18 July 2022
WPForms vs Ninja Forms: Which One Is The Best Form Builder?
Do you want to see a side-by-side comparison of WPForms vs Ninja Forms?
WPForms and Ninja Forms are the two most popular WordPress form builder plugins. They both help you get more leads from your website.
In this post, we will compare WPForms vs Ninja Forms to help you decide which is the best WordPress form builder plugin. You’ll also get our opinion on which of the two form builder plugins for WordPress is the best.
But first, let’s explain a quick overview of both plugins.
What is WPForms?
WPForms is the freemium WordPress form builder plugin that is used by millions of websites. The plugin is created by the same company which created OptinMonster, MonsterInsights, All in One SEO, SeedProd and RafflePress.
And if you check the free version of the plugin, you can see more than 5 million WordPress websites are using it!
The plugin gets 4.9 out of 5 average user ratings from 11,000+ votes on WordPress.org.
This clearly tells that WPForms is something you need to try. The lite version is good enough for creating a basic contact form and a simple newsletter signup form.
However, if you need to create more complicated forms, such as payment forms or user registration forms, you should consider purchasing the premium version!
What is Ninja Forms?
Ninja Forms is the freemium WordPress contact form plugin. It provides a powerful drag-and-drop interface to create complex and elegant forms without writing code.
And if you check the free version plugin, you can see more than 1 million WordPress websites are using it!
Ninja Forms gets 4.4 out of 5 average user ratings from 1,100+ votes on WordPress.org. When comparing the two plugins based on average user reviews, WPForms comes out on top.
WPForms vs Ninja Forms Comparison
We will compare WPForms vs Ninja Forms in 4 major categories. Let’s get started.
1. Ease of Use – WPForms vs Ninja Forms
The process of creating forms is as simple and easy as possible. This should be the goal of all WordPress form builder plugins. The user interface must be simple, and the user must understand what to do without having to go through tons of documentation to add a simple contact form to their website.
Creating a form and embedding it on a page should be as straightforward as possible. It would be much better if the forms plugin included a drag-and-drop form builder for the user. Let’s explore how simple or difficult it is to install these plugins and create forms using their respective form builder wizards.
Creating a Form With WPForms
First, install and activate the WPForms plugin. For more in detail, see our guide on how to install a plugin in WordPress.
Upon activation, you can go to WPForms » Add New from your WordPress dashboard.
There, you’ll see several pre-made templates to choose from.
You may get started quickly by selecting a template. You can add additional fields to the pre-made form by dragging them from the left-side fields panel to the right-side form editor.
Furthermore, you can change each field by clicking the Field Options.
Furthermore, you may change the form name, reCAPTCHA, notifications, confirmation emails, etc., from the Settings option. You can connect your form to email marketing services such as Constant Contact, MailChimp, etc., from the Marketing option. You can also use the Payments option to configure PayPal and Stripe to accept payments.
After you’ve finished adding fields to your form and reviewed all of the settings, click the Save button at the top of your screen.
You’ll see an Embed option next to the Save button. When you click that, you’ll see a shortcode for your new form, which you can copy and paste anywhere on your site to add the form.
It is easy to add WPForms to your WordPress posts and pages with the WPForms widget, which you can find in the post editor menu. To add a contact form to a post or page, open the post or page and click the WPForms Widget icon.
Next, select the form you want to add.
You can now Publish or Update that page to see how your form looks live on your site. An example of a simple contact form is shown in the screenshot below:
If you want to display your form in sidebars or other widget-ready areas, look for the WPForms widget in Appearance » Widgets.
To display the form, drag the widget to any widget-ready area.
Creating a Form With Ninja Forms
First, you must install and activate the Ninja Forms plugin.
Upon activation, you can go to Ninja Forms » Add New from your WordPress dashboard.
There, you’ll see several pre-made templates to choose from.
You may get started quickly by selecting a template. However, you may not be able to use all of the available templates unless you purchase their premium plan. Ninja Forms displays all available form templates, including those you don’t have access to, which can be confusing and cluttering.
However, WPForms shows only the templates that come with the plan you’ve chosen. It keeps WPForms clean.
After choosing a template, you’ll see the form-building interface below. Simple, click the Plus button to add new fields to your form.
After then, all of the fields will show up on the right side. Now, drag them to the form editor on the left side and start building your form.
From the Emails & Actions option, you can set up notifications, confirmation emails, and success emails. The Advanced option allows you to configure display settings, restrictions, and calculations.
After you have created and customized your form, click Publish.
To insert the form into your WordPress posts and pages, use the Ninja Forms widget in the page/post editor. It offers a similar interface to WPForms.
To add a contact form to a post or page, open the post or page and click the Ninja Forms Widget icon.
Choose the form you want to add and then update the page.
Then you may see how your form looks. This is how your basic form will look.
Similar to WPForms, it also has a widget that you can use in your site’s sidebars and other widget-ready areas. You can find the widget in Appearance » Widgets.
Winner: WPForms
Because of its simple interface that displays only the templates to which you have access. Furthermore, it has an Embed option with a shortcode that allows you to place the form anywhere on your site effortlessly.
2. Features – WPForms vs Ninja Forms
When comparing two WordPress plugins that do the same thing, the features of both plugins play a vital role in deciding which one is the best. Some features can help you take your forms to the next level, while others are quite basic and simply stupid. Let’s look at the main features of the WPForms and Ninja Forms WordPress plugins.
WPForms Features
WPForms can create both basic contact forms and more complex forms, such as payment forms, user registration forms, survey and poll forms, newsletter subscription forms, etc., which is one of its strengths. It offers all the features you need to create multipurpose forms in WordPress.
Some of WPForm’s most notable features are shown below.
- Spam Protection with anti-spam honeypot and reCAPTCHA.
- Smart conditional logic.
- Email marketing integration with AWeber, MailChimp, Drip, and other popular services.
- Survey and polls addon.
- Better entry management at the dashboard to view all entries in one place.
- Accept payments and donations with PayPal and Stripe.
All these features make WPForms the complete tool for WordPress forms.
Ninja Forms Features
Ninja Forms also includes great features that are specifically designed for you. However, most of its features are only available as extensions. You must purchase each extension separately or as part of a premium plan.
When comparing features, there are primarily two drawbacks to using Ninja Forms instead of WPForms:
- You’ll have to spend additional money if you buy the extensions separately. Most of the extensions cost $49 each, so it gets expensive.
- You can install WPForms addons with a single click, but Ninja Forms addons require you to go through the complete WordPress plugin installation procedure to install each addon. That means you must first download the extension file, then upload it to your dashboard, install it, and activate it.
Apart from the existing features, Ninja Forms is highly flexible and extendible. It has hundreds of functions, action hooks, and filters that developers can use to create new functionalities.
Winner: It’s a tie.
However, WPForms makes most features easy to use, and addons are simply one click away.
3. Support And Documentation
Some companies don’t provide free plans at all, while others do but don’t provide support for them. So, the only premium user gets support. However, both WPForms and Ninja Forms offer free and paid user support. Now, let’s look at how users can get support from both plugin developers.
If you use the free versions of both WordPress plugins, you may get support from the plugin developers via their separate WordPress support forum pages. Both plugins are active on the WordPress forum, and you will receive prompt help. When this WPForms vs Ninja Forms comparison was written, both plugins had an excellent track record of resolving bugs in the previous two months.
- WPForms Lite – 52 issues resolved out of 70
- Ninja Forms Lite – 35 issues resolved out of 41
If you purchase the premium version of either plugin, you won’t have to wait long for support. You will be given preference over free users and will receive quick support.
WPForms Support
Most problems with WPForms can be solved by reading their documentation. If you still require support, you can open a support ticket by logging into your WPForms account and getting help within 24 business hours.
You can also contact them with pre-sale questions, bug reports, or problems with their documentation.
Ninja Forms Support
Premium Ninja Forms users can get help within eight business hours. You simply need to sign in to your account to submit a support ticket. Users of the free version can also get support by filling out a simple form, but as you can imagine, it can take up to 24 hours for them to respond.
WPForms Documentation
WPForms provide a good documentation section where they have covered everything about:
- Getting Started
- Functionality
- Styling
- Extending
- Add-ons
- Account Management
- And more.
They have over 100 well-written articles for you in their documentation. Furthermore, you can get additional help by raising tickets.
Ninja Forms Documentation
Ninja Forms also has its own documentation section, and the articles are categorized under:
- Getting Started
- Using The Builder
- Settings
- Add-on Actions
- Troubleshooting
- Emails and Actions
- CRM Integrations
- Payment Gateways
- And More.
These guides are designed for beginners, and if you have any problems configuring the form, simply apply the proper guide to resolve the issue. However, you can always contact their support team if you require additional support.
Winner: It’s a tie.
4. Pricing
Ninja Forms and WPForms both have free and paid versions. You can install the lite versions into your site’s dashboard from the WordPress.org plugin directory and use them for free. You’ll need to switch to their premium plans for advanced features and addons.
WPForms Pricing
WPForms offers four different pricing options. It has the Basic plan, which costs $39.50 for new businesses. However, to use ALL of WPForms’ features and addons, you must purchase the most expensive plan, Elite, which costs $299.
Ninja Forms Pricing
Ninja Forms has four major price options that allow you to use its features and extensions, or you can buy individual extensions and use them with their free plan.
The basic Ninja Forms plan, Personal, costs $49, while the most expensive one, Agency, costs $299. In comparison to WPForms, their price range is significantly higher.
With WPForms, you’ll receive a lot of features at a lower price. For example, you may construct multi-column forms with any WPForms plan, including the Lite version. However, you’ll need to purchase the Layout and Styles addon or the Personal plan to use the same feature with Ninja Forms.
Similarly, you can get Constant Contact integration free with all versions of WPForms. However, you’ll need to buy a separate extension or upgrade to the Plus plan to use Ninja Forms.
Winner: WPForms
It offers excellent features at an affordable price.
Conclusion – WPForms vs Ninja Forms – Which one is better?
WPForms is a great WordPress form builder plugin. It has a very basic and user-friendly interface for creating forms. It includes a complete set of features that you can use with ease. Additionally, the plugin is very affordably priced for small businesses.
Ninja Forms is also a great WordPress form builder plugin. Its interface is user-friendly, yet it cannot compete with WPForms’ clean interface. The Ninja Forms plugin adds advanced features that you might find useful, but getting them all is extremely expensive.
As a result, WPForms is the clear winner from the users’ point of view. Ninja Forms, on the other hand, maybe more valuable to advanced developers due to its developer-friendly features.
We hope this comparison of WPForms vs Ninja Forms helped you find the best WordPress form builder plugin for your site. You might also like to read our in-depth comparison between:
