Joseph SimpsonAre free form builders a genuinely viable option for your website(s) and if so; which one should you choose?
In this article we’re looking at the features and use cases of some of the best free form builders currently available.
JotForm
JotForm is a popular online form builder that allows you to create a wide variety of forms including contact forms, surveys and payment forms. It is easy to use with a drag-and-drop interface and integrates with a wide range of applications (150+ at the time of writing).
There are many templates to help users get started quickly and the headline is that the free option comes with all the features of the bronze, silver and gold tiers – but with strict usage limits.
Pro’s:
- Easy to use
- Wide range of features
- Tons of templates
- Integrates with many applications
Con’s:
- Limited to 5 different forms
- 100 total submissions per month (10 payments & 10 signed documents)
- 500 total submissions/100 mb of space
- JotForm branding on free tier
JotForm’s free option is excellent for almost any purpose for low traffic websites.
Google Forms
Google Forms allows you to quickly create surveys and forms. The real-time analysis of responses is the standout feature here.
There are a small number of templates to help get you started, but the scope is far more limited. Premium options don’t allow for things like document signing or taking payments – even through Google Pay – so the use case is somewhat limited.
Strengths:
- Easy to use
- Allows for real-time analysis of responses
- Ability to collaborate on forms
- Unlimited forms/submissions within a 15GB storage limit
Weaknesses:
- Forms can’t take payments
- No e-signatures
Google Forms is best used for high traffic websites to collect survey data.
Gutena Forms
Gutena Forms is a lightweight plugin that uses the block editor to create forms for your WordPress website. Contact forms, registration forms and payment forms are all present. Templates are baked in and there is no jQuery involved – which will keep things snappy.
Once installed, there is a dedicated dashboard accessible from wp-admin which makes submissions easy to manage.
Strengths:
- Easy to use
- ReCAPTCHA integration
- No limits to amount of entries
- Compatible with many other WordPress integrations
- Customise confirmation messages
Weaknesses:
- No eSignature feature
- Limited to WordPress
Gutena Forms is a strong option for high traffic WordPress websites sites that don’t need eSignature functionality.
Formidable
Formidable is a WordPress plugin that allows you to create complex forms for your website. A drag-and-drop interface and a template library (that is limited in the free version) make it quick and easy to get going. The standout feature is the built-in spam protection.
Several key features are locked out of the free version, including conditional logic, date picker options, eSignatures and file uploads.
Strengths:
- Drag-and-drop interface
- Spam protection (honeypot, Akismet, captcha forms and a blacklist)
- Stripe integration for payments
- No limit to amount of submissions
Weaknesses:
- Advanced features are only available in the paid version
- Limited templates
- WordPress only
Formidable is best used for contact form, surveys, quizzes and Stripe payments for high traffic WordPress websites.
WPForms
Founded by the creator of WPBeginner, Syed Balkhi; WPForms lite is another popular WordPress form builder plugin that is worthy of consideration due to the beginner friendly drag and drop form builder and extensive template library.
Fields like Phone, Address, File Upload, Signature, star rating are absent from the free version, as is payment integration for anything other than Stripe and email integration for services besides Constant Contact. More info on Lite vs Pro here.
Strengths:
- Easy to use drag and drop interface
- Many pre-built form templates
- Spam protection
- Payment integrations
- GDPR friendly
- Unlimited submissions
Weaknesses:
- You need to upgrade to the pro version to unlock many features
- WordPress only
WPForms lite is best used for basic contact forms, surveys and Stripe payments for high traffic WordPress websites.
Typeform
Typeform has some excellent features: unlimited forms, lots of customisable templates, an easy to use drag and drop builder, logic (branches, calculations, variables), customisable confirmation messages, integrations with Zapier, Google Sheets, Slack, Mailchimp, Airtable and more and access to Typeform’s APIs.
The limitation of the free versions is that you are limited to just 10 submissions per month.
Strengths:
- Easy to use
- Visually appealing
- Wide variety of templates
- Integrates with many other online tools
- API access
Weaknesses:
- 10 submissions per month
- No file uploads on free tier
- Typeform branding
With the 10 submission limit it is hard to imagine a use case outside of exceptionally low traffic, niche use case websites. A monthly Dungeons and Dragons availability static page or something for a small book club?
Tally
Tally is a free online form builder with an easy to use block builder/drag and drop interface that allows for unlimited forms and submissions. Tally lets you customise colours, button styles and fonts to fit your brand.
Conditional logic, file uploads, integrations with other popular tools, answer piping, eSignatures, Stripe payments and hidden fields are all included.
Strengths:
- Free to use
- Easy to use
- Allows for unlimited forms and submissions
- Conditional logic
- File uploads (10 MB)
- Integrates with other popular tools
- reCAPTCHA
- GDPR compliant
Weaknesses:
- “Made with Tally” branding
- 5% commission on payments
Final thoughts
Hopefully this article has brought options to your attention that you were previously unaware of, and has helped you to narrow your choices down to those form builders that will best serve your use case.
Have we missed any significant alternatives? If so, please let us know in the comments below and we will be sure to get them added.
Mike Whitehead
Ben Perry
Matthew Telfer
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