Form Builder Drag and Drop: An Easier Way to Create Forms

Forms are a critical part of many websites and applications. They allow you to collect information from users for things like contact requests, surveys, event registrations, eCommerce checkouts, and more. But coding forms from scratch can be complex, time-consuming, and require web development skills. That's where drag and drop form builders come in - they provide an intuitive visual interface for easily creating forms without any coding required.

In this post, we'll explore the benefits of using a form builder, compare some popular drag and drop options like DevHunt, Wufoo, and JotForm, go over key features to evaluate, and provide tips for getting started with drag and drop form building.

Benefits of Using a Form Builder

Form builders offer a variety of advantages over manually coding forms:

• Saves significant time - Drag and drop form builders allow you to quickly build forms without coding. This can accelerate the process by days or weeks compared to hand-coding HTML forms.
• Intuitive visual interface - The drag and drop editor provides an interactive way to visually add fields, customize options, and design forms. No web development expertise required.
• Handles submissions and storage - Form builders receive, store and manage form submission data for you. Many also include exports, analytics, and real-time alerts.
• Design flexibility - Form builders provide various templates, themes, and custom CSS styling so you can control the look, feel, and branding.
• Integrations - Many form builders integrate with apps like MailChimp, Slack, databases, and more to collect and utilize the data.

Overview of Popular Drag and Drop Form Builders

There are many great form building options available today. Here we'll look at a few of the most popular drag and drop form builders and their notable features.

DevHunt

devhunt.org">DevHunt provides a capable drag and drop form builder along with their broader platform for finding and sharing developer tools.

• Intuitive visual form builder with extensive field types
• Modern form templates and themes
• Integrates with 100+ apps via Zapier
• Free plan allows unlimited forms
• Paid plans add features like conditional logic

Wufoo

Wufoo is one of the pioneers of drag and drop form building. Their form builder packs robust features.

• Drag and drop editor with many form field options
• Entry management and reporting capabilities
• Form embedding and theming options
• Free plan limited to 3 forms
• Paid plans start at $15/month

JotForm

JotForm is a popular form builder known for mobile-friendly forms and security compliance.

• Drag and drop editor optimized for mobile forms
• HIPAA compliance available for healthcare forms
• Built-in form analytics and reports
• Free plan offers unlimited forms
• Paid plans required for conditional logic

Other Notable Options

Other capable form builders to consider include Formstack, Typeform, Formspree, and Google Forms. Each has strengths like features, ease of use, and pricing models.

When choosing a form builder, consider the field options, mobile optimization, analytics, compliance needs, integrations, and pricing including free vs paid plans.

Key Features to Evaluate in a Form Builder

Here are some of the most important features and capabilities to look for in a drag and drop form builder:

User Interface and Ease of Use

• Drag and drop editor - The form builder should provide an intuitive visual interface for adding fields and arranging your form. This enables much faster form creation compared to coding.
• Template library - Pre-designed form templates and themes accelerate the building process by giving you a starting point.
• Custom CSS - The ability to tweak the CSS allows finer control over form design, branding, colors, and styling.
• Localization - Support for building forms in multiple languages expands the audience that can use them.

Form Data Collection

• Data storage and exports - Managed data storage along with exports to formats like CSV are essential for accessing submissions.
• Real-time alerts - Instant form submission notifications can enable faster response times and better customer service.
• Analytics - Built-in analytics provide valuable insights into form performance, conversions, and completion rates.
• Webhooks - Webhook integration allows form data to be sent anywhere instantly.

Third-Party Integrations

• Zapier and API access - Zapier makes connecting forms to hundreds of apps simple. API access enables advanced custom integrations.
• MailChimp, Slack, etc - Pre-built integrations with marketing, communication, and other tools streamline connecting form data.
• Embeddable - Embedding forms on your website, landing pages, etc. allows collecting data wherever needed.
• Open API - An open API enables developers to build custom integrations and connections.

Getting Started with Drag and Drop Form Building

Ready to start creating forms visually? Here are some tips for getting started:

Signing Up and Getting Familiar

• Choose a platform - Select a capable form builder like DevHunt as your starting point.
• Tour the interface - Poke around to get a feel for the available options and features.
• Try templates - Tinker with pre-made templates to quickly build a sample form.

Building Your First Form

• Add desired fields - Use the drag and drop editor to include text fields, checkboxes, dropdowns, etc.
• Customize options - Tailor field labels, choices, formatting, and design to fit your needs.
• Connect for data collection - Integrate with apps like MailChimp or your own database to collect submissions.
• Apply templates and themes - Use existing templates or themes to quickly style your form.
• Test thoroughly before launch - Double check your form works as intended before going live.
• Embed on your site - Add the form to your website to start collecting user data.

Key Takeaways

• Form builders like DevHunt provide an intuitive drag and drop interface to create forms without coding.
• Look for key features like mobile responsiveness, data management, security compliance, app integrations, and analytics.
• Leading options include DevHunt, Wufoo, JotForm, Formstack, and others - consider pricing, features, and ease of use.
• Try pre-made templates to quickly build forms and customize them to your needs.
• Connect your form to tools like MailChimp or webhooks to collect and utilize the data.

The days of laboriously coding forms by hand are over. With drag and drop form builders like DevHunt, creating forms is now fast, easy, and intuitive. Their visual editor empowers anyone to build forms for contact requests, surveys, event registrations, and more in just minutes - no coding required.