valuable tool for enhancing communication with your customers and providing a smooth shopping experience.
Table of Contents
Pros
- Built-in templates for beginners
- Drag & drop style form builder
- Entry notification via email
- Lower memory usage
- thus faster page speed
- Smart Captcha for spam protection
- Smart Conditional logic
- Unlimited forms and responses
- Video tutorials and help documentations
Cons
- Cannot upload all files at once
- No coloured sections in the free plan
- No free trial for paid versions
- The Lite version does not support some basic fields like signature
- file upload etc.
Price: $299.50/yr
In the digital space, whether you own a simple WordPress blog site or something as complex as an e-commerce site, forms are indispensable tools for purposes ranging from ‘contact us’ forms or subscription forms to questionnaires or online payment details forms.
Did you use Form Builder for your WordPress sites like TypeForms, Google Forms, or any of the top WordPress form plugins?
Then you would have experienced problems like expensive plans, increased loading time, inefficient spam management, etc.
This is where WordPress form Plugins such as WPForms come as a one-stop solution for creating forms without any prior knowledge of coding and without having to take your clients out of your website to an external site.
Read on further to know more about why WPForms could be your best choice of form plugins to run your website.
What is WPForms & their USP?
WPForms is a WordPress plugin that lets you easily build any type of form in minutes for WordPress websites. In 2023, it is considered one of the most popular form builders for WordPress.
Once you start using WPForms you will realize that it offers more than just a simple contact form. It is a robust plugin that has more than 900 form templates ranging from business operations, education, entertainment, marketing, registrations, etc.
It is not only convenient with its 100% Drag & Drop form building tool but is also powerful with its seamless integrations and add-ons like PayPal, MailChimp, Stripe Pro, Square, etc. for collecting payments and donations, growing your email list, spam protection, interactive survey reports and various other features.
The forms it creates are equipped with advanced features like smart conditional logic, smart captcha, and multi-page navigation and are highly functional and responsive on any platform whether it be mobiles, tablets, or desktops.
If you are just kickstarting your site, then WPForms Lite – 100% free version is the best choice for you. You can install this plugin for Free directly from the WordPress plugins repository.
It is also scalable with the growth of your site as WPForms has four flexible Pricing plans to cater to a wide range of users be it business owners, bloggers, designers, photographers, etc. Let’s check all the plan in detail below:
WPForms Plugin Plans & Pricing
WPForms Lite – The Free Version
WP Forms has the most efficient free version of contact form plugins which offers unlimited forms, responses, views, and disk space. However, the Lite version only gives you access to the Basic fields and not the fancy fields while building forms.
Another striking feature that is offered by the free plan is credit card payments using Stripe. WP Forms Lite is the only form builder that allows payments in the free plan.
Other features in the free version include spam protection, entry notifications, multi step forms etc.
WPForms Pro
When your website grows, WPForms has four specialized pricing plans to choose from as discussed below. They all offer unlimited forms, submissions, and users and a 14-day money-back guarantee which will give you time to decide if the pro version is worth it. They also offer an additional discount for non-profit organizations.
Basic ($49.50/year)
It is a single site plan with all basic features like form templates, smart condition logic, spam protection, privacy protection, etc., and also includes basic customization features.
Plus ($99.50/year)
This plan can be used for up to 3 sites and has extra marketing integrations with all other features in the basic plan. This plan also supports form automation features like Smart workflows, Data Routing, User segmentation etc.
Pro ($199.50/year)
If you are happy with the basic features of WPForms then it’s time to upgrade to their premium plan which can be extended to up to 5 sites. This plan is more suitable for e shopping sites and the ones requiring online payments. This plan provides payment gateway integrations and other advanced form features like geolocation, surveys and polls, digital signature, conversational forms etc.
Elite ($299.50/year)
This plan is suitable for the giants of webspace with access to unlimited sites and most premium CRM platform integrations including SalesForce, Authorize.Net, HubSpot, etc.
What Do You Get With WPForms?
That being said WPForms is a perfect plugin and recommended choice for creating any kind of form for your needs. Let’s check out the features that make it the best form builder:
- Drag & Drop Form Builder:
The easy and user-friendly interface lets you build multi-page forms with files and media upload facilities. You can even build user registration forms and conversational forms within minutes and that too sans any coding skills.
- Pre-built templates:
WPForms is hands down the most beginner-friendly forms plugin for WordPress-powered websites with its 900+ pre-built templates which are also highly customizable to add your personal touch.
- Smart Conditional Logic
This feature lets you create smart dynamic forms that show/hide fields based on user selections while filling out the form. This is of great use to publishers, consultants, upsellers etc.
- Instant Notification:
With WPForms, an instant notification feature your team will never miss out on any submission and enables quick response.
- Entry Management:
This feature streamlines your workflow by storing all entries on the WordPress database, easily accessible on the dashboard. These can also be exported as CSV or XLSX files easily.
- Spam Protection:
WPForms has a built-in anti-spam feature and smart captcha builder integrations thus ensuring strong protection against spam submissions.
- High Performance:
WPForms is highly optimized to have maximum performance without slowing down your website. A CDN service can also be deployed to improve the site speed.
In addition to the above features, WPForms supports a number of add-ons for the following purposes that make the user experience hassle-free.
- Payment: WPForms can be integrated with add ons like Stripe, Square, and Authorize. Net, PayPal, etc. for collecting online payments and donations securely. Another add-on also lets you create Promotional coupon offers easily to drive your sales.
- Easy Integration With Mailing Services: You can also integrate your form with all major email and digital marketing platforms like Constant Contact, AWeber, MailChimp, GetResponse, Campaign Monitor etc., and grow your subscriber list.
- CRM Software: Platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot take your Customer relationship Management game to the next level when added to your forms.
- Geolocation: This add-on helps to collect and store visitors’ Geolocation data and also autocompletes their addresses while filling forms hence saving their time.
- Captcha: Captcha add-on builds custom captcha or random math captcha providing stronger protection against spam form submission.
- Workflow Automation: WPForms can also be integrated with the popular automation platform Zapier to propel efficiency.
- Post Submissions: This add-on lets you receive, review, and release blogs by guests, all with a few clicks.
- Surveys and Polls: You can also build surveys and polls and get insightful reports and Google Sheets for data using WPForms add-ons.
- Signature: Using another add-on your users can sign contracts agreements etc. online easily and securely.
- Form locker: You can also control permissions and access control over your forms.
There are many more integrations possible with WPForms like Form abandonment, user journey tracking, offline forms, etc.
WPForms- A Beginners Guide
Though WPForms is extremely user-friendly even with minimum technical knowledge, let us break down for you the steps to build your first form for your website.
Step 1: Install WPForms Plugins
Login to your WP Forms account and go to the Downloads tab that has all your purchased licenses listed. Then click on the Download button .
Once your zip file is downloaded, the plugin is now ready to be installed on your site. Go to your WordPress Dashboard and click on Add Plugins >> Add New >> Upload Plugin. Choose the downloaded zip file and click on Install Now. Once installed, activate it on your site.
Step 2: Create a Form
To create your first form, click on WPForms on your WordPress admin dashboard and then select the Forms Overview page, and click on ‘Add New’.
Fill out the Form Name Field and then select a suitable template from the vast library of pre-built templates like the ones listed below:
- Simple contact form
- Request a Quote form
- Donation Form
- Billing/Order form
- Newsletter Signup Form
- Poll and Survey Form … etc.
You may also choose to build a form from scratch by clicking on ‘Create Blank Form’.
Step 3: Customize your Form
Once you have chosen your template, you can choose from a list of fields on the Left panel and can simultaneously see a preview on the right panel.
The field types are categorized into three – Standard, Fancy, and Payment.
Standard fields include Name, Email, Single line texts, Paragraph texts, Number, Multiple choice questions, reCaptcha etc.
Fancy fields consist of Phone, Date/Time, File Upload, Website / URL, Page Break, Captcha, Signature, Likert Scale, etc.
Payment Fields contain fields including Credit Card, Total (amount), Single Item (payment), Multiple Items (payment), Dropdown Items, etc.
Details and settings of each field, such as its label and description can now be configured. Once all field options are edited, click on Save button.
On the settings tab, other form settings like General, Notifications, confirmations, spam protections and security, conversational forms, etc. can be edited and customized according to the needs of each form.
Step 5: Display Form on your site
Forms are commonly added to your site either within a page or as a widget.
Embedding form within a page:
This can be done in two ways:
- Using a built-in embed wizard directly from the form builder.
- Embedding on the page using the block editor
Visit the detailed help documentation to know more about both ways.
Embedding in a Widget
A WordPress widget is a small block of content on your site that performs a specific function. For instance, you can add the WPForms block to a widget area to embed a form in the sidebar or footer of your site.
Step V Testing form before launching
To improve user experience its always important to preview and test fill your forms before launching. To do so go to All Forms and hover over the Form Title. Then click on Preview. Check through the following pointers while examining the preview:
- Field Validation i.e. if a validation message is displayed when the user skips a required field or enters a value with an incorrect format
- Whether the submission notification is delivered or not. In case a notification email is not delivered or is marked as spam, you must set up SMTP on your site to authenticate your emails
- Are conditional logics, email marketing connections, Payment functionalities, and other integrations working as expected?
- Are new subscribers added to the marketing platform when a new form is submitted?
- If test payments are successful
- Whether form confirmation messages are being displayed
- Is the form responsive on smartphones and tablets?
- If the form is protected from spam.
Tips to create effective forms using WPForms
Follow these simple steps while building your form using WPForms to elevate your user experience and thus increase engagement.
- Name of the form must indicate a clear purpose, for eg. ‘Contact Us’, ‘Subscribe’, ‘Payment Details’ etc.
- Add detailed instructions on how to fill out the form
- Mention contents and formats accepted in each field for example for a phone number, email, date, etc. This can be done using description, placeholder, and field labels
- Keep the forms shorter as long forms are more likely to be abandoned by users as they are time-consuming.
- Arrange fields, multiple choices, checkboxes, etc. in multiple columns as they take up less place and are easily visible.
- Use Smart Conditional logic to hide or show fields in case of fields that do not apply to all users.
- Break down the form into logical sections or even multiple pages to give it an organized look. This will be more helpful for longer forms.
Conclusion
So what is our verdict? WPForms definitely checks all boxes of the most cost efficient, feature-packed form builder. Even the basic plan houses most of the essential form customization features you will require to start with. It is a great choice especially if you are a growing business and are looking for scalable options. Though what makes WPForms our first choice is the array of integrations for various purposes. It is also SEO optimized and hence does not bulk up your site, thus retaining guests for longer time and increasing response time.
Rating: