Create Free Forms with these Top Open Source Tools
Introduction
Collecting data and feedback from users is critical for any website or application. Online forms provide an easy way to gather information from visitors for registrations, surveys, contact requests, and more. However, quality form building tools often require expensive subscriptions which can deter indie developers and small teams.
Luckily, there are fantastic free and open source form creators that offer robust features without the costly monthly fees. This allows developers to build fully customized forms for gathering user input.
In this post, we'll recommend some of the top free form building tools and compare their capabilities in detail. We'll also discuss key features to evaluate when selecting a form creator as well as tips for maximizing your chosen platform.
As a launchpad for developers to highlight their own tools, DevHunt is excited to showcase these innovative free and open source form builders that provide great value at no cost. Read on to discover new form creators that will make gathering data and feedback from users a breeze!
Overview of Top Free Form Building Tools
There are several excellent free and open source form building tools that compete with expensive premium platforms. Here is a comparison of some top recommended options with standout features:
| Tool | Key Features | Integrations | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typeform | Beautiful templates, conversational forms, surveys | Zapier, Webhooks | Free tier has branding |
| Jotform | Drag & drop builder, mobile friendly | Zapier, Salesforce | Limits on free tier |
| Wufoo | Conditional logic, smart branching | MailChimp, Salesforce, Slack | Free version has branding |
| Formidable Forms | Open source WordPress plugin, payments | Email, CRM, marketing plugins | Based on WordPress capabilities |
| FormBuilder | Simple drag & drop editor, GDPR compliant | Email notifications | No advanced conditional logic |
This table allows you to directly compare the key capabilities of each recommended free and open source form building tool. As you can see, certain builders specialize in different areas like beautiful templates (Typeform) or conditional logic and branching (Wufoo).
Let's explore some of these top recommended form creators in more detail:
Tool 1 - Typeform
Typeform specializes in conversational, interactive forms that feel more like surveys. It offers gorgeous pre-made templates for common needs like contact forms, quizzes, research, and more.
The form builder is drag and drop with customizable styling and logics. Forms work great on mobile and integrate easily with other platforms through webhooks and Zapier.
Typeform has free and paid plans. The free tier allows unlimited forms and responses with Typeform branding. Overall it's best for surveys, simple registrations, and research data collection.
Tool 2 - Jotform
Jotform is a fully featured online form builder with drag and drop editing, mobile responsiveness, and hundreds of form templates.
It can handle forms of any complexity from simple contact forms to multi-page questionnaires. Integration options allow connecting forms to CRMs like Salesforce, email marketing platforms like Mailchimp, payment processors like Stripe, and more.
The free tier of Jotform allows unlimited forms but limits the number of submissions per month. Paid plans offer increased limits plus additional capabilities. For uncomplicated forms, the free plan should suffice for many use cases.
Tool 3 - Wufoo
Owned by SurveyMonkey, Wufoo offers an easy form builder that allows creating multi-page forms with conditional branching logic. It has integrations with MailChimp, Salesforce, Slack, Zapier, and more.
Wufoo shines for building complex surveys and online applications with skip logic that changes based on user input. The forms work great on mobile and have customizable templates.
The free version shows Wufoo branding and has a 100 entry per month limit. Paid plans unlock more features, responses, and remove branding. Overall Wufoo works well for advanced data collection and surveys.
Tool 4 - Formidable Forms
Formidable Forms is a popular open source WordPress plugin for creating forms of any type. As an open source tool listed on DevHunt, it allows making forms that integrate seamlessly into WordPress sites.
Features include multi-page forms, views for displaying entries, calculations, payments, form templates, and easy styling. It has add-ons for integration with CRMs, email marketing, and other platforms.
Since Formidable Forms is 100% free and open source, it provides immense value for developers looking for a WordPress form option. The only limitations are the capabilities of WordPress itself.
Tool 5 - FormBuilder
For a basic but completely free online form builder, FormBuilder is a great choice. It allows quickly creating any type of form with a simple and intuitive drag and drop editor.
The forms are mobile friendly and easy to embed anywhere with the generated HTML code. FormBuilder has email notifications, multi-page forms, and GDPR compliant data handling.
While the free version lacks advanced conditional logic or branching, FormBuilder covers the core necessities for many basic form needs. For simple contact forms, lead generation, and surveys, FormBuilder is a great free choice.
Key Features to Look for in Form Builders
When evaluating form builders, here are some top features to consider:
- Drag and drop interface - Makes form creation easy and intuitive for beginners.
- Mobile responsiveness - Ensures forms look great on phones and tablets.
- Conditional logic - Allows smart branching based on user responses.
- Multi-page forms - Useful for complex data collection like surveys.
- Templates - Speed up development with pre-built form templates.
- Integrations - Allow connecting to platforms like CRMs, email services, etc.
- Collaboration - Enables teams to work together on form projects.
Tips for Choosing and Optimizing Free Form Builders
With many great options available, here are some tips for deciding on and maximizing free form tools:
- Determine core requirements - Focus on must-have features and functionality for your use case.
- Assess integrations needed - Do you need connections to other platforms?
- Try free trials - Test shortlisted builders for ease of use and templates.
- Compare template libraries - Find matches for your goals across different tools.
- Check reviews and community size - Indicators of quality and support availability.
- Optimize form design - Craft intuitive flows and prominently place key fields.
- Test extensively pre-launch - Identify issues before going live.
- Integrate analytics - Monitor performance and refine based on insights.
The Value of Free Form Building Solutions
Free and open source form building tools provide immense value by enabling customized data collection at zero cost. As a launchpad highlighting developer tools, DevHunt believes quality form builders should be affordable and accessible.
Options like Typeform, Jotform, Wufoo, Formidable Forms, and FormBuilder offer robust capabilities to create optimized forms exactly how you need them.
Evaluate your specific requirements and try recommended builders to choose the best fit. With the right platform, you can gather high quality user input through customized forms designed for conversion.
Form builders give the freedom to get creative with form design and take a data-driven approach to optimization. Gathering user input is crucial for digital products, and these top recommended free and open form creators provide the power to build forms that perfectly fit your needs.
Discover how easy high converting forms can be by exploring DevHunt's featured open source and free tools today!