The Best WordPress Form Plugins – WPCAST008

Almost every website needs a form, but there are many options out there. Where do you start? We discuss some common form plugins and our recommendations.

The Changelog

• Doug:
  • I’m hiring! If you’re interested, please see: http://podwp.com/apprentice
  • Connect with me if you’re going to WordCamp NYC! @Doug_Yuen
• David:
  • Thanks WP Tavern and WP Shout for the mentions!
  • We’re now over 3,000 downloads!
  • New logo
  • Thanks OliDegreef, ruesss, 3rdeye fotos, jrockapp for the 5-star reviews!
• Question from Travis about WooCommerce reporting:
  • Patrick from Speaking In Bytes: WooCommerce e-book
  • The Perfect Google Analytics E-Commerce Dashboard
  • fatcat apps: Building A Business Dashboard Using Google Spreadsheets

The Core

• Common WordPress form setups:
  1. Built into theme
     • Themes should not include features (that’s what plugins are for)
     • Not recommended, but if your needs are very basic, it might be enough
  2. Contact Form 7
     • Works, but it has a weak user interface
     • Doesn’t log entries in the site backend, it only emails you
     • Our recommendation: pass on it, there are better free alternatives
  3. Ninja Forms (main website)
     • Base plugin is free, with paid extensions
     • Very developer friendly, easily extensible
  4. Gravity Forms (our affiliate link)
     • Only premium, pricing tiers for more site licenses and extensions
     • Well established, has been around for years
• Bottom line:
  • Simple contact form
    • Ninja Forms
  • Complex requirements
    • Either Ninja Forms or Gravity Forms, depending on extensions needed
• Further reading:
  • Exact feature comparison on WP Scoop
  • Another comparison, also with Formidable Pro, on Chris Lema’s website
  • Ninja Forms yearly report (2013)

Tips & Tricks

• Doug
  • Post Snippets plugin
  • Easily create your own shortcodes, you can nest other shortcodes inside it
• David
  • Focus At Will – plays music that is scientifically proven for productivity