WPForms
Beginner-friendly drag-and-drop form builder from Awesome Motive with a free Lite plugin, 2,100+ templates and tiered Pro plans for payments and CRMs.
100
Gravity Forms
Premium-only WordPress form builder from Rocketgenius with deep conditional logic, calculations and an official add-on library for payments and CRMs.
Est. active installs~2.1MLikely 1.1M–4.2M
Vendor claims5M+Vendor's own figure
Price from$59/yrPremium
Overview
Gravity Forms is a commercial form plugin built by Rocketgenius, first released in 2008 and one of the longest-running premium plugins in WordPress. There is no free version on WordPress.org; every installation runs on a paid licence, and the licence tier decides which official add-ons you can download.
The core plugin is already capable. Every licence gets the drag-and-drop editor, conditional logic on fields, sections, pages and notifications, multi-page forms with progress indicators, calculated number fields, file uploads, save-and-continue links, post creation fields, a template library, entry storage with notes, and GDPR tooling that hooks into WordPress’s personal data export and erasure. Spam is handled by a honeypot, Akismet, and official reCAPTCHA and Cloudflare Turnstile add-ons. Since version 2.7, the Orbital theme gives block-editor controls for colours, input size, radius and buttons.
How the tiers work
- Basic (1 site): core plugin plus marketing add-ons such as Mailchimp and HubSpot.
- Pro (3 sites): adds payment add-ons (Stripe, PayPal Checkout, Square) and automation such as Zapier.
- Elite (unlimited sites): every official add-on, including Webhooks, User Registration, Partial Entries, Signature, Quiz, Survey, Polls, Conversational Forms, Advanced Post Creation and Salesforce, plus priority support and multisite.
The main strengths are reliability and depth. Gravity Forms has a documented REST API and a very large hook surface, and a big ecosystem of third-party extensions (GravityKit, Gravity Wiz, Gravity PDF, Gravity Flow) has grown around it. That makes it a common choice for agencies building data-heavy workflows, approval processes or front-end directories.
The trade-offs are cost and missing built-ins. Many features rivals include in a free tier, such as webhooks or signatures, sit behind Elite. There is no official PDF or Google Sheets add-on, the true repeater field remains a developer-only beta, and there is no built-in prompt-based AI form generator; instead an official MCP add-on lets external AI assistants create and edit forms. The default styling is clean but less flexible than dedicated visual stylers.
Pick Gravity Forms if you build complex forms for clients, need a stable API, and value a mature add-on ecosystem more than a free entry point.
Best for: Agencies and developers building complex, integration-heavy forms who want a mature API and add-on ecosystem.
Gravity Forms remains a dependable professional choice with a strong core and a deep ecosystem. It is expensive once you need Elite-only add-ons such as webhooks or signatures, and it lacks a free tier, but for long-lived client projects its stability and extensibility are hard to fault.
Pros
- Conditional logic, calculations, multi-page and save-and-continue in every licence
- Large official add-on catalogue covering payments, CRMs and workflow
- Documented REST API and extensive hooks for custom development
- Huge third-party ecosystem (GravityKit, Gravity Wiz, Gravity PDF, Gravity Flow)
- Official reCAPTCHA v3 and Cloudflare Turnstile add-ons on all plans
- 30-day refund window on purchases and renewals
Cons
- No free version to try on WordPress.org
- Webhooks, signatures, user registration and partial entries require Elite
- No official PDF or Google Sheets add-on; relies on third parties
- Repeater field is still a code-only beta
- Built-in styling controls are basic compared with visual stylers
Key features
What Gravity Forms highlights on its own website, split by version.
Included features From $59/yr
- Drag-and-drop editor with 30+ field types
- Conditional logic on fields, pages and notifications
- Multi-page forms with progress bar
- Calculated fields and product pricing
- Save and continue later links
- Form template library
- Entry management with notes and export
- Orbital theme with block style controls
- Stripe, PayPal and Square on Pro
- Mailchimp and HubSpot on every plan
- Webhooks, signatures and quizzes on Elite
- REST API and extensive developer hooks
- reCAPTCHA, Turnstile, honeypot and Akismet
- WCAG-focused accessible markup
Feature checklist
34 of 36 features we track in Form Builders, feature score 94/100
Building 14/14
Drag & drop builder Key
Visual editor for adding and arranging fields without code.
Visual drag-and-drop editor with multi-column layouts on all licences.
Included
Multi-step forms
Split long forms into pages with a progress indicator.
Page break field splits forms into pages with progress indicator.
Included
Conditional logic Key
Show or hide fields and change actions based on answers.
Show or hide fields, sections, pages and notifications based on input.
Included
Calculations
Compute totals, quotes or scores from field values.
Number fields can use formulas; product fields support totals.
Included
File uploads
Let visitors attach files to a submission.
Single and multi-file upload field in core.
Included
Repeater fields
Let visitors add repeating sets of fields.
List field gives repeatable rows; the true Repeater field is a code-only beta.
Partial
Form templates
Ready-made forms to start from.
Built-in template library of pre-built, editable forms.
Included
Save and resume
Visitors can save a partial entry and finish later.
Save and Continue lets users return via a unique link.
Included
Conversational forms
One-question-at-a-time, typeform-style layout.
Conversational Forms add-on included with Elite and Nonprofit.
Paid version Elite
Signature field
Capture a drawn or typed signature on a form.
Signature add-on included with Elite and Nonprofit licences.
Paid version Elite
Quizzes
Scored quizzes with right and wrong answers.
Official Quiz add-on is an Elite-tier add-on.
Paid version Elite
Surveys and polls
Survey fields such as Likert scales and poll results reporting.
Survey and Polls add-ons are included with Elite.
Paid version Elite
Visual styling controls
Change colours, spacing and layout without writing CSS.
Orbital theme offers block-editor colour, size and radius controls; deeper styling needs CSS.
Partial
AI form builder
Generate a form from a written prompt.
No built-in prompt generator; official MCP add-on lets external AI assistants build forms.
Partial
Payments 4/4
Stripe payments Key
Take card payments through Stripe.
Stripe add-on included with Pro, Elite and Nonprofit.
Paid version Pro
PayPal payments
Take payments through PayPal.
PayPal Checkout add-on starts at the Pro licence.
Paid version Pro
Square payments
Take payments through Square.
Square add-on included with Pro, Elite and Nonprofit.
Paid version Pro
Recurring payments
Subscriptions or repeating charges.
Stripe and Square add-ons support subscriptions with trials and setup fees.
Paid version Pro
Entries & workflow 6/7
Entry management Key
Browse, search and export submissions in the dashboard.
Entries stored in admin with search, notes, starring and CSV export.
Included
Custom email notifications
Configurable admin and user emails per form.
Multiple notifications per form with conditional routing.
Included
Webhooks
Send submissions to any URL.
Webhooks add-on is limited to Elite and Nonprofit licences.
Paid version Elite
User registration
Create WordPress users from a form.
User Registration add-on available on Elite and Nonprofit.
Paid version Elite
Front-end post submissions
Create posts or custom post types from a form.
Core Post fields create posts; Advanced Post Creation add-on (Elite) adds more.
Included
Partial entries
Capture what visitors typed before abandoning a form.
Partial Entries add-on captures abandoned forms; Elite and Nonprofit.
Paid version Elite
PDF generation
Create PDFs from submissions, for example receipts or applications.
No official PDF add-on; commonly handled by the third-party Gravity PDF plugin.
Third-party
Integrations 4/5
Mailchimp
Add subscribers to Mailchimp lists.
Mailchimp add-on included with every licence, including Basic.
Included
Zapier
Connect submissions to thousands of apps via Zapier.
Zapier add-on included with Pro, Elite and Nonprofit.
Paid version Pro
HubSpot
Send leads to HubSpot CRM.
HubSpot add-on included with all licences, including Basic.
Included
Google Sheets
Append submissions to a Google Sheet.
Google Sheets listed via certified developer Gravity Wiz, sold separately.
Third-party
Salesforce
Send leads and contacts to Salesforce.
Salesforce add-on is an Elite-only add-on.
Paid version Elite
Spam & compliance 4/4
reCAPTCHA
Google reCAPTCHA spam protection.
Core reCAPTCHA v2 field plus v3 add-on included with all licences.
Included
Cloudflare Turnstile
Privacy-friendly CAPTCHA alternative.
Official Cloudflare Turnstile add-on included with every licence.
Included
Honeypot / built-in anti-spam
Invisible spam filtering without a CAPTCHA.
Built-in anti-spam honeypot setting per form.
Included
GDPR tools
Consent fields, data export/erasure, IP storage controls.
Personal data settings, consent field and WordPress export/erasure integration.
Included
Developer 2/2
Developer hooks & API
Actions, filters and/or REST API for custom work.
Open REST API plus a large set of documented actions and filters.
Included
Block editor block
Embed forms with a native block.
Gravity Forms block with theme and style settings in the editor.
Included
Pricing
Basic
$59per year1 site
Core plugin plus Basic add-ons (e.g. Mailchimp, HubSpot, reCAPTCHA, Turnstile); standard support.
Pro
$159per year3 sites
Adds Pro add-ons such as Stripe, PayPal Checkout, Square and Zapier.
Elite
$259per yearUnlimited
All official add-ons, priority support and multisite. A separate Nonprofit licence is also offered.
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 14 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use Gravity Forms?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
—
No free version on WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
5M+
Sites/users claimed on the vendor's website. source
Estimated active installs
~2.1M
Our estimate, see method below.
How we estimated this: Website scans by WPoptic find the paid plugin (folder gravityforms) on 660,346 live sites; the scans reach roughly 38% of WordPress sites, so each site found stands for about 2.6, giving 1.7M. The vendor says 5M+ sites use it, and 80% of that is 4M. Vendor totals are loose, so we only move our figure part of the way toward it, from 1.7M to 2.1M. Likely range: 1.1M to 4.2M. This counts sites running the paid version, including sites whose licence has lapsed. Estimates are rough and based on public figures as of 14 Oct 2026.
Company & policy
| Founded | 2008 (source, 5 Oct 2026) |
|---|---|
| Refund policy | 30-day refund window (source, 5 Oct 2026) Applies to original purchases, renewals and upgrades; no partial refunds. |
Gravity Forms compared
Alternatives to Gravity Forms
Fluent Forms
Fast WordPress form builder from WPManageNinja with a generous free tier (conversational forms, Stripe, AI builder) and one-tier Pro licences.
99
Formidable Forms
Drag-and-drop WordPress form builder with a visual styler, calculators, quizzes and Views for turning entries into directories and listings.
98
SureForms
Block-editor form builder from Brainstorm Force with AI form creation and free Stripe forms; paid plans add logic, multi-step and integrations.
96
Forminator
Generous free form, quiz and poll builder from WPMU DEV with payments, logic and integrations included; Pro adds PDFs, e-signatures and subscriptions.
92
Everest Forms
Drag-and-drop WordPress form builder from WPEverest with a free AI form builder; one Pro licence unlocks all add-ons, payments and integrations.
96
FAQ
Is Gravity Forms free?
No. Gravity Forms is a premium plugin. Paid plans start at $59/yr.
How many sites use Gravity Forms?
The vendor claims 5M+ sites in total. We estimate around 2.1M active installs.
Does Gravity Forms have drag & drop builder?
Yes: included. Visual drag-and-drop editor with multi-column layouts on all licences.
Does Gravity Forms have conditional logic?
Yes: included. Show or hide fields, sections, pages and notifications based on input.
Does Gravity Forms have stripe payments?
Yes: paid version (Pro). Stripe add-on included with Pro, Elite and Nonprofit.
Does Gravity Forms have entry management?
Yes: included. Entries stored in admin with search, notes, starring and CSV export.
Is there a free version of Gravity Forms?
No. Gravity Forms is premium-only; there is no WordPress.org edition. Purchases and renewals carry a 30-day refund window, which acts as a trial period.
Which Gravity Forms licence do I need for payments?
Stripe, PayPal Checkout and Square add-ons start at the Pro licence (3 sites). Basic covers core features and marketing add-ons such as Mailchimp and HubSpot.
What does the Elite licence add?
Elite unlocks every official add-on, including Webhooks, User Registration, Partial Entries, Signature, Quiz, Survey, Polls, Conversational Forms, Advanced Post Creation and Salesforce, plus unlimited sites and priority support.
Can Gravity Forms generate PDFs or send entries to Google Sheets?
Not with official add-ons. Most users rely on Gravity PDF for PDFs and certified third-party add-ons (such as Gravity Wiz's GS Connector) for Google Sheets.
Does Gravity Forms work with AI tools?
There is no built-in prompt-to-form generator, but the official MCP add-on, available on every licence, lets AI assistants such as Claude or ChatGPT create and manage forms.
Last updated 5 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.