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Home > Compare > WordPress Form Plugins > Contact Form 7 vs WPForms

Contact Form 7 vs WPForms

C

Contact Form 7

Simple and flexible contact form solution

vs
W

WPForms

The most beginner-friendly WordPress form plugin

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

Feature
C

Contact Form 7

W

WPForms

Feature
C

Contact Form 7

Visit website →
W

WPForms

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)
100+ templates
Pre-built Templates
Ready-to-use form templates
None (custom markup)
100+ templates
Conditional Logic
Show/hide fields based on user input
Via plugins
Pro plan and above
Conditional Logic
Show/hide fields based on user input
Via plugins
Pro plan and above
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 (with limits)
File Uploads
Allow users to upload files
Yes (basic)
Yes (with limits)

Integrations

Payment Integrations
Supported payment gateways
Via third-party plugins
Stripe, PayPal, Square
Payment Integrations
Supported payment gateways
Via third-party plugins
Stripe, PayPal, Square
Email Marketing
CRM and email service integrations
Via third-party plugins
Mailchimp, AWeber, Constant Contact, etc.
Email Marketing
CRM and email service integrations
Via third-party plugins
Mailchimp, AWeber, Constant Contact, 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)
Smart CAPTCHA, hCaptcha, reCAPTCHA
Spam Protection
Built-in spam prevention
Akismet, reCAPTCHA (via plugins)
Smart CAPTCHA, hCaptcha, reCAPTCHA
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
£39/year
Starting Price
Minimum annual cost
Free
£39/year
Multi-site License
Use on unlimited sites
Free (unlimited)
Elite plan (£319/year)
Multi-site License
Use on unlimited sites
Free (unlimited)
Elite plan (£319/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

WPForms Pros & Cons

Pros

  • ✓Extremely easy to use with drag-and-drop builder
  • ✓Pre-built form templates for quick setup
  • ✓Excellent spam protection with Smart CAPTCHA
  • ✓Strong payment integration (Stripe, PayPal, Square)
  • ✓Conditional logic included in pro plans
  • ✓Great documentation and video tutorials

Cons

  • ✗Free version is quite limited
  • ✗Advanced features require higher-tier plans
  • ✗Can be expensive for multiple sites
  • ✗Less flexible than Formidable or Gravity Forms

Pricing

Contact Form 7 vs WPForms pricing

Contact Form 7

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

WPForms

Free lite version. Pro starts at £39/year

How to choose

How to choose between Contact Form 7 and WPForms

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 WPForms if you want

  • →Extremely easy to use with drag-and-drop builder
  • →Pre-built form templates for quick setup
  • →Excellent spam protection with Smart CAPTCHA

The SmartaStudio take

We build with both Contact Form 7 and WPForms, 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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