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Published Oct 11, 2023 ⦁ 7 min read

Creating Forms Made Easy: Top Form Builders For Developers

Introduction

Forms are a critical component of most web and mobile applications. They allow developers to easily collect data from users for registrations, contact forms, surveys, e-commerce checkouts, and more. However, coding custom online forms from scratch can be time-consuming and complex. Form builders simplify the process by providing intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces to create forms quickly without needing to write code.

This post explores the top form building tools available for developers. We'll compare features, integrations, pricing models, and other key factors to evaluate the leading options. The goal is to help developers identify the best form builders for their specific needs and use cases.

DevHunt, a platform for discovering developer tools, maintains a comprehensive directory of popular form builders and no-code solutions. While DevHunt offers its own customizable form building product, this post provides an unbiased look across the wider form builder landscape. Read on to learn how these tools can save developers significant time and effort when creating custom online forms.

Benefits of Using Form Builders

Form builders provide many advantages over manually coding forms from scratch:

Accelerated Development Time

  • Pre-built form components and field types allow for rapid drag-and-drop form construction. This is exponentially faster than hand-coding form markup and styles.
  • Form templates and samples give developers a head start instead of starting from a blank page. Templates can be quickly modified as needed.
  • Form builders handle technical validations, submissions, and back-end integrations out-of-the-box. Developers avoid potential bugs from coding complex form logic themselves.

Flexible Customization and Styling

  • Customize forms with personalized design, branding, themes, and templates to perfectly match your website or app.
  • Style forms using custom CSS, conditional logic, and provided styling options for complete control over look and feel.
  • Easily rearrange, add, or remove fields and sections to optimize the form layout.
  • Built-in mobile responsiveness ensures forms look great on all devices without extra effort.

Seamless Built-in Integrations

  • Send form data directly to databases, cloud storage, email marketing platforms, and more.
  • Accept payments by integrating secure payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal.
  • Embed forms into webpages and mobile apps or link to forms using shareable links.
  • Connect to 1000+ apps with Zapier and leverage API integrations for advanced custom workflows.

By leveraging the capabilities of form builders like those showcased on DevHunt, developers can avoid the complexities of building forms from scratch. This enables creating customized forms exponentially faster. Next, let's explore some of the top form building tools available today.

Top Form Builders for Developers

Here are some of the most popular form builders used by developers:

Typeform

  • Extremely intuitive drag-and-drop form builder with modern, engaging styling.
  • Create conversational forms with interactive elements and transitions.
  • Analytics dashboard provides insights on form completion rates.
  • Integrates with Zapier, Slack, HubSpot, and email services.
  • Free plan available with 100 responses per month. Paid plans start at $35/month.

Best for marketers wanting to create immersive brand experiences.

Formstack

  • Build complex form workflows with smart fields, logic, and conditional redirects.
  • Custom styling options and white labeling available.
  • Equipped with API access, webhooks, and hundreds of integrations.
  • Pricing from free plan up to $199/month based on features and usage.

Ideal for gathering structured data with advanced logic.

Jotform

  • Drag-and-drop form builder with free plan and paid upgrades.
  • Mobile-ready forms with multi-page workflows and logic.
  • Accept payments, upload files, add signatures, and collect location data.
  • Connect to Zapier, Slack, Webhooks and integrate using API.
  • Paid plans from $14/month to $49/month with volume discounts.

Great for accepting payments and file uploads.

Wufoo

  • Create forms for surveys, order forms, contact forms, and more.
  • Basic free plan with paid upgrades for enterprise capabilities.
  • Connect to CRMs, email marketing, payments, webhooks and more.
  • Embed forms easily into websites with custom branding.
  • Monthly paid plans range from $15 to $199 based on volume and features.

Simple drag-and-drop forms for surveys and basic data collection.

Cognito Forms

  • Specifically designed for developers to customize and integrate.
  • Export form HTML/CSS code to host anywhere or deploy via WordPress plugin.
  • Accept payments, upload files, and leverage conditional logic.
  • Free plan for basic usage, paid plans from $4 to $15 per month.

Developer-focused forms with code export and WordPress integration.

Google Forms

  • Free and easy-to-use forms with Google account login.
  • Analyze results using built-in analytics and charts.
  • Limited customization and integrations compared to paid tools.
  • Best for simple forms, surveys, quizzes, and internal uses.

Free option for basic forms without advanced features.

Key Evaluation Criteria

When researching form builders, keep these key criteria in mind:

Core Form Building Features

  • Drag-and-drop form creation with pre-built fields and templates
  • Validation, conditional logic, multi-page workflows
  • Choice of field types - text, checkbox, radio, dropdowns, etc.

Design and Customization

  • Themes, colors, fonts to match brand styling
  • Custom CSS and layout options
  • White labeling and custom domain support
  • Mobile responsiveness

Integrations

  • Store submissions in databases like Airtable or Google Sheets
  • Accept payments through Stripe, PayPal, and other gateways
  • Connect to email marketing platforms like MailChimp
  • Embed via iframes or WordPress plugins
  • Zapier and API access for advanced customizations

Pricing flexibility is also key - some tools offer free plans while paid options enable more advanced capabilities and volume. Prioritizing these criteria helps identify the best form builder for specific needs and budgets.

Choosing the Right Form Builder

With so many form builders on the market, here are some tips for choosing the ideal option:

  • Consider your primary use cases and required core features - complex multi-page forms vs simple contact forms have different needs.
  • Review available third-party integrations to ensure the form builder connects to relevant platforms you use already.
  • Compare free plans vs paid plans based on expected form volume and complexity. Paid plans enable more advanced features.
  • Evaluate ease of use - a more intuitive builder means faster form creation.
  • Assess customization and styling options to match forms to your brand identity.
  • Check form analytics and insights capabilities.
  • Look for room to scale with your needs - some tools allow building more complex workflows over time.
  • Try free versions before committing to paid plans.
  • Check DevHunt's directory for the latest form builder options and unbiased reviews.

Prioritizing these criteria will help identify the best match for your specific use case from the wide range of form builders available.

Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Form builders provide an easy way for developers to create custom online forms quickly without coding them from scratch. Key highlights include:

  • Form builders save significant development time versus manually building forms.
  • Intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces make form creation fast and easy.
  • Leverage pre-made form templates, field types, and design themes to accelerate development.
  • Customize forms with branding, CSS, and conditional logic flexibility.
  • Built-in integrations connect forms to databases, payments, email marketing, and more.
  • Leading form builders have free plans available to test capabilities.
  • Paid plans unlock more advanced features and higher form volume allowances.
  • Criteria like core features, customization, and integrations help identify the best form builder for specific needs.

Online forms are a must for modern web and mobile apps. Form builders enable developers to skip the complex process of coding them from scratch. With the tips covered here, you can quickly find the right form builder to create customized online forms tailored to your exact requirements. Check out DevHunt's directory to explore and compare the top form building solutions for developers.

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