--- title: Best WPForms Alternatives for 2026 — Compared & Ranked | Paperform description: Looking for a WPForms alternative that works beyond WordPress? We compare the top form builders by features, pricing, and platform independence in 2026. url: "https://paperform.co/form-builders/wpforms-alternatives" type: static generatedAt: "2026-04-10T01:07:37.022Z" --- ![](/images/og/form-builders/wpforms-alternatives.png) # Best WPForms Alternatives for 2026 WPForms earned its 6 million installations by solving a real problem: adding forms to WordPress shouldn't require a computer science degree. Its drag-and-drop builder is genuinely the easiest way to get a contact form, newsletter signup, or basic payment form onto a WordPress site. For that specific job, it remains difficult to beat. The limitations surface when your needs grow beyond that initial simplicity. Need a form link you can share on social media without a website? Not possible. Need forms on a Shopify store, a Webflow site, or a client's Squarespace page? WordPress-only. Need Excel-style calculations for dynamic pricing, automated workflows, or a REST API for custom integrations? Not in WPForms' architecture. The feature gating also compounds the issue — Zapier alone requires the $199.50/year Pro plan, and renewal prices double after year one. If you've hit WPForms' ceiling or you're moving beyond WordPress, these alternatives provide the same ease of use with dramatically broader capabilities. And for those staying on WordPress, we've included Gravity Forms as the in-ecosystem upgrade path. ![WPForms homepage](/images/form-builders/wpforms/screenshot-homepage.png) *WPForms is the most popular WordPress form plugin with 6M+ installs — but everything it does requires WordPress underneath.* | Feature | WPForms | Paperform | Gravity Forms | Jotform | Typeform | Cognito Forms | Formstack | Google Forms | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Form Building | | Document-style editor | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | | AI form creation | Yes basic | Yes | No | Yes starter | Yes | No | Yes forms | Yes | | Field types | Yes basic | 26+ | No | 30+ (starter) | 20+ | 20+ | 15 | 11 | | Guided mode (one question at a time) | Yes pro | Yes | Yes Elite | Yes starter | Yes | No | Yes forms | No | | Calculations field | Yes pro | Yes essentials | Yes Basic | Yes starter | Yes plus | Yes | Yes forms | No | | Payments | | Stripe payments | Yes pro | Yes | Yes Pro | Yes starter | Yes basic | Yes | Yes forms | No | | PayPal payments | Yes pro | Yes | Yes Pro | Yes starter | No | Yes team | Yes forms | No | | Square payments | Yes pro | Yes | Yes Pro | Yes starter | No | Yes team | No | No | | Braintree payments | No | Yes | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Google Pay | No | Yes | Yes Pro | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Design & Customization | | Template gallery | Yes pro | 30,000+ | Yes Basic | 20,000+ (starter) | 1,500+ | Yes | Yes forms | 20+ | | Unsplash and Giphy integration | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | | Image editor | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | | Adobe Creative Cloud | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | | Language translation | Yes basic | Yes | Yes Basic | Yes starter | Yes basic | Yes pro | No | No | | Analytics | | AI report insights | No | Yes pro | No | No | Yes business | No | No | No | | Paperform analytics | No | Yes pro | No | No | No | No | Yes forms | No | | Google Analytics & Facebook Pixel | No | Yes essentials | Yes Elite | No | Yes basic | Yes pro | Yes forms | No | | Custom analytics scripts | No | Yes pro | Yes Basic | No | Yes basic | No | No | No | | Partial submissions | Yes pro | Yes pro | Yes Elite | No | Yes plus | No | Yes forms | No | | Collaboration | | Advanced permissions & admin | Yes elite | Yes enterprise | No | Yes enterprise | Yes enterprise | Yes enterprise | Yes enterprise | Yes Business Starter | | Form sharing (templates) | Yes basic | Yes | Yes Basic | No | Yes | Yes | Yes forms | Yes | | Spaces and tag management | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes forms | No | | Form sharing | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Assign forms | No | No | No | Yes enterprise | No | No | No | No | | Security | | SOC 2 Type II | No | Yes | No | Yes enterprise | Yes | No | No | Yes | | Two-factor authentication | No | Yes | No | Yes starter | Yes | Yes | Yes forms | Yes | | Enforce 2FA for all users | No | Yes business | No | No | No | No | Yes enterprise | Yes Business Starter | | SSO (SAML) | No | Yes business | No | Yes enterprise | Yes enterprise | Yes enterprise | Yes enterprise | Yes Business Plus | | reCAPTCHA | Yes basic | Yes | Yes Basic | Yes starter | Yes business | Yes | Yes forms | No | | Integrations & API | | 2000+ integrations | Yes pro | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | | Make (Integromat) | Yes pro | Yes | No | No | Yes basic | Yes | No | Yes | | Webhooks | Yes elite | Yes pro | Yes Elite | Yes starter | Yes basic | Yes | Yes forms | No | | Standard API | No | Yes pro | Yes Basic | No | No | No | Yes forms | Yes | | Business API | No | Yes business | No | No | No | No | Yes enterprise | No | | Additional Products | | Jotform Tables | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Jotform Sign | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Jotform Apps | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Jotform Workflows | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Jotform Report Builder | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | ## ![](/images/form-builders/paperform/logo.svg) #1 Paperform — Best Platform-Independent Upgrade ![Paperform homepage](/images/form-builders/paperform/screenshot-homepage.png) *Paperform works on WordPress, Webflow, Shopify, or as standalone pages — with calculation-powered eCommerce that WPForms can't match.* For WPForms users hitting the platform ceiling, Paperform is the most natural upgrade path. It retains the ease-of-use ethos — the document-style editor feels like writing in a word processor rather than configuring a form builder — while removing every limitation WPForms imposes. Forms work on any website or as standalone hosted pages. Five payment gateways function on every plan including free. The REST API enables custom integrations that WPForms' plugin architecture can't support. The most significant upgrade is the calculation engine. WPForms' Calculator addon (Pro tier only) handles basic cost estimates. Paperform's Excel-style formulas power dynamic pricing, conditional visibility across pages, personalised email content, integration payloads, and success page customisation. For any form that involves money — order forms, booking systems, quote generators, donation pages — the difference between WPForms' basic math and Paperform's calculation-driven eCommerce is the difference between a contact form and a revenue engine. Paperform also includes Papersign for e-signatures and Stepper for workflow automation — both free. - **Strengths over WPForms:** Platform-independent (works everywhere), Excel-style calculations, 5 payment gateways with full eCommerce on free plan, REST API, Papersign e-signatures, custom domains, SOC 2 Type II certified - **Limitations:** Higher monthly cost ($24/month vs $199.50/year for WPForms Pro), no WordPress admin integration, no native WordPress theme inheritance - **Best for:** Teams outgrowing WPForms who need forms that work beyond WordPress with real payment processing and calculations ## ![](/images/form-builders/gravity-forms/logo.png) #2 Gravity Forms — Best Upgrade for Teams Staying on WordPress ![Gravity Forms homepage](/images/form-builders/gravity-forms/screenshot-homepage.png) *Gravity Forms offers WPForms users a deeper WordPress form experience — with developer-grade extensibility and 500+ hooks.* If WordPress is your permanent home and you've outgrown WPForms' feature ceiling, Gravity Forms is the natural next step within the same ecosystem. Where WPForms optimises for simplicity, Gravity Forms optimises for power: 500+ developer hooks, a massive third-party add-on marketplace (Gravity Wiz, GravityKit, CosmicGiant), and deeper conditional logic than WPForms exposes. It's the WordPress form plugin that agencies and developers standardise on. The trade-off is the learning curve. Gravity Forms assumes you're comfortable with WordPress admin, understand add-on architecture, and can troubleshoot plugin conflicts. The $59/year Basic plan includes unlimited forms but no payments — Stripe, PayPal, and Square require the $159/year Pro tier. It shares WPForms' fundamental constraint (WordPress-only) but raises the feature ceiling substantially within that constraint. Founded in 2008 by Rocketgenius, it's been independently maintained for 18 years with 5 million+ active installations. For details, see our [Gravity Forms alternatives](/form-builders/gravity-forms-alternatives/). - **Strengths over WPForms:** 500+ developer hooks, deeper conditional logic, massive third-party add-on ecosystem, 18 years of WordPress-native development - **Limitations:** WordPress-only (same constraint), steeper learning curve, payments require $159/year Pro plan, only ~15 built-in templates - **Best for:** WordPress developers and power users who need deeper extensibility within the WordPress ecosystem ## ![](/images/form-builders/jotform/logo.png) #3 Jotform — Largest Template Library Outside WordPress ![Jotform homepage](/images/form-builders/jotform/screenshot-homepage.png) *Jotform's 20,000+ templates and free tier replace WPForms' template-first approach without the WordPress dependency.* WPForms users who relied on templates to build forms quickly will find a kindred spirit in Jotform. Its 20,000+ template library dwarfs WPForms' 2,100+ collection, and every template works on any website or as a standalone page. The free tier includes 5 forms and 100 monthly submissions — a starting point for evaluation. Conditional logic, e-signatures, and basic calculations are available on all plans without the tier-gating that WPForms applies. Jotform's 40+ payment gateways dramatically outscope WPForms' Stripe/PayPal/Square support, and HIPAA compliance is available on the Gold tier ($49/month annual). The interface takes longer to learn than WPForms — 20 years of feature accumulation creates a denser navigation experience. But for WPForms users who valued template variety and want platform independence, Jotform is the closest philosophical match with substantially more capability. - **Strengths over WPForms:** Platform-independent, 20,000+ templates, free tier, 40+ payment gateways, HIPAA available, e-signatures built in - **Limitations:** Denser interface, free plan limited to 5 forms and 100 submissions, individual features vary in polish - **Best for:** Template-first users migrating off WordPress who want maximum built-in features ## ![](/images/form-builders/cognito-forms/logo.png) #4 Cognito Forms — Best Free Alternative for Basic Needs ![Cognito Forms homepage](/images/form-builders/cognito-forms/screenshot-homepage.png) *Cognito Forms' free tier includes calculations, Stripe payments, and e-signatures — features WPForms locks behind its $199.50/year Pro plan.* WPForms Lite is free but nearly featureless — no payments, no conditional logic depth, no Zapier. Cognito Forms' free tier is the opposite: unlimited forms, calculations, conditional logic, Stripe payments (up to 500/month), e-signatures, and Zapier/Make integration. For teams that used WPForms Lite and occasionally needed something more powerful, Cognito's free plan covers most use cases that would otherwise require WPForms Pro. The limitation is the same one Cognito always carries: the forms look functional but not polished. The product hasn't evolved dramatically since 2013, and the builder feels utilitarian compared to Paperform or WPForms' own editor. But for teams focused on data collection and workflow logic rather than visual presentation, Cognito's free plan is the most capable no-cost alternative to WPForms — and it works on any website without WordPress. See [Cognito Forms alternatives](/form-builders/cognito-forms-alternatives/). - **Strengths over WPForms:** Free plan with payments, calculations, and e-signatures; platform-independent; HIPAA available; no WordPress dependency - **Limitations:** Utilitarian design, slow innovation, scripting-style calculation syntax, 100 submissions/month on free plan - **Best for:** Budget-focused teams that need free calculations and payments without WordPress ## Full Feature Comparison How WPForms compares to platform-independent alternatives and Gravity Forms across every feature category. | Feature | WPForms | Paperform | Gravity Forms | Jotform | Typeform | Cognito Forms | Formstack | Google Forms | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Form Building | | Document-style editor | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | | AI form creation | Yes basic | Yes | No | Yes starter | Yes | No | Yes forms | Yes | | Field types | Yes basic | 26+ | No | 30+ (starter) | 20+ | 20+ | 15 | 11 | | Multi-page forms | Yes basic | Yes | Yes Basic | Yes starter | Yes basic | Yes | Yes forms | Yes | | Guided mode (one question at a time) | Yes pro | Yes | Yes Elite | Yes starter | Yes | No | Yes forms | No | | Conditional logic | Yes basic | Yes | Yes Basic | Yes starter | Yes basic | Yes | Yes forms | Yes | | Calculations field | Yes pro | Yes essentials | Yes Basic | Yes starter | Yes plus | Yes | Yes forms | No | | AI calculations assistant | No | Yes essentials | No | No | No | No | No | No | | Scoring | Yes pro | Yes essentials | Yes Elite | Yes starter | Yes plus | Yes | No | Yes | | Answer piping | No | Yes | Yes Basic | Yes starter | Yes basic | Yes | Yes forms | No | | Pre-filling and hidden fields | Yes basic | Yes essentials | Yes Basic | Yes starter | Yes basic | Yes | Yes forms | Yes | | Save and resume | Yes pro | Yes | Yes Basic | Yes starter | No | Yes pro | Yes forms | No | | Auto-close by number | Yes basic | Yes essentials | No | Yes starter | Yes basic | Yes | No | Yes | | Auto-close by date | Yes basic | Yes pro | No | Yes starter | Yes basic | Yes | No | Yes | | Appointment/booking field | No | Yes | No | Yes starter | Yes basic | No | No | No | | Signature field | Yes pro | Yes | Yes Elite | Yes starter | No | Yes team | Yes suite | No | | Color picker field | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | | API-powered dropdowns | No | Yes business | No | No | No | Yes | Yes forms | No | | Google address search | Yes pro | Yes business | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | | File uploads | No | Yes | No | Yes starter | Yes basic | Yes | No | Yes | | Drag-and-drop builder | No | No | Yes Basic | Yes starter | No | No | Yes forms | No | | 30+ field types | No | No | Yes Basic | No | No | No | No | No | | Form widgets | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Template gallery | No | No | No | 20,000+ (starter) | No | No | No | No | | AI follow-up questions | No | No | No | No | Yes business | No | No | No | | Video questions | No | No | No | No | Yes basic | No | No | No | | Payments | | Stripe payments | Yes pro | Yes | Yes Pro | Yes starter | Yes basic | Yes | Yes forms | No | | PayPal payments | Yes pro | Yes | Yes Pro | Yes starter | No | Yes team | Yes forms | No | | Square payments | Yes pro | Yes | Yes Pro | Yes starter | No | Yes team | No | No | | Braintree payments | No | Yes | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Google Pay | No | Yes | Yes Pro | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Product sales (eCommerce) | No | Yes essentials | Yes Basic | Yes starter | No | Yes | No | No | | Subscriptions | Yes pro | Yes essentials | Yes Pro | Yes starter | Yes basic | No | No | No | | Coupons and discounts | Yes pro | Yes essentials | Yes Elite | Yes starter | No | Yes | Yes forms | No | | Custom pricing rules | Yes pro | Yes essentials | No | Yes starter | No | Yes | Yes forms | No | | Tax calculations | No | Yes | No | Yes starter | No | Yes | No | No | | Quotes/invoices | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes team | No | No | | Refunds | No | Yes | Yes Pro | No | No | No | No | No | | 3D Secure | No | Yes | Yes Pro | No | Yes basic | No | No | No | | 40+ payment gateways | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | No transaction fees | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Design & Customization | | Template gallery | Yes pro | 30,000+ | Yes Basic | 20,000+ (starter) | 1,500+ | Yes | Yes forms | 20+ | | Rich media (images, GIFs, videos) | Yes basic | Yes | Yes Basic | Yes starter | Yes | Yes | Yes forms | Yes | | Unsplash and Giphy integration | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | | Image editor | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | | Adobe Creative Cloud | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | | Language translation | Yes basic | Yes | Yes Basic | Yes starter | Yes basic | Yes pro | No | No | | Advanced theming | Yes basic | Yes pro | Yes Basic | Yes starter | Yes plus | Yes pro | Yes forms | No | | Custom form URL | Yes pro | Yes pro | No | No | Yes plus | No | Yes forms | No | | Custom domains | Yes basic | Yes pro | No | Yes enterprise | No | No | Yes forms | No | | Custom HTML & CSS | Yes basic | Yes pro | Yes Basic | Yes starter | Yes business | Yes pro | Yes forms | No | | Remove branding | Yes basic | Yes pro | Yes Basic | Yes bronze | Yes plus | Yes pro | Yes forms | No | | Custom email domains | No | Yes business | Yes Elite | No | No | No | No | Yes Business Starter | | Form themes | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Analytics | | Submission results and reports | Yes basic | Yes | Yes Basic | Yes starter | Yes | Yes | Yes forms | Yes | | AI report insights | No | Yes pro | No | No | Yes business | No | No | No | | Paperform analytics | No | Yes pro | No | No | No | No | Yes forms | No | | Google Analytics & Facebook Pixel | No | Yes essentials | Yes Elite | No | Yes basic | Yes pro | Yes forms | No | | Custom analytics scripts | No | Yes pro | Yes Basic | No | Yes basic | No | No | No | | Partial submissions | Yes pro | Yes pro | Yes Elite | No | Yes plus | No | Yes forms | No | | Drop-off analysis | No | Yes pro | No | No | Yes business | No | No | No | | Form analytics | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Google Analytics integration | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Collaboration | | Multi-user accounts | Yes basic | Yes pro | Yes Basic | Yes bronze | Yes plus | Yes pro | Yes forms | Yes | | User permissions and management | Yes pro | Yes pro | Yes Basic | Yes enterprise | Yes plus | Yes team | Yes forms | Yes | | Advanced permissions & admin | Yes elite | Yes enterprise | No | Yes enterprise | Yes enterprise | Yes enterprise | Yes enterprise | Yes Business Starter | | Form sharing (templates) | Yes basic | Yes | Yes Basic | No | Yes | Yes | Yes forms | Yes | | Spaces and tag management | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes forms | No | | Form sharing | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Assign forms | No | No | No | Yes enterprise | No | No | No | No | | Workspace organization | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | | Security | | SOC 2 Type II | No | Yes | No | Yes enterprise | Yes | No | No | Yes | | GDPR compliant | Yes basic | Yes | Yes Basic | Yes starter | Yes | Yes | Yes forms | Yes | | SSL encryption | Yes basic | Yes | Yes Basic | Yes starter | Yes | Yes | Yes forms | Yes | | Two-factor authentication | No | Yes | No | Yes starter | Yes | Yes | Yes forms | Yes | | Enforce 2FA for all users | No | Yes business | No | No | No | No | Yes enterprise | Yes Business Starter | | SSO (SAML) | No | Yes business | No | Yes enterprise | Yes enterprise | Yes enterprise | Yes enterprise | Yes Business Plus | | reCAPTCHA | Yes basic | Yes | Yes Basic | Yes starter | Yes business | Yes | Yes forms | No | | Local data residency | Yes | Yes enterprise | Yes Basic | No | No | No | No | Yes Business Plus | | Custom S3 storage | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | | Custom S3 storage (BYO) | No | Yes business | No | No | No | No | No | No | | HIPAA compliant | No | No | No | Yes gold | Yes enterprise | No | No | No | | 256-bit SSL | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Data residency | No | No | No | Yes enterprise | No | No | No | No | | Form encryption | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | PCI DSS | No | No | No | Yes starter | Yes | No | No | No | | ISO 27001 | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | | Integrations & API | | 2000+ integrations | Yes pro | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | | Zapier | Yes pro | Yes | Yes Pro | Yes starter | Yes basic | Yes | Yes forms | Yes | | Make (Integromat) | Yes pro | Yes | No | No | Yes basic | Yes | No | Yes | | Webhooks | Yes elite | Yes pro | Yes Elite | Yes starter | Yes basic | Yes | Yes forms | No | | Standard API | No | Yes pro | Yes Basic | No | No | No | Yes forms | Yes | | Business API | No | Yes business | No | No | No | No | Yes enterprise | No | | WordPress plugin | Yes | Yes | Yes Basic | Yes starter | Yes | Yes | Yes forms | No | | oEmbed support | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | | Native integrations | No | 2,000+ | No | 150+ (starter) | 120+ (basic) | No | No | No | | 50+ official add-ons | No | No | Yes Basic | No | No | No | No | No | | Stepper workflow automation | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | | API | No | No | No | Yes starter | Yes basic | No | No | No | | Salesforce AppExchange | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Embed options | No | No | No | Yes starter | Yes | No | No | No | | Mobile apps | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Additional Products | | Jotform Tables | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Jotform Sign | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Jotform Apps | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Jotform Workflows | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Jotform Report Builder | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Jotform AI Agents | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | | Jotform Store Builder | No | No | No | Yes starter | No | No | No | No | ## Pricing Comparison WPForms' annual pricing looks affordable — until you add hosting costs, renewal increases, and the features locked behind higher tiers. ![WPForms pricing page](/images/form-builders/wpforms/screenshot-pricing.png) *WPForms Pro at $199.50/year looks cheap until renewal doubles to $399/year — and you still need WordPress hosting on top.* ComparevsWith #### Paperform Free plan14 days trialFreeFreeforms: Unlimitedsubmissions: 30/monthstorage: 100 submissionsusers: 1file uploads: 100 MBEssentials$29/mo$24/mo billed annuallyforms: Unlimitedsubmissions: 100/monthstorage: 1,000 submissionsusers: 1file uploads: 1 GBPro$59/mo$49/mo billed annuallyforms: Unlimitedsubmissions: 1,000/monthstorage: 10,000 submissionsusers: 3file uploads: 10 GBBusiness$129/mo$99/mo billed annuallyforms: Unlimitedsubmissions: 10,000/monthstorage: 100,000 submissionsusers: 5file uploads: 100 GBVerified 2026-03-21 #### WPForms Free plan14 days trialLite (Free)Freeforms: Unlimitedsubmissions: Unlimitedusers: UnlimitedBasic—$4.13/mo billed annuallyforms: Unlimitedsubmissions: Unlimitedusers: UnlimitedPlus—$8.29/mo billed annuallyforms: Unlimitedsubmissions: Unlimitedusers: UnlimitedPro—$16.63/mo billed annuallyforms: Unlimitedsubmissions: Unlimitedusers: UnlimitedElite—$24.96/mo billed annuallyforms: Unlimitedsubmissions: Unlimitedusers: UnlimitedVerified 2026-03-21 | Product | Plan | Monthly Price | Annual Price (per month) | Free Plan | Free Trial | Limits | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | WPForms | Lite (Free) | Free | Free | Yes | 14 days | forms: Unlimited, submissions: Unlimited, users: Unlimited | | WPForms | Basic | Not listed | $4.13/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: Unlimited, users: Unlimited | | WPForms | Plus | Not listed | $8.29/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: Unlimited, users: Unlimited | | WPForms | Pro | Not listed | $16.63/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: Unlimited, users: Unlimited | | WPForms | Elite | Not listed | $24.96/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: Unlimited, users: Unlimited | | Paperform | Free | Free | Free | Yes | 14 days | forms: Unlimited, submissions: 30/month, storage: 100 submissions, users: 1, file uploads: 100 MB | | Paperform | Essentials | $29/mo | $24/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: 100/month, storage: 1,000 submissions, users: 1, file uploads: 1 GB | | Paperform | Pro | $59/mo | $49/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: 1,000/month, storage: 10,000 submissions, users: 3, file uploads: 10 GB | | Paperform | Business | $129/mo | $99/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: 10,000/month, storage: 100,000 submissions, users: 5, file uploads: 100 GB | | Gravity Forms | Basic | Not listed | $59/mo billed annually | No | 14 days | forms: Unlimited, submissions: Unlimited, storage: WordPress database (self-hosted), users: Unlimited (WordPress users) | | Gravity Forms | Pro | Not listed | $159/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: Unlimited, storage: WordPress database (self-hosted), users: Unlimited (WordPress users) | | Gravity Forms | Elite | Not listed | $259/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: Unlimited, storage: WordPress database (self-hosted), users: Unlimited (WordPress users) | | Gravity Forms | Nonprofit | Not listed | $129/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: Unlimited, storage: WordPress database (self-hosted), users: Unlimited (WordPress users) | | Jotform | Starter | Free | Free | Yes | No | forms: 5, submissions: 100/month, storage: 100 MB, users: 1 | | Jotform | Bronze | $39/mo | $34/mo billed annually | forms: 25, submissions: 1,000/month, storage: 1 GB, users: 1 | | Jotform | Silver | $49/mo | $39/mo billed annually | forms: 50, submissions: 2,500/month, storage: 10 GB, users: 1 | | Jotform | Gold | $129/mo | $99/mo billed annually | forms: 100, submissions: 10,000/month, storage: 100 GB, users: 1 | | Typeform | Free | Free | Free | Yes | No | forms: 10, submissions: 10/month, users: 1 | | Typeform | Basic | $39/mo | $28/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: 100/month, users: 1 | | Typeform | Plus | $79/mo | $56/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: 1,000/month, users: 3 | | Typeform | Business | $129/mo | $91/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: 10,000/month, users: 5 | | Typeform | Growth Pro | $379/mo | $266/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: Expanded, users: Expanded | | Cognito Forms | Individual (Free) | Free | Free | Yes | 14 days | forms: Unlimited, submissions: 100/month, storage: 100 MB, users: 1 | | Cognito Forms | Pro | $19/mo | $16/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: 2,000/month, storage: 1 GB, users: 2 | | Cognito Forms | Team | $39/mo | $33/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: 10,000/month, storage: 10 GB, users: 5 | | Cognito Forms | Enterprise | $129/mo | $109/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: Unlimited, storage: 100 GB, users: 20 | | Formstack | Forms | $99/mo | $83/mo billed annually | No | 14 days | forms: 25, submissions: 1,000/form, storage: 2 GB, users: 1, file uploads: 2 GB | | Formstack | Suite | $299/mo | $250/mo billed annually | forms: 100, submissions: 5,000/form, storage: 10 GB, users: 3, file uploads: 10 GB | | Google Forms | Free (Personal) | Free | Free | Yes | 14 days | forms: Unlimited, submissions: Unlimited, storage: 15 GB (shared across Google Drive), users: 1, file uploads: Included in 15 GB storage | | Google Forms | Business Starter | $7/mo | $7/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: Unlimited, storage: 30 GB per user, users: Up to 300, file uploads: Included in storage | | Google Forms | Business Standard | $14/mo | $14/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: Unlimited, storage: 2 TB per user, users: Up to 300, file uploads: Included in storage | | Google Forms | Business Plus | $22/mo | $22/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: Unlimited, storage: 5 TB per user, users: Up to 300, file uploads: Included in storage | ## Review Ratings Across Platforms WPForms' 4.8/5 WordPress.org rating reflects genuine user satisfaction within its niche. Here's how alternatives compare across broader review platforms. Paperform 4.82 / 5 (498 reviews) G2 4.8 (78) Capterra 4.8 (104) GetApp 4.9 (104) Trustpilot 4.8 (212) WPForms 4.8 / 5 (13,542 reviews) WordPress.org 4.8 (13,431) G2 4.5 (85) Capterra 4.3 (26) Jotform 4.7 / 5 (10,352 reviews) G2 4.7 (4,849) Capterra 4.7 (2,755) GetApp 4.7 (2,748) Gravity Forms 4.63 / 5 (515 reviews) G2 4.7 (240) Capterra 4.6 (89) GetApp 4.6 (89) Trustpilot 4.5 (97) Typeform 4.63 / 5 (2,835 reviews) G2 4.5 (969) Capterra 4.7 (930) GetApp 4.7 (936) Google Forms 4.63 / 5 (64,830 reviews) Capterra 4.7 (11,182) GetApp 4.7 (10,700) G2 4.6 (42,000) TrustRadius 4.3 (948) Formstack 4.4 / 5 (1,218 reviews) G2 4.5 (1,075) Capterra 4 (120) Trustpilot 1.6 (23) Cognito Forms 4.19 / 5 (693 reviews) G2 4.6 (84) Capterra 4.6 (135) Trustpilot 4 (474) ## Verdict: Which WPForms Alternative Should You Choose? The answer depends on whether you're leaving WordPress or staying. **Leaving WordPress:** **Paperform** is the best upgrade. It matches WPForms' ease of use with a document-style editor, adds Excel-style calculations, 5 payment gateways, e-signatures, and workflow automation — all on a platform that works on any website. The total cost of ownership (Paperform subscription vs WPForms Pro + WordPress hosting + maintenance) is often comparable, with dramatically more capability. **Staying on WordPress:** **Gravity Forms** is the natural in-ecosystem upgrade. It raises WPForms' feature ceiling substantially with developer-grade extensibility and a massive add-on marketplace, while keeping everything within your WordPress admin. **Maximum features on any platform:** **Jotform** offers the broadest feature set with the largest template library, ideal for template-first users. **Cognito Forms** is the best free option for teams that need calculations and payments without any cost — though you'll trade design polish for budget. ## Frequently Asked Questions Why are people looking for WPForms alternatives in 2026? The most common triggers are **outgrowing WordPress** and **hitting the feature ceiling**. WPForms is excellent for adding contact forms to a WordPress site, but the moment you need standalone form links, forms on non-WordPress pages, advanced calculations, or robust eCommerce features, you run into walls. The pricing structure also frustrates users — useful features like Zapier integration, payments, and surveys require the Pro plan ($199.50/year), and renewal prices double after the first year. Teams building multi-channel businesses increasingly find WordPress-only tools too constraining. Can I embed a non-WordPress form builder on my WordPress site? Yes — easily. SaaS form builders like **Paperform**, **Jotform**, and **Typeform** generate embed codes (iframe or JavaScript) that work on any website, including WordPress. Paperform also offers a WordPress plugin for seamless embedding. The forms render identically to WPForms-embedded forms from a visitor's perspective, but they're hosted on the form builder's infrastructure — so they load fast, don't add server overhead to your WordPress installation, and work even if you move off WordPress later. You get the best of both worlds: forms on your WordPress site today, portable to any platform tomorrow. How does WPForms compare to Gravity Forms for staying on WordPress? They serve different WordPress users. **WPForms** prioritises ease of use — it's the fastest path to a working form with minimal configuration. **Gravity Forms** targets developers and power users who need 500+ hooks, deep extensibility, and a massive third-party add-on ecosystem. WPForms has more active installations (6M+ vs 5M+) but a shallower feature ceiling. If you're leaving WPForms but staying on WordPress, Gravity Forms is the natural upgrade within the ecosystem. If you're leaving WordPress entirely, SaaS tools like Paperform or Jotform are the better path. For more detail, see [Gravity Forms vs WPForms](/form-builders/gravity-forms-vs-wpforms/). Does WPForms have an API for custom integrations? No. WPForms has no public REST API. Programmatic access to form data requires direct WordPress database queries or WordPress hooks, which limits integration options to what WPForms' add-ons support natively. Webhooks are only available on the Elite plan ($299.50/year). **Paperform** offers a full REST API on its Pro plan ($49/month) for reading and managing forms, submissions, and partial submissions — enabling custom integrations that WPForms can't support. **Jotform** also has a comprehensive API available on all plans. Can any WPForms alternative match its ease of use? WPForms' simplicity is genuine — it's the easiest WordPress form plugin for non-technical users. Among SaaS alternatives, **Paperform** is the closest equivalent in ease of use, with a document-style editor that feels like writing in Google Docs rather than configuring a form builder. **Google Forms** is even simpler but lacks nearly every power feature. **Typeform** is intuitive for short forms but its rigid one-question format limits flexibility. None of these work within WordPress admin the way WPForms does, but they're all accessible to non-technical users from a web browser. What happens to my forms if I leave WordPress? WPForms data stays in your WordPress database. There's no export-and-import migration tool for moving forms to a different platform. You'll need to **export submission data as CSV** and **rebuild forms manually** in your new tool. **Paperform's** AI form creation can generate a first draft from a description of your existing form, speeding up the rebuild process. **Jotform** has a form importer for some platforms. Plan a few hours per complex form for migration and thorough testing of integrations on the new platform. Is WPForms' pricing fair compared to SaaS form builders? On paper, WPForms looks cheap: $49.50/year for Basic, $199.50/year for Pro. But the comparison is misleading. Basic includes no payments, no Zapier, no surveys, and no signatures. Pro at $199.50/year ($16.63/month) covers most needs but **renewals double to $399/year**. Add WordPress hosting costs ($10-30/month), SSL, maintenance, and the time spent managing updates, and the total cost of ownership rivals SaaS tools. **Paperform** at $24/month ($288/year) includes everything in WPForms Pro plus 5 payment gateways, Excel-style calculations, custom domains, API access, and zero server maintenance — with no renewal price jumps. Which WPForms alternative handles payments best? WPForms supports Stripe, PayPal, and Square on Pro tier — but with no eCommerce features (no subscriptions, no tax calculations, no refund management, no product catalog). **Paperform** includes five gateways (Stripe, PayPal, Square, Braintree, Google Pay) with full eCommerce: subscriptions, coupons, tax calculations, refunds, and dynamic pricing powered by calculations — all on the free plan. **Jotform** supports 40+ gateways but with basic eCommerce. If payment-enabled forms are a primary use case, Paperform's calculation-driven pricing engine is the most capable option on this list. Who makes WPForms? WPForms is developed by **Awesome Motive**, the company behind several popular WordPress products including OptinMonster, MonsterInsights, and SeedProd. Founded by **Syed Balkhi** in 2016, WPForms has grown to 6 million+ active installations. Awesome Motive is bootstrapped and profitable, which makes WPForms a stable long-term bet within the WordPress ecosystem. The constraint isn't company health — it's platform dependency. If WordPress remains central to your stack, WPForms is safe. If you're diversifying, a platform-independent tool provides more flexibility. ## Sources & References 1. [Best WordPress Form Plugins Compared](https://www.elegantthemes.com/blog/wordpress/best-wordpress-form-plugins) — Elegant Themes, 2025 2. [Gravity Forms vs WPForms — Which Is Better?](https://www.wpbeginner.com/opinion/gravity-forms-vs-wpforms-which-is-better/) — WPBeginner, 2025 3. [Best Online Form Builder to Use in 2026 — Top 20 Tools](https://www.emailtooltester.com/en/blog/best-online-form-builder/) — EmailToolTester, 2026 Last updated March 21, 2026 ## Ready to try Paperform? Create beautiful forms, payment pages, and workflows — no code required.