WordPress is the most widely used content management system or CMS in the world. It is known for its reliability, security and scalability. Among the many plug-ins it can integrate, the contact form plug-ins are among the most useful and sought-after.
These allow site users to get in touch with the administrator or owner of the website. Contact forms also allow the site owner to collect accurate information while protecting against spam by not displaying a public email address. Other functionalities can be supported by these plug-ins, such as order forms, payment forms, complaints forms, feedback forms, etc.
There are almost 1500 different contact form plug-ins for WordPress and all of them have different features, qualities and flaws.
In this article we present our selection of the top 5 contact form plug-ins on WordPress.
Gravity Forms, the most powerful
Gravity Forms is a WordPress extension launched by RocketGenius in 2009. It allows you to create contact forms by drag and drop, i.e. without the need to code. It differs from other plug-ins by its very advanced functionalities, which offers the possibility to create complex contents. This plug-in is now the reference for contact forms on WordPress.
Its strengths
Gravity Forms' strengths are numerous and concern both its interface and its functionalities.
- An ergonomic and lightweight drag and drop interface;
- Easy and intuitive to use, made even easier by an efficient guide;
- Adaptable, versatile and scalable thanks to the many possible extensions. It can be used to carry out surveys, issue estimates, etc;
- A system of programmable notifications based on the formulas entered in each field;
- Possibility of implementing advanced functionalities such as price or quantity calculations or the collection of the Internet user's consent to the terms of use of the site or service;
- A Captcha field to fight against spam.
Its weaknesses
Despite its many qualities, Gravity Forms is not without its weaknesses.
- The price: the publisher sells the licence at prices that can be prohibitive for some, including for the basic package, which is insufficient to take advantage of all the plug-in's features.
- Inability to change the appearance of contact forms without using CSS, which may be beyond the reach of some users.
WP Forms, the intuitive one
WP Forms is a plug-in contact form plugin for WordPress. It was developed with the intention of offering a plug-in that is easily accessible and usable by everyone, including novices. It works on a drag and drop basis and allows you to freely organize the form fields. It is one of the most flexible and fluid form plug-ins on the market. It allows you to create forms for various uses, such as subscription forms,e-mail membershipforms, donation forms, order forms, suggestion and complaint forms, request for quotation or information forms, etc.
Its advantages
WP Forms stands out for its strengths, which are due to the fact that it was originally designed. The aim was to create a plug-in that was functional and accessible to all.
- Easy to use, including its most advanced features;
- Easy to use with numerous user guides and video tutorials;
- A nice and simple interface working with drag and drop;
- A large number of form templates for various uses are already integrated;
- Already compatible with smartphones and tablets.
Its weaknesses
The weaknesses of WP Forms are few, but they are mostly related to the lack or complexity of very advanced features.
- An expensive plug-in in its full version that includes all the features;
- A very limited and not very useful free version;
- Complicated download management and the impossibility of multiple simultaneous downloads.
Ninja forms, the agile one
Ninja Forms is one of the most popular contact form plug-ins in the world. It owes this success to its ease of use, flexibility and the many add-ons that extend its already extensive functionality. In addition, this plug-in has several form templates that allow you to either start a form from a blank page, offer a form to receive user or customer feedback, a contact form or a form for users to create articles.
Its advantages
- A multitude of add-ons that extend its functionality: Multi Step Forms, Conditional Logic, Save Progress, PDF Form Submission, etc;
- Easy to use with the possibility of further use with the advanced features;
- Easy integration of advanced features such as payment methods;
- Optimised operation with drag and drop, file storage, third-party component integration and access permission control.
Its weaknesses
- A very limited free version and a more expensive paid version than most other plug-ins;
Caldera Forms, the most generous
Caldera Forms is part of this selection of the best contact form plug-ins because it offers advanced features in its free version. It allows you to add various types of fields, calculations, buttons or drop-down menus, all with great ease using drag and drop. This tool also allows you to upload files and create articles. It also includes anti-spam and conditional logic.
Its strengths
Caldera Forms is one of the most generous plug-ins in its free version, but its paid version is even more powerful.
- Wide variety of fields that can be added to the form;
- Possibility for users to upload their documents or create content;
- A large number of automatic response options thanks to conditional logic;
- Easy export of entries in CSV format ;
- Responsive forms;
- An effective anti-spam function.
Its weaknesses
- Lack of add-ons to extend its functionality.
We Forms, the new kid on the block
We Forms is the latest contact form plugin. It is only compatible with WordPress versions 5.0 and higher.
It is an all-in-one plug-in designed to be used by both novices and experts. It features a minimalist interface that is quick and easy to use. All functionality is contained on a single page. The aim of the developers of this plug-in was to enable users to create forms as quickly as possible. And indeed, with this structure, it is possible to create complex forms in a matter of minutes.
Its strengths
Although it is very new, We Forms has a lot of strengths and is challenging its competitors.
- More functionality than other plug-ins, but at a similar price;
- Allows for interesting integrations with AWeber, MailPoet, Campaign Monitor, Constant Contact, as well as business applications such as Google Sheets, Zapier and Slack;
- Use of short codes;
- Anti-spam function by reCaptcha ;
- Smooth drag and drop with instant preview.
Its weaknesses
- Little documentation and video tutorials given its recent launch.
Contact Forms, the plug-in to avoid
Contact Forms is a WordPress plugin for creating contact forms. It is widely used, as it is integrated for free with most themes premium WordPress themes. Its use by many users is therefore only due to its free nature and not to its possible qualities. On the contrary, it suffers from some flaws and malfunctions, including security issues.
Why not use it?
Contact Forms is known to have had numerous security flaws that put at risk websites whose CMS included this plug-in.
The latest flaw was related to Contact Forms' feature of allowing users to upload their files via forms they create with the plug-in. It is in this channel that the security flaw has crept in. It is indeed possible to exploit this flaw to endanger the integrity of the site by using the temporary folder generated by the plug-in to upload the files that the user wants to send.
Although updates and patches have been made in an attempt to correct these flaws, others may appear. The plug-in is also known to lack flexibility and modularity, particularly with regard to the addition of third-party add-ons.
