Published in: Plugins

Review of the Best WordPress Contact Form Plugins

Author Tasfia Chowdhury Supty

Published on: December 5, 2024

A contact form is an essential tool for any website. It allows visitors to easily reach out with questions, requests, or feedback, improving user experience and fostering better communication. Whether you’re running a blog, a small business, or an eCommerce site, having a reliable and user-friendly contact form is crucial. WordPress, being one of the most popular website platforms, offers a wide variety of contact form plugins that cater to different needs and preferences.

The right contact form plugin can not only help you streamline communication but also enhance your website’s functionality with features like anti-spam measures, custom field options, and integrations with third-party services like email marketing tools or CRMs. The challenge, however, lies in selecting the best one, as the WordPress plugin ecosystem is vast, with dozens of options to choose from.

In this article, we will review some of the best WordPress contact form plugins currently available, comparing their features, pros, and cons to help you make an informed decision. Whether you’re a beginner just starting with WordPress or a seasoned developer looking for advanced features, we’ll provide recommendations suited to various use cases.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Understanding the Best WordPress Contact Form Plugins:

Learn about the top contact form plugins available for WordPress, such as WPForms, Gravity Forms, and Contact Form 7, and their unique features, customization options, and use cases.
Identify the plugin that best fits your website’s needs based on factors like ease of use, integration capabilities, and advanced features.

Informed Decision-Making:

The comparison table helps you quickly evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each plugin, making it easier to choose the right one for your website’s purpose, whether it’s for a simple blog, an eCommerce store, or a complex business site.

Effective Troubleshooting:

Gain insights into common issues with contact form plugins, such as email delivery problems, form spam, and layout issues. Learn how to resolve these problems quickly and efficiently, ensuring your contact forms always function smoothly.

Best Practices for Optimizing User Experience:

Discover tips to enhance the user experience on your contact forms, such as keeping forms simple, using clear labels, optimizing for mobile devices, and reducing load times.
Learn how to create dynamic, responsive forms that engage users and encourage submissions.

Security and Spam Protection:

Learn the importance of securing your forms against spam and malicious attacks using techniques like CAPTCHA, honeypots, and email validation.
Understand how to configure your contact forms to protect sensitive data and comply with privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR).

Boosting Conversions with Effective Design:

Optimize your forms to increase form submissions and user engagement by incorporating trust signals, conditional logic, and confirmation messages. This can lead to higher conversion rates and improved communication with visitors.

Practical Advice on Form Integration and Customization:

Learn how to integrate your forms with third-party tools like email marketing platforms, CRMs, and payment gateways to streamline your workflow.
Understand how to customize your forms with conditional logic, custom fields, and multi-step processes for more complex data collection.

Regular Testing and Maintenance:

Learn the importance of regularly testing and optimizing your contact forms to ensure they’re performing at their best, and how to track form performance through analytics to spot and fix any issues.

Improved Lead Generation and Communication:

By optimizing your contact forms, you’ll be able to capture more leads, provide better customer service, and maintain seamless communication with your audience, ultimately enhancing your website’s success.

Why Using the Right Contact Form Plugin Matters

Choosing the right WordPress contact form plugin can significantly impact your website’s performance and user experience. A good contact form plugin helps you capture important information from your visitors, generate leads, and improve customer satisfaction. On the other hand, an unreliable or difficult-to-use plugin can lead to missed messages, frustrated users, or even security vulnerabilities.

Here are some reasons why selecting the right contact form plugin matters:

User Experience: An intuitive and easy-to-use contact form ensures that your visitors can reach you quickly and without hassle.
Customization: Custom fields, layout options, and themes allow you to tailor the contact form to match your site’s design and your business needs.
Security: Proper security features like spam prevention (reCAPTCHA, honeypot), encryption, and data protection are essential to safeguard sensitive user information.
Integrations: A contact form that integrates with popular tools like email marketing services, CRMs, and payment gateways can help automate your workflow and improve business operations.
Support: A well-supported plugin with frequent updates ensures that your contact forms continue to work smoothly as WordPress evolves.

Criteria for Choosing the Best WordPress Contact Form Plugins

When it comes to selecting the best WordPress contact form plugin, it’s important to consider a few key factors that ensure the plugin will meet your needs both now and in the future. While each plugin offers its own unique features, understanding these essential criteria can help you make a well-informed choice. Here’s what to look for when choosing a WordPress contact form plugin:

Ease of Use

One of the most important aspects of a contact form plugin is how easy it is to use. A user-friendly interface is crucial, especially if you don’t have much technical knowledge. Ideally, a good plugin will allow you to create and manage forms using an intuitive drag-and-drop builder, requiring minimal setup.

The ease of use also extends to form management and submission tracking. You want a plugin that makes it simple to view form entries and integrate them with your website’s backend, email system, or CRM.

Customization Options

Customization is another key factor to consider. The best WordPress contact form plugins should offer flexibility in design and functionality. This includes customizable form fields (such as text fields, checkboxes, and dropdowns), the ability to change colors and styles to match your site’s theme, and options for adding custom CSS.

Some plugins also allow you to adjust the layout of the form, create multi-page forms, or add custom thank you pages or email notifications. The more customization options a plugin provides, the easier it is to tailor the contact form to your website’s unique needs.

Integration with Other Tools

Many contact form plugins come with built-in integrations for popular services like email marketing platforms (Mailchimp, ConvertKit), CRMs (HubSpot, Salesforce), or even payment processors (PayPal, Stripe). These integrations allow you to streamline your workflow by automatically adding form submissions to your email lists, customer database, or processing payments through your forms.

When choosing a plugin, ensure it supports integrations that are relevant to your business. This can save you a lot of time and effort in managing leads, subscribers, or customer communications.

Security Features

Security is critical when handling user data. A reliable contact form plugin will include anti-spam features to prevent bots from submitting spam entries. Common anti-spam techniques include CAPTCHA (e.g., Google reCAPTCHA), honeypot fields, or custom validation to ensure that only genuine messages make it through.

Additionally, plugins that offer SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption or data protection options will ensure that your visitors’ personal information remains safe and private. Security features not only protect user data but also contribute to your website’s credibility and trustworthiness.

Support & Updates

The best contact form plugins come with solid customer support and frequent updates. It’s essential that the plugin developers regularly update the plugin to ensure compatibility with the latest version of WordPress, address any security issues, and add new features.

Support is also important, especially for those who may run into problems or have questions during setup. Look for plugins that offer responsive customer support, whether through dedicated help desks, forums, or email assistance.

Pricing and Value for Money

Finally, pricing is an important consideration. While many contact form plugins offer free versions, they often come with limitations on features or the number of forms you can create. Paid versions, on the other hand, often unlock advanced features such as additional integrations, more customizable fields, and enhanced support.

Consider your budget and the features you need before deciding whether a free or premium plugin is the right choice. It’s important to remember that sometimes spending a little more upfront on a premium plugin can save time and effort in the long run due to its enhanced functionality and support.

Top 5 WordPress Contact Form Plugins Reviewed

Now that we’ve discussed the key criteria for choosing the right contact form plugin, let’s take a closer look at some of the best WordPress contact form plugins available. Each of these plugins has its own unique set of features, pricing, and user experience, so you can choose the one that best fits your needs.

1. WPForms

Overview of WPForms

WPForms is one of the most popular and user-friendly contact form plugins for WordPress. It is designed with beginners in mind, offering a drag-and-drop form builder that allows you to create forms quickly without any coding knowledge. WPForms is highly versatile, making it suitable for a wide range of websites, from simple blogs to eCommerce stores and business websites.

Key Features:

Drag-and-Drop Form Builder: Easily create custom forms by dragging and dropping different fields into place.
Pre-built Form Templates: Includes ready-to-use templates for common forms like contact forms, subscription forms, and payment forms.
Conditional Logic: Show or hide form fields based on user input, making forms more dynamic and personalized.
Spam Protection: Built-in features like reCAPTCHA and Honeypot prevent spam submissions.
Email Notifications: Instantly receive notifications when a form is submitted.
Integrations: Integrates with popular email marketing services (e.g., Mailchimp, AWeber), CRM systems, and payment gateways (e.g., PayPal, Stripe).

Pros:

Extremely easy to use, especially for beginners.
Highly customizable with various form templates.
Excellent support and frequent updates.
Integrates seamlessly with third-party tools.

Cons:

Some advanced features (like payments and marketing integrations) require the pro version.
Can be more expensive for advanced users or businesses with many forms.

Pricing & Plans:

Free version available (limited features).
Paid plans start at $39.50/year, with additional premium features and support.

Ideal for: Beginners and small businesses who need a simple, easy-to-use contact form plugin with plenty of customization options.

2. Contact Form 7

Overview of Contact Form 7

Contact Form 7 is one of the most widely used contact form plugins for WordPress. It’s a free, open-source plugin that offers a simple and flexible way to add contact forms to your website. Although it’s not as user-friendly as WPForms, it’s highly customizable, especially for developers and advanced users.

Key Features:

Custom Form Tags: Use custom HTML tags to build forms exactly as you need.
Multi-Language Support: Built-in support for multilingual forms.
Spam Protection: Integrates with Google reCAPTCHA for spam prevention.
Flexible Form Management: Easily manage form submissions and send email notifications.
Extensibility: Extend functionality using third-party add-ons or custom code.

Pros:

Completely free and open-source.
Flexible and customizable, especially for developers.
Simple interface and lightweight plugin.
Large community and plenty of tutorials and resources.

Cons:

Limited design options and styling options out of the box.
Can be challenging for beginners, especially without prior coding knowledge.
Lacks advanced features like drag-and-drop form builders or CRM integrations.

Pricing & Plans:

Free (but many useful add-ons may require additional costs).

Ideal for: Developers or advanced users who want a flexible, free contact form solution and are comfortable with some basic coding.

3. Ninja Forms

Overview of Ninja Forms

Ninja Forms is another highly-rated contact form plugin that strikes a balance between ease of use and advanced features. With both a free and premium version, it offers a lot of flexibility for various website types, from small blogs to large eCommerce sites. Ninja Forms is known for its ease of use and powerful add-ons that extend its functionality.

Key Features:

Drag-and-Drop Form Builder: Create forms effortlessly with the drag-and-drop interface.
Multi-Step Forms: Create multi-page forms for longer, more complex forms.
Add-Ons for Extended Features: Add-ons available for email marketing, payment processing, and CRM integration.
Spam Protection: Includes options for reCAPTCHA and honeypot spam prevention.
Email & Notification Management: Customize email notifications and form confirmations.

Pros:

Free version with essential features.
Plenty of add-ons available for advanced functionality.
Easy-to-use interface, ideal for beginners and intermediate users.
Integrates with popular email services, CRMs, and payment gateways.

Cons:

The free version is limited, and many essential features require paid add-ons.
Can become expensive if you need many add-ons.

Pricing & Plans:

Free version available.
Paid plans start at $49/year for basic features and go up to $199/year for the complete set of add-ons.

Ideal for: Users looking for a plugin that is both beginner-friendly and highly extendable, with premium features available for advanced users.

4. Gravity Forms

Overview of Gravity Forms

Gravity Forms is a premium WordPress contact form plugin that stands out for its powerful features and customization options. This plugin is designed for users who need advanced functionality and scalability, making it ideal for larger businesses or high-traffic websites.

Key Features:

Advanced Form Fields: Includes fields for payments, file uploads, surveys, quizzes, and more.
Conditional Logic: Display different form fields based on user input.
Email and Notifications: Customize email notifications, confirmations, and autoresponders.
Third-Party Integrations: Integrates with popular tools like PayPal, Stripe, Mailchimp, and more.
Developer-Friendly: Built for developers with hooks, filters, and add-ons for further customization.

Pros:

Highly customizable and feature-rich.
Great for creating complex forms with advanced functionality.
Excellent support and frequent updates.
Scalable and suited for large businesses or high-traffic websites.

Cons:

Expensive compared to other plugins (no free version).
Steep learning curve, especially for beginners.
Some features are only available with higher-tier plans.

Pricing & Plans:

No free version.
Plans start at $59/year for basic features and go up to $259/year for the complete package.

Ideal for: Businesses, developers, and advanced users who need powerful, customizable forms and advanced integrations.

5. Formidable Forms

Overview of Formidable Forms

Formidable Forms is a powerful WordPress form builder plugin that caters to both beginners and advanced users. Known for its robust functionality, this plugin allows you to create simple forms as well as complex, multi-step forms and surveys. Formidable Forms also provides excellent reporting and data management tools.

Key Features:

Drag-and-Drop Builder: Quickly create forms with the intuitive form builder.
Views: Display form data on the front end of your site (great for creating directories, listings, or custom reports).
Advanced Field Types: Includes calculations, file uploads, and conditional logic.
Form Templates: Pre-built templates for common forms like contact forms, surveys, and polls.
Email Marketing Integrations: Integrates with popular platforms like Mailchimp, Constant Contact, and more.

Pros:

Ideal for advanced users and developers.
Powerful reporting and data management features.
Excellent for building complex forms or creating custom form views.
Highly customizable with both free and premium versions.

Cons:

Free version is limited, and many advanced features are locked behind the premium version.
More complex setup for beginners.

Pricing & Plans:

Free version available (with basic features).
Paid plans start at $49.50/year for additional features.

Ideal for: Developers and advanced users who need to build sophisticated forms and display data on the front end of their site.

Comparison Table of the Best WordPress Contact Form Plugins

To help you make an informed decision, we’ve put together a comparison table summarizing the key features, pricing, and use cases for each of the top contact form plugins we reviewed. This will allow you to quickly see which plugin best matches your needs based on your website type, budget, and desired features.

Plugin	Ease of Use	Customization	Advanced Features	Integrations	Security	Pricing	Best For
WPForms	Very Easy	High	Moderate	Mailchimp, PayPal, Zapier	reCAPTCHA, Honeypot	Free (Lite); Paid from $39.50/year	Beginners, Small Businesses, Blogs
Contact Form 7	Moderate	High (with code)	Basic	Limited (via add-ons)	reCAPTCHA	Free	Developers, Advanced Users
Ninja Forms	Easy	High	High	PayPal, Mailchimp, Zapier	reCAPTCHA, Honeypot	Free; Paid from $49/year	Users needing flexibility and add-ons
Gravity Forms	Moderate	Very High	Very High	PayPal, Stripe, Mailchimp, CRMs	reCAPTCHA, SSL	From $59/year	Businesses, High-Traffic Sites, Developers
Formidable Forms	Moderate	Very High	Very High	Mailchimp, PayPal, Stripe	reCAPTCHA, SSL	Free; Paid from $49.50/year	Developers, Advanced Users, Data-driven Sites

Key Takeaways from the Comparison:

Ease of Use: If you’re a beginner or looking for a simple, no-fuss form builder, WPForms and Ninja Forms are great choices. Both offer intuitive drag-and-drop builders and pre-built templates, making it easy to create contact forms quickly without coding. Contact Form 7, while powerful, requires more technical knowledge, especially if you want to customize forms extensively.
Customization: If you need deep customization, Gravity Forms and Formidable Forms stand out. These plugins offer the most flexibility, allowing you to create advanced forms, complex logic, and integrate them into your site in multiple ways. However, customization in these plugins may require more time and technical knowledge, making them better suited for developers or advanced users.
Advanced Features: If you’re looking for a plugin that supports complex features such as multi-step forms, payments, or advanced form fields (like calculations and file uploads), Gravity Forms and Formidable Forms are the top contenders. These plugins excel at handling complex form requirements, while others like WPForms and Ninja Forms may require add-ons for certain advanced features.
Integrations: For those who need to connect their forms with third-party services, WPForms, Ninja Forms, and Gravity Forms offer robust integrations with popular tools like email marketing platforms (Mailchimp, AWeber), CRMs (HubSpot, Salesforce), and payment gateways (PayPal, Stripe). Contact Form 7 can integrate with third-party tools but requires additional add-ons.
Security: All the plugins listed here include anti-spam features like reCAPTCHA and Honeypot, ensuring your forms are protected from bots and spam. Gravity Forms and Formidable Forms also include SSL and other advanced security features for ensuring data protection, making them a solid choice for businesses handling sensitive information.
Pricing: If you’re on a tight budget, Contact Form 7 is completely free, offering basic functionality without any cost. WPForms also offers a free version with essential features. For more advanced options, Ninja Forms, Gravity Forms, and Formidable Forms offer premium versions with more functionality, with pricing starting around $49/year.

How to Choose the Right Contact Form Plugin for Your WordPress Site

Selecting the best contact form plugin depends on your specific needs, skill level, and the goals of your website. Here are some guidelines to help you choose the most suitable plugin for your site:

For Beginners: If you’re just starting with WordPress and want a simple, easy-to-use plugin, WPForms is your best bet. Its drag-and-drop builder and pre-made templates make it very user-friendly, while still offering enough customization options as you grow. Ninja Forms is another excellent option for beginners who want more flexibility without much complexity.
For Small Businesses: Small businesses that need a simple yet customizable contact form should consider WPForms or Ninja Forms. Both plugins provide the necessary functionality, such as email marketing integration and payment options, without being too complex. Gravity Forms is a good option if your business requires more advanced features.
For Advanced Users & Developers: If you’re a developer or need advanced form features, Gravity Forms and Formidable Forms offer the most customization options, integration capabilities, and flexibility. These plugins are great for creating custom workflows and handling complex form submissions.
For eCommerce Sites: WPForms and Gravity Forms are the best options for eCommerce sites due to their seamless integration with payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe. Both also offer advanced anti-spam and data protection features to ensure that sensitive customer data is secure.

Common Issues with Contact Form Plugins and How to Fix Them

While contact form plugins are essential for most WordPress websites, users can sometimes encounter issues that affect form functionality, security, or user experience. Below, we’ll discuss some of the most common problems users face with contact form plugins and provide solutions for resolving them.

1. Contact Form Not Sending Emails

One of the most frustrating issues with contact forms is when they fail to send email notifications after a form submission. This can lead to missed inquiries, lost leads, and frustrated visitors. The causes of this problem can vary, but here are the most common reasons and how to fix them: