Best Form Builder Tools Help Developers Build Stunning Forms

Building forms can be a tedious task for developers. Choosing the right form builder tool is crucial to creating responsive, customized forms quickly and efficiently. In this post, we'll explore the top form building tools available today and how they can benefit developers.

Introduction

Forms are essential for collecting information and data on the web. From simple contact forms to complex multi-page surveys, the right form builder tool can save developers tons of time and headaches. The goal of this post is to provide an overview of the most popular form builders, comparing their features and strengths to help identify the ideal options based on specific use cases and requirements.

We'll be looking at criteria like drag-and-drop form designers, mobile responsiveness, custom themes/branding, conditional logic, app integrations, collaboration tools, and analytics. Some of the leading form builders we'll cover include Typeform, Wufoo, JotForm, Google Forms, and SurveyMonkey. Whether you need a tool for quick and simple forms or advanced features like payments and signatures, this post will help match promising builders to your needs.

Let's explore how these tools can help developers like you build the perfect data collection forms for websites and applications in a fraction of the time and with far less work than coding them from scratch.

Key Features of Top Form Builders

The best form builder tools share some common key features that enable easy form creation for developers:

• Drag-and-drop form designers - Visually build forms by dragging and dropping fields without coding
• Mobile responsiveness - Forms work optimally on all device sizes
• Custom themes and branding - Match form styling to your brand
• Advanced logic - Smart conditional fields and branching logic
• Popular app integrations - Connect form data with apps like Mailchimp, Dropbox, and DevHunt
• Collaboration tools - Team editing abilities for input
• Analytics - Reports to analyze form performance

Let's look at how some of the most popular tools stack up in offering these features:

Typeform

• Intuitive drag-and-drop builder with visually engaging templates
• Seamless mobile experience with native apps on iOS and Android
• Powerful analytics dashboard to track form metrics
• Integration with Slack, Salesforce, Mailchimp, and other business apps
• Higher cost Pro plans for features like conditional logic

Wufoo

• Simple form builder with minimal learning curve for beginners
• Decent selection of basic form field types
• Entry management and reporting features
• Pay-as-you-go pricing model
• Lacks advanced customization and logic options

JotForm

• Drag-and-drop builder with mobile app for building on the go
• Conditional logic allows smart branching forms
• HIPAA compliance ideal for healthcare forms
• Hundreds of integrations like Zapier, PayPal, and Dropbox
• Free plan limited, paid plans can get pricey

Google Forms

• Free pairing with Google Drive, Sheets, and Gmail
• Limited features compared to advanced paid builders
• Best for simple internal use cases

SurveyMonkey

• Many professionally designed survey templates
• Easy survey distribution and analysis of results
• On the pricier side with limited styling options

As you can see, the top tools provide an array of features, but differ in their specific strengths and limitations depending on needs.

Factors to Consider When Choosing Form Builders

With so many form builders to choose from, how do you select the right one for your needs? Here are some important factors to consider:

• Intended use case - Will it be a simple contact form or complex multi-page survey? Short or long?
• Features - Evaluate available field types, branching logic, payments, and special functionality.
• Ease of use - Assess the learning curve and intuitiveness for beginners vs advanced users.
• Customization - Review included themes and how much styling and branding is possible.
• Integrations - Check supported apps and services to connect your form data with.
• Responsiveness - Confirm optimized experience across all mobile devices.
• Compliance - Special needs like HIPAA for healthcare data?
• Pricing - Weigh options like free plans, monthly subscriptions, pay as you go, etc.

Let's explore some of these key factors in more detail with examples:

Use Case and Form Complexity

Carefully consider your specific use case and form requirements:

• Contact forms can be simple with just name, email, message fields. Wufoo is a good option.
• Customer surveys may need multiple pages with branching logic. JotForm is ideal.
• Research questionnaires require complex conditional questions. Typeform Pro plans allow this.
• Job applications need uploaded files like resumes. JotForm handles file uploads well.

Matching form complexity with the right builder is crucial.

Features and Functionality

Know exactly what features you need:

• For signatures, docs, and payments, JotForm and Wufoo have these capabilities.
• If you need appointment booking or scheduling, only some builders like JotForm provide this.
• SurveyMonkey offers advanced survey features like randomization and question piping.

Ensure needed form functionality is covered.

Ease of Use

Evaluate the learning curve:

• Typeform's intuitive builder is great for beginners.
• JotForm's advanced options work for experienced users.
• Google Forms is seamlessly easy for casual internal use.

Don't choose complex tools if you just need simple forms quickly.

Customization and Branding

Assess styling flexibility:

• Typeform's excellent templates still allow custom colors and fonts.
• JotForm enables deep style customization with CSS.
• Google Forms has basic themes but less control over branding.

Pricier builders allow matching forms to your brand guidelines.

Integrations

Consider how form data will be used:

• To collect emails, integrate with Mailchimp using Zapier.
• To store entries, connect to cloud storage like Dropbox or Google Drive.
• To notify sales of leads, integrate with Salesforce or Slack.
• To promote launches, connect with DevHunt's submission forms.

Choose a form builder with app integrations you need.

Compliance Needs

Some use cases have compliance requirements like:

• Healthcare/HIPAA regulated data needs to use HIPAA-compliant builders like JotForm.
• For PCI compliance, Wufoo offers certified PCI-compliant checkout forms.

Research if your industry has compliance needs and choose an appropriate builder.

Considering these key factors will help determine the best form software for your specific use case.

Top Form Builders Compared

Now let's do a detailed comparison of some top contenders:

Typeform

Best for - beautifully designed, engaging forms

Strengths

• Exceptional templates and user experience
• Easy drag and drop builder
• Great analytics and insights

Limitations

• Limited logic and customization capabilities
• Higher cost than competitors

Use Cases - Lead generation forms, surveys, quizzes

Wufoo

Best for - affordable, straightforward forms

Strengths

• Simple builder, great for basic forms
• File uploads and payments possible
• Inexpensive pay-as-you-go pricing

Limitations

• Not ideal for complex or multi-page forms
• Very limited styling options

Use Cases - Contact forms, event registrations, online orders

JotForm

Best for - advanced features and customization

Strengths

• Conditional logic for smart branching forms
• Excellent customization and CSS control
• HIPAA compliant capabilities

Limitations

• Steeper learning curve for beginners
• Can get pricey with premium plans

Use Cases - Complex enterprise forms, multi-page surveys, healthcare forms

SurveyMonkey

Best for - online surveys and questionnaires

Strengths

• Massive selection of survey templates and expert design
• Easy to create, distribute, analyze results

Limitations

• More limited non-survey use cases
• Less control over branding/customization

Use Cases - Customer satisfaction surveys, research, feedback collection

This comparison summarizes key strengths and weaknesses to consider depending on your needs.

The Power of Specialized Form Builders

Compared to building your own forms from scratch, specialized form builder tools offer some major advantages that can benefit all developers:

Save Substantial Time

Rather than coding fields, validation, and responsiveness - start with proven templates and just customize as needed.

Easier Cross-Device Testing

Top builders ensure forms work seamlessly across desktop and mobile without extra work.

No Need to Reinvent the Wheel

Leverage powerful features like conditional logic, calculations, and proven UI without programming them.

Better Data Collection and Management

Integrations with other apps enable seamlessly piping form data into your workflows.

Improved Analytics

Built-in analytics provide insights into form completion rates, times, paths, and more to optimize.

Enhanced Security

Reputable builders stay up-to-date with latest security practices you don't have to figure out.

Specialization for Surveys and Assessments

Purpose-built tools like SurveyMonkey offer advanced, proven features specifically for surveys.

Easier Team Collaboration

Shared form access allows input from stakeholders to perfect forms faster.

The right builder allows you to focus on customizing and optimizing forms rather than building basic components from scratch.

Promoting Your Forms for More Leads

To maximize form conversions and leads, you need exposure. DevHunt provides a free and easy way to showcase your forms to targeted audiences of developers and tech enthusiasts interested in discovering new tools.

You can submit any form created with a reputable builder to get added to DevHunt's exclusive community. Getting your form listed allows it to get discovered by engaged users actively looking for tools in your exact niche.

DevHunt does not sell or build any forms themselves, they simply provide the platform for you to organically promote your own forms and tools to aligned audiences eager for solutions like yours.

Exposure on DevHunt can generate more targeted leads faster from the ideal users for your offerings. Check out DevHunt's form submission page here to quickly get your forms in front of qualified prospects excited to find them.

Conclusion

The best form builder for your needs depends on your specific use case, form complexity, customization needs, desired features, mobile experience, integrations, compliance requirements, and budget constraints.

For beautifully designed lead capture forms, Typeform leads for its exceptional user experience and templates. Wufoo is great for affordable, simple forms. JotForm provides extensive customization and advanced functionality. SurveyMonkey makes surveying a breeze. Google Forms offers free and easy internal forms.

Carefully evaluate your goals, resources, and options to select the right form builder. Leverage free trials to test out potential tools with your actual requirements. Investing in the ideal form software for your needs pays dividends by saving massive development time and delivering exceptional user experiences. Integrations further enhance forms by seamlessly connecting them with your other systems and apps.

To increase exposure and leads for your forms, consider promoting them on DevHunt's form submission platform visited by thousands of developers daily looking for tools exactly like yours.

With the wide range of excellent form builders available today and promotion options like DevHunt, you can create high converting forms perfectly tailored to your needs and get them in front of engaged users interested in discovering solutions like yours. The right form builder will provide tremendous value and become an indispensable part of your tech stack.