What did I find both after the test?

Today we will compare Wpforms and contact form 7, a topic that is very important to me.

As a WordPress expert with 10 years of experience, I often get PTBs when I remember how much headache has set up me with contact forms.

Every time a customer asked about a simple contact form, I spend hours to wrestle with code and fix broken submissions.

The worst part? Halfway, the shapes on mobile devices looked terrible. After I assumed that the coding was not my strong suit, I shifted to the use of contact form plugins.

With a limited budget, my solution was always Contact form 7 As a free contact form solution.

Apart from the fact that the contact form 7 is free, it is reliable and has been around for a long time. It also supplies millions of websites worldwide, which means that I have trusted it with all my heart.

It worked well on most topics that I used and my website did not slow down. I also estimated that it was not forced to register or create an account just to get started.

But here is the thing I kept encountering the same problems.

After the updates, it broke out by chance and the debugging felt like being pursued ghosts. Sometimes e -mails don’t even send, and I didn’t know until a customer had complained.

I would spend hours digging through shortcodes and CSS just to fix a simple distance problem!

Then I decided that I had to find another solution for free contact forms that worked just as well, as well as the contact form 7 without the problems.

After months of research, a plugin stood out of the crowd: Wpforms Lite.

In this article I am pleased to share my results and compare the free version of Wpforms and Contact Form 7.

Although I updated to Wpforms perIt would not be a fair comparison, since this Premium -Contact form builder is packed with amazing practical functions, only a few other Pro form.

For today, we will only focus on the free version of Wpforms and contact form 7.

You will learn key points:

• Setting time comparison – which brings you a work form faster
• Visual Builder vs. Shortcode approach – what works for your skills
• Differences for mobile responsiveness and styling requirements
• Reliability of E -Mail deliveries and security security options for submitting forms
• Free fees wide and consumed costs of the instructions
• If flexibility is more than convenient
• Maintenance and troubleshooting experiences in the real world
• Migration considerations if you have to change later

Let us compare these two free contact forms.

How to test contact form plugins for WordPress

I test every form plugin in the same way by using it for a real client project. First I install it on a fresh WordPress site with popular topics such as Astra and Generate Dress.

Then I create five different types of forms: basic contact, newsletter registration, event registration, file -upload and payment form.

I am looking for the following in every test:

I also test every plugin with real traffic. I send form introductions to actual e -mail addresses and follow the delivery rates.

In addition, I test budget-friendly hosting accounts to see how the different form plugins work under pressure.

Why trust isitwp?

At ISITWP we test WordPress plugins and topics for thousands of real websites since 2009. This means that we understand the advantages and disadvantages of WordPress and what a great tool.

Our team has practical experience with every big form plugin, and we have helped beginners and experts to choose the right tools for their needs.

We don’t just read the documentation; We use these plugins on live websites and update our reviews regularly while plugins develop.

If we recommend something, it is because we have tested it thoroughly and would use it ourselves. Let us immerse yourself in this comparison post with a brief overview.

Contact form 7 vs. Wpforms Lite: What I learned from tests on real websites

This is now a detailed article for Formbuilder comparison items. To make navigating easier, I broke it into several sections.

If you want to read something special, just use the following links to skip this section.

Do you actually go into the details.

Short overview

The selection between contact form 7 and Wpforms feels like a trustworthy, reliable truck and an elegant new car. Both will bring them to where they have to go, but the trip feels completely different.

Contact form 7 has been the reliable WordPress community for years. It is free, flexible and does not try to be chic.

Wpforms, on the other hand, focus on making the form building effortlessly and comfortably.

Here is what makes this comparison interesting:

Contact form 7 aims at developers and power users who love to make your hands dirty with code.

Wpforms aims to serve everyone, from complete beginners to experienced developers who want to work faster.

Contact form 7 overview

Contact form 7 Started in 2007 and quickly became the most popular form -Plugin on WordPress.org. It is completely free and gives you unlimited forms without restrictions.

The plugin uses Shortcodes to display forms and is based on its existing WordPress setup for styling. As a result, it shines when you need maximum flexibility.

This is because you can adapt every aspect of your forms with HTML and CSS. In addition, it is integrated into dozens of third -party extensions for extended functions such as conditional logic and payment processing.

But here is the hook: Contact form 7 assumes that you are familiar with code. Creating a simple contact form requires writing HTML-like markup and understanding the shortcode syntax.

Of course, this feels for developers. It can be overwhelming for beginners.

Further information can be found here my complete review of the contact form 7.

Wpforms Lite overview

Wpforms Founded in 2016 with a simple mission: make the form accessible to everyone. The plugin uses a Visual form -Builder from Drag & Drop, which feels intuitive from the first click.

You can create professional forms in minutes without touching a single code line.

As already mentioned, the BUILDER plugin form is available in two versions: Wpforms Lite (free) and Wpforms Pro (Premium).

The free version that we will concentrate on today contains basic contact forms and e -mail notifications.

While the Pro version adds extended functions such as conditional logic, payment processing and form templates.

The good news is that both versions concentrate strongly on the user experience. Every function is discovered and easy to use.

In addition, both versions of Wpforms also include integrated spam protection, mobile optimization and improvements in email delivery directly off the box.

For more information, see my updated WPFORMS evaluation.

After you have a good idea of ​​what every Free Form Builder offers, we compare them in detail.

Installation & Setup

If you get your first form up and running, you shouldn’t feel like loosening a puzzle. So we will watch the installation and setup process of both form plugins to determine which is better.

Contact form 7 installation and form device

Installing the contact form 7 takes about 30 seconds. Everything you have to do is to go to your WordPress dashboard and to navigate Add plugins »plugin.

Find “Contact Form 7” here and click on the Installthen the Activate Buttons.

As soon as it is activated, you will be displayed in your dashboard a new “Contact” menu.

With the menu element you can display forms, create forms and access integrations. In addition, the Forms plugin creates a standard contact form for you with its shortcode so that you can add it wherever you want.

So how do you actually add a form with contact form 7?

First select the standard contact form to open the form editor.

In the next screen you will see the shortcode form, which has already been added in the processing area under the form tab. It should look like (contact-form-7 id="123" title="Contact form 1").

All you have to do is copy this shortcode and add to any widget area, a page or any contribution.

I should mention that, in contrast to other forms such as Wpforms, you can only add a contact form 7 with a shortcode, which you can simply create a new page for the form.

To add the form to your contact page, you must edit the page independently and insert the shortcode on which the form is to be displayed.

The good thing is, if you have added the shortcode, the form will work. But it could look out of place, since most topics do not design contact form 7 forms by default.

Apart from that, the PLUGIN form sends emails with integrated WordPress wp_mail() Function that is based on the PHP email setup of your host.

This can lead to problems to deliver ability, especially if your e -mail hosting provider has restrictions. To fix this, you have to install and configure an SMTP plugin.

Use most of the form builders wp_mail() By default, tools such as Wpforms make it much easier to connect an SMTP service and an SMTP plugin for a reliable e -mail delivery.

We will watch this and more in the next section below.

Wpforms Lite Installation & Setup

The WPFORMS installation starts as well as the contact form 7 and most other free plugins.

Go to Add plugins »plugin In your WordPress dashboard. Search for “Wpforms” and click on “Install now”. Then activate.

But as soon as you activate it, the similarities with the contact form 7. Then the visual form Builder -Plugin starts a setup assistant who takes you through every step.

I like how the assistant helps you select your type of form from beautiful templates.

Do you want a contact form? Quick and easy with that Simple contact form Template.

Do you need a newsletter registration form? There is a free template from Wpforms Lite. An automotive information form? You guess you can use it for free.

You have also started a new function in which you can create forms with AI, and it is also available in the free version.

In total, Wpforms has over 2000 templates, but you can only access a few on the free plan.

But don’t worry, you still get the same powerful drag & drop editor so that you can style your forms and personalize you according to your wishes.

You can also choose an empty canvas, but the selection of a template is convenient because you make sure that you are done about 80% without processing or adaptation.

After selecting your template, you end up in the Builder form. It looks like a simple website builder with drag-and-drop fields.

Adding a new field is as easy as clicking and pulling. Would you like to change the switching surface text? Just click on it and enter. Would you like to reorganize the fields? Simply move them up or down in the preview window.

If you are ready to publish, Wpforms will show you exactly how to add the form to your page.

Press the embedding button first and you will see a popup. Here you have the options to use the form to an existing page, a new page or a short code.

You can select the most convenient and easiest method for you.

You can find more detailed instructions in this article to add a contact form.

Winner in this round: Wpforms Lite

Wpforms wins this round through a landslide. The setup assistant alone saves you 30 minutes of configuration time. You will also receive a functioning, good -looking form without writing code.

I saw how complete beginners create their first form in less than 5 minutes with Wpforms.

The same task takes 20 to 30 minutes with the contact form 7, and this assumes that they do not encounter styling problems.

In short, the contact form 7 is to be installed faster, but Wpforms can be used faster.

Form the construction process

Now comes the actual test – actually build up your forms.

While we quickly mentioned in the above section how a form is created and started with both free contact forms, we will now look at the Building form in detail.

Contact form 7 form formation process

Building forms in contact form 7 feels like writing HTML by hand. You start with a basic template and then change with the help of Shortcode Days.

Would you like to add a telephone number field? You become something like that like (tel your-phone placeholder "Your Phone Number").

As someone with basic coding experience, one thing is always frustrated with contact form 7 that the form editor shows you raw code and no visual preview.

As a result, you have to save your changes and check the frontend to see what your form looks like.

This back and forth process quickly becomes overwhelming, especially if you optimize the field distance or the button colors.

In addition, styling requires customer -specific CSS. The plugin does not contain any design options in the dashboard.

You must add your topic to CSS code or use the WordPress Customizer. For a simple contact form, you can write 20-30 lines CSS to make it look professional.

Here is a typical contact form 7 for a basic contact form:

(text* your-name placeholder "Your Name")
(email* your-email placeholder "Your Email")
(tel your-phone placeholder "Your Phone")
(textarea your-message placeholder "Your Message")
(submit "Send Message")

The asterisks make fields necessary, while the placeholders show in the fields. But here, too, you will not see anything visually if you drive the form on your website.

The E -Mail configuration is equally technical. You set e -mail templates with shortcodes like a (your-name) or (your-email).

Despite the visual restrictions, the contact form 7 shows your configuration errors so that you can determine what needs to be remedied correctly in the form editor.

Wpforms Lite Form Building Process

The Wpforms configuration is like playing with digital building blocks. You have fields and your preview window on the right.

All you have to do is pulling fields out of a sidebar and dropping them in your form preview area. Each field shows exactly what it looks like to your visitors.

Would you like to add a telephone field? Simply pull the “Telephone” field out of the sidebar. It is immediately displayed in your shape preview.

But that’s not all you can do to adapt your form with Wpforms.

You can also click on the Field optionS of any “field” to edit its label, the placeholder text or the requirements. These changes appear immediately – no savings and refreshment required.

The plugin contains styling options directly in the Builder form. You can choose from various topics, adjust colors and change the key styles without touching CSS.

In addition, Wpforms contains intelligent functions such as conditional logic that the contact form 7 does not do. The plugin automatically confirms e -mail addresses, phone numbers and website -Urls.

In addition, you do not need any other security plugin, as it also includes integrated spam protection using smart captcha technology.

Setting up E -Mail notifications is just as easy. Wpforms shows you a visual e -mail editor in which you can easily add form fields to your news template.

All of these formbuilding functions are conveniently located in the Editor form. This ensures that you quickly build the contact form at once.

In the end you get a reaction fast, beautiful contact form that looks great on every device. In fact, Wpforms not only produces beautiful contact forms. It can also create any kind of shape.

Take a look at the event planner form below to see what I mean.

Winner in this round: Wpforms Lite

Wpforms dominates this category. The educational engineer alone saves hours of work. You can create complex shapes in minutes instead of wrestling with the shortcode syntax.

I have settled in time to create identical contact forms with both plugins. The contact form 7 took 25 minutes, including basic styling. Wpforms Lite took 4 minutes and looked better.

The real kicker? WPFORMS forms work perfectly without additional configuration on mobile devices. Contact form 7 Forms often need custom CSS to look good on telephones and tablets.

User -friendliness

Here the conversation becomes interesting. You can have the most powerful shape plugin in the world, but if it is pain to use daily, you will be frustrated.

Next, let us look at the user -friendliness for both.

Contact form 7 user -friendliness

The use of contact form 7 feels like a manual transmission car. As soon as you have learned it, you have complete control. But the learning curve is steep and you can’t just jump in and drive.

Every time you want to edit a form, work again with shortcode. Do you have to add a field? You have to remember the exact syntax.

Would you like to change the order of the fields? They cut and glue code lines. There is no visual feedback until you save and check your website.

The plugin’s user interface has not changed so much since 2007. This does great for everyone who has used WordPress Classic in the past. But it looks out of date compared to modern WordPress tools and feels out of date.

You will receive a basic text area for your form code and a separate area for e -mail settings. That’s it.

Managing form launches is the place where things are really difficult. The contact form 7 does not save any submissions by default.

If someone fills out your form, you will receive an e -mail, but there is no backup copy in your dashboard. If your e -mail server has problems, these leads have disappeared forever.

In addition, there are no integrated form analyzes. You cannot see which forms do well or where people emit. They fly blindly unless they add Google Analytics or another tracking tool.

Apart from that, problems with troubleshooting can be difficult. If a form no longer works, you will go through error protocols and test different configurations.

Wpforms Lite user -friendliness

Wpforms has the feeling of driving a modern car with an automatic transmission. Everything just works as you expect.

The educational engineer for visual shape is clean, intuitive and designed for people who want to do things quickly.

Processing forms is a child’s play. Click on any field to change it. Pull the fields around to reorganize them.

The plugin contains a proper form for the form for the form for the form for forms. Every form input is saved in your WordPress dashboard.

You can display, search and export submissions at any time. With WPFORMS you can also filter entries according to the form, date or key word so that you can find exactly that that you are looking for.

Wpforms contains integrated analyzes that show you how your forms are executed. You can see completion rates, popular fields and decline points.

This data will help you to optimize your forms for better results.

I also like how easy it is to use the function of the double forms. In this way you can copy a form that you have already created and without starting from the front.

The plugin highlights also required fields that missed visitors. Error messages are clear and implementable.

Winner in this round: Wpforms Lite

Wpforms wins this round without sweating. The difference for use is so dramatic that even experienced developers often prefer Wpforms for customer projects.

I taught both plugins to complete beginners. With the contact form 7, people need 2-3 hours of training before they feel comfortable.

With WPFORMS you can edit forms after 10 minutes.

Characteristics

I have extensively tested every function of both builders in dozens of customer projects and the differences will surprise them.

Let me collapse what you get with every option.

Contact form 7 functions

The Core plugin contains standard form fields such as text, e -mail, telephone and file -upload. I like that you can create unlimited forms and adapt it with HTML and CSS.

The plugin contains basic e -mail functions. As a result, you can send form submissions to multiple e -mail addresses and adapt the e -mail templates. You will also receive simple spam protection through basic captcha integration.

But you need an addon for every functionality.

Each function requires a separate plugin and many costs additional money. The free addons work in order, but they are not always reliable. I had related logic extensions after WordPress updates.

In addition, managing several addons becomes a nightmare for maintenance.

Nevertheless, the contact form 7 shines in the adaptation flexibility. You can change any aspect of your forms with code.

The plugin integrates well into custom topics and does not force a specific design style.

You can get the following free of charge with the contact form 7:

• Unlimited forms and fields
• Basic e -mail notifications
• Simple file -uploads
• Multi -language support
• Custom HTML/CSS styling
• Basic spam protection

Everything else requires addons or custom development.

Wpforms Lite functions

Wpforms pursues the opposite approach. The plugin contains dozens of functions for which separate addons in the contact form 7 are required.

Even the free version offers you more than the core plugin of Contact Form 7.

Wpforms Lite includes the drag & drop form building, several form templates, basic fields, e -mail notifications and spam protection.

The forms look professionally without adjustments.

Wpforms shines in the Pro version. You will receive a conditional logic, payment processing, files -uploads with restrictions, persecution of forms and advanced fields such as date pickers and star ratings.

In addition, WPFORMS includes integrations with popular E -Mail marketing services. Connect your forms with just a few clicks to MailChimp, constant contact or Aweber.

The plugin automatically treats the technical setup.

The plugin also contains extended functions that the contact form 7 does not offer at all. For example, the validation of the smartphone field validation automatically formats the telephone numbers correctly.

Apart from that, geolocalization can appeal to the address fields based on the visitor based on the location of the visitor. With the form planning, you can automatically activate or deactivate forms at certain times.

WPFORMS also includes conversion optimization functions. You can test A/B different form designs, follow the final rates and determine which fields lead to people give up forms.

These findings will help you to improve your results over time.

Apart from that, Wpforms offers Premium Addons to expand functionality just like the contact form.

Winner in this round: Wpforms Lite

Here, too, Wpforms wins this category.

The real advantage is not only the functions themselves, but everything works seamlessly together.

With the contact form 7 you constantly fix conflicts between different addons. Wpforms only works because most functions are already included.

Advantages and disadvantages

Every plugin has strengths and weaknesses.

If you understand these compromises, you can choose the right tool for your specific requirements. In addition, she saves you to know the restrictions in advance, later with bad surprises.

Let me give you the impartial truth about both options.

Contact form 7 Pros & Cons & Cons

The contact form 7 has acquired its reputation as a reliable workhorse. However, this reliability is associated with some restrictions.

Contact form 7 professionals:

• The contact form 7 is completely free of charge without hidden costs or an upgrade print.
• You will receive unlimited forms, unlimited fields and unlimited submissions forever.
• The plugin works in a hosting account and does not slow down your website.
• The adaptation options are practically unlimited. You can change any aspect of your forms with HTML and CSS.
• In addition, the plugin seamlessly integrates into custom topics and does not force a certain design style.
• Apart from that, the contact form 7 has existed since 2007 and has proven to be stability. It was tested on millions of websites and works with practically every WordPress topic and plugin.
• The learning curve is steep, but as soon as you master it, you have complete control.
• The plugin also treats multilingual locations beautifully. It integrates into translation plugins such as WPML and polylang without any problems.

Contact form 7 disadvantages:

• The biggest disadvantage is the learning curve. You need to understand the shortcode synax, HTML and CSS to create everything beyond basic forms. Most beginners feel overwhelmed and give up quickly.
• E -mail delivery is another important problem. The plugin is based on your WordPress installation to send e -mails, which is notoriously unreliable.
• In addition, the contact form 7 does not store any submissions of form. If your e -mail server has problems, these leads will disappear forever.
• You need a separate plugin -to -backup submissions, which results in complexity.
• The plugin also lacks modern functions that users expect. No drag & drop builder, no templates, no analyzes and no integrated integrations with popular tools.
• Everything requires additional plugins or custom development.
• Many users have problems with reaction -fast design problems.

Wpforms Lite Pros & Cons & Cons

Wpforms prioritizes the user experience for everything else. This approach creates some amazing advantages, but also introduces restrictions that Power users may feel frustrating.

Wpforms Lite Pro:

• The builder of the drag-and-drop form is incredibly intuitive. Complete beginners can create professional forms in minutes without touching code.
• The educational engineer for visual form shows exactly what your form looks like for visitors.
• WPFORMS contains functions for which several plugins with contact form 7 are required. Conditional logic, payment processing, e -mail marketing integrations and form analyzes are integrated.
• This saves money and eliminates compatibility problems.
• The plugin automatically treats the technical details. E-mail delivery is optimized, the mobile reaction is installed and spam protection works without captcha challenges.
• Forms simply work without constant maintenance.
• Apart from that, Wpforms stores all form submissions in your WordPress dashboard. You can display, search and export entries at any time.
• The plugin also contains helpful analyzes that display performance and completion rates.
• Customer support is exceptional. The team quickly responds to questions and offers helpful solutions. The documentation is also clear and contains gradual tutorials.

Wpforms Lite Cons:

• You cannot change the underlying HTML structure or add fully customized fields without coding. The plugin prioritizes user -friendliness compared to flexibility.
• In addition, Wpforms contains many functions that some users do not need.
• In addition, some extended users find the form to simplify the form. If you are familiar with code, Wpforms may feel restrictive compared to the unlimited flexibility of contact form 7.

Overall winner: Wpforms Lite

Wpforms Lite wins this comparison to almost all aspects. The professionals outweigh the disadvantages unless they have very specific requirements.

However, the cost concerns are the biggest hurdle because you need a Pro version to use it All Wpforms functions. Doesn’t matter, Wpforms Lite is very effective when you just start.

And when your company grows, take into account the time-saving and functions that WPFORMS Pro is a profit.

You will also receive reliable support and regular updates.

Contact form 7 makes sense if you are a developer who likes to cod and does not do the technical complexity.

For everyone else, Wpforms offers a better value and a much smoother experience.

This is for me! I hope you enjoyed this comparison article via Wpforms and contact form 7. If something is unclear, read the frequently asked questions below.

After both plugins have been tested extensively, the selection is clear: WPFORMS is the better option for most WordPress users.

Here is the conclusion: Contact form 7 is a solid plugin that the WordPress community has been used well for years.

However, the technology continues and the expectations of the users have changed. People want tools that work intuitively without demanding a degree in computer science.

When to choose WPFORMS:

• You are new to WordPress and want forms that simply work
• You need a reliable e -mail delivery and form submissions backups
• I wish modern functions such as conditional logic and payment processing
• Rate your time and prefer visual tools to the coding
• Do you need forms that automatically look excellent on mobile devices
• You want integrated analyzes to improve their shape for the form of the form

When selecting contact form 7:

• You are a developer who likes to work with code
• You need unlimited adaptation flexibility
• You only create a simple website with basic contact forms
• The budget is its main concern, and it doesn’t matter to them, the learning curve
• You already have the Know -7 expertise of the contact form 7 and do not want to change

The truth is that most people fall into the first category. Business owners, marketers and casual WordPress users want tools with whom they can quickly achieve their goals.

Wpforms does exactly that.

My recommendation:

Start with Wpforms Lite If you are not sure. It is free forever and gives you a foretaste of the user experience. If you like what you see, upgrade to Wpforms Pro for the extended functions.

For the existing contact form -7 users, I first recommend testing Wpforms on a staging site. Create the same forms with both plugins and compare the experience.

Additional resources with which you can find the right form builder

If you are still looking for the perfect formworker for your company, you will find further comparison items here.

If you need a premium form builder, you will find a list of the best WPFORMS PRO alternatives to make it easier for you to get started.

These articles not only help you to make a choice, but you can also understand better what you should concentrate on if you are looking for a form builder.