Create free web forms easily with these 5 tools
Form building is an essential skill for any web developer. But coding fully customized online forms from scratch can be time-consuming. That's why leveraging dedicated form building tools is a smart way to create free web forms easily, without writing all the code yourself.
In this guide, we'll explore 5 excellent free tools that allow you to quickly build responsive online forms for any purpose. These were selected based on their generous free plans, intuitive interfaces, range of features, and ease of getting started.
By using these tools, you can save huge amounts of development time and effort. You'll be able to create professional-looking forms optimized for conversions with minimal work. Whether you need a simple contact form or a complex multi-page survey, these tools have you covered.
Overview of Web Forms
Web forms are one of the fundamental building blocks of online user interactions. They allow you to easily create free web forms to capture structured data from website visitors or app users. The submitted data can then be stored, analyzed, and integrated with other systems as needed.
Some common examples of using web forms include:
- Contact forms to allow site visitors to get in touch
- Newsletter signup forms to grow your email list
- User registration and login forms for web apps
- eCommerce checkout forms for purchases
- Survey and feedback forms to collect insights
- Job application forms for recruiting
These forms are built using standard HTML form elements like text fields, checkboxes, dropdowns, and submit buttons. To make them work properly, additional JavaScript validation and handling of form submissions is needed.
Key technical considerations when implementing forms include validation, security, accessibility, and mobile-friendliness. This is where dedicated form building tools come in very handy!
Key Benefits of Web Forms
- Collect structured data from users in a convenient way
- Streamline processes by eliminating manual data entry
- Qualify leads and customers directly on your site
- Personalize experiences by allowing custom inputs
- Integrate seamlessly with databases and other systems
- Gain insights from feedback and survey responses
Potential Drawbacks
- Forms can frustrate users if they are too long or confusing
- Building custom forms requires development skills
- Hosting and storage costs increase with large volumes of submissions
- Integrating form data with other systems adds complexity
- Ensuring accessibility and mobile-friendliness takes effort
- Spam and bot submissions must be carefully filtered
Now let's dive into the 5 excellent free tools for easily creating free web forms without having to build them from scratch.
Tool #1: Formspree
Formspree is a free and open source form backend specifically designed to handle form submissions. It allows you to create forms that will be submitted directly to an email address of your choice.
The key benefits of Formspree include:
- No server-side integration needed - front-end form links to Formspree
- Provides spam filtering and data storage for up to 1,000 submissions/month
- Easy to implement by adding their AJAX code to form elements
- Lightweight option if you just need a simple contact form
Limitations are that Formspree has no advanced logic or integrations with other platforms. But for basic email-submitted forms, it's quick and easy to set up.
Tool #2: FormKeep
FormKeep focuses on hosting and management for HTML forms. It allows you to create forms without coding using a simple graphical interface.
Key features include:
- Drag-and-drop form builder with pre-built templates
- Seamlessly handles form submissions and data storage
- Integrates with over 1,000 other services via Zapier
- Generous free plan with up to 100 submissions/month
FormKeep is great for beginners who want an easy way to publish forms for their sites without development work. The Zapier integration also unlocks powerful automations.
Tool #3: Forms on Fire
Forms on Fire provides a drag-and-drop form builder focused on creating high-converting forms. It comes loaded with professional templates and design elements out of the box.
Notable aspects include:
- Visual form builder with tons of templates and elements
- Built-in analytics to track form performance
- Advanced options like conditional logic and branching allow skipping to different sections based on user input
- Free plan allows unlimited forms and 100 submissions/month
For developers who want more design flexibility and conversion optimization features without coding, Forms on Fire hits the sweet spot.
Tool #4: JotForm
JotForm is one of the most fully-featured online form builders available. It enables dragging-and-dropping hundreds of form templates to match any use case.
Notable features:
- Mobile-friendly forms and multi-page workflows
- Accept payments, file uploads, e-signatures directly in forms
- Connect to Zapier plus JotForm's own API integrations
- Free plan with unlimited forms and 100 monthly entries
If you need powerful and versatile forms with built-in payments and file uploads, JotForm is an excellent choice. Sites like DevHunt could benefit from leveraging JotForm's advanced functionality.
Tool #5: Wufoo
Wufoo pioneered the SaaS form building space and is still one of the best. It has an incredibly intuitive drag-and-drop form builder.
Highlights include:
- Visual form builder with embeddable widgets
- View form analytics within Wufoo dashboard
- Integrates with Webhooks, Zapier, Slack and more
- Generous free plan with unlimited forms
For quickly embedding forms on websites with minimal hassle, Wufoo is hard to beat. The embeddable widgets and analytics make it a user-friendly option.
Key Takeaways
- Modern form building tools make it easy to create free web forms without coding them yourself.
- Options like Formspree, FormKeep, Forms on Fire, JotForm, and Wufoo have generous free plans.
- Each tool has unique strengths like email integration, Zapier automation, and embedded widgets.
- Make sure to select the right tool based on the specific types of forms you need.
- Leverage these excellent free tools to save huge amounts of development time when collecting data from users.
We've only scratched the surface of what these tools can do. Try out one or more free options for your next web form project to see how much they can simplify the process!
If you're looking to create free web forms for your site, I recommend checking out DevHunt to explore these tools further. Their site offers a great launchpad for discovering and evaluating the latest developer tools and technologies like these form builders. Seeing them in action yourself is the best way to determine which solution fits your needs.