Contact forms are necessary for almost every website, but more so for companies, blogs, or e-commerce websites. This medium makes it possible for you to speak directly with your users thereby being able to generate leads, support your customers and even collect feedback. For a long time now one of the most downloaded WordPress plugins for such purpose has been Contact Form 7. But, a lot of users want to find alternatives to Contact Form 7 due to various reasons, such as its slowness, and lack of some features, and moreover there are better options now.
In this post, we will focus on the best solutions to Contact Form 7 and what differentiates them from it. Those looking for a Contact Form 7 reCAPTCHA alternative and the overall performance improvements any such up-front coding techniques provide will also be duly addressed. So, if you are looking for more efficient WordPress Contact Form 7 alternatives, this blog will help you.
Why Look for Alternatives of Contact Form 7?
Before we get into the list of Contact Form 7 alternatives, it’s essential to understand why users seek these alternatives.
- Limited Features: Out of the box, Contact Form 7 is quite basic. Conditional logic, form analytics, integrating with CRM systems and other advanced functionalities require the help of a number of third-party plug-ins.
- Poor User Interface: The backend of the plugin is quite hard to navigate for first-timers. Some users not well versed with the technology may also have difficulty designing forms with shortcodes.
- No Drag-and-Drop Builder: The intuitive drag-and-drop builder which is present in most modern applications is missing in Contact Form 7 making it difficult to customize forms.
- Performance Issues: As much as contact form 7 is good, it has been associated with slow load times which negatively affects the overall performance of the site..
- reCAPTCHA Spam Issues: One of the major complaints from Contact Form 7 users is its lack of an effective Contact Form 7 reCAPTCHA alternative. Spam submissions can be a significant concern.
- Lack of Support and Updates: The Contact Form 7 plugin is free, but its Contact Form 7 support is not that great as most users tend to say that they get slow or no responses at all
What to Look for in a WordPress Contact Form 7 Alternative?
When searching for a Contact Form 7 alternative, you should consider several factors:
- Ease of Use: The plugin should allow the user to drag and drop forms.
- Advanced Features: Features like conditional logic, file uploads, and multi-page forms should be a must.
- Integration: Make sure the form integrates well with third-party services like email marketing tools, CRMs, and payment gateways.
- Spam Protection: An effective Contact Form 7 reCAPTCHA alternative should be in place.
- Performance: Choose lightweight plugins that don’t affect your website’s load time.
- Customer Support: Ensure that the plugin provides excellent support and regular updates.
With these factors in mind, let’s take a look at the best alternatives to Contact Form 7.
1. ARForms
ARForms is an all-in-one form builder that serves as a powerful WordPress Contact Form 7 alternative. Known for its flexibility, ease of use, and feature-rich design, ARForms is a great choice Premium WordPress form plugin for anyone looking for an intuitive form builder with advanced capabilities.
Key Features:
- Drag-and-Drop Builder: ARForms provides an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface, allowing users to create custom forms without any coding knowledge.
- Pre-built Templates: It comes with a variety of pre-built form templates that simplify the form creation process.
- Spam Protection: ARForms includes built-in spam protection features such as Google reCAPTCHA and honeypot, making it an excellent Contact Form 7 reCAPTCHA alternative.
- Multi-Page Forms: You can create multi-step forms to improve user engagement and form completion rates.
- Conditional Logic: ARForms’ smart conditional logic module lets you display or hide form fields based on user input.
- Integrations: ARForms integrates with various email marketing services such as Mailchimp, AWeber, and payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe.
- Real-time Form Builder: ARForms allows you to build and preview your forms in real-time, making customization faster and easier.
Pricing:
ARForms starts at $39 for a one-time payment, offering great value with a wide array of features.
Why It’s a Great Contact Form 7 Alternative:
ARForms is perfect for users who want a flexible, feature-rich, and cost-effective form builder. With its powerful spam protection, real-time builder, and multi-step form options, ARForms stands out as an ideal choice for both beginners and advanced users looking for a comprehensive Contact Form 7 alternative.
2. Gravity Forms
Gravity Forms is another highly recommended alternative to Contact Form 7, especially for developers and businesses requiring advanced form features.
Key Features:
- Conditional Logical: Depending on the behavior of the user, display or hide form fields.
- Multi-Page Forms: Break long forms into multiple steps to improve user experience.
- File Uploads: Users can submit files through your forms.
- Spam Prevention: WordPress forms support multiple spam protection solutions, including Google reCAPTCHA, Akismet, and honeypots.
- Extensive Add-Ons: Integrate with a wide range of services, such as Zapier, Stripe, and Mailchimp.
- Customizable: Developers love Gravity Forms because of its flexibility and hooks for customization.
Pricing:
Gravity Forms starts at $59/year for a single site license.
Why It’s a Great Contact Form 7 Alternative:
For those who need highly customizable and feature-rich forms, Gravity Forms is an excellent choice. While it doesn’t have a free version, its extensive set of features justifies the cost.
3. Ninja Forms
Ninja Forms can be your best alternative to WP Contact Form 7, especially if you have a limited budget for a powerful form-building solution.
Key Features:
- Drag-and-Drop Builder: One of the rare abilities that this app has is the drag and drop feature that helps in creating forms easily.
- Spam Protection: Lacks built-in spam protection but supports Google reCAPTCHA, Akismet and honeypot fields.
- Conditional Logic: This allows you to tailor the design and edit content of a form depending on the information provided by the user.
- Pre-built Templates: These are already made templates that allow one to cut down on time during the creation of forms.
- Integrations: PayPal, zapier, and email marketing services.
Pricing:
A portion of Ninja Forms is available totally free to all visitors on WordPress.org. However, for those who want more advanced features, they will have to pay for it beginning at $49/year.
Why It’s a Great Contact Form 7 Alternative:
When considering the use of a form plugin that is lightweight and flexible without draining tons of money, Ninja Forms would be the perfect option. Even the basic version is already feature-packed and the premium add-ons allow for further advancement in future.
4. Formidable Forms
Should you be looking for an advanced and more customizable Contact Form 7 alternative that includes extensive complex forms and data, then you should probably choose Formidable Forms.
Key Features:
- Form Builder: Builder is done through dragging and dropping items.
- Advanced Features: Multi-page forms, conditional logic, and file uploads.
- Visual Form Styler: No need for any coding to change the way forms look.
- Data Management: Users can manage and display submissions of forms which is great for directories, job boards etc.
- Spam Protection: Effective spam protection via Google reCAPTCHA and hCaptcha.
- Custom Forms: Different formats for displaying user data and submissions.
Pricing:
The price starts from $39.50/year for the basic package.
Why It’s a Great Contact Form 7 Alternative:
Most users will be able to make use of it despite not creating advanced forms. Formidable Forms should be one of the best choices if you are creating not only basic contact forms. It is also very flexible offering a lot of customizations, which is perfect for advanced users looking for sophisticated options of form and data management.
5. Fluent Forms
It’s not that easy to find a great WordPress Contact Form 7 alternative in the sea of many classical software, but Fluent Forms makes the cut as it has a simple and fast structure tightly packed with plenty of functions.
Key Features:
- Drag-and-Drop Builder: No coding skills required to create forms within no time..
- Ready to Use Templates:: You can pick almost any template that you would want to use and it would cut down some time..
- Spam Protection: Leverage reCAPTCHA and Akismet as anti-spamming options with Flexible Forms.
- Conditional Logic: Decide which fields to display or hide depending on their answers.
- Form Analytics: Track form conversions and performance metrics.
- Third-Party Integrations: Get Forms, payment systems and open CRMs, and many more.
Pricing:
Fluent forms has a customer base for its basic services, with a free plan and paid plans beginning from $59/year.
Why It’s a Great Contact Form 7 Alternative:
If you are in need of a fast and simple to use form plugin, Fluent Forms will do the job. It is a wise choice for website owners who are particular about the performance with regards to managing a lot of forms.
6. MetForm
MetForm is a versatile form-building plugin for WordPress, known for its seamless integration with Elementor, which sets it apart as a strong contender in the form builder arena. It provides both free and premium versions, catering to various user needs.
Key Features:
- Elementor Integration: Create and design forms directly within the Elementor interface for a highly intuitive and streamlined experience.
- Drag-and-Drop Builder: Easily construct complex forms with a user-friendly drag-and-drop builder that requires no coding knowledge.
- Conditional Logic: Display or hide form fields based on user inputs, enhancing form interactivity and user experience.
- Spam Protection: Built-in support for Google reCAPTCHA helps prevent spam submissions.
- Multi-Step Forms: Break long forms into multiple steps to make them more manageable and user-friendly.
- Form Templates: Start with pre-designed templates to quickly set up your forms with minimal effort.
Pricing: MetForm provides an option, with functions and its premium subscriptions begin at $39 annually.The premium tier offers enhanced features and extra form designs which can be a budget choice for users, in need of capabilities.
Why It’s a Great Contact Form 7 Alternative: MetForm emerges as a substitute for Contact Form 7 for reasons. Notably its seamless integration with Elementor that enhances the visual and interactive aspects of form creation significantly. With an array of functionalities such as logic and multi step forms complemented by its responsive design features; it caters to users looking for a blend of flexibility and simplicity in crafting forms effectively.
The Best reCAPTCHA Alternatives for Contact Form 7
Users often encounter a challenge when using Contact Form 7 – dealing with spam submissions despite having Google reCAPTCHA in place, for protection against automated bots and unwanted messages. If you’re in search of an Contact Form 7 reCAPTCHA alternative7 setup Here are a few options worth considering;
- hCaptcha: Have you heard of hCaptcha? It’s a privacy option, to Google reCAPTCHA that can be seamlessly integrated with form plugins, like ARForms, Fluent Forms and Formidable Forms.
- Akismet: Akismet is an anti-spam tool that seamlessly integrates with various WordPress form plugins, like Ninja Forms ARForms and Gravity Forms.
- Honeypot: Many online form tools such as Fluent Forms and Ninja Forms utilize fields to catch bots discreetly without bothering users, with CAPTCHA challenges.
Conclusion
There are numerous options similar to Contact Form 7 alternatives, and each one is special/unique in terms of capabilities, pricing/list of benefits and usage/learning curve/understandability. Thus, even if you prefer forms with powerful customization abilities or contemplate something simpler, there is something that suits everybody.
ARForms and Ninja Forms is what I advise for beginners and users who want a very basic understanding for the tasks they are intended to do. Developers and advanced users might lean more on Gravity Forms or Formidable Forms.
Now, for those of you considering trying out different options for Contact Form 7 reCAPTCHA alternatives that do not really work now allegedly not working revise: Ah yes, contact forms still contain spam and arranging alternatives like Fluent Forms or ARForms is more viable.
All in all, which of the many WordPress Contact Form 7 alternatives is better will need to be determined by the user’s specific objectives, e.g. whether they stress more on ease of use, features or the ability to block unwanted emails. Hence look into these alternatives and select the one that fits your blog requirements optimally.
