Looking for a Free WPForms Alternative? Here Are Your Real Options

WPForms is excellent. Full stop. Their drag-and-drop builder is the smoothest in WordPress, they have 2,000+ templates, and their support is solid.

But here's the thing: the free version (WPForms Lite) is deliberately limited. No entry storage, no conditional logic, no file uploads, limited templates. It's designed to get you in the door so you'll pay $49-$299/year for the features you actually need.

If you're looking for a genuinely free alternative that doesn't gate essential features behind a paywall, here's what's actually out there. (For a broader comparison including paid options, see our WPForms vs Gravity Forms vs SkunkForms breakdown or the detailed WPForms comparison page.)

The realistic alternatives

1. Contact Form 7 — The OG (Free)

The good: Completely free. No premium tier. Works on millions of sites. Extremely lightweight.

The bad: Ugly out of the box. Configuration is done through shortcodes and markup, not a visual builder. No entry storage (submissions only go to email). Zero analytics. Looks like it was designed in 2008 (it was).

Best for: Developers who want maximum control and don't care about UI. People who literally just need a contact form and nothing else.

Not for: Anyone who wants a visual builder, submission storage, or anything beyond the basics.

2. Fluent Forms (Free tier)

The good: Generous free tier with conditional logic, file uploads, and 70+ templates. Nice visual builder. Good performance.

The bad: CRM integration requires paid tier or separate plugin. The free tier is still limited compared to their paid offering. Some features feel hidden behind upgrade prompts.

Best for: People who want WPForms-like UX without the WPForms price.

Not for: People who want forms + CRM in one place.

3. Forminator (Free)

The good: Made by WPMU DEV. Generous free version with conditional logic, file uploads, payments, polls, and quizzes. Lots of integrations.

The bad: UI is clunky compared to WPForms. Can be resource-heavy. Some features feel bolted on rather than native.

Best for: People who want maximum features for free and don't mind a less polished interface.

4. Formidable Forms (Free tier)

The good: Developer-friendly. Good for complex forms and calculations. Visual builder. Entry storage in free tier.

The bad: Interface feels dated. Conditional logic is paid. Learning curve for advanced features.

Best for: Developers building complex data-driven forms.

5. SkunkForms (Free) — with built-in CRM

The good: Full form builder with native CRM integration. Every submission automatically creates a contact, assigns tags, and can create deals in your pipeline. Block editor native — no proprietary builder. Email notifications, spam protection, and analytics included.

The bad: Newer plugin, smaller template library (11 vs WPForms' 2,000). No conditional logic yet (coming soon). No payment integration yet. Smaller community.

Best for: Anyone who needs forms AND lead management without paying for two products. Small businesses, freelancers, agencies who want one plugin instead of a stack.

Full disclosure: We built SkunkForms. Obviously biased, but we're being honest about the gaps.

Feature comparison: Free tiers only

The real question

Before you pick a form plugin, ask yourself: what happens after someone submits the form?

If the answer is "I check my email and maybe add them to a spreadsheet" — any free form plugin will do.

If the answer is "I want them tracked as leads in a CRM with tags, deals, and a follow-up pipeline" — you either need a form plugin + CRM plugin + integration middleware, or you need one plugin that does all of it.

That's the gap SkunkForms fills. Not the most templates, not the most mature, but the only free option where forms and CRM are the same product. Check our pricing page to see how it compares.

Try it free →