WPForms is one of the most popular WordPress plugins for creating versatile and user-friendly forms. Whether you’re building a simple contact form, a high-converting lead generation form, or a multi-step payment form, WPForms makes the process straightforward and painless.
WPForms is so powerful, in fact, that it’s no surprise that it powers more than six million websites, including big brands like Zapier, GoDaddy, HubSpot, and Quickbooks.
In this article, we explore WPForms, its standout features, and pricing tiers. We also teach you how to create your first form and offer some important tips to help you maximize its potential.
Table of Contents
What is WPForms?
WPForms is a beginner-friendly WordPress plugin designed to help you create forms quickly and easily. It can serve as your go-to tool for building contact forms, payment forms, registration forms, and more—without needing to write any code.
At its core, WPForms focuses on simplicity and functionality. With its drag-and-drop builder, even someone with zero technical experience can create professional-looking forms in minutes.
The plugin also offers advanced features, like conditional logic and integrations with email marketing tools, which is why it’s suitable for both beginners and seasoned website owners.
WPForms Key Features
WPForms is packed full of powerful tools that you just can’t find in most contact form plugins. Let’s explore WPForms’ key features.
- Drag & Drop Form Builder: Build forms easily by dragging and dropping fields—no coding required. It’s simple for beginners to create professional forms in just minutes.
- 2,000+ Pre-built Form Templates: A massive library of templates that save time and ensure your forms look polished.
- Mobile-Friendly and Responsive Forms: Fully optimized for mobile devices to look great and function smoothly on any device or screen.
- Smart Conditional Logic: Dynamically show or hide fields based on user responses for a personalized experience.
- Spam Protection: Protect forms with Google reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, and custom CAPTCHA to reduce spam and keep your site secure.
- Entry Management System: View, edit, and export form submissions directly from your WordPress dashboard.
- Multi-Page Forms with Progress Bar: Split long forms into pages with progress bars to reduce abandonment rates.
- File Upload Capability: Allow users to upload files like resumes, images, or documents directly through your forms.
- 300+ Integrations: Connect with CRMs, email marketing tools, and automation platforms. This makes it a perfect addition to your existing tool stack.
- Digital Signatures: Collect legally binding digital signatures for contracts, agreements, or consent forms.
- Payment Integrations: Accept secure payments, donations, and subscriptions through leading gateways, such as Stripe, PayPal, Square, Authorize.Net.
- Custom User Registration Forms: Create registration forms that collect detailed user information beyond basic name and email fields.
- Surveys and Polls with Reporting: Build engaging surveys and polls with real-time reporting to analyze feedback effectively.
- Conversational Forms: Transform traditional forms into interactive, chat-like experiences for modern user interactions.
- Form Abandonment Addon: Capture partial entries from users who abandon forms to follow up on potential leads.
WPForms Pricing Tiers
Whether you’re an individual, small business, or enterprise, WPForms offers a variety of pricing plans to suit your needs.
WPForms Lite
The free version of WPForms is called WPForms Lite. This option provides basic features for simple form creation and is perfect for testing the platform before committing to a premium plan.
Basic
The Basic plan costs $49.50 for the first year and then $99/year thereafter. It includes essential tools like advanced form fields, smart conditional logic, spam protection, and a range of basic templates. It only applies to one WordPress website.
Plus
The Plus plan costs $99.50 for the first year and then $199.00 per year going forward. It expands on the Basic plan by allowing usage on up to three sites.
The Plus tier also integrates with popular email marketing services like Mailchimp and AWeber, and includes some form automation tools like smart workflows, data routing, user segmentation, and a Slack integration.
Pro
For more robust needs, the Pro plan supports up to five sites. It costs $199.50 for the first year and then $399 per year thereafter. This tier includes all previous features and adds advanced features such as payment gateway integrations (Stripe, PayPal), survey and poll tools, form abandonment insights, geolocation tracking, and user journey analysis, and more.
Elite
Finally, the Elite plan cost $299.50 for the first year and then $599 per year ongoing. This plan lets you use the plugin on unlimited websites. It includes premium integrations with tools like Salesforce and HubSpot, WordPress multisite network support, and advanced access controls for client management.
How to Create a Form Using WPForms
Creating a form with WPForms is simple. Let’s walk through the steps.
Step 1: Install the WPForms Plugin
Click Add New Plugin in the WordPress Dashboard.
Type “WPForms” in the search bar. WPForms should be the first result in the list. Click Install Now
Once the plugin installs, click the Activate button.
Step 2: Create a New Form
To create a form, click WPForms > Add New in the WordPress dashboard. Or you can click WPForms to visit the Forms Overview and use the +Add New button.
In the Setup page of the form editor, give your form a name. Make it something unique so you can distinguish it from other forms. Then choose either a blank form or a template to get started.
For the purpose of this example, we’re going to start with a Newsletter Signup Form template.
In the Fields page of the form editor, add new fields by dragging them from the left column into the form. Click the field to edit its details.
If the submitter must make a selection in a field, click the Required selector.
Click Save when you’re finished adding fields.
Step 3: Edit WPForms Settings
Before embedding your form on your site, you’ll need to adjust a few settings on the Settings page of the form builder.
In the General tab, you can change the form’s name, add a description, change the button text, and more.
In the Spam Protection and Security tab, you can adjust the behind-the-scenes filtering. You can enable CAPTCHA, add filtering, and enable other tools.
In the Themes tab, you can learn how to customize the look of your forms on the front-end of your website.
The next two tabs are the most important: Notifications and Confirmations.
Notifications
The Notifications tab is where you’ll customize the emails that are sent when the form is submitted.
WPForms Lite (the free version) only allows one notification. Since WPForms Lite doesn’t store submissions in the WordPress database, you’ll need this notification to send an email to yourself or someone on your team, otherwise you won’t know when someone submits the form.
Edit the fields of the Notifications tab to whatever meets your needs. For instance, you might change the Send To Email Address field to a different email address depending on who you want to receive the notification.
You can also use Smart Tags to populate dynamic data that relates to the user’s submission.
For example, in the From Name field, you might use the First Name smart tag (or whichever field you’ve designated as the submitter’s name). In this case, the email would arrive in your inbox with the submitter’s name in the From field.
If you have a paid version of WPForms, you can add as many notifications as you like. You might send them to different members of your team or your vendors or partners. Many brands like to send a copy of the form to the user’s email address.
To add multiple notifications, click the Add New Notification button.
Confirmations
Confirmations are on-screen messages that users see when they submit a form. A confirmation indicates that the form was submitted properly.
In WPForms, there are three options for confirmations:
Message: Display a custom message on the screen
Show Page: Redirect to one of your WordPress pages
Redirect (URL): Redirect to a custom URL
The free version of WPForms only allows one confirmation per form, but the paid tiers allow as many confirmations as you like.
How to Embed a Form Using WPForms (3 Methods)
Now that you’ve created your form, the next step is to embed it on your site. There are three ways to do this.
1. Use the WPForms Block in the WordPress Editor
If you want to add a form to the body of a page or post, simply visit the WordPress editor for that page or post. Use the + icon to add a new block. Find the WPForms block and select whichever form you want to display.
2. Embed Using a Shortcode
Shortcodes are versatile ways to add content blocks throughout your site.
First, visit WPForms > All Forms and copy the shortcode (including the brackets) from the form you want to display.
You can paste this shortcode in a Shortcode block in a page, post, or widget.
You can also paste the shortcode in the Classic Editor.
3. Add the Form to a Widget Area
If you want the form to appear in a widget (and thus wherever that widget appears on your site), simply navigate to the widget area and add the WPForms block.
The location of your widget area depends on your theme. In many cases, widgets are accessible under Appearance > Widgets. However, some themes have editable widgets on unique pages.
Tips for Effective Forms
Now that you know how to create a form in WPForms, you
Use Descriptive Labels
Descriptive labels help users understand exactly what information is required. For example, instead of just “Email,” you might use “Business Email” to clarify your expectations. In WPForms, you can customize labels for all fields so they are intuitive for your audience.
Keep Forms Short and Simple
Shorter forms improve completion rates by reducing user fatigue. Focus on collecting only the most essential information. If you want to ask for a piece of information, but don’t absolutely need it, avoid marking the field as required.
In WPForms, toggle the “required” setting for each field to keep the experience user-friendly.
Group Related Fields
Organize your form by grouping related fields into logical sections. This makes it easier for users to process and complete. In WPForms, you can drag and drop fields to organize your forms. You can also split forms into multiple pages to create a logical structure.
Use Conditional Logic
Conditional logic displays fields only when specific criteria are met. This keeps your form clean and personalized.
For instance, show a “Company Name” field only if the user selects “Business” as their type. WPForms includes an intuitive interface for setting up conditional logic effortlessly.
Optimize for Mobile Users
As of August 2024, 63.38% of global web traffic comes from mobile devices, so it’s key that your forms look great and function smoothly on smartphones, tablets, and desktops. Ensure fields are easy to tap and complete on small screens.
WPForms forms are fully responsive by default, so they work seamlessly on any device. You can even select from a variety of layouts without breaking the responsiveness.
Add Placeholders for Guidance
Placeholders provide subtle, in-field hints to guide users without cluttering the form. For example, in an email field, a placeholder like “[email protected]” can clarify the required format.
Include a Progress Bar for Multi-Step Forms
For longer forms, a progress bar helps users see how much they’ve completed and what’s left. This reduces frustration and improves completion rates. WPForms lets you add customizable progress bars to your multi-step forms with just a few clicks.
Use Clear Call-to-Action Buttons
A clear and compelling call-to-action (CTA) button encourages users to submit the form. Use action-oriented text like “Sign Up Now” or “Get Started.” WPForms allows you to fully customize the text of your buttons to align with your goals.
Enable Spam Protection
Protect your forms from unwanted submissions with spam prevention measures. These tools prevent spam submissions and keep your site secure. WPForms includes built-in spam protection tools like CAPTCHA to ensure you only receive genuine responses.
Customize Confirmation Messages
A personalized confirmation message reassures users that their submission was successful. Use this space to thank them, provide next steps, or give helpful information.
If a simple message isn’t enough, consider redirecting users to a custom page that tells them everything they need to know.
Test Your Form Before Publishing
Always test your form to ensure it works as intended. Check for typos, broken links, and proper functionality of features like conditional logic. Submit the form yourself to ensure your notifications and confirmations work properly.
WPForms Review
WPForms is undoubtedly one of the best forms plugins for WordPress. It offers a great mix of simplicity and functionality. We especially love the pre-made templates that speed-up the process of creating a form. The whole package is great for beginners.
However, it’s not without its shortcomings. Advanced features like entry management and payment gateways are locked behind premium plans. If you’re a user with high needs, you may want to experiment with these features before committing to a plugin, but you have no choice but to buy.
Furthermore, WPForms is not designed for advanced users. Calculations are tricky to set up and there’s no way to integrate WPForms with data-heavy tools.
Is WPForms right for you? To help you make your decision, let’s compare WPForms to other popular options.
WPForms vs. Gravity Forms
While Gravity Forms offers more add-ons that extend the plugin’s functionality, it comes with a steeper learning curve. WPForms makes the process of creating and customizing a form simple for beginners and offers more anti-spam measures. Furthermore, Gravity Forms does not offer a free plan for you to experiment with the plugin.
WPForms vs. Ninja Forms
Ninja Forms is another great forms plugin, but its premium features are sold as individual add-ons, which can add up in cost. In contrast, WPForms consolidates features into structured pricing tiers that are easier to understand. In our opinion, WPForms has better templates and a better user experience.
WPForms vs. Formidable Forms
If you need a forms plugin with specialized tools like complex calculators and data-heavy integrations, Formidable Forms might be right for you. But if you want something intuitive, versatile, and beginner-friendly, stick with WPForms.
WPForms vs. Contact Form 7
Contact Form 7 is a free and lightweight plugin that comes bundled with many WordPress themes. It lacks the modern user interface and features of WPForms. While WPForms offers a visual drag-and-drop builder, Contact Form 7 relies on shortcode configurations. If you care about ease of use and functionality, WPForms is the clear winner.
WPForms vs. Typeform
Typeform is known for its sleek and interactive forms. The conversational design tends to enhance user engagement. But while Typeform is the winner in terms of visual appeal, WPForms offers more functionality and better integration with WordPress. Though Typeform makes sense if you don’t have a website to host your form.
WPForms vs. Jotform
Whereas WPForms is designed for WordPress, Jotform can be used on any site, which makes it a strong competitor. Jotform also offers lots of customization options, integrations, and a huge library of templates. WPForms is the better option for WordPress sites, but Jotform is ideal for multi-platform needs.
FAQs About WPForms
Still need to know more about WPForms? Here are some common questions people ask.
Is WPForms Free?
Yes, WPForms offers a free version called WPForms Lite, which includes the features you need for basic forms. For advanced features, you’ll need to purchase a premium plan.
How Can I View WPForms Entries for Free?
In the free version, form entries are not stored in the WordPress database. To manage and view entries directly within your dashboard, you’ll need to upgrade to a free version.
Can I Create Multi-Step Forms with WPForms?
Yes, WPForms lets you create multi-step forms with progress bars that indicate the user’s place in the flow. This feature is only available in the premium versions.
Does WPForms Include Spam Protection?
Absolutely. WPForms integrates multiple spam protection tools, including popular and custom CAPTCHA options.
Can I Use Conditional Logic in WPForms?
Yes, WPForms supports smart conditional logic. This allows you to create forms that dynamically show or hide fields based on user inputs.
Is WPForms Mobile-Friendly?
Yes, all forms created with WPForms are responsive and mobile-friendly so they function seamlessly across all devices.
Does WPForms Work with Payment Gateways?
Yes, WPForms integrates with major payment gateways such as Stripe, PayPal, Square, and Authorize.Net. You can set up one-time or recurring transactions. WPForms does not charge any additional transaction fees, though you’ll still pay processing fees.
Can I Integrate WPForms with Email Marketing Tools?
Yes! WPForms connects with popular email marketing services like Mailchimp, AWeber, and Constant Contact. No coding is necessary.
How Do I Export Form Entries in WPForms?
With WPForms, you can export form entries in CSV format directly from your WordPress dashboard. This feature is available in the premium versions.
WPForms Final Thoughts
WPForms is a user-friendly solution for creating forms on WordPress websites. Its intuitive interface, pre-built templates, and extensive feature suite make it a powerful tool for anyone who needs a basic or advanced form. It’s great for collecting leads, managing payments, running surveys, and more. While it has some limitations, WPForms affordable pricing, security features, and integrations make it one of the best options among form plugins.
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