Web forms are an incredible tool for your WordPress website, allowing you to capture leads and build customer relationships. There’s really no end to the ways you can implement forms, including contact forms, newsletter subscriptions, event registration, customer feedback surveys, job applications, and more. And, all the information you gather via forms is sent willingly by your customers, making it an honest way to collect valuable data.
But how can you create, design, and post forms on your WordPress site? Form builder plugins are the most popular option, as manual form creation is tedious and requires coding skills.
Ninja Forms and Contact Form 7 are two of the most popular choices for WordPress form builders, but which one reigns supreme?
Contact Form 7
Contact Form 7 is a popular and longstanding WordPress form builder plugin. In fact, it’s one of the oldest form builders out there, with 5M active installations. CF7 packs enough features and form fields to create web forms for your site, with customizations made through HTML and CSS tagging.
CF7 is open-source software, so it’s completely free to use, though the developers do accept donations to help support the plugin’s ongoing improvements.
Ninja Forms
Ninja Forms is a robust form builder with lots of features and tools. A drag-and-drop interface makes it easy for users to customize their forms, even with little technical knowledge. Ninja Forms supports many third-party integrations, from Stripe and Mailchimp to Zapier.
The core plugin is free, but Ninja Forms has several premium plans packed with extra features, making it a versatile choice for many brands.
Ninja Forms vs. Contact Form 7
Which form builder is right for you and your website? Like any plugin, the answer depends on your unique needs. To make the most informed decision, it’s helpful to compare and contrast Ninja Forms vs. Contact Form 7.
User-Friendliness
Users need some coding experience to take full advantage of Contact Form 7. Customizations require HTML and CSS shortcodes and form tags. This knowledge is very basic for developers, but those without a technical background may need to do some research.
As a drag-and-drop form builder, Ninja Forms requires no technical knowledge whatsoever. Beginners will have no trouble creating and customizing forms to meet their needs. Plus, Ninja Forms includes a selection of pre-made templates, so users don’t have to make any forms from scratch if they don’t want to.
Features
Contact Form 7 is simple and straightforward, offering basic features like support for CAPTCHA and Akismet spam filtering, multiple form creation, AJAX submission, and form field customization. For more powerful features, CF7 users must rely on third-party add-ons.
Ninja Forms is a feature-rich choice, offering tools like conditional logic, multi-step forms, file uploads, email marketing and payment add-ons, and more. You’ll have to purchase a premium plan to access all of its features, but the features available in the core version of Ninja Forms still outpace CF7.
Support
Because Contact Form 7 is a free, open-source software, its support options are limited but sufficient. The CF7 website includes extensive documentation, along with a helpful FAQ page. When those aren’t enough, CF7 has a support forum led by volunteers and knowledgeable users. When all else fails, CF7 recommends finding an expert on Codeable.
Just like CF7, Ninja Forms’ website includes helpful documentation and FAQs. But Ninja Forms also has a dedicated support team to assist you with troubleshooting and other queries — even if you’re using the free version of the plugin.
Price
Contact Form 7 is 100% free, with no premium or paid plans.
Ninja Forms’ core plugin is free, but the plugin also has a series of premium plans that include more advanced features. Paid plans start at $49/year. Users also have the option to purchase single add-ons if they only need certain features — a rare perk in the form-building world.
Integrations
Contact Form 7 includes a few direct integrations, including reCAPTCHA, Constant Contact, Sendinblue, and Stripe. Other integrations require third-party plugins.
Ninja Forms offers many direct integrations, including Zapier, PayPal, Mailchimp, SalesForce, and HubSpot. Plus, Ninja Forms supports a wide variety of third-party plugins.
Ninja Forms: The Clear Winner
Though Contact Form 7 is a fantastic WordPress form builder, the clear winner between Ninja Forms vs. Contact Form 7 is Ninja Forms.
CF7 is an excellent choice if you want to create simple forms and have some coding knowledge. But Ninja Forms takes the crown for feature-rich forms that are easy to make and design. It’s also compatible with many third-party services, and it offers plenty of flexibility when it comes to purchasing additional features.
Download Ninja Forms today, and start building eye-catching forms for your WordPress website. Your customers will thank you!
