best-free-wordpress-contact-form-plugins

8 Best Form Builders For WordPress in 2026 [ALL FREE!]

Looking for a FREE form builder for WordPress?

A contact form is one of the most important elements you need on your website… and it’s easy to build one using a plugin. But which one will suit you best?

I sat down and worked through the most popular options to find the ones that genuinely earn the word “free” in their name.

PluginBest ForFree PaymentsSaved EntriesConditional LogicWP.org Rating
WPForms LitePayment and lead forms without a paid planStripe, PayPal, and Square, incl. subscriptions (3% fee)Emailed, plus Lite Connect backups restored on upgradeFrom Basic ($49.50/yr)4.8/5 (13,527 reviews)
ForminatorQuizzes, polls, and calculatorsStripe and PayPal (one-time)YesYes4.8/5 (2,144 reviews)
Formidable LiteSimple Stripe order forms with saved entriesStripe (3% fee)Yes, with CSV exportPaid plans4.8/5 (1,388 reviews)
Fluent FormsLightweight, fast-loading formsStripe, incl. subscriptions (1.9% fee)Yes, with CSV and Excel exportYes4.8/5 (808 reviews)
Everest FormsFile uploads in a free pluginPro add-ons onlyYes, unlimitedPro4.9/5 (375 reviews)
Ninja FormsBuying only the add-ons you needPayPal (1.9% fee)Yes, with CSV exportPaid add-on4.4/5 (1,397 reviews)
Contact Form 7Hand-coded forms for developersStripe (official integration)With the free Flamingo pluginThird-party add-ons4.0/5 (2,186 reviews)
Jetpack FormsSites already running JetpackNot inside formsYes, in Jetpack » FormsYes3.7/5 (2,408 reviews)

Does WordPress Have a Form Builder?

WordPress doesn’t ship with a built-in form builder, so unless you’re comfortable writing PHP, you’ll need a plugin to handle the forms on your site.

The good news is that the free plugins below cover what most sites need. Several of them take payments or save entries without costing a cent, and I’ve noted exactly where each free version stops.

Best FREE Form Builder Plugins for WordPress

The 8 best free WordPress form plugins are WPForms Lite, Forminator, Formidable Lite, Fluent Forms, Everest Forms, Ninja Forms, Contact Form 7, and Jetpack Forms. I ranked them by how much each one lets you do before you pay for anything.

Let’s get started!

1. WPForms Lite

Quick Stats

  • WordPress.org Rating: 4.8 / 5 from 13,527 reviews
  • Active Installations: 5+ million
  • Best For: Payment and lead forms without a paid plan
  • Free Payments: Stripe, PayPal, and Square, one-time and recurring (3% fee per transaction)
  • Saved Entries: Emailed to you, plus Lite Connect backups that restore when you upgrade
  • Conditional Logic: Starts on the Basic plan
  • AI Tools: Smart Edit, AI Choices, and AI assistants like Claude
wpforms lite wordpress org

You’re reading about WPForms on the WPForms blog, so I want to address the elephant in the room before anything else. I ranked it first because of what the free version actually includes, and every claim below is something you can check in the plugin yourself.

WPForms Lite takes payments through Stripe, PayPal, and Square in the free version, subscriptions included. You also get the same drag-and-drop builder the paid plans use and 70 free templates. Spam protection and AI tools that edit your forms come with it too.

That combination is why I keep coming back to WPForms when I need to ship a form today rather than after a purchase approval.

Add field in volunteer form

My Experience

I’ve built more forms in WPForms than I can count, and the part that still impresses me is how little friction there is between deciding you need a form and embedding one on a page. WPForms builds any form with a drag-and-drop builder and no code. Pick a template and drag in the fields you want, and the form is ready to embed.

Payments are where Lite pulls furthest ahead of most free plugins. You connect all three gateways from WPForms » Settings » Payments, and each one handles one-time and recurring payments in the free version. Lite adds a 3% fee to each transaction on top of the processor’s own fees, which is worth knowing before you launch a busy order form.

Every transaction then lands on the WPForms » Payments screen, which charts your revenue and keeps a renewal log for subscriptions.

Use the stripe payment form template
WPForms payments chart

WPForms Lite emails you every submission, and Lite Connect backs up each new entry for up to a year, because the free version doesn’t store entries in your WordPress dashboard. You switch it on with the Enable Entry Backups toggle under WPForms » Settings » General. If you upgrade to any paid plan later, those backed-up entries show up in your dashboard as regular entries.

Every new form in WPForms Lite also gets modern anti-spam protection that runs in the background, so visitors never have to solve a puzzle to submit. You can add Google reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, Cloudflare Turnstile, or Akismet on top of it without a paid plan. WPForms also recommends ActiveLayer inside the plugin for AI spam filtering, and it works with Lite as well. Your first 1,000 spam checks there are free.

Smart Edit is the WPForms AI feature I use most in the free version, because I can describe a change in plain English and watch the form update. AI Choices fills in dropdown and checkbox options, and AI assistants like Claude or ChatGPT can build whole forms through the WordPress Abilities API. On Lite, those assistants work with eight field types.

WPForms 2.0 brought a few more free screens worth knowing about. The new WPForms Dashboard puts your form views and blocked spam on one screen, along with any payments you’ve collected. The Views column on WPForms » All Forms shows how often each form gets seen. Every form also gets its own QR code under Settings » General in the builder, which is handy for flyers and printed menus.

Form styling is free in Lite too, so you can change colors and button styles from the block editor or the builder’s Themes panel without writing CSS. The Classic and Default themes come with Lite, while the larger library of designer themes needs Pro.

Form Styles for a contact form in the block editor

If you accidentally delete a field or change a setting that breaks something, form revisions let you restore an earlier version of the form from the revisions menu. I’ve leaned on this when a CSS tweak went sideways, and rolling back to yesterday’s version saved me a lot of guesswork.

What I Liked

  • Three payment gateways in free: Stripe, PayPal, and Square all work in Lite, including subscriptions. The 3% fee per transaction is the cost, and Pro removes it.
  • Lite Connect backups: Your entries are emailed to you and backed up, then restored to your dashboard if you upgrade.
  • Spam protection without CAPTCHAs: Modern anti-spam runs in the background, with reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, Turnstile, and Akismet ready when you want more.
  • WPForms AI in free: Smart Edit, AI Choices, and AI assistants can build and edit forms for you.
  • 70 free templates: Contact, payment, newsletter, and order templates ship with Lite, and the full 2,100+ library unlocks at Pro.
  • Dashboard and QR codes: See your forms, views, payments, and spam in one place, and print a QR code for any form.
  • Form rollback: Restore previous versions of any form, which has saved me more than once.
  • Tags and Form Locations: Tag forms by purpose and see every page where each form is embedded.

How much does WPForms cost?

WPForms Lite is completely FREE.

Paid plans start with Basic at $49.50/year (introductory pricing, normally $99). Basic adds entry management and conditional logic, plus file uploads and multi-page forms. Plus costs $99.50/year and adds email marketing integrations like Mailchimp.

Pro is $199.50/year (normally $399), and it’s where the 3% payment fee goes away. WPForms charges no transaction fees on Stripe Pro, Square Pro, or PayPal Commerce payments. You pay only your payment processor’s fees. Pro also unlocks surveys and the full template library, and Elite runs $299.50/year for unlimited sites.

Every WPForms paid plan comes with a 14-day, 100% money-back guarantee. If you’re weighing an upgrade, here’s everything WPForms Lite includes compared with Pro. If you’re just getting started, WPForms Lite gives you enough to run real forms today without committing to a paid plan.

My Verdict

WPForms Lite is the best free WordPress form plugin for payment and lead forms. Stripe, PayPal, and Square all work in the free version with subscriptions included, and Lite Connect backs up every entry until you upgrade.

Create Your WordPress Form Now

2. Forminator

Quick Stats

  • WordPress.org Rating: 4.8 / 5 from 2,144 reviews
  • Active Installations: 600,000+
  • Best For: Free quizzes, polls, and calculators alongside one-time payment forms
  • Free Payments: Stripe (40+ methods, one-time) and PayPal (one-time only, subscriptions are Pro)
  • Saved Entries: Yes, stored in WordPress
  • Conditional Logic: Included in the free version
  • AI Tools: None built in
forminator wordpress plugin repository

Forminator is the WPMU DEV form builder, and it’s the closest free competitor to WPForms Lite when it comes to payment options.

You can accept one-time Stripe and PayPal payments without any upgrade, and Forminator is a verified Stripe Partner, so the Stripe integration supports 40+ payment methods. The free version also covers conditional logic and multi-step forms, plus multiple file uploads.

My Experience

The drag-and-drop builder in Forminator is well-designed, with form fields and payment options grouped cleanly.

The standout feature is the Stripe Dynamic Payment Element, which lets you configure your Stripe account once and have your payment forms automatically surface the right options based on the visitor’s location and what your Stripe account supports.

Forminator also has quiz and poll modes, and when I tested the “Buzzfeed-style no-wrong-answer” mode and the “knowledge with score” mode, both gave me clean result screens and email follow-up options without paying for anything. If you want a quiz on your site as a lead magnet, Forminator is built for exactly that job.

The friction point worth mentioning is the WPMU DEV upsell flow. The dashboard points you toward Forminator Pro around features like e-signatures and recurring Stripe subscriptions. The free version is generous enough that you can ignore the upsells, but they’re present. If you’re deciding between the two, here’s how Forminator compares with WPForms in more depth.

What I Liked

  • Free one-time Stripe and PayPal: Both payment processors work for one-time payments without upgrading, and the Stripe integration supports 40+ payment methods including Apple Pay and Klarna. Recurring subscriptions on either processor require Pro.
  • Quizzes and polls included: Buzzfeed-style and knowledge-graded quizzes plus polls with real-time chart results are all available in the free version.
  • Calculation forms free: Build loan calculators, BMI calculators, quote estimators, or shipping calculators with the calculation field.
  • Conditional logic and multi-step forms: Show or hide fields and split long forms into pages without paying.
  • Gutenberg block: Add forms to posts with a native block, no shortcodes required.
  • Contact Form 7 importer: Migrate existing CF7 forms with a single click.
  • Stripe Verified Partner status: The integration gets ongoing official support, which matters if you process real money.

How much does Forminator cost?

Forminator’s core plugin is free, and Forminator Pro comes with a WPMU DEV membership.

The plan WPMU DEV’s pricing page shows today is Premium Pro, which costs $3.33 for the first three months (billed upfront) and then $9.99/month. That covers unlimited sites and every WPMU DEV Pro plugin. WPMU DEV also sells smaller plans that cover up to 10 sites.

Pro adds e-signatures and Stripe subscriptions, along with geolocation and PDF generation.

My Verdict

Strong free pick if you specifically need quizzes and polls or the wider range of one-time Stripe payment methods. Recurring payments need Forminator Pro, while WPForms Lite handles subscriptions on all three of its gateways for free.

3. Formidable Lite

Quick Stats

  • WordPress.org Rating: 4.8 / 5 from 1,388 reviews
  • Active Installations: 300,000+
  • Best For: Simple Stripe order forms with entries saved in WordPress
  • Free Payments: Stripe with a 3% fee (removed on the Business and Elite plans)
  • Saved Entries: Yes, with backend viewing and CSV export
  • Conditional Logic: Paid plans only
  • AI Tools: AI assistants can build forms through built-in MCP support (the AI form builder is paid)
Formidable Forms

Formidable Forms positions itself as the “Swiss Army knife” of WordPress form builders, and the free Lite version focuses on doing the basics well. Lite stores every entry in your WordPress database and takes Stripe payments with a 3% fee, and you can view and export those entries without upgrading.

The 6.30 release in April 2026 moved Formidable’s pricing fields into the Lite version, so simple order forms work without an upgrade. Formidable also ships built-in MCP support now, which lets AI assistants like Claude create and edit forms from a chat prompt.

My Experience

The interface assumes you’re comfortable with form-builder concepts, and there are more menu options up front than I’d recommend for a first-time WordPress user, so the learning curve is a little steeper than WPForms or Forminator.

That said, Formidable handles entries well for a free plugin. Lite saves every submission to your database, where you can view it in the backend and export it to CSV.

Formidable Views and calculator forms are where Formidable really shines, but both sit in the paid plans. With Views you can turn entries into a directory or a job board without writing PHP.

The free version does include Formidable’s visual form styler, so you can match your site’s colors without touching CSS.

What I Liked

  • Entries saved in WordPress: Lite stores every submission in your database, shows it in the backend, and exports it to CSV.
  • Stripe in Lite: Take Stripe payments in the free version with a 3% fee, which the Business and Elite plans remove.
  • Pricing fields in Lite (new): As of version 6.30, Product, Quantity, and Total fields are available in the free version for basic order forms.
  • Visual form styler: Style your forms without writing CSS.
  • AI assistants through MCP: Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor can create and edit Formidable forms from a chat prompt.
  • Spam protection built in: Honeypot, Akismet, reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, and Cloudflare Turnstile are included.

How much does Formidable Forms cost?

Formidable Lite is Free.

Formidable’s paid plans are on introductory pricing right now. Basic is $39.50/year for one site (normally $79), and Plus is $89.55/year for three sites (normally $199).

Business is $159.60/year for up to seven sites (normally $399), and Elite is $239.60/year for unlimited sites (normally $599). Renewals are at full price.

Calculator forms and Formidable Views come with the paid plans, along with conditional logic and file uploads. The Business and Elite plans also remove the 3% Stripe fee.

My Verdict

Best if your priority is keeping every entry in WordPress while taking simple Stripe payments for free. Calculator forms and Formidable Views are the upgrade path, and they’re the strongest reasons to move to a paid plan.

4. Fluent Forms

Quick Stats

  • WordPress.org Rating: 4.8 / 5 from 808 reviews
  • Active Installations: 800,000+
  • Best For: Lightweight performance and conversational forms in the free tier
  • Free Payments: Stripe, one-time and subscriptions, with a 1.9% Fluent Forms fee
  • Saved Entries: Yes, with CSV and Excel export
  • Conditional Logic: Included in the free version
  • AI Tools: AI Form Builder included in the free version
fluent forms wordpress plugin repository

Fluent Forms is the lightweight option in this list, and its developers say a standard form loads less than 30KB of combined CSS and JavaScript. If you’re chasing Core Web Vitals scores or running on shared hosting where every kilobyte matters, this is the one I’d test first.

The free version includes 25+ field types and smart conditional logic, plus conversational forms and an AI form builder. Every submission is saved in WordPress with CSV or Excel export, and Stripe payments work for free, subscriptions included, with a 1.9% Fluent Forms fee on top of Stripe’s own fees. You also get a one-click migrator for moving forms over from plugins like Contact Form 7 and Gravity Forms.

My Experience

Page Speed Insights scores stay in the green with Fluent Forms even on a fresh WordPress install with no other optimization, which is rare for any form plugin.

The conversational form mode is also genuinely well-built, turning a standard form into a chat-style interface where users see one question at a time. The layout works on mobile without any extra configuration.

The builder itself is clean, with a column-based layout grid that feels closer to a page builder than a traditional form builder. That’s a good fit if you want multi-column forms without using shortcodes.

Smart conditional logic is part of the free version, so you can show or hide fields based on earlier answers without an upgrade. Where Fluent Forms gets less generous is file uploads and multi-step forms, since both are Pro features.

What I Liked

  • Under 30KB asset load: Fluent Forms says a standard form loads less than 30KB of CSS and JavaScript, which matters for Core Web Vitals.
  • Conditional logic free: Show and hide fields based on answers without paying.
  • Conversational forms free: One-question-at-a-time chat-style forms without paying.
  • AI Form Builder free: Describe a form and Fluent Forms generates the fields.
  • Entries and exports free: Every submission is saved, with CSV, Excel, ODS, and JSON export.
  • 25+ free fields: Includes payment fields, a subscription field, GDPR consent, terms and conditions, and reCAPTCHA or hCaptcha.
  • One-click migrator: Move forms over from WPForms, CF7, Gravity, Ninja, or Caldera in seconds.
  • Reporting dashboard free: Basic analytics including submission summaries and form ranking are in the free version.

How much does Fluent Forms cost?

Fluent Forms is free.

Fluent Forms Pro from WPManageNinja runs $63/year for a single-site license, $127/year for the Agency plan covering five domains, and $239/year for the Unlimited plan. Lifetime licenses are also available at $279, $479, and $719 for the same three tiers.

Pro removes the 1.9% Stripe transaction fee and unlocks 55+ field types. It also adds file uploads and multi-step forms, along with PDF generation and 60+ third-party integrations.

My Verdict

Worth picking if every kilobyte matters on your hosting, or if you want free conversational forms with conditional logic. File uploads and multi-step forms are the trade-off, since both need Fluent Forms Pro.

5. Everest Forms

Quick Stats

  • WordPress.org Rating: 4.9 / 5 from 375 reviews
  • Active Installations: 90,000+
  • Best For: File uploads and page-builder workflows in the free tier
  • Free Payments: Not in free. Stripe and PayPal both require Everest Forms Pro plus their paid add-ons.
  • Saved Entries: Yes, unlimited
  • Conditional Logic: Pro only
  • AI Tools: AI contact form generator in the free version
Everest Forms plugin

Everest Forms is the smallest plugin in this list by install count, but it punches above its weight for non-payment free features.

The free version includes file and image uploads plus unlimited entry storage. It also works with page builders like Elementor and Beaver Builder.

Payment processors are the notable exception, because both Stripe and PayPal require an Everest Forms Pro license plus a paid add-on. If you need to accept payments without paying, look at WPForms Lite or Forminator instead.

My Experience

The Everest Forms builder is straightforward and familiar if you’ve used any drag-and-drop form plugin before, and there’s nothing surprising about it, which is a good thing for a tool you want to ship forms with quickly.

What’s unusual about Everest Forms is how much they include in the free tier on the non-payment side. File uploads and survey fields are available without upgrading. The entry management interface also lets you search and export submissions to CSV without paying a cent.

The marketing copy on their WordPress.org page lists Stripe and PayPal as features, but those land on the Pro side once you read the add-on documentation, which is a setup quirk worth knowing before you install.

The support community is smaller than WPForms or Formidable, with 90,000+ active installs, so fewer third-party developers build add-ons or tutorials for it. If you’re comfortable troubleshooting on your own, this isn’t a problem. It’s still worth weighing before you commit.

What I Liked

  • File uploads free: Drag-and-drop file upload fields without an addon, which is rare in free form plugins.
  • 35+ form fields free: Includes phone, address, date/time, and more.
  • Page builder compatibility: Confirmed support for Elementor, Divi, Bricks, Oxygen, Beaver Builder, and WPBakery.
  • Unlimited entries free: No paywall on submission storage.
  • CleanTalk anti-spam integration: Built-in spam protection in the free version.
  • AI contact form generator: Describe a contact form and Everest builds it for you in the free version.

How much does Everest Forms cost?

Everest Forms is free, and paid plans from WPEverest start at $49/year (or $199 lifetime) for the Personal plan covering one site. The Plus plan steps up to $99/year (or $399 lifetime) for five sites, and Agency runs $199/year (or $799 lifetime) for unlimited sites.

Paid plans unlock the Stripe and PayPal add-ons, plus conditional logic and multi-step forms. Marketing and CRM integrations like Mailchimp and HubSpot are paid too.

My Verdict

Worth picking if you specifically need free file uploads or you’re committed to a page builder workflow with Elementor or Divi. The smaller user base and Pro-gated payment processors are the main trade-offs.

6. Ninja Forms

Quick Stats

  • WordPress.org Rating: 4.4 / 5 from 1,397 reviews
  • Active Installations: 500,000+
  • Best For: A-la-carte add-on pricing without aggressive upsells
  • Free Payments: PayPal with a 1.9% Ninja Forms fee (Stripe is a paid add-on)
  • Saved Entries: Yes, with CSV export
  • Conditional Logic: Paid add-on
  • AI Tools: AI form builder that runs on an AI provider you connect
Ninja Forms homepage

Ninja Forms has been around for over a decade and has a loyal user base, and its free core has grown a lot recently. The free version now includes 31 form fields, including signatures and star ratings, plus calculations and an AI form builder that runs on an AI provider you connect. Every submission is saved in WordPress with no paywall on viewing or exporting it. Spam protection comes built in as well, from a honeypot to reCAPTCHA and Akismet.

Ninja Forms takes an a-la-carte approach rather than the tiered Pro model most competitors use. You buy individual add-ons like file uploads or Stripe one at a time, or bundle them with a membership. PayPal payments are now in the free core too, with Ninja Forms adding a 1.9% fee to each transaction.

The trade-off is good for power users who only need one or two paid features, and worse for users who want everything included. I’ve covered Ninja Forms vs WPForms in more detail if you’re comparing the two directly.

My Experience

The builder is clean and approachable, which makes Ninja Forms a reasonable starting point for first-time WordPress users. The free version handles contact forms and calculation forms, even basic quizzes, without any prompting to upgrade.

The Ninja Forms dashboard doesn’t bury limitations behind aggressive upsells, and the team is upfront about which features need add-ons. That honesty about free versus paid is refreshing compared to plugins that advertise a feature and then ask you to upgrade to use it.

The main limitation in 2026 is everything that sits in add-ons, since conditional logic and file uploads both cost extra, as do multi-step forms and styling controls. The free AI builder also needs your own AI provider account, so there’s a small setup step before it works.

What I Liked

  • 31 free form fields: Includes signatures, star ratings, repeatable fieldsets, and calculations.
  • No submission paywall: View, edit, refire emails, and export to CSV without paying.
  • Free PayPal payments: Accept payments and donations through your own PayPal account, with a 1.9% Ninja Forms fee.
  • AI form builder in core: Describe a form and refine it in conversation, using an AI provider you connect.
  • Configurable email notifications: Unlimited free notifications with merge tag support.
  • Honest free-vs-paid split: No marketing about features that require add-ons.
  • A-la-carte pricing: Buy only the add-ons you need rather than committing to a full Pro plan upfront.
  • GDPR support: Mark fields as PII and configure data export/delete requests.

How much does Ninja Forms cost?

Ninja Forms core is free, and you can buy individual add-ons or a membership that bundles them.

Memberships are 40% off for the first year. Plus is $59.40/year for 3 sites and 16 add-ons, and Pro is $119.40/year for 20 sites and 28 add-ons. Elite is $299.40/year for unlimited sites and every add-on. They renew at $99, $199, and $499 a year.

If you only need one or two paid features, the a-la-carte model can come out cheaper than competitors’ full Pro plans.

My Verdict

Has a place if you want a-la-carte add-ons and a clean free builder without aggressive upsells. The trade-off is that conditional logic and file uploads both cost extra.

7. Contact Form 7

Quick Stats

  • WordPress.org Rating: 4.0 / 5 from 2,186 reviews
  • Active Installations: 10+ million
  • Best For: Developers who want a minimal markup-based form plugin
  • Free Payments: Stripe via the official integration (no visual setup)
  • Saved Entries: Only with the free Flamingo add-on
  • Conditional Logic: Not built in (third-party add-ons only)
  • AI Tools: None
Contact Form 7 plugin

Contact Form 7 is the original WordPress form plugin and the most-installed one on this list with over 10 million active installations. It’s lightweight and completely free with no paid version, and it has been around since 2007. If you’ve used WordPress for more than a few years, you’ve almost certainly seen a Contact Form 7 install somewhere.

The free-and-open-source philosophy is what defines Contact Form 7, with no Pro upgrade and a donation-based funding model rather than feature charges. That ethos comes with real trade-offs for most modern WordPress users, which is why the 4.0 rating sits below the rest of the picks above.

My Experience

The first thing that surprises new users is that Contact Form 7 doesn’t have a visual builder. You configure forms by editing the form’s HTML and shortcode syntax in a text area, typing [text* your-name] for a name field or [email* your-email] for an email field.

The plugin handles validation and submission, but you’re writing markup rather than dragging fields onto a canvas. For experienced developers who already know HTML, this is fine and even fast.

For most WordPress users, it’s a friction point that shows up in the 4.0 rating across 2,186 reviews. People who know how to use CF7 love it, and people coming from no-code form builders consistently flag the learning curve.

Submissions also aren’t saved anywhere by default, so you need the free Flamingo plugin if you want a record beyond the email. There’s a side-by-side look at WPForms Lite vs Contact Form 7 if you’re deciding between the two.

What I Liked

  • Ultra-lightweight: The feature set is intentionally bare-bones, which keeps the plugin small.
  • Free and open source forever: No paid version, no Pro tier, no upsell flow. The donation model is honest.
  • Built-in reCAPTCHA, Akismet, Stripe, and Brevo: The plugin author maintains official integrations for these, so they don’t require third-party add-ons.
  • Schema-Woven Validation: CF7’s modular architecture means validation rules can be customized at a level most form plugins don’t expose.
  • Universal compatibility: Almost every WordPress theme and plugin has been tested against CF7 at some point, so compatibility issues are rare.

How much does Contact Form 7 cost?

Contact Form 7 is completely free with no paid version. The plugin author accepts donations through the official site if you want to support development.

My Verdict

Has a place if you only need a simple contact form and you’re comfortable editing markup instead of using a visual builder. For most modern WordPress users in 2026, the picks above offer more in the same free tier.

8. Jetpack Forms

Quick Stats

  • WordPress.org Rating: 3.7 / 5 from 2,408 reviews (Jetpack plugin overall)
  • Active Installations: 3+ million (Jetpack plugin)
  • Best For: Sites already running Jetpack for security, backups, or stats
  • Free Payments: Not inside forms (Jetpack’s payment blocks are separate)
  • Saved Entries: Yes, under Jetpack » Forms » Responses
  • Conditional Logic: Yes, in the form block settings
  • AI Tools: Jetpack AI can generate forms (20 free requests to start)
Jetpack Forms

Jetpack Forms is the contact form module inside the broader Jetpack plugin from Automattic, the team behind WordPress.com.

If you’re already running Jetpack for security or backups, the form module comes along at no extra cost. If you’re not, installing Jetpack solely to get a contact form is overkill.

The form block has picked up real features lately. It now supports conditional logic and a File Upload field, and Jetpack AI can generate a form from a description, with 20 free requests to start.

You still build forms inside the block editor rather than a dedicated form builder, and there’s no payment field inside the form itself. Responses land under Jetpack » Forms » Responses, where you can export them to CSV or Google Sheets.

My Experience

Jetpack Forms works well for what it is, a form block inside the editor rather than a dedicated form builder. You add a Form block in the Gutenberg editor and configure the fields. If a field should only appear for some answers, you turn on conditional logic from the block toolbar.

For a small site that needs a contact form or a simple RSVP form, that’s enough. The moment you need payments inside a form, though, you’ll be looking elsewhere.

The Jetpack install also pulls in a lot of other functionality you may or may not want, like stats tracking and CDN options.

If you’ve already chosen Jetpack for those reasons, the form module is a nice bonus to round out the package. If you haven’t, the other plugins in this list will give you more for less overhead.

What I Liked

  • Free within Jetpack: No additional cost if you already use Jetpack for other features.
  • Native Gutenberg block: Add a contact form with the block inserter, no shortcodes.
  • Conditional logic in the block: Show or hide fields based on earlier answers, right in the block settings.
  • Built by Automattic: Same team as WordPress.com, so first-party WordPress integration is solid.
  • Simple is sometimes enough: For a personal blog or portfolio site, the basic form module covers contact-form needs.

How much does Jetpack Forms cost?

Jetpack Forms is free with the Jetpack plugin, and the form module stays free whichever Jetpack plan you’re on.

Jetpack’s paid plans are billed yearly. Security and Growth are each $9.95/month for the first year (then $19.95/month), and Complete is $24.95/month for the first year (then $49.95/month).

Akismet anti-spam, which Jetpack recommends for form spam, is included in the Security and Complete plans.

My Verdict

Has a place if you’re already running Jetpack for other reasons and only need a basic contact form. Otherwise, look at the picks above for a real form builder.

Which Is the Best Free WordPress Form Plugin?

WPForms Lite is the best free WordPress form plugin for most sites in 2026. It takes Stripe, PayPal, and Square payments in the free version with subscriptions included, and it protects every form from spam without a CAPTCHA.

When you outgrow Lite, you keep the same builder. Lite Connect also restores your backed-up entries as soon as you move to a paid plan.

If your form has one specific job, these are the picks I’d reach for.

  • Payment and lead forms: WPForms Lite
  • Quizzes and polls: Forminator
  • Simple Stripe order forms with saved entries: Formidable Lite
  • Lightweight, fast-loading forms: Fluent Forms
  • File uploads in a free plugin: Everest Forms
  • Buying one add-on at a time: Ninja Forms
  • Hand-coded forms: Contact Form 7
  • Sites already running Jetpack: Jetpack Forms
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FAQs About Free WordPress Form Plugins

Choosing a free form plugin is one of the most common questions I see in WPForms support and across WordPress communities. Here are answers to the questions readers ask most often when comparing free WordPress form plugins.

Can you create a form in WordPress without a plugin?

In theory yes, but you’d be writing PHP and managing your own email handling, validation, and spam protection.

It’s much faster to use a free WordPress form plugin like WPForms Lite. Even most developers reach for a plugin rather than coding forms from scratch because the time savings are significant.

Is WPForms Lite really free forever?

Yes. WPForms Lite is the free version of WPForms, distributed through the official WordPress.org plugin directory, and it has no time limit.

It includes the drag-and-drop builder, 70 free templates, Stripe, PayPal, and Square payments with a 3% fee, Lite Connect entry backups, spam protection, WPForms AI tools like Smart Edit, and the Constant Contact integration.

Paid plans add entry management, conditional logic, and file uploads from the Basic plan, and Pro removes the 3% payment fee. For a fuller breakdown, see what you can do with WPForms for free.

Can WPForms Lite save form entries?

WPForms Lite doesn’t store entries in your WordPress dashboard, but it emails every submission to you and can back each one up with Lite Connect.

Turn on Enable Entry Backups under WPForms » Settings » General, and WPForms keeps each new entry on its servers for up to a year. When you upgrade to any paid plan, from Basic at $49.50/year, the backed-up entries are restored to your dashboard as regular entries. Here’s how to see your WPForms Lite entries in the meantime.

Which free WordPress form plugin has the best payment features?

WPForms Lite has the widest payment support of the free plugins in this list, with Stripe, PayPal, and Square, including subscriptions, plus a built-in Payments dashboard.

It adds a 3% fee per transaction, which Pro removes. Forminator takes one-time Stripe and PayPal payments, Fluent Forms takes Stripe with a 1.9% fee, Ninja Forms takes PayPal with a 1.9% fee, and Formidable Lite takes Stripe with a 3% fee.

Can you embed a form in WordPress?

Yes, you can embed a form in WordPress in a few ways. WPForms Lite gives you the most flexibility with a native Gutenberg block, a shortcode, and an Embed button in the form builder that creates the page for you. Most other form plugins offer at least the shortcode and block options.

Can I publish a form using a page builder?

Yes. WPForms Lite works with SeedProd (the same team’s page builder) and is compatible with Elementor, Divi, and the block editor. You can also use WPForms Lite to create an Elementor contact form for free. Most plugins in this list support major page builders, though the depth of integration varies.

Can I publish a contact form in a popup?

Yes. The simplest approach is to use OptinMonster to create a popup form with your WPForms form embedded inside.

Next, Get More Free WordPress Plugins for Your Site

I hope this list helped you find the best free WordPress form plugin for your site. If you want to round out the rest of your stack with other genuinely-free WordPress plugins, take a look at these roundups next.

Build Your WordPress Form Now

Build Your WordPress Form Now

Ready to build your form? Get started today with the easiest WordPress form builder plugin. WPForms Pro includes lots of free templates and offers a 14-day money-back guarantee.

If this article helped you out, please follow us on Facebook and  X (Twitter) for more free WordPress tutorials and guides.

Disclosure: Our content is reader-supported. This means if you click on some of our links, then we may earn a commission. See how WPForms is funded, why it matters, and how you can support us.

Claire Broadley

Claire is the Content Manager for the WPForms team. She has 13+ years' experience writing about WordPress and web hosting. Learn More

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40 comments on “8 Best Form Builders For WordPress in 2026 [ALL FREE!]”

  1. thanks for sharing this content is very usefull for beginer who want undrstand the process easy for me it is usefull guide sir do you have any idea can we use Ecube apps on wordpress as plugging

    1. Hi GOWTHAM, thanks for the feedback! We are glad you find it useful.
      I’m not aware of this tool/service, have googled a bit but can’t find any Wordrpess solution for it.
      I apologize that I can’t be more helpful regarding this.
      Have a good one! 🙂

    1. Hi Steve, thanks for your feedback!
      We have based this on different reasons that we have listed in this article. Of course, this is our subjective opinion.
      However, we will respect any other thoughts on this!
      Have a good one 🙂

  2. These are not “FREE” plugins. Their free versions are limited in basic features, so calling them “free” is misleading.

    1. Hi Beth Lakshmi, thanks for your feedback!
      We have listed plugins, that have a free version. For example, WPForms Lite is a free WordPress plugin with a good amount of options available to create a decent Contact form on your site.
      I hope that makes sense.
      Have a good one 🙂

      1. It may be “free” but it also doesn’t work. I get notifications that I’ve had form entries, but they are never delivered to my email (except the test forms I submit) and they don’t show up anywhere on the backend. You get what you pay for.

      2. Hi Tanya, thanks for your question!
        When you get a chance, could you please write as a support request regarding this issue? We will be glad to help you out with this!
        If you have a WPForms license, you have access to our email support, so please submit a support ticket.
        Otherwise, we provide limited complimentary support in the WPForms Lite WordPress.org support forum.
        Have a good one 🙂

  3. I have been having issues with Contact 7 and Ninja Forms with getting emails to gmail account. Has anyone else been having that issue? I use gmail email for my form submissions. Never had an issue. Now all of a sudden I no longer get email submissions. Has anyone had that issue?? Help??

    1. Hi Dee!

      Yes, we hear about this issue quite often from our users.
      Normally we recommend using the SMTP mailer option instead of the default PHP mail function.
      We have a great artcile on how to set it up using Gmail account and WP Mail SMTP plugin.
      I hope this helps!

      Have a good one 🙂

      1. Hey Fuzan – Glad to know you got this issue sorted. Yes, using an SMTP plugin is a great option in these cases. Thanks for sharing the info.

        Have a good one 🙂

  4. I have just tried to install the free WP Forms and make a simple form, but when I try to translate “first” and “last” as written under the name fields into danish, it seems to me that it is not possible.
    Have I missed something or is it not possible to translate this.

    1. Hi Mikael!
      You can try to replace the Name field with two Single Line Text fields and make them two columns to replicate the Name field. Then you will be able to add sub-labels manually for the First and Last name fields.

      In case it helps, you can also check this tutorial for more translation options.

      I hope this helps.
      Have a good one 🙂

  5. Hi,

    We are looking for a contact form system that will allow the data given in the form to display in the email as a list.

    So if there is multiple selection the visitor can check many and then in the email the website admin receives the data is formatted as a list

    For example at the moment if a user select ten ‘check boxes’ in the form, in the email we get the ten items are all displayed in a row.

    Like this

    10 Things you like about our site
    Item1
    Item2
    Item3
    Item4
    etc etc.

    Whereas we want everything in the vertical list like this

    10 Things you like about our site: Item1, Item2, Item3, Item4, Item5 etcetc

    So it is the display of the content from the form in the email we recieve.

    Is this possible?

  6. Hello. I am having a hard time choosing Form Builder plugins. I want to know. I’ve read not everything about WPForms.
    There are registrations and post creation
    I want to ask. Is there any documentation? Can I program in a function?
    We really need
    – field Upload Image – is there a user avatar to be uploaded?
    – field Repeater
    – form “Forgot Password” (needed in the page /reset-password /, not needed in /wp-login.php)
    – form “Edit Post”
    – form “Edit User” as a profile
    – is there a hook for Post Submissions? For example, after the button create/update fields for post/ACF
    – field Upload Image – is there an upload field for ACF?
    – after sending the payment?

    Waiting for an answer

    1. Hey Alex- In order to make sure we answer your question as thoroughly as possible, could you please contact our team with some additional details about what you’re looking to do?

      Thanks! 🙂

  7. I have installed WPForms onto one of my sites and now all I get are emails that say that I have received X number of new form submissions. When I go to try to view those, I discover that they are not stored in my database. So, I am not being sent the form submissions and I have no ability to go view them. In other words, I have this plugin installed on my site, and it captures information from my users and throws it into the abyss. How is this a real product? How is this free? If my goal was to destroy my business, this would be the perfect plugin to use to accomplish this goal.

    1. Hey John – I apologize for the confusion. WPForms Lite, does not have the feature to store entries, though you can set form notification emails to send out form submissions to your email address. However, entries are stored on the database on all paid versions of WPForms.

      I hope this helps. 🙂

      1. So if I understand, you’re saying that with these configurations we’ll be able to receive the filled forms at the email address of our choice?

      2. Hey Bob, that is correct. To achieve this, you can enter the email address to receive form notifications on Send to Email as outlined in this great article. I hope this helps!

  8. Do any of these form plug ins offer the ability to edit the way the information arrives? ie can I edit the layout of the information in the notification email?

    1. Hey Harry – I’m afraid we don’t have a built-in way to change the notification layout, however, modifications to the layout can be made inside the form builder’s notification body with HTML. This is currently on the feature request list and I’ve added your vote to it.

      If you need any further help on this please feel welcome to reach out. If you are a paid license holder, you can reach out to our support team here.

      Otherwise, we provide limited complimentary support in the WPForms Lite WordPress.org support forum.

      Have a good one! 🙂

  9. Sure the form is free as long as you don’t mind the submit button being invisible. I don’t have WP Pro to add the CSS needed to make it visible, so I’ll have to find another form that’s I can use.

    1. Hi Christine! Our Lite (free) version is fully functional on its own, albeit with limited features. If the Submit button was invisible, it’s likely due to some code conflict. We’d be happy to help you get that sorted out!

      Please contact us if you have an active subscription. If you do not, please contact us in our support forums.

  10. Please note, this isn’t a free plugin. I thought it was and I wasted an hour setting up my form. But if you want to view any entries you have to upgrade. So it’s technically free, but it’s like a free buffet where you can build all manner of delicious dishes but if you want to actually eat any of it you have to pay. The free version of this plugin is pretty useless, so why not just admit you’re offering a paid service?

    1. Hey Tom- Sorry for the confusion you are facing here!

      WPForms Lite, our free version, does not have the feature to store entries, though you can set form notification emails to send out form submissions to your email address. In case it helps to share, here’s our tutorial with all the details: https://wpforms.com/docs/setup-form-notification-wpforms.

      Because entries are not stored in WPForms Lite, they are not available when you upgrade to the paid version. This is a restriction set by WordPress.org — plugins aren’t allowed to ‘unlock’ content such as entry data in a paid version in this way.
      ​
      This information is also displayed on the Entries page of the Lite plugin. If you have any suggestions on how we can better clarify this, please let me know and I’ll share those with our team.

      On upgrading to our paid version, you can certainly store and manage future entries on your website. In case it helps to know, you can learn more about how the form data are stored in the paid version by following this helpful guide: https://wpforms.com/docs/complete-guide-to-form-entries/

      Also, I’d recommend you to check the features/addons available at each paid license level. Please refer to this comparison table.

      Hope this helps! 🙂

  11. Yet, your free version does not even offer the simple Phone Number field. One has to use the generic Number field to accommodate the lack of a Phone Number field.

    1. I agree – you can’t offer “Free” forms and not capture phone..smh. very very very bush league..

      1. Hey Steve – I apologize that the Phone field isn’t available in the free version, and I’ll take your feedback, and share with the team. In the meantime, you can consider using the Single line text field, and use the phone number custom input mask format as a workaround.

  12. I find it very interesting that every one of these so-called “free” form builders starts at $49 per year in order to do anything useful. How misleading!!!

    1. Hey Gene – Please know that with our Lite (free) version, you can easily create contact forms, receive form entries via form notifications emails and this way you can start communicating with subscribers.
      Also, you can create payment forms using our Stripe addon on the free version!

      Besides saying that, I’d recommend checking this comparison post to know more about the possibilities with our free version & the differences between free and paid versions.

      Thanks 🙂

  13. I’m having nothing but trouble with WP forms, it keeps saying that my gmail isn’t authorised. I only wanted to test it to see if it worked and at this point looks like I’ll be using another plugin. I set Gmail API with credentials and completed the process for SMTP to send emails but it still fails. Disappointing

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