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Every website needs a contact page. Without one, you could be missing out on all kinds of business opportunities and connections!
WordPress has a huge number of contact form plugins available. These can be used to create everything from simple feedback forms to complex order forms and questionaires.
Contact form plugins come with many useful tools and options. For example, CAPTCHA fields can help you prevent the avalanche of spam submissions that would arise if you displayed your email addresses publicly on your website. Form plugins also simplify the process of styling and structuring your forms.
Perhaps more importantly, contact forms allow you to dicate exactly what information you receive from the user. You specify the fields that need to be completed and decide when the form can be submitted.
I have been actively using WordPress since it launched and tested hundreds of contact form WordPress plugins. The marketplace is always evolving so I recently spent time reviewing the best contact form plugins available for WordPress in 2019. In this article I share what I consider to be the best free and premium solutions.
(Note: Most form examples are shown below using the most up-to-date default WordPress theme Twenty Nineteen).
1. Gravity Forms – $59+
Gravity Forms has been a favourite with WordPress users since its launch several years ago. It’s a user-friendly solution that can be used to create basic forms or complicated multi-page forms that utilise file uploads, conditional logic, and payment systems.
Forms are created using a simple drag and drop system. There are dozens of standard fields, advanced fields, and unique fields for posts and other post types. A host of options are available for each field including styling, priority, visibility, and more.
The functionality included with Gravity Forms depends on the package you select so make sure you check what each license includes.
They have dozens of add-ons and they are categorised as Basic, Pro, and Elite. Most email marketing add-ons are offered as basic add-ons. This includes add-ons for MailChimp, AWeber, and GetResponse.
The pro add-on collection has more variety. It includes multiple CRM add-ons, a Dropbox add-on, a PayPal payments add-on, and more. The elite add-ons offer more payment options and adds functionality for user registration.
Gravity Forms retails at $59 per year for the basic license. Upgrading to the pro license at $159 per year increases website usage from one website to three websites and offers the pro add-ons in addition to the basic add-ons.
The elite license is favoured by agencies. Retailing at $259 per year, it has no website usage restriction, supports WordPress multi-site, and offers the elite add-ons in addition to the basic and pro add-ons.
If you are looking for an advanced contact form solution, Gravity Forms is one to consider.
2. Ninja Forms – FREE / $29+
Ninja Forms is a popular contact form solution that allows users to add additional functionality using extensions (add-ons). The core version of Ninja Forms has over one million downloads on WordPress.org.
You can create a new form using a blank template or using one of the many pre-made form templates. It is simple to customise your form and adjust fields, though what is really impressive is what the developers include in the free version.
You will find many advanced fields that others charge for, anti-spam options, form importing and exporting, and the ability to store submissions in your website database.
Comparing the premium features of Ninja Forms against other contact form plugins can be difficult. They offer many unique extensions which add functionality you will not find elsewhere; but it normally comes at a price. Unfortunately, determining the total yearly price is more complicated than it needs to be.
The personal license restricts usage to one website. It retails at $99 per year and includes their Builder Pro Pack of extensions and 20% off any other extensions you buy. Moving up to the professional license at $199 per year increases usage to 20 websites and gives you a discount of 40%.
Their agency plan has no usage restrictions and includes all extensions, however at $499 per year, it is nearly twice the cost of agency alternatives such as Gravity Forms.
Extensions can be purchased indvidually at a cost of between $19 to $129 per year for a single license. If you only need one specific feature for your form for one website, it can work out cheaper; however costs rise quickly when you need to use the extension on multiple websites.
I strongly recommend installing the core version of Ninja Forms and then reviewing the available extensions to see what you need.
Depending on your situation, you may find Ninja Forms to be a little cheaper than other premium contact form solutions or signficantly more expensive. You may even find that the free version does everything you need.
Unfortunately, if you do want access to multiple Ninja Forms extensions, it can be costly. Determining your total cost can be a pain too; especially if you are comparing the cost of buying extensions individually, in a package, or as a package together with other extensions bought on an individual basis.
Official Website | Plugin Download Page
3. Contact Form 7 – FREE
With over 5 million active installations, Contact Form 7 is by far the most popular contact form WordPress plugin on the market. This may surprise some people as it less stylish and less user-friendly than other contact form solutions in this list.
Contact Form 7 uses a form template system. You should be able to create the form you want after learning how it all works, but the whole set-up does look dated when compared to modern drag and drop form builders.
Where Contact Form 7 excels is integration. It is one of the most versatile contact form solutions available to WordPress users because of the number of extensions that are available for it; the vast majority of which are free.
It can be used with Akismet and various reCAPTCHA plugins to reduce spam, Flamingo to store messages, and Google Analytics for stats.
You can also add conditional fields, support for MailChimp, customisable form skins, and more.
Contact Form 7 is not going to win any style awards and the form template system could be improved in a number of areas, however you will find it hard to find a free solution that is more flexible.
Official Website | Plugin Download Page
4. WPForms – FREE / $39.50+
WPForms is a user-friendly professional contact form solution that uses a drag and drop system for building forms. It comes with pre-made templates to help you create forms quickly.
The free version, which has over one million active installations, has support for Constant Contact, an import and export system, and reCAPTCHA functionality to help prevent spam.
This core version is suitable for a basic contact form, though you may find it a little limited as fields such as “Website / URL” and “File Upload” are not included. Entries are not saved in this version either.
A basic license for WP Forms retails at $39.50 per year. Suitable for one website, it allows unlimited forms and entries and unlocks all advanced fields, form templates, multi-page forms, and conditional logic.
The plus license at $99.50 per year increases usage to three websites and unlocks more email marketing add-ons. Jumping up to the pro license at $199.50 per year increases usage up to 20 websites and adds support for user registrations, payment systems, signatures, offline forms, and more.
The elite license at $299.50 per year is aimed towards agencies. It has no usage restriction and adds support for WordPress multi-site and client management.
WPForms is a quality form plugin that is easy to use. Some users may find the free version of WPForms limited, however the basic license is fairly priced at $39.50 per year and offers conditional logic and other cool features.
Official Website | Plugin Download Page
5. Formidable Forms – FREE / $49+
Formidable Forms is a fantastic contact form WordPress plugin that allows you to create forms quickly using a drag and drop builder.
The free version has a good selection of fields including dropdown menus, website URL, HTML, and a reCAPTCHA anti-spam field.
The free version also saves your form submissions and supports form importing and exporting. It also includes a feature packed style editor that lets you change colours, font sizes, and more. This is a feature that most contact form plugins, free and premium, do not offer.
If you are happy with the features that are included in the free version of Formidable Forms, you may want to consider getting the personal license at $49 per year. No additional functionality is added, however you will be given support from the developers.
Like many other contact form plugins, Formidable Forms has been released under the freemium business model, so you need to upgrade to unlock advanced features and functionality.
The creator license at $99 per year allows usage up to three websites and adds additional styling options and integration for MailChimp, Aweber, and MailPoet. The business license at $199 per year increases usage up to 15 websites and adds more email marketing integrations, PayPal support, WPML integration, and more.
The elite license at $399 per year has no usage restrictions and adds support for Stripe, Authorize.net, ActiveCampaign, Salesforce, HubSpot, and WooCommerce.
Formidable Forms is undoubtedly one of the best contact form WordPress plugins available on the market and it stands out from the crowd because of its additional styling options.
Those of you who are looking for a free contact form WordPress plugin for your website will be pleased with what is included in the core version.
Official Website | Plugin Download Page
6. Happy Forms – FREE
Happy Forms is a 100% free contact form WordPress plugin that was designed by The Theme Foundry.
If you have used the WordPress theme customiser before, you know how Happy Forms works as it uses the same interface. The first column lists your form fields and you can add new fields in the second column. The form can be previewed in the main content area to the right.
There is a good selection of fields available such as website link, table, rating, and text editor. You can specify whether a field is required and change its width from full to half, third, or auto.
HoneyPot security helps prevent spambot attempts and Google ReCaptcha can be enabled too. You can also customise the confirmation message that is displayed to users.
Every part of the form can be styled including colours, font sizes, and alignments. You cannot save your customised styles like you can in Formidable Forms, however you do have the benefit of seeing your styling changes in real-time.
Happy Forms does not offer conditional logic or other advanced fields and features you may find in premium alternatives, however it without doubt one of the best free contact form options available to WordPress users.
Official Website | Plugin Download Page
7. Jetpack – FREE
Jetpack, or if you prefer its full title “Jetpack by WordPress.com“, quickly grew to be one of the most popular plugins available to WordPress users. The plugin offers a range of tools and services from Automattic.
One of its lesser known modules is the Jetpack contact form. It is a simple solution that offers ten fields including name, website, dropdown, and date.
If you have the Classic Editor enabled on your website, you will see the Jetpack contact form in your visual editor as the button “Add Contact Form”.
In the new WordPress block system, you will find the contact form under Jetpack in the main block area. If the Jetpack Form Block is not displaying, check that the module is enabled.
You can specify whether a field is required and edit its label, but you will not find any styling options or advanced settings.
If you want a basic contact form and you already have Jetpack installed, the Jetpack contact form is the ideal solution. If you need more than just a few basic fields in your contact form, Jetpack is too limited; so I recommend using an alternative WordPress plugin.
Official Website | Plugin Download Page
8. Quform – $29
Quform is the best selling form WordPress plugin on CodeCanyon. Retailing at $29, Quform is a user-friendly product that is packed full of features.
The plugin allows you to create stylish multi-page forms that are complex. You can utilise conditional logic to change which fields are displayed and to control what notifications are sent.
Three CAPTCHA options are available: Honeypot, image and reCAPTCHA. There are 15 validators available to help you verify data too.
Quform boasts a drag and drop interface with a complete theming and layout system. In addition to the 11 included themes, you will find 11 button styles, button animations, CSS styling, and more. All form changes can be previewed when customising.
Whilst all solutions in this list are responsive, Quform is undoubtedly one of the prettiest form options for mobiles and tablets.
Quform is one of the most feature-rich contact form solutions available to WordPress users and at only $29, it’s one which is easy to recommend.
Official Website | Plugin Sales Page
9. Caldera Forms – FREE / $74.99+
Caldera Forms is a versatile contact form WordPress plugin that uses a drag and drop interface. You can create a new form from a blank template or select one of several pre-made form templates.
The free version of Caldera gives many features that other developers reserve for premium editions; such as file uploading, multi-page forms, conditional logic, and support for Easy Digital Downloads.
An anti-spam honeypot is available too and you can import and export forms.
The pro version of Caldera Forms is available under many different plans. You can purchase add-ons individually, but most are priced from $74.99 and above so it can be quite expensive.
If you are happy with the free version and just need support, you can pay $14.99 per month for a basic plan, however the starter plan at $74.99 per year makes more sense as not only is it cheaper per annum, it also adds message stats and gives you an add-on of your choice.
The individual plan costs $164.89 per year and adds message layouts and developer add-ons. Developer add-ons include PayPal Express integration, a form To PDF tool, and form statistics and analytics.
The advanced plan costs $274.89 per year and adds advanced add-ons and the agency plan at $549.89 per year adds agency add-ons.
In the advanced add-on package you will get several add-ons including Stripe payment integration, Google Analytics tracking, and mail templates. The elite agency adds a whopping 18 add-ons including a membership plugin, YouTube integration, and a visual query builder.
Those of you who are looking for a free contact form solution will be impressed with what the core version of Caldera Forms offers. There’s dozens of great add-ons available for advanced users. Without doubt, the yearly packages work out better value than buying these add-ons separately.
Official Website | Plugin Download Page
10. ARForms – $37
Since its launch in 2013 ARForms has been known as one of the best professional contact form plugins for WordPress. Its high quality design in the backend and frontend has always set it apart.
Creating forms is easy as its colourful drag and drop interface is a joy to use. There’s over 40 pre-made forms available so you do not need to create a form from scratch.
The interface places all fields (elements) on the left-hand side of the page with the form in the middle. At the right-hand side you will find styling options. 15 colour schemes are provided to save you time.
Rather than replace a column with field options, a pop up appears when you want to configure each field.
As you would expect, ARForms has many advanced features. There are many fields available for forms, conditional logic, and detailed options for each field you select.
ARForms is one of the few plugins that lets you display forms via pop ups. You can control what triggers the pop up to display. Nine email marketing services are supported too and analytics are available that show click through rates and more.
Retailing at only $37, ARForms offers fantastic value for money. If you are looking to display high quality form designs, I recommend checking it out.
Official Website | Plugin Sales Page
Honourable Mentions
When I was doing research for this article I reduced my initial list of contact form plugins down to what I considered to be the best 20. I then reduced this list further down to 10.
Whenever I reduce a list, many good solutions have to unfortunately be removed, however I wanted to give some honourable mentions to three good contact form WordPress plugins that just missed the cut.
Form Maker is a contact form plugin that saves submissions and has a feature-rich form customisation system. Dozens of fields can be added to your form using its drag and drop interface.
The pro version retails at $30 and adds premium support and additional features such as PayPal integration.
If you are looking for something a little different, check out Ninja Kick. Retailing at $19, the plugin lets you display a gorgeous contact form at the side of your pages.
The form can be revealed in a number of ways such as clicking on a button or clicking on an image. Other features include MailChimp integration, support and styling for Contact form 7 shortcodes, and 15 patterned backgrounds and 15 blurred backgrounds. A social media bar can also be added.
Everest Forms is a beautiful form solution you should also consider. Forms can be created in this plugin using a drag and drop interface and organised into rows. Submissions are saved in your website database and Google reCaptcha helps prevent spam.
The pro version is available from $29 and adds many advanced features such as conditional logic and payment integration. I recommend checking it out.
Final Thoughts
The WordPress contact form plugin market is as good as it has ever been so when it comes to selecting a contact form solution; you are spoiled for choice.
One thing that pleases me is that the standard of free contact form WordPress plugins has improved significantly over the last two years. They are generally more styish, boast more features, and use a modern user-friendly form builder. Long may this trend continue.
With so many great solutions in the market, it’s hard to single out a contact form WordPress plugin as actually “The Best” — after all: needs differ!
My advice is to test the plugins listed in this article to see if they are a good fit for you and your website and be aware that some contact form plugins can be costly if you require all advanced features, integration, and functionality.
Used/using one of the above-mentioned form plugins? Any others? Thoughts?
