Form Maker vs Ninja Forms: Comparing Top WordPress Form Builders

Posted by Josh Blackburn, in Contact Form Plugins

As experts in WordPress form plugins, we recognize the significance of choosing the right tool to enhance user interaction on a website. Among these tools, Form Maker and Ninja Forms stand out as substantial options within the WordPress plugin repository.

Form Maker is a versatile WordPress form plugin designed to make form creation intuitive. It provides an array of templates and customizable features that accommodate both novices and seasoned web developers. Here’s a brief overview:

• User-friendly interface
• Multiple field types
• Pre-designed form templates for quick deployment
• Comprehensive documentation and support

On the other hand, Ninja Forms is a formidable contender in the realm of WordPress form plugins. Esteemed for its flexibility and ease of integration, Ninja Forms presents a robust platform suitable for a variety of form-building needs:

• Drag-and-drop form builder
• Extensive add-on selection
• Seamless integration with various third-party services
• Effective support and learning resources

We notice that both plugins aim to simplify the form creation process on WordPress websites while offering substantial capabilities to cater to a broad range of requirements. Through their respective interfaces, users can construct everything from basic contact forms to complex, multi-page forms with conditional logic.

In comparing Form Maker and Ninja Forms, it’s crucial to investigate aspects like ease of use, feature sets, integration options, and support provided. By doing so, we can discern the subtle nuances that make each plugin distinctive and equip users with the insight to select the most fitting solution for their WordPress site.

Installation and Setup

To begin utilizing either Form Maker or Ninja Forms on your WordPress site, you first need to install and activate the respective plugin. Our approach is straightforward; we ensure the process aligns with WordPress standards for a smooth experience.

For Ninja Forms:

1. Navigate to the ‘Plugins’ section in our WordPress dashboard.
2. Click ‘Add New’ and search for “Ninja Forms.”
3. Upon locating Ninja Forms, click ‘Install Now,’ then ‘Activate.’

For Form Maker:

1. Go to ‘Plugins’ within our dashboard.
2. Choose ‘Add New’ and enter “Form Maker” in the search field.
3. Install and activate it by clicking on ‘Install Now’ followed by ‘Activate.’

Interface and Ease of Use:

Ninja Forms: The interface prioritizes user experience, using a drag-and-drop builder that we find intuitive. The settings are easily accessible, which facilitates creating forms with minimal fuss.

Form Maker: This plugin also offers a user-friendly interface, focusing on the drag-and-drop system for form creation. It gives us quick access to settings, making the experience hassle-free.

Configuration Settings:

• Ninja Forms:
  • Upon activation, we’re guided by an initial setup configuration.
  • The settings area is comprehensive, offering general and advanced options.
• Form Maker:
  • We’re presented with an easy-to-follow setup wizard.
  • Settings are logically structured, catering to both basic and advanced needs.

We make it our responsibility to ensure both plugins are well-integrated within the WordPress environment while maintaining a balance between advanced functionality and ease of use. Adjustment of settings is made to be clear and non-intimidating, serving both novices and advanced users alike.

Core Features and Functionalities

When choosing between Form Maker and Ninja Forms, it’s crucial to evaluate the core features and functionalities that each plugin offers. Each element plays a significant role in determining the flexibility and efficiency of form management for WordPress websites.

Form Building Capabilities

Ninja Forms and Form Maker both offer a drag-and-drop interface, simplifying the creation of forms. They provide a range of form fields and field types to cater to various data collection needs. While Form Maker has a straightforward approach, Ninja Forms brings additional advanced features that might benefit more complex form designs.

Design and Customization Options

With responsive form templates, both plugins allow for easy design alignment with your existing website layout. Customization is facilitated through options to modify layouts and styles to enhance user experience. They empower us with the tools necessary to maintain the branding consistent across forms.

Marketing Tools Integration

A variety of email marketing services such as MailChimp, AWeber, Constant Contact, Campaign Monitor, and HubSpot integrate seamlessly with Ninja Forms. Form Maker also supports integration with a selection of marketing tools, expanding the scope for automated marketing campaigns.

Advanced Form Features

Both platforms offer advanced features like conditional logic and multi-page forms, enhancing the interactivity of forms. Ninja Forms includes spam protection methods and scheduled forms, while Form Maker presents a robust suite of functionalities suitable for various use cases.

Communication and Notifications

Email notifications and autoresponders are fundamental in maintaining communication with users. These plugins ensure immediacy in acknowledging submissions. Ninja Forms and Form Maker allow us to construct personalized messages triggered upon form completion, improving user engagement.

Data Handling and Management

Efficient data and entry management are critical, with both providing capabilities to export data for external use. Form Maker and Ninja Forms ensure that we can manage the submissions directly from the WordPress dashboard, with added functionalities to streamline data handling processes.

E-Commerce and Payments

Integration with e-commerce platforms like WooCommerce and payment gateways such as PayPal and Stripe facilitates direct sales and payments through the forms. While Ninja Forms extends its capability with platforms like Salesforce, Form Maker ensures secure transactional functionalities to cater to e-commerce needs.

Compatibility and Integrations

When considering contact form plugins for a WordPress site, it is essential to evaluate how well they integrate with various systems. Our focus here will be on how Ninja Forms and Form Maker sync with CRM and management tools, project and team collaboration software, marketing and email campaigns, as well as payment and financial systems.

CRM and Management Tools

Ninja Forms offers connections to a variety of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools, such as Zoho CRM, Salesforce, and Highrise. These integrations allow us to capture leads directly through our forms and funnel them into our CRM workflows.

• Zoho CRM: Supported by Ninja Forms through add-ons.
• Salesforce: Available integration with Ninja Forms.
• Highrise: Can be integrated with Ninja Forms via available add-ons.

Form Maker, although offering a less robust integration portfolio, still provides essential CRM connectivity.

Project and Team Collaboration

Both Ninja Forms and Form Maker allow for integrations that cater to project management and team collaboration.

Ninja Forms:

• Trello: Add-on available to create cards from form submissions.
• Slack: Notifications can be sent to Slack channels.

Form Maker:

• Limited native support, but might be extended through third-party plugins.

Marketing and Email Campaigns

A powerful feature of contact form plugins is the ability to link our marketing efforts with our forms. Both Ninja Forms and Form Maker offer various email marketing service integrations.

• ActiveCampaign, Constant Contact, AWeber, Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor, Emma: Ninja Forms supports these services directly through add-ons or extensions.
• With Form Maker, we can also hook into services like Mailchimp; additional integrations may require customization or additional plugins.

Payment and Financial Systems

Our ability to handle transactions directly through our WordPress site can be a game-changer. Ninja Forms facilitates this with integrations for popular payment gateways.

• PayPal, Stripe, Elavon: Easily integrate with Ninja Forms through respective add-ons.
• WooCommerce: Ninja Forms has extensions for deeper WooCommerce integration.

Form Maker also supports payment options:

• PayPal and Stripe integrations are available to handle transactions.

For enhanced financial management, Ninja Forms often proves more flexible with a broader range of payment integrations, which can be crucial for ecommerce functionality on our WordPress site.

Support and Documentation

When evaluating the support and documentation of both Form Maker and Ninja Forms, our analysis highlights several key points users should consider:

Ninja Forms

• Documentation: We find that Ninja Forms provides comprehensive documentation, guiding users through various aspects of form creation and customization.
• Support Team: Their support team is accessible, but the level of access varies. Basic inquiries can be addressed through the public forums.
• Priority Support: For more immediate assistance, their premium service offers priority support, which can be a crucial benefit for business-critical issues.
• Updates: Regular updates are released, ensuring users have access to the latest features and security enhancements.

Form Maker

• Documentation: Our review notes that Form Maker also offers detailed documentation for setting up and managing forms effectively.
• Support Team: While the free version users can seek help through WordPress.org forums, direct support is limited.
• Priority Support: With premium versions, users gain access to priority support, enhancing the response and resolution time for support queries.
• Updates: Like Ninja Forms, Form Maker consistently provides updates that include improvements and bug fixes.

Support Access Comparison

In terms of support and documentation, we ensure that both plugins have their strengths. A key difference lies in the availability of direct support for free users, which is limited for both but structured differently. It is advisable for users to consider if they require priority support for expedient resolutions to potential issues.

Ease of Use and Accessibility

When we examine Form Maker and Ninja Forms in terms of user-friendliness and accessibility, it’s imperative to focus on their interfaces. Both plugins target a seamless user experience, but let’s break down the details.

User Interface (UI): We find that Ninja Forms and Form Maker prioritize intuitive design. Ninja Forms offers a drag-and-drop editor, streamlining form creation for beginners. Similarly, Form Maker features a user interface designed to minimize complexity and make navigation straightforward for users of all skill levels.

Form Building Process:

• Ninja Forms:
  • Beginner-Friendly: Yes
  • Drag-and-Drop: Yes
• Form Maker:
  • Beginner-Friendly: Yes
  • Drag-and-Drop: Varies by version

Interaction Clarity:

Both platforms present the form elements and options in an organized manner, which enhances accessibility. Clear labeling and the structured progression through form creation tasks further contribute to the ease of use.

Adaptive for Various Users:

We recognize that the requirements for ease of use can vary. Both Form Maker and Ninja Forms adapt their offerings to cater to the novice user, without compromising the depth needed by more experienced designers. The degree of customization available ensures that users are not restricted by the simplicity of the interface.

In Summary:

• Ninja Forms facilitates a smooth entry point for beginners with a highly visual approach.
• Form Maker also offers an accessible environment, potentially featuring different levels of drag-and-drop functionality depending on the chosen plan or version.

In our assessment, we conclude that both form builders acknowledge the importance of a user-friendly and approachable interface to cater to a broad audience. Each tool aims to empower users, regardless of their technical proficiency, to create forms with ease.

Customization and Flexibility

In examining the customization and flexibility of Form Maker and Ninja Forms, we focus on how these features empower users to tailor their forms according to specific needs.

Form Maker is highly customizable, with a variety of options that allow users to adapt their forms. We can modify layouts and styles easily, ensuring that the forms not only perform well but also align with the website’s aesthetics. The interface of Form Maker facilitates a straightforward editing process that we find accommodates both beginners and advanced users.

• Layouts: Multiple options
• Styles: Rich styling choices
• Interface: User-friendly

Ninja Forms, on the other hand, offers a robust customization system that is both powerful and intuitive. With its drag-and-drop interface, we can craft forms that are both functional and visually appealing. Responsive design is a key feature here, as it ensures forms created with Ninja Forms work seamlessly across all devices.

• Responsive: Fully adaptable to all screens
• Layouts: Drag-and-drop ease
• Styles: Extensive styling capabilities
• Interface: Intuitive and flexible

Both plugins offer customization through:

• Templates: Various starting points for form creation
• Conditional Logic: Tailoring user experience based on input
• Multi-step Forms: Breaking down complex forms into manageable steps

However, when it comes to the sheer adaptability and ease of producing intricate, responsive forms, Ninja Forms distinguishes itself with greater flexibility in styles and interface design, giving us more control over the user experience. Form Maker provides a solid range of options but shines in its simplicity and ease of use for creating standard forms.

Pricing and Value for Money

When assessing Ninja Forms and Form Maker, we consider not only the upfront cost but also the value each offers through their features and licensing options.

Comparison of Free Versions

• Ninja Forms: The free version of Ninja Forms includes basic form-building functionality, making it suitable for simple contact forms and newsletter signups.
• Form Maker: Form Maker’s free version also offers basic features required for simple form creation.

Premium Plans and Features

• Ninja Forms: Pricing for Ninja Forms begins at approximately $99 per year for their Personal plan.
  • Pro: Advanced features such as payment forms and user registration.
  • Plus: Additional functionality for integrations.
  • Elite: Aimed at developers or those with complex needs.
• Form Maker: In contrast, Form Maker has a more accessible entry price point starting at around $45.
  • Offers robust features across various plans that cater to different user requirements.

Analyzing Cost-Effectiveness

• Considering the starting prices and features offered in premium versions, users must evaluate which plugin presents the better cost-to-utility ratio for their specific needs.
• Ninja Forms’ higher entry price might be justified by its comprehensive feature list, while Form Maker’s affordability caters to budget-conscious users seeking essential functionalities.

Understanding Licensing Options

• Ninja Forms: Licenses are typically annual, requiring yearly renewals for continued support and updates.
• Form Maker: Offers a similar licensing model; some license tiers may include lifetime updates.
• Both plugins adopt the GNU/GPL licensing system, which grants users the freedom to use, modify, and distribute software.

By examining the pricing structures and licensing options of Ninja Forms and Form Maker, we provide clear information for users to make informed decisions based on their form-building requirements and budget.

User Opinions and Reviews

In exploring insights from our users and the wider WordPress community, we have observed diverse experiences with both Ninja Forms and Form Maker.

Ninja Forms:

• Positive Feedback:
  • Users often highlight the drag-and-drop interface as a major plus, facilitating form creation without prior coding knowledge.
  • The visual builder is frequently mentioned for its user-friendly navigation.
  • Ongoing updates, new features, and timely bug fixes are well received among clients.
• Negative Feedback:
  • Some users express concerns over pricing, particularly when advanced features are needed.
  • Occasionally, users report technical glitches that can affect form performance.

Form Maker:

• Positive Feedback:
  • Clients value the simplicity and ease of use when creating basic forms.
  • The customizability of forms is often recognized as a strength for more advanced users.
• Negative Feedback:
  • Feedback suggests there is a learning curve for maximizing the plugin’s full potential.
  • A few reviews mention a need for more intuitive design elements.

When assessing experiences, it’s crucial to consider the specific needs and the technical skill level of the individual or business. Our understanding is honed by actively engaging with our community, fostering an environment that truly captures their voice. Here are some general observations:

• For beginners: Those new to WordPress tend to favor Ninja Forms for its user-friendly aspect.
• For developers: Users with experience in web development may prefer Form Maker for the fine control it offers over form customization.

As we continue to field feedback and enhance our understanding, we remain committed to providing clear, accurate, and unbiased information.

Final Recommendations

In selecting a WordPress form builder, we must consider ease of use for newcomers, advanced features for seasoned users, and overall plugin reliability and performance.

Choosing the Right Plugin for Beginners

For those just starting with WordPress forms, ease of use is paramount. Ninja Forms offers a user-friendly interface with no requirement for coding experience, allowing beginners to create forms quickly. Form Maker, similarly, provides a drag-and-drop interface conducive for users with little to no technical background. When recommending a form builder for beginners, both of these options are commendable; however, Ninja Forms might have a slight edge in terms of simplicity and intuitiveness.

Best Practices for Advanced Users

For more advanced users, who require sophisticated tools and customization options, the choice hinges on the range of advanced features available. Ninja Forms comes equipped with extensions for conditional logic, multi-part forms, and file uploads. On the other hand, Form Maker allows for CSS customization and includes advanced fields. Both plugins offer regular updates to augment their capabilities. Our advice for power users is to weigh the specific advanced features that align with their project needs.

Comparing Reliability and Performance

Assessing reliability and performance, we must look at the plugin’s history of updates, user reviews, and compatibility with other WordPress plugins and themes. Both Ninja Forms and Form Maker have proven to be reliable with a history of consistent updates. The performance of each plugin may vary depending on the complexity of the forms and the hosting environment, but both maintain a reputable status for maintaining form integrity and speed. When comparing these two, ensure that the chosen form builder integrates seamlessly with your existing WordPress setup.