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Home > Compare > WordPress Form Plugins > Contact Form 7 vs Gravity Forms

Contact Form 7 vs Gravity Forms

C

Contact Form 7

Simple and flexible contact form solution

vs
G

Gravity Forms

The industry-standard WordPress form builder

Contact Form 7 and Gravity Forms compared — feature by feature, with pricing and our honest take on which fits your build.

Feature
C

Contact Form 7

G

Gravity Forms

Feature
C

Contact Form 7

Visit website →
G

Gravity Forms

Visit website →

Getting Started

Ease of Use
Skill level required: 1 = DIY friendly, 5 = Developer expertise required
Ease of Use
Skill level required: 1 = DIY friendly, 5 = Developer expertise required

Core Features

Drag & Drop Builder
Visual form builder interface
✗
✓
Drag & Drop Builder
Visual form builder interface
✗
✓
Pre-built Templates
Ready-to-use form templates
None (custom markup)
Limited
Pre-built Templates
Ready-to-use form templates
None (custom markup)
Limited
Conditional Logic
Show/hide fields based on user input
Via plugins
Yes (all plans)
Conditional Logic
Show/hide fields based on user input
Via plugins
Yes (all plans)
Multi-page Forms
Split long forms into multiple pages
Via plugins
✓
Multi-page Forms
Split long forms into multiple pages
Via plugins
✓
File Uploads
Allow users to upload files
Yes (basic)
Yes (unlimited)
File Uploads
Allow users to upload files
Yes (basic)
Yes (unlimited)

Integrations

Payment Integrations
Supported payment gateways
Via third-party plugins
Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, etc.
Payment Integrations
Supported payment gateways
Via third-party plugins
Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, etc.
Email Marketing
CRM and email service integrations
Via third-party plugins
Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, etc.
Email Marketing
CRM and email service integrations
Via third-party plugins
Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, etc.
Webhooks
Send data to external services
Via plugins
✓
Webhooks
Send data to external services
Via plugins
✓

Security

Spam Protection
Built-in spam prevention
Akismet, reCAPTCHA (via plugins)
reCAPTCHA, Akismet
Spam Protection
Built-in spam prevention
Akismet, reCAPTCHA (via plugins)
reCAPTCHA, Akismet
GDPR Tools
Privacy and consent management
Via plugins
✓
GDPR Tools
Privacy and consent management
Via plugins
✓

Pricing

Free Version
Free version available?
✓
✗
Free Version
Free version available?
✓
✗
Starting Price
Minimum annual cost
Free
£47/year
Starting Price
Minimum annual cost
Free
£47/year
Multi-site License
Use on unlimited sites
Free (unlimited)
Elite plan (£203/year)
Multi-site License
Use on unlimited sites
Free (unlimited)
Elite plan (£203/year)

Contact Form 7 Pros & Cons

Pros

  • ✓Completely free with no limitations
  • ✓Lightweight and fast
  • ✓Highly flexible with custom HTML/CSS
  • ✓AJAX-enabled form submissions
  • ✓Extensive third-party add-on ecosystem
  • ✓Supports multiple contact forms
  • ✓GDPR compliant

Cons

  • ✗No drag-and-drop interface (requires form markup knowledge)
  • ✗No built-in analytics or reporting
  • ✗Spam protection requires separate plugins
  • ✗Limited styling options out of the box
  • ✗No official payment integrations
  • ✗Steeper learning curve for non-developers

Gravity Forms Pros & Cons

Pros

  • ✓Most powerful and flexible form builder
  • ✓Extensive add-on ecosystem (40+ official add-ons)
  • ✓Advanced conditional logic and calculations
  • ✓Robust payment integrations and user registration
  • ✓Excellent for complex multi-page forms
  • ✓Strong developer API and hooks
  • ✓No transaction fees on payments

Cons

  • ✗No free version available
  • ✗Steeper learning curve than WPForms
  • ✗Add-ons can increase costs significantly
  • ✗UI feels dated compared to modern alternatives

Pricing

Contact Form 7 vs Gravity Forms pricing

Contact Form 7

100% Free. Add-ons from third-party developers £15-60/year

Gravity Forms

Basic £47/year, Pro £127/year, Elite £203/year

How to choose

How to choose between Contact Form 7 and Gravity Forms

Both are strong choices — the right one comes down to what your build needs most. Here is where each one leans.

Lean Contact Form 7 if you want

  • →Completely free with no limitations
  • →Lightweight and fast
  • →Highly flexible with custom HTML/CSS

Lean Gravity Forms if you want

  • →Most powerful and flexible form builder
  • →Extensive add-on ecosystem (40+ official add-ons)
  • →Advanced conditional logic and calculations

The SmartaStudio take

We build with both Contact Form 7 and Gravity Forms, so we have no dog in the fight — the right choice depends on your project, not a leaderboard. See the full WordPress Form Plugins lineup on our platforms hub, or tell us about your build and we will give you a reasoned recommendation.

Still weighing it up?

Answer a few questions about your project and get a reasoned recommendation — or talk it through with us directly.

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