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
Ninja Forms
Accessibility-focused WordPress form builder with a capable free core and a large catalogue of paid add-ons sold individually or in memberships.
Free installs500K+WordPress.org, active
Est. Pro installs~44KLikely 22K–88K
Rating4.4/51,397 reviews
Price from$29/yrFreemium
Last updated2 Nov 2026Version 3.16.0
Overview
Ninja Forms is a long-running WordPress form builder, launched in 2011 and now developed by Saturday Drive. It uses a drag-and-drop builder and a modular business model: a free core plugin on WordPress.org, plus paid add-ons that you can buy one at a time or bundle through Plus, Pro and Elite memberships.
The free core has become noticeably stronger in recent releases. It includes unlimited forms and submissions, around 30 field types, calculations, repeatable fieldsets, a drawn or typed signature field (added in 3.13), star ratings, and spam protection via honeypot, Akismet, reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha and Cloudflare Turnstile. Version 3.15 added an AI form builder that turns a plain-language prompt into a form through the WordPress Abilities API. Submissions can be searched, edited, re-sent and exported to CSV, and GDPR export/erasure tools are built in.
What you pay for
- Plus ($99/yr, 3 sites): conditional logic, file uploads, multi-step forms, Layout & Styles, conversational forms, PayPal and the main email-marketing add-ons including Mailchimp.
- Pro ($199/yr, 20 sites): adds Stripe (including subscriptions), Save Progress, User Management, Zapier, HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack and Trello.
- Elite ($499/yr, unlimited): every add-on, including Webhooks, PDF Form Submission, Front-End Posting, Excel export and Recurly.
Individual add-ons cost roughly $29-$49 a year each, which can be cheaper if you need just one or two.
Strengths and limitations
Ninja Forms is a good fit for developers thanks to a long list of actions and filters, WP-CLI commands and Abilities API support. Accessibility is a stated design priority. On the downside, conditional logic and file uploads are paywalled, webhooks and PDFs are reserved for the most expensive tier, and there are no native quizzes, polls, Square payments or Google Sheets integration. Without the Layout & Styles add-on, visual styling options are limited.
Who should pick it: sites that want a free form builder with calculations and repeaters, and who prefer buying only the specific add-ons they need.
Best for: Developers and site owners who want a solid free core and prefer to buy only the add-ons they actually need.
Ninja Forms' free core is more generous than it used to be, with calculations, repeaters and signatures included. Its add-on model is flexible, but conditional logic is paid and key automation tools like webhooks and PDFs are locked to the top tier, so costs climb quickly for advanced setups.
Pros
- Free core includes calculations, repeaters and a signature field
- Buy individual add-ons instead of a full bundle
- Built-in GDPR export/erasure and accessibility focus
- Free Cloudflare Turnstile, hCaptcha and reCAPTCHA
- Developer friendly: hooks, WP-CLI and Abilities API
- Free AI form builder in recent versions
Cons
- Conditional logic and file uploads are paid
- Webhooks, PDFs and front-end posting require the $499 Elite plan
- No native quizzes, polls, Square or Google Sheets
- Styling options limited without the Layout & Styles add-on
Key features
What Ninja Forms highlights on its WordPress.org page and its own website, split by version.
Free version WordPress.org
- Unlimited forms and submissions
- Drag-and-drop form builder
- Calculations for quotes and scoring
- Repeatable fieldsets
- Signature and star rating fields
- AI form builder from prompts
- Honeypot, Akismet, reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha
- Cloudflare Turnstile support
- GDPR export and erasure tools
- Submissions view, edit and CSV export
- Gutenberg block and shortcode
- GA4 submission tracking
Pro / paid adds From $29/yr
- Conditional logic
- File uploads
- Multi-step forms
- Layout and Styles controls
- Conversational forms
- Save Progress for long forms
- PayPal and Stripe payments
- User registration and profiles
- Mailchimp and email marketing add-ons
- Zapier, HubSpot and Salesforce
- Webhooks (Elite)
- PDF form submissions (Elite)
- Front-end posting (Elite)
Feature checklist
32 of 36 features we track in Form Builders, feature score 93/100
Building 13/14
Drag & drop builder Key
Visual editor for adding and arranging fields without code.
Free drag-and-drop builder.
Included
Multi-step forms
Split long forms into pages with a progress indicator.
Multi Step Forms add-on ($29) or Plus membership.
Paid version Plus
Conditional logic Key
Show or hide fields and change actions based on answers.
Conditional Logic add-on ($49) or Plus membership.
Paid version Plus
Calculations
Compute totals, quotes or scores from field values.
Field and option values can be combined in formulas in the free core.
Included
File uploads
Let visitors attach files to a submission.
File Uploads add-on ($49) or Plus membership.
Paid version Plus
Repeater fields
Let visitors add repeating sets of fields.
Repeatable fieldset is part of the free core.
Included
Form templates
Ready-made forms to start from.
Built-in starter templates; 100+ importable templates on the website.
Included
Save and resume
Visitors can save a partial entry and finish later.
Save Progress add-on ($29) or Pro membership.
Paid version Pro
Conversational forms
One-question-at-a-time, typeform-style layout.
Conversational Forms add-on included from Plus.
Paid version Plus
Signature field
Capture a drawn or typed signature on a form.
Typed or drawn signature field added to core in 3.13.
Included
Quizzes
Scored quizzes with right and wrong answers.
No quiz mode; calculations can score answers for simple quizzes.
Partial
Surveys and polls
Survey fields such as Likert scales and poll results reporting.
No dedicated survey or poll add-on listed.
Not included
Visual styling controls
Change colours, spacing and layout without writing CSS.
Layout and Styles add-on ($49) or Plus membership.
Paid version Plus
AI form builder
Generate a form from a written prompt.
Prompt-to-form AI builder added in 3.15 via the WordPress Abilities API.
Included
Payments 3/4
Stripe payments Key
Take card payments through Stripe.
Stripe add-on ($29) or Pro membership.
Paid version Pro
PayPal payments
Take payments through PayPal.
PayPal Checkout add-on ($29) or Plus membership.
Paid version Plus
Square payments
Take payments through Square.
No Square add-on in the official catalogue.
Not included
Recurring payments
Subscriptions or repeating charges.
Stripe add-on supports subscriptions; Recurly add-on is Elite-only.
Paid version Pro
Entries & workflow 6/7
Entry management Key
Browse, search and export submissions in the dashboard.
Search, filter, edit, resend and export submissions for free.
Included
Custom email notifications
Configurable admin and user emails per form.
Unlimited email notifications to multiple recipients.
Included
Webhooks
Send submissions to any URL.
Webhooks add-on ($49) is only bundled with Elite.
Paid version Elite
User registration
Create WordPress users from a form.
User Management add-on ($29) or Pro membership.
Paid version Pro
Front-end post submissions
Create posts or custom post types from a form.
Front-End Posting add-on ($29) is only bundled with Elite.
Paid version Elite
Partial entries
Capture what visitors typed before abandoning a form.
No abandoned-form capture in core or the add-on catalogue.
Not included
PDF generation
Create PDFs from submissions, for example receipts or applications.
PDF Form Submission add-on ($49) is only bundled with Elite.
Paid version Elite
Integrations 4/5
Mailchimp
Add subscribers to Mailchimp lists.
Mailchimp add-on ($29) or Plus membership.
Paid version Plus
Zapier
Connect submissions to thousands of apps via Zapier.
Zapier add-on ($29) or Pro membership.
Paid version Pro
HubSpot
Send leads to HubSpot CRM.
HubSpot add-on ($29) or Pro membership.
Paid version Pro
Google Sheets
Append submissions to a Google Sheet.
No official add-on; third-party GSheetConnector plugin available.
Third-party
Salesforce
Send leads and contacts to Salesforce.
Salesforce CRM add-on ($29) or Pro membership.
Paid version Pro
Spam & compliance 4/4
reCAPTCHA
Google reCAPTCHA spam protection.
reCAPTCHA v2 and v3 fields in core.
Included
Cloudflare Turnstile
Privacy-friendly CAPTCHA alternative.
Cloudflare Turnstile field added to core in 3.11.
Included
Honeypot / built-in anti-spam
Invisible spam filtering without a CAPTCHA.
Automatic honeypot plus Akismet support.
Included
GDPR tools
Consent fields, data export/erasure, IP storage controls.
Personal data export/erasure support and PII field flags.
Included
Developer 2/2
Developer hooks & API
Actions, filters and/or REST API for custom work.
Extensive actions/filters, WP-CLI and Abilities API support.
Included
Block editor block
Embed forms with a native block.
Gutenberg block for inserting forms.
Included
Pricing
Free
$0On WordPress.org
Plus
$99per year3 sites
First year shown at $59.40; 16 add-ons included
Pro
$199per year20 sites
First year shown at $119.40; 28 add-ons included
Elite
$499per yearUnlimited
First year shown at $299.40; all add-ons
Single add-on
$29per year1 site
Most add-ons $29; Conditional Logic, File Uploads, Webhooks and PDF are $49
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 14 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use Ninja Forms?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
500K+
Active installations reported by WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
—
The vendor does not publish a total.
Estimated Pro / paid installs
~44K
Our estimate, see method below.
How we estimated this: About 550K free installs x 8% (the usual share of free sites that also run the paid version when some key features are paid) gives 44K. Likely range: 22K to 88K. 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.
Stats & health
Weekly downloads
285,341 downloads last week, 64.5M all time
Rating breakdown
| Version | 3.16.0 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 2 Nov 2026 (1 days ago) |
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4 |
| Requires | WordPress 6.9+, PHP 7.4+ |
| Support threads (2 months) | 6 of 10 resolved |
| On WordPress.org since | 21 Dec 2011 |
Company & policy
| Founded | 2011 (source, 5 Oct 2026) |
|---|---|
| Refund policy | 14-day money-back (source, 5 Oct 2026) |
Ninja Forms compared
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Formidable Forms
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SureForms
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Forminator
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FAQ
Is Ninja Forms free?
Yes. Ninja Forms has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $29/yr.
How many sites use Ninja Forms?
WordPress.org reports 500K+ active installations of the free version. We estimate around 44K sites run the paid version.
Does Ninja Forms have drag & drop builder?
Yes: included. Free drag-and-drop builder.
Does Ninja Forms have conditional logic?
Yes: paid version (Plus). Conditional Logic add-on ($49) or Plus membership.
Does Ninja Forms have stripe payments?
Yes: paid version (Pro). Stripe add-on ($29) or Pro membership.
Does Ninja Forms have entry management?
Yes: included. Search, filter, edit, resend and export submissions for free.
Is conditional logic free in Ninja Forms?
No. It is a paid add-on ($49/year on its own) and is included in the Plus, Pro and Elite memberships.
Should I buy individual add-ons or a membership?
If you need only one or two add-ons, buying them individually is usually cheaper. Plus becomes better value once you need several, such as conditional logic, uploads and multi-step together.
Can Ninja Forms take recurring payments?
Yes, through the Stripe add-on (Pro tier and above) or the Recurly add-on, which is included in Elite.
Does Ninja Forms have a signature field for free?
Yes. A signature field was added to the free core in version 3.13 (October 2025).
Last updated 5 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.