7 Best Caldera Forms Alternatives (Tested & Compared 2026)

Are you looking for a Caldera Forms alternative? Caldera Forms was officially discontinued on April 5, 2022.

All support, updates, and development have permanently stopped, which means if you’re still using it, your forms are running on outdated code with no security patches or bug fixes.

In this article, I’ll walk you through 7 best Caldera Forms alternatives, show you real-world testing results, and help you choose the right plugin based on your specific needs.

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Best Caldera Forms Alternatives Compared

Before I get into the detailed reviews, here’s a quick side-by-side comparison of the best Caldera Forms alternatives so you can see how they stack up:

Plugin 🌐	Best For ⚡	Free Version?	Pricing 💵
WPForms	Overall best alternative with easiest migration	✅ Yes	From $49.50/year
Formidable Forms	Developers & advanced users	✅ Yes	From $99/year
Contact Form 7	Budget-conscious users comfortable with code	✅ Yes (100% free)	Free
Gravity Forms	Established businesses with developer support	❌ No	From $59/year
Google Forms	Quick surveys & internal forms	✅ Yes (100% free)	Free
Typeform	One-question-at-a-time conversational forms	✅ Yes (limited)	From $35/month
Ninja Forms	Users who want à la carte addon pricing	✅ Yes	From $99/year (bundles)

What’s the Best Form Plugin for WordPress?

WPForms is the best form builder plugin for WordPress. It lets you easily create any type of WordPress form and embed it on your site. In fact, you can easily embed your form in well under 5 minutes.

It’s an awesome plugin for beginners or advanced users because:

• The drag-and-drop interface makes WPForms easy to use, even if you’ve never built a form before.
• You can get notifications by email with any version, so if you don’t want to pay right now, you can still recreate your Caldera Forms in WPForms.
• WPForms has the best addons and integrations of any form builder plugin. For example, the User Journey addon shows you visitor behavior without using Google Analytics.
• Free and paid users can access support easily, so you’ll never be stuck with a form that doesn’t work.
• Anyone can start out with the free version, so you can test drive it yourself without paying.

Let’s move on and look at some more Caldera Forms alternatives to consider.

Best Caldera Forms Alternatives

So, which Caldera Forms alternative is going to be the best fit? Let’s take a look at some of the top contenders.

1. WPForms

If you’re looking for the best Caldera Forms alternative, WPForms is my top recommendation after weeks of testing.

I’ve been using WPForms Pro on multiple client sites since Caldera Forms was discontinued, and the transition has been smoother than expected. You can create pretty much any type of form your business needs:

• Simple contact forms with email notifications
• Job application forms with expiration dates
• Release forms for videos
• Surveys and polls to get more insight into your customers

You can build forms from scratch or start with one of the 2,100+ form templates and customize from there.

My Experience

What stood out to me right away was how fast I could recreate a Caldera form in WPForms. Most forms took me under 10 minutes to rebuild, and I didn’t need to touch any code.

The drag-and-drop builder actually works the way you’d expect. Adding a field takes seconds, and when you click on any field, all the customization options appear on the left side of the screen.

One feature that’s made my workflow faster is the AI Form Builder. You describe what kind of form you need in plain English, and it builds the entire form structure for you in seconds.

I tested this with a complex event registration form that needed conditional fields and payment options. It generated about 80% of what I needed, and I just tweaked the details.

WPForms also recently added AI Choices, which automatically generates multiple choice options for your forms. You can describe what you need and let AI fill in the options.

Ane thing I really appreciate is that WPForms stores all your form entries right in the WordPress dashboard. When someone fills out a form, I can review it immediately without logging into a separate platform or checking my email.

The entry management is straightforward. You can filter by date, export to CSV, or mark entries as read/unread. If you need to share entries with team members who don’t have WordPress access, the export feature makes that simple.

What I Liked

WPForms covers all the features that made Caldera Forms popular, plus quite a few extras:

• AI Form Builder – Describe your form in plain language and watch it build itself in seconds.
• AI Choices – Auto-generate dropdown options, radio buttons, and checkbox lists without manual typing.
• Quiz Builder – Create scored quizzes with right/wrong answers, personality quizzes, or knowledge tests.
• Map Field – Let users select locations visually with an interactive map instead of typing addresses.
• Payment processing – Stripe, Square, and PayPal are built in. Even WPForms Lite users get Stripe, which is rare for free plugins.
• Spam protection – Custom CAPTCHA options to stop contact form spam without annoying real users.
• File uploads – Accept resumes, images, documents, whatever you need.
• Conditional logic – Show or hide fields based on user responses.
• Multi-page forms – Break long forms into steps so people actually complete them.
• Offline forms – Forms keep working even when your internet connection drops.
• Entry management – Everything stored in WordPress, no third-party services required.
• Form Revisions – Roll back changes if you accidentally break something.
• Form locations tracking – See exactly where each form is published on your site.
• Zapier integration – Connect to thousands of other tools.
• E-signatures – Collect legally binding signatures directly in your forms.
• Email marketing integration – Connect to your email service without copy-pasting CSVs.
• Blog post submission forms – Let users submit guest posts through a form.
• Calculations – Build quote calculators, order forms with automatic totals, and more.

WPForms also gives you multiple ways to publish your forms. You can use WordPress blocks, shortcodes, or even the Elementor module if you’re building with a page builder. Here’s how easy it is to make a contact form in Elementor:

You don’t need any technical knowledge to get forms working. Connect them to email marketing services, set up notifications, route entries to different email addresses based on form responses.

For more details on what WPForms can do, check out this breakdown: Is WPForms Worth It?

Pricing

WPForms Lite is free with unlimited forms and unlimited responses. Your entries are stored for free using the Lite Connect feature, and you can access them anytime after upgrading.

The paid version of WPForms starts at $49.50/year. If you need advanced features like payment processing, surveys, or user registration forms, the Pro or Elite plans give you everything.

2. Formidable Forms

Formidable Forms is built for developers and businesses that need advanced functionality or want to customize everything with code.

If you have a development team or you’re comfortable writing custom PHP, Formidable Forms gives you more control over form behavior than most alternatives.

Formidable Forms is a form builder aimed at developers and larger businesses. It lets you build advanced forms and code your own customizations.

My Experience

When I tested Formidable Forms, I noticed right away that it assumes you’re technical. The interface isn’t as beginner-friendly as WPForms, but if you know what you’re doing, you can build some pretty complex forms.

I used Formidable to build a directory listing system where form submissions automatically created searchable posts on the frontend. That kind of functionality would take custom development with most other plugins, but Formidable has it built in.

What I Liked

Formidable Forms shines when you need features that go beyond basic contact forms:

• Turn entries into content – Form submissions can become calendar events, directory listings, or searchable databases.
• Perform calculations – Build quote calculators, pricing forms, or anything that needs math.
• Accept payments – Stripe, PayPal Commerce, and Authorize.net are supported. Stripe works even on the free version.
• Frontend entry management – Let users search and filter form submissions without accessing WordPress.
• Custom WooCommerce forms – Replace the default WooCommerce checkout with your own custom fields.
• GDPR compliance – Built-in tools to help you meet privacy regulations.
• Entry storage – Everything saves in WordPress for easy review.

Formidable Forms has no usage limits, so it works well for growing businesses. It’s also one of the few form builders that lets you send file uploads as email attachments instead of just providing download links.

If you run into email delivery issues with Formidable Forms, this guide on fixing Formidable Forms not sending email walks through the most common problems.

Pricing

Formidable Forms starts at $99/year for the paid version. There’s also a free version available on WordPress.org if you want to test it before committing.

3. Contact Form 7

Contact Form 7 is one of the most popular form plugins on WordPress, mostly because it’s completely free. But there’s a catch, it doesn’t have a visual form builder.

If you’re comfortable working with HTML and shortcodes, Contact Form 7 can handle basic contact forms without costing you anything. If you prefer drag-and-drop builders, this probably isn’t the right choice.

My Experience

I’ve used Contact Form 7 on budget projects where the client only needed a simple contact form and didn’t want to pay for a premium plugin.

Setting up your first form takes some patience. Instead of dragging fields into place, you’re working with form tags that look like this: [text* your-name].

The plugin provides buttons to generate these tags, but you still need to understand how they work and where to place them in your form template.

Once I got past the learning curve, Contact Form 7 handled basic forms reliably. Email notifications worked as expected, and I could customize the email templates using the same tag system.

What I Liked

Contact Form 7 works well for straightforward contact forms when budget is tight:

• Completely free – No paid upgrades or hidden costs.
• Email notifications – Set up custom notification emails with merge tags.
• Basic integrations – Connect to email services like Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) and Constant Contact, plus Stripe for payments.
• Lightweight – Doesn’t add much overhead to your site.

The downside is that anything beyond basic contact forms gets complicated fast. There’s no built-in entry management, no drag-and-drop builder, and if you want features like conditional logic or file uploads, you’ll need additional plugins or custom code.

Pricing

Contact Form 7 is free and can be downloaded from the WordPress plugin repository. For a detailed comparison of how Contact Form 7 stacks up against other options, check out our WPForms vs Contact Form 7 comparison.

4. Gravity Forms

Gravity Forms is a well-established form builder that’s been around since 2009. It’s popular with agencies and developers who work on client sites and need reliable, professional-grade forms.

The plugin integrates with WordPress and gives you a form builder inside your dashboard. You can preview forms as you build them, which helps when you’re creating complex multi-page forms or layouts with conditional logic.

My Experience

I tested Gravity Forms on a few client projects before recommending it as a Caldera Forms replacement. The interface feels polished and professional, though it’s not as intuitive as WPForms if you’re new to form builders.

One thing I noticed right away is the live preview feature. As you add fields and configure settings, you can see exactly how the form will look on your site. This made it easier to catch layout issues before publishing.

The form builder gives you access to all the standard field types plus some advanced options. I built a registration form with conditional pricing, file uploads, and multi-page navigation without running into any limitations.

Gravity Forms has a large community of developers who’ve created third-party addons. If you need a specific integration that isn’t built in, there’s a good chance someone has already built an addon for it.

What I Liked

Gravity Forms delivers solid functionality for businesses that need reliable forms:

• Live preview – See your form as you build it, no need to publish and check.
• Advanced conditional logic – Show or hide fields, sections, or entire pages based on user input.
• File uploads – Accept documents, images, and other files with size and type restrictions.
• Multi-page forms – Break long forms into steps with progress indicators.
• Entry management – Review, export, and manage submissions from WordPress.
• Payment processing – Accept payments through Stripe, PayPal, and other gateways.
• Email notifications – Send customized emails to users and admins based on form responses.
• Third-party addons – Tons of community-built extensions for specific use cases.

The main downside is that there’s no free version and no trial period. You need to commit to a paid license before testing it. You can explore the demo on the Gravity Forms website to get a feel for how it works.

Pricing

Gravity Forms starts at $59/year for a single site license. If you manage multiple sites, the unlimited license costs $259/year. For a detailed comparison, check out Gravity Forms vs Contact Form 7 vs WPForms.

5. Google Forms

If you need a basic form builder for quick surveys or internal data collection, Google Forms might work as a temporary Caldera Forms alternative.

Google Forms is completely free with a regular Gmail account, and you can also access it through Google Workspace. The limits are high enough that most people won’t hit them, you can collect thousands of responses per form.

My Experience

I’ve used Google Forms for internal team surveys and quick polls when I didn’t need anything fancy. It works well for straightforward data collection where design customization isn’t important.

Setting up a form is fast. You pick from multiple choice, short answer, dropdown, or a few other field types, add your questions, and share the link. Responses go into a Google Sheet automatically, which makes analyzing data easier if you’re already working in spreadsheets.

The collaboration features are useful for team projects. Multiple people can edit the same form at once, and you can see changes in real time.

What I Liked

Google Forms handles basic survey and data collection needs:

• Completely free – No paid tiers or upgrade prompts.
• Unlimited responses – Collect as many submissions as you need.
• Automatic spreadsheet export – Responses flow into Google Sheets for easy analysis.
• Team collaboration – Share editing access with team members.
• Simple interface – Anyone can figure it out in a few minutes.

The problems start when you need anything beyond basic surveys. File uploads are limited to 10 MB per file, which rules out collecting resumes or portfolio samples. You can’t accept payments, and customization options are extremely limited.

The bigger issue for WordPress users is that embedding Google Forms on your site isn’t straightforward. You get an iframe embed code, but it doesn’t match your site’s design and looks out of place on most WordPress themes.

Pricing

Google Forms is free with any Google account.

6. Typeform

Typeform takes a different approach to forms by showing one question at a time instead of displaying everything on a single page.

This conversational style is popular for surveys and feedback forms where you want higher completion rates. The layouts look modern and polished right out of the box.

You can add images, videos, and GIFs to make forms more engaging than typical contact forms.

My Experience

I tested Typeform for a client who wanted an interactive quiz for lead generation. The one-question-at-a-time format worked well for that use case, and the completion rate was higher than their previous multi-field form.

Building forms in Typeform feels different from WordPress form builders. You’re working in their web app, not inside your WordPress dashboard. Each question gets its own screen, and you can set up logic jumps to skip questions based on previous answers.

The interface is clean and easy to navigate. Adding questions, uploading images, and setting up conditional logic all worked smoothly during my testing.

What I Liked

Typeform excels at creating engaging, conversational forms:

• One question at a time – Keeps users focused and improves completion rates.
• Modern design – Forms look professional without customization.
• Logic jumps – Skip questions or show different paths based on answers.
• Media support – Add images, videos, and GIFs to questions.
• Analytics – Track completion rates and drop-off points.

The main drawback is that Typeform doesn’t integrate directly with WordPress. You embed forms using an iframe or popup, but you’re managing everything through Typeform’s platform.

This means another login, another dashboard, and another set of tools to learn. The pricing is also expensive compared to WordPress-native alternatives. Useful features like conditional logic require the higher-tier plans.

Pricing

The free Typeform plan limits you to 3 forms with a maximum of 100 total responses across all forms. Paid plans start at $35/month.

If you want the conversational one-question-at-a-time experience but prefer staying in WordPress, WPForms Pro offers a Conversational Form feature that works similarly. Check out our full list of Typeform alternatives for more options.

7. Ninja Forms

Ninja Forms is a WordPress form builder plugin. It lets you create different types of forms for your site and embed them using a shortcode.

If you used to be a Caldera Forms customer, you’ll be aware of Ninja Forms already since there’s some overlap in the development team and features.

My Experience

I tested Ninja Forms on a few projects to see how it compared to other Caldera Forms alternatives. The drag-and-drop builder is functional, and I could create standard contact forms without issues.

What stood out during testing was the addon structure. Unlike WPForms or Gravity Forms, which bundle features into plan tiers, Ninja Forms lets you buy individual addons or purchase bundles that include specific sets of features.

This pricing model can work in your favor if you only need one or two extra features beyond the free version. But it gets expensive fast if you need multiple addons, and tracking which addons you own becomes tedious.

The free version handles basic contact forms well enough. You can add standard fields, set up email notifications, and embed forms on your site.

What I Liked

Ninja Forms covers the basics and offers flexibility through addons:

• À la carte pricing – Buy only the addons you need instead of paying for a bundle.
• Drag-and-drop builder – Add fields visually without code.
• Shortcode embeds – Place forms anywhere on your site.
• Email notifications – Customize notification emails for form submissions.
• Conditional logic – Available as a paid addon.
• File uploads – Available as a paid addon.
• Payment processing – Available through paid addons.

The main weakness is the lack of pre-built form templates. Most other form builders give you dozens or hundreds of templates to start from. With Ninja Forms, you’re building from scratch every time.

Some of the addons are also pricey compared to what you get with an all-in-one plan from WPForms or Gravity Forms.

Want a detailed comparison? Check out WPForms vs Ninja Forms.

Pricing

Individual addons start at $18 each. Bundle pricing begins at $99/year for a single site with basic addons included. There’s also a free version on WordPress.org if you don’t need any addons.

So, What’s the Best Caldera Forms Alternative?

If you’re looking for a new home for your forms, WPForms is the best Caldera Forms alternative.

After testing 15+ form builders over the past few weeks, WPForms consistently outperformed the competition in terms of ease of use, feature depth, and migration simplicity.

The drag-and-drop form builder is intuitive enough for beginners but powerful enough for complex forms. You can publish forms multiple ways—WordPress blocks, shortcodes, or page builder modules—without needing technical knowledge.

The free version, WPForms Lite, lets you create custom forms for your small business or nonprofit. With 6+ million active installs, it’s one of the most popular WordPress plugins on WordPress.org, and it has more than 12,000 5-star ratings:

All versions include CAPTCHA and spam prevention tools, including secret form tokens that block spam submissions without annoying real users.

For advanced features, WPForms Pro includes all the marketing integrations you need to create interactive forms that connect with your existing tools. Build surveys, user registration forms, payment forms, and more.

Conditional logic gives you precise control over form behavior. Show or hide fields based on user responses, send different notification emails depending on form input, or route submissions to different team members automatically.

When you’re ready to expand your workflow, WPForms connects to thousands of marketing tools through Zapier, Uncanny Automator, or the webhooks addon. Send form entries to your CRM, trigger automation sequences, or sync data with other platforms without writing code.

FAQs About Caldera Forms Alternatives

Here are answers to common questions about replacing Caldera Forms:

Is Caldera Forms discontinued?

Yes, Caldera Forms was officially discontinued on April 5, 2022. The development team stopped all updates, support, and security patches.

If you’re still using Caldera Forms, your forms may be running on outdated code with potential security vulnerabilities.

What happened to Caldera Forms?

Caldera Forms was shut down by its development team in 2022. The decision came after years of declining development activity.

The plugin is no longer maintained, which means no bug fixes, no compatibility updates for new WordPress versions, and no security patches for vulnerabilities that might be discovered.

How do I migrate from Caldera Forms to WPForms?

Migrating from Caldera Forms to WPForms requires rebuilding your forms in the new plugin. While there’s no automatic import tool, the process is straightforward:

• Install WPForms on your site (free or paid version)
• Create a new form using WPForms’ drag-and-drop builder
• Recreate your Caldera form fields in WPForms (most forms take under 10 minutes)
• Set up email notifications and integrations
• Replace the old Caldera Forms shortcode with your new WPForms shortcode
• Test the form to make sure everything works
• Deactivate and delete Caldera Forms once all forms are migrated

WPForms includes features like Form Revisions, so if you make a mistake during setup, you can roll back to a previous version.

What’s better than Caldera Forms?

WPForms is better than Caldera Forms in nearly every measurable way. It offers:

• Active development with regular updates and new features
• Responsive support team that actually answers questions
• Modern features like AI Form Builder, conversational forms, and quiz builder
• Better spam protection with multiple CAPTCHA options
• More payment gateway integrations (Stripe, Square, PayPal)
• Cleaner, more intuitive interface
• 2,100+ pre-built templates vs. building from scratch
• Regular security updates and WordPress compatibility patches

WPForms also has a free version you can test before paying, while Caldera Forms is no longer maintained at all.

Is WPForms better than Caldera Forms?

Yes, WPForms is objectively better than Caldera Forms because it’s actively maintained, regularly updated, and includes modern features that didn’t exist when Caldera Forms was discontinued.

Caldera Forms hasn’t received updates since 2022, which means it lacks compatibility with newer WordPress versions, has known security issues that will never be patched, and doesn’t work with modern payment processors or marketing tools.

WPForms receives updates multiple times per month, adds new features based on user feedback, and maintains compatibility with the latest WordPress releases.

Can I still use Caldera Forms on my website?

Technically yes, but you shouldn’t. The plugin still functions on older WordPress installations, but it’s a security risk.

Since Caldera Forms no longer receives security updates, any vulnerabilities discovered in the code will never be fixed. This leaves your site open to potential exploits.

Additionally, Caldera Forms may break when you update WordPress, your theme, or other plugins. Without active development, there’s no one to fix compatibility issues.

How do I export my Caldera Forms entries before switching?

Caldera Forms includes a basic export function:

• Go to Caldera Forms in your WordPress dashboard
• Click on the form you want to export entries from
• Go to the Entries tab
• Click the Export button
• Download the CSV file with your form submissions

Save these exports before deleting Caldera Forms. Once you switch to WPForms, you’ll start collecting new entries in the new system, but you can keep the old CSV files for your records.

Next, Try WPForms Free

Ready to build your form? WPForms Pro offers a 14-day money-back guarantee if it’s not the right Caldera Forms alternative for your project.

You might also want to check our post on free form builder solutions you can use to quickly make beautiful forms for free! And here’s our list of the best no-code WordPress form builders.

If this article helped you out, also check out this guide on Caldera Forms vs WPForms! And please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more free WordPress tutorials and guides.