Contact Form 7 vs Quform WordPress Form Builder: An Objective Comparison

Posted by Josh Blackburn, in Contact Form Plugins

Overview of WordPress Form Builders

WordPress form builders are crucial tools for website functionality, offering seamless integration of contact forms.

Importance of Contact Forms on Websites

Contact forms serve as the bridge between us, the website owners, and our visitors, providing them with a straightforward method to communicate with us. They are vital for customer support, lead generation, and gathering feedback. A well-designed contact form enhances user engagement and supports business growth by capturing essential visitor information.

WordPress as a Platform for Form Builders

WordPress is an optimal platform for form builders due to its extensive plugin ecosystem. Form builder plugins simplify the process of creating custom forms, eliminating the need for coding expertise. These plugins often provide drag-and-drop interfaces, making form creation accessible to users of all skill levels. WordPress form builders, like Contact Form 7 and Quform, extend the core functionality of our websites, allowing us to build tailored contact forms that meet specific needs.

Comparing Contact Form 7 and Quform

In our comparison of Contact Form 7 and Quform, we’ll evaluate how each plugin stands in terms of core functionalities, the ease of user experience and customization options, as well as the level of support and documentation provided.

Core Features and Functionalities

Contact Form 7 is a popular option that is known for its simplicity. It supports Ajax-powered submitting, CAPTCHA, and Akismet spam filtering. Quform, on the other hand, is also a robust form builder and offers features such as drag-and-drop form building and advanced logic.

• Contact Form 7:

  • Ajax submission
  • CAPTCHA integration
  • Akismet spam filter

• Quform:

  • Drag-and-drop editor
  • Logic-based form fields
  • File uploads

User Experience and Customization

We observe Contact Form 7 to favor those with coding knowledge, considering you may need to handle HTML to customize forms. Quform shines with its user-friendly drag-and-drop builder, which allows for quick and intuitive form creation without the need to code.

• Contact Form 7 Customization:

  • Requires HTML knowledge for deep customization.
  • Basic styling options available.

• Quform Customization:

  • Visual editor for straightforward customization.
  • Pre-built form templates.

Support and Documentation

Support options are crucial for troubleshooting and efficient use of plugins. Contact Form 7 relies largely on community-based support forums. Quform, however, offers both documentation and premium support to its users.

• Contact Form 7:

  • Community forums.
  • Basic documentation.

• Quform:

  • Extensive documentation.
  • Premium support for customers.

Ease of Use and Builder Interface

In this section, we focus on the user interfaces of Contact Form 7 and Quform, with a particular emphasis on their drag-and-drop capabilities and the availability of form templates and pre-built forms.

Drag-and-Drop Capabilities

Contact Form 7 does not natively support a drag-and-drop interface. Users typically require HTML or CSS knowledge to customize forms, as form elements need to be manually coded. This can be less user-friendly for those without coding experience.

On the other hand, Quform shines in this aspect with its intuitive drag-and-drop builder. This functionality allows us to easily craft forms by simply moving form fields around, making it significantly user-friendly, especially for beginners or those who prefer a more visual approach.

Form Templates and Pre-Built Forms

When it comes to templates, Contact Form 7 offers basic templates that serve as a starting point, but they are relatively simple and might require customization to meet specific needs.

Meanwhile, Quform provides us with a greater selection of pre-built templates. This collection makes it swift and straightforward to deploy complex forms as it reduces the time needed for form creation and setup. Its rich template library caters to a wide array of forms such as multi-page forms, registration forms, and booking forms among others.

Integration with Third-Party Services

As experts assessing Contact Form 7 and Quform, we recognize the importance of integrating form builders with third-party services—an essential feature for extending functionality and optimizing workflows.

Email Marketing and CRM Integrations

Contact Form 7 offers flexibility with third-party service integration but requires additional plugins for connecting to most Email Marketing and CRM tools. Here’s a snapshot of how Contact Form 7 handles integrations:

• Mailchimp: Integrates via additional plugins like ‘Contact Form 7 Extension For Mailchimp’.
• Aweber: Possible through plugins or custom webhook configuration.
• General CRM: Connects through various CRM plugins or webhooks, catering to a wide array of CRM solutions.

Quform, on the other hand, being a premium plugin, includes built-in tools for integration:

• Mailchimp & Aweber: Direct integration within the plugin settings without the need for extra plugins.
• CRM Systems: Offers straightforward connections to numerous CRM platforms, enhancing data flow and management.

Payment Processing Services

Payment integration is another crucial facet for form builders, especially for businesses conducting transactions online.

Contact Form 7:

• PayPal & Stripe: Integration achievable via third-party plugins.
  • Example: ‘Contact Form 7 – PayPal Add-on’ and ‘Stripe Payment Gateway for Contact Form 7’.

Quform streamlines the integration with payment services:

• PayPal: Built-in extension for handling transactions directly through the form.
• Stripe: Similar to PayPal, Stripe can be linked via built-in solutions, offering secure payment options within the forms.

Overall, both Contact Form 7 and Quform enhance their capabilities significantly with third-party integrations, catering to a diverse set of needs from email marketing and CRM to payment processing services.

Advanced Form Features

When assessing the capabilities of Contact Form 7 and Quform, we recognize the importance of advanced functionalities such as conditional logic, and the ability to handle file uploads as well as various field types. These features facilitate a powerful and flexible form creation experience for users.

Conditional Logic and Multi-Step Forms

Contact Form 7 doesn’t come with built-in conditional logic or multi-step form features. However, third-party plugins exist that allow for the implementation of conditional logic and multi-step processes, extending the plugin’s functionality.

In contrast, Quform boasts built-in support for conditional logic. This allows us to show or hide form fields based on user input, creating a more dynamic and tailored form-filling experience. Quform also simplifies the creation of multi-step forms, making it more manageable for users to complete complex forms by breaking them into smaller, logical sections.

File Uploads and Advanced Field Types

When considering file uploads, Contact Form 7 supports basic file upload fields, allowing users to attach files to their form submissions. It supports a variety of file types, but it’s up to us to ensure the proper configuration to manage server and email considerations.

Quform takes it up a notch with its advanced file upload capabilities, providing us with options to control the maximum file size, limit the types of files that can be uploaded, and manage the storage of uploaded files. Advanced field types such as sliders, ratings, and others are also available right out of the box, offering us greater flexibility in data collection.

Form Security and Spam Protection

As we explore Contact Form 7 and Quform, it is crucial to understand their capabilities in security and spam protection. Both plugins offer tools that help maintain the integrity of your website interactions.

Captcha and Recaptcha Integration

In Contact Form 7, captcha support is fundamental for filtering out automated spam submissions. Recaptcha, Google’s advanced security service, offers seamless integration with the plugin. To use it, we simply add the reCAPTCHA tag to our forms, which prompts users to verify they are not robots. Quform also integrates with recaptcha, providing both the Invisible reCAPTCHA and the checkbox reCAPTCHA options. We must acquire API keys from Google for reCAPTCHA and insert them into our plugin settings to activate this layer of security.

Honeypot and Akismet for Spam Filtering

Adding to the security features, honeypot methods are used by Contact Form 7 to deceive and trap bots. This invisible field is ignored by human users but filled out by automated scripts, allowing us to filter those responses. For a more robust spam protection, we can link Contact Form 7 to Akismet, a powerful detector of spam, which scrutinizes the content of the form submissions against its vast spam database.

Quform addresses spam by its in-built honeypot feature, as well, which can be easily enabled per form. Akismet integration isn’t a native feature as with Contact Form 7, but Quform facilitates the addition of custom filters, allowing us to implement Akismet or any other third-party spam protection service if we wish. Through such implementations, Quform ensures the safety and cleanliness of our contact forms against unwelcome spam.

Extensibility and Add-ons

In the realm of WordPress form builders, the true power often lies in their extensibility through add-ons. We’ll examine how Contact Form 7 and Quform approach the integration of additional functionalities.

Free vs Paid Add-ons

Contact Form 7 offers a significant number of add-ons, and many of them are free, allowing users to enhance their site without additional cost. It supports an array of basic functional add-ons that cater to creating various form elements. However, for specialized features, one may have to look towards third-party add-ons, which vary in their pricing and functionality.

Quform, while starting as a premium plugin, provides a comprehensive suite of features out of the box. Its paid add-ons can be seen as investments in more complex form functionalities, such as integrating multi-page forms, advanced logic, and booking capabilities.

Exploring the Add-on Marketplace

When venturing into the add-on marketplace, we observe a divergence in the availability and diversity of extensions for both form builders.

• Contact Form 7

  • Marketplace: Primarily obtains add-ons through WordPress repository or third-party vendors.
  • Notable Add-ons:
    • Flamingo: To store messages in the database.
    • Bogo: A straightforward multilingual plugin.

• Quform

  • Marketplace: Add-ons are mostly found on CodeCanyon or through direct sales from the Quform website.
  • Notable Add-ons:
    • Quform Builder: An intuitive drag-and-drop form builder interface.
    • Conditional Logic: Allows dynamic form elements to show or hide based on user input.

For both plugins, the marketplaces they are associated with play a pivotal role in determining the variety and quality of add-ons available to users.

Pricing and Licensing

In this section, we dissect the distinct pricing structures and licensing specifics of Contact Form 7 and Quform, shedding light on their cost-effectiveness and user agreements that affect how you can incorporate them into your projects.

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Free vs Premium

Contact Form 7:

• Price: Free
• Benefits: It provides a robust solution for creating and managing multiple contact forms with customizability through additional coding.

Quform:

• Price: $29 for a regular license
• Benefits: Beyond what a free plugin offers, Quform includes advanced features such as unlimited forms and both Mailchimp and Zapier add-ons.

To elucidate the value proposition, examine the necessity of premium features against the backdrop of project demands. The free version of Contact Form 7 satisfies basic needs, while Quform’s premium version caters to more complex requirements.

Understanding Licensing Terms

Quform:

• License Type: Regular License ($29) or Extended License ($169)
• Scope: A Regular License is apt for a single end product whereas an Extended License is needed if the end product is sold to the end user.

It’s essential to match the licensing terms with the usage intentions. Quform’s licensing delineates clear boundaries for commercial use, ensuring legal compliance and entitlement to future updates and support.

Evaluating User and Community Feedback

In our exploration of user and community feedback for Contact Form 7 and Quform, we pay close attention to what users have said in reviews and ratings, as well as their participation in the respective forums. This section aims to provide a comprehensive view of these form builders through the experiences of those who use them.

User Reviews and Ratings

Contact Form 7:

• Average Rating: Users have given Contact Form 7 an average rating that reflects its popularity and widespread usage. On various platforms, feedback often highlights:
  • Ease of use for those familiar with HTML
  • A broad range of third-party extensions for enhanced functionality
• Common Critiques: Some users mention a steeper learning curve for beginners and a lack of a drag-and-drop interface.

Quform:

• Average Rating: Quform has garnered positive reviews for its:
  • User-friendly drag-and-drop interface
  • Pre-built form templates that speed up the creation process
• Common Critiques: While less frequent, there are mentions of issues with documentation clarity and customization limits.

It’s important to note that user reviews and ratings are an ever-changing landscape, reflecting ongoing updates and changes to each plugin.

Participation in Support Forums

Contact Form 7:

• The Contact Form 7 WordPress.org support forum is quite active, indicating:
  • Strong Community Engagement: Users frequently engage with each other, offering solutions and advice.
  • Plugin Author Participation: The plugin’s author Takayuki Miyoshi and other experienced users often address questions and concerns.
• Discussions tend to revolve around troubleshooting, customization, and best practices.

Quform:

• Quform’s support forum features:
  • Prompt Support Responses: Users often praise the support team for their quick and helpful responses.
  • Detailed Technical Assistance: The team provides in-depth support, often going beyond simple fixes to ensure optimal form functionality.
• Users benefit from a more personalized support experience, although the community is smaller compared to Contact Form 7.

By examining the qualitative data from these sources, we gain insights into the real-world use and support of both Contact Form 7 and Quform.

Developer Resources and Community

When assessing developer resources, our focus is on the availability and quality of documentation and community support, which are crucial for efficient development and troubleshooting. Both Contact Form 7 and Quform offer distinct approaches to these areas, catering to different developer needs.

Access to Developer Documentation

For Contact Form 7, the documentation available is comprehensive and directly accessible through the plugin’s page on WordPress.org or the developer’s official website. It spans from basic usage to more advanced topics, including hooks and filters, which are essential for developers looking to extend the plugin’s functionality. The documentation format includes:

• Instructional Guides: Step-by-step explanations on installation, setup, and customization.
• Code Snippets: Practical examples of common customizations and enhancements.
• API References: Details of the plugin’s hooks, filters, and functions.

Quform, on the other hand, presents its documentation through the CodeCanyon marketplace. Quform’s instructional materials are aimed at developers and provide substantial guidance on the following:

• Drag-and-Drop Builder: Instructions on using the builder interface.
• API Usage: Information on leveraging Quform’s API for advanced integrations.
• Custom Development: Guidelines for adding custom code and features.

Community Contributions and Developer Support

The community around Contact Form 7 is large and active, attributable to its long-standing presence and widespread use. Developers have produced a vast array of third-party extensions and custom integrations, available across various repositories. Community support is facilitated through:

• WordPress.org Support Forums: A platform where developers discuss issues and share solutions.
• Developer Blogs and Tutorials: Various third-party resources for extending the plugin.

For Quform, the CodeCanyon community plays a significant role, with developers actively engaging on the platform. Quform’s community contributions look like:

• User Reviews and Comments: An avenue for sharing experiences and support queries.
• Active Author Participation: The developer’s prompt engagement in the comments section for support matters.
• Regular Updates: Evidence of ongoing commitment to improving the plugin based on community feedback.

Both plugins offer solid developer resources and community support, each with its particular strengths, ensuring developers have the support they need to integrate and build upon these form builders.

Conclusion and Best Practices

When deciding between Contact Form 7 and Quform for your WordPress website, it’s important to consider your technical skill level, budget, and specific form needs.

Selecting the Best Form Builder for Your Needs

Quform: If you prioritize a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop capabilities and don’t mind investing in a premium solution, Quform could be the ideal choice. It allows for quick form creation with customizable options without requiring coding knowledge.

• Ease of Use: Quform has a straightforward dashboard that supports drag-and-drop form building.
• Features: You’ll have access to advanced features, including multi-page forms and mobile-responsive design.

Contact Form 7: For those looking for a no-cost solution and who have comfort with shortcode integration, Contact Form 7 remains a reliable option. This plugin provides the essentials for creating basic contact forms.

• Cost: It is a free plugin, making it suitable for those on a tight budget.
• Customization: Offers an abundance of customization options for users comfortable with coding.

Future Trends in WordPress Form Builders

The landscape of WordPress form builders is continually evolving, with a significant emphasis on user experience and integration capabilities. Here’s what we anticipate:

• Advanced Integration: Expect to see more plugins offering seamless integration with marketing services and CRM tools.
• Enhancements: Form plugins will likely become even more intuitive, reducing the learning curve and making advanced form creation accessible to a broader audience.
• Accessibility and Compliance: Solutions will have to focus on ensuring forms meet accessibility standards and keep up with data protection regulations.

By keeping your requirements and these future trends in mind, you can select a WordPress form builder that not only meets your current needs but is also poised to adapt to evolving web standards.