When I first started with WordPress, I noticed that it didn’t come with a way for me to record customer emails or questions. When I got done searching, they bombarded me with plugins from free to paid that could all solve that same problem at different levels.
Today I have the ultimate solution to all your form needs. HappyForms offers both free and paid forms with features that some page builders don’t even have today. Their plans offer things like conditional logic, analytics, PDF attachments, multi-page forms and so much more. HappyForms is one of the best form builders on the market and offers some of the best pricing.
Today we will look at what makes HappyForms great and also give you a deeper look into what the different plans offer you. If you have been looking for a form that can handle almost every type of request you can think of, then HappyForms may be what you are looking for.
Why are forms a problem in WordPress
One problem I discovered when I started using WordPress was the fact that there was a lack of any form of integration built-in. Instead, you would have to shift through the pages of form plugins. Which trust me, you will find pages of.
Forms are important for a ton of different reasons, but here are some of the main ones I can think of:
- Contact forms
- Client questionnaires
- Mail subscription forms
- Polls
- Ecommerce check out forms
- File upload forms
So the problem then becomes, can a free form do all the above or allow that to happen? Answer is yes, but you’re going to need to pay for additional functionality. Most of the free form plugins are very limited, I’m looking at you Contact Form 7.
So why these free forms are great for very simple contact forms, I wanted a solution that would allow me to grow with my form. This is where Happyforms comes into the play and we’ll discuss more of what they do that’s different from other form makers out there.
Growing with HappyForms
So anyone keeping track will know that HappyForms offers both free and paid plugins. Their free plugin is great for a simple form. It offers many of the same functionality of regular forms but comes with a simple form building tool which allows simple form building.
Rather than inserting things like special characters or using some kind of programming similar to php or CSS. HappyForms works much in the way of modern page builders allowing you to custom build your forms.
Another thing that bothered me is I don’t like moving from one form plugin to another. I don’t know if you know, but that process can be a bit of a pain to do. My goal was to find one form plugin that allows me to grow with the form from start to finish.
That is where HappyForms came in and really saved my bacon. They have all the features of some of the bigger form builders out there and much more on the paid plans. Let’s look at the things you can do with your HappyForms plugin.
HappyForms Features
HappyForms has no shortage of features on its paid plans, which are very affordable and start at $69 dollars a year. Sometimes you can catch a deal for $49, which is a steal considering all the alternative forms out there.
Let me save you some time and point out the features that you won’t see from other form builders include the following:
- Resume partial responses
- Form pop-up
- Password protection
- Form with date/time scheduler
- User role management
- Submission blocklist
- File upload partial
You may never need most of these, but when you do it’s good to have a plugin that has these types of things built-in to the plugin itself. And as a reminder these are just a partial list of the full features included, I didn’t want to mention more common features such as conditional logic.
If you are looking for a full list of the features that are listed I suggest the website itself which covers them pretty widely. Some of my favorite features that I think can not be understated are:
Saving abandoned responses is useful for someone who still wants the data. They warn that it may include spam, but if you are taking a poll or you need some kind of information, this can be helpful.
Form pop-up is also another unique feature which allows you to open the form in a pop-up. When you have a rather lengthy form or you just want to keep your pages clean, this can be a godsend.
User role management is also something unique to HappyForms. While I haven’t tried every form plugin that there is out there, user management is one that can help you with large websites. The ability to manage who can do what with a form is something that you might need if you want to add team members.
How does HappyForms compare to other forms on pricing?
When you are looking for a form plugin, one thing that is probably most important to you is pricing. HappyForms pricing is competitive compared to a lot of the other form builders out on the market.
Here are the prices for some of the leading competitors in the market. Keep in mind that this is a tiny selection of data. We would have to include all the form features to make this fair.
| HappyForms | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| $69 | $99 | $289 | |
| Number of Forms | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited |
| Website Installs | 1 | 5 | unlimited |
| Yearly Updates | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| WPForms | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| $79 | $199 | $299 | |
| Number of Forms | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited |
| Website Installs | 1 | 3 | unlimited |
| Yearly Updates | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Ninja Forms | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| $49 | $99 | $249 | |
| Number of Forms | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited |
| Website Installs | 1 | 20 | unlimited |
| Yearly Updates | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Gravity Forms | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| $59 | $159 | $249 | |
| Number of Forms | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited |
| Website Installs | 1 | 3 | unlimited |
| Yearly Updates | 1 | 1 | 1 |
So as you can see in the form data HappyForms is on par with some of the other forms on the market. Keep in mind I didn’t include discounts which may or may not be limited time deals. Some people will use discounts to keep you interested but then never drop them, so I kept the original prices.
Another thing this chart will explain is that at $129 (PRO) on HappyForms you get pretty much all the features unlocked including integrations with payment platforms, this is something that other forms require you to either pay extra or buy their $200+ package to unlock. So it’s nice to have a happy medium that allows you to have this.
Related Questions
HappyForms doesn’t allow me X feature on the free tier? This is common to form plugins. Once you look around the market, you will realize that they are reasonable for their free tier, it does not include everything but then again, it probably shouldn’t. My only complaint is I would like to see recaptcha added for free to the free tier.
What are some overrated features? Unlimited forms are very common, payment unlocking always happens above the $100 mark which is a little crazy, I’d like to see this added to lower tiers. Things like recaptcha should be free. Overall, most form plugins feel a little on the high side for pricing, but if you need it, then you won’t think the price is that bad.
Conclusion
Overall, I am very impressed with what HappyForms offers and I think it’s a good form plugin. Is it the best form for WordPress really depends on your needs, but to me, it’s the obvious choice as one to grow with. It has a better path to growth, and I like the fact that they give you that option.
You can also find HappyForms deals by following their website closely, I believe they run specials now and then which can improve the cost problem for most people. I hope you enjoyed this review of the HappyForms plugin and if you want more reviews and WordPress content, please check out our website.
