Table of Contents

What is Gravity Forms

Gravity Forms is a WordPress plugin that provides a visual form builder, advanced field types, conditional logic, and integrations for collecting data and payments on WordPress sites. It is designed for users who need more capability than basic contact forms while keeping the form building process within the WordPress dashboard.

Compared with WPForms and Ninja Forms, Gravity Forms leans toward developer flexibility and an extensive add-on ecosystem rather than a simplified beginner interface. WPForms focuses on ease of use and prebuilt templates for nontechnical users, while Ninja Forms offers modular pricing and a user-friendly core. For workflows that require heavy customization, server-side control, or a wide set of official add-ons, Gravity Forms is frequently chosen.

Gravity Forms does form building, payment collection, conditional flows, and automation well, and it is suited to agencies, developers, and mid-size sites that need reliable, extensible form handling in WordPress. Its add-ons and developer hooks make it powerful for connecting forms to CRMs, payment gateways, and automation platforms.

How Gravity Forms Works

The plugin installs into WordPress and adds a visual form editor where you drag fields onto a canvas, group fields into columns and pages, and configure per-field settings. Once a form is published, you embed it using a block, shortcode, or template function and responses are stored in your WordPress database with optional notifications and confirmations.

Forms can be extended with official add-ons and third-party integrations to accept payments, create users, push leads to marketing platforms, or trigger automation workflows. Conditional logic controls field visibility and routing, while built-in file-upload fields save attachments to your server. Developers can use the plugin’s hooks and filters to customize storage, validation, and submission handling; see the developer documentation.

What does Gravity Forms do?

Gravity Forms centers on form creation and submission management with features for payments, conditional workflows, file uploads, and a broad add-on catalog that connects WordPress forms to other systems. The platform has recently expanded its add-ons and form presentation options, including conversational-style layouts and deeper payment integrations across gateways.

The platform includes several powerful capabilities:

Visual Form Editor

A drag-and-drop interface lets you place fields, create multi-column layouts, and preview forms as you build them. This accelerates form creation for designers and content editors, while developers can inject custom field types through the API.

Conditional Logic

Conditional rules let you show or hide fields, sections, pages, and buttons based on user inputs. This reduces clutter for respondents and supports complex branching surveys, multi-step registrations, and application forms.

Online Payment Collection

Gravity Forms supports payment collection through official add-ons for Stripe, PayPal, Square, and other gateways, so you can accept registrations, donations, subscriptions, and product sales. Payment entries are tied directly to form submissions, simplifying reconciliation and record keeping.

Workflow Automation

Built-in confirmations and notifications handle common follow-up tasks, while add-ons and webhooks let you push submissions to CRMs, automation platforms, and external APIs. This enables end-to-end form-driven workflows from intake to fulfillment.

File Uploads

File upload fields allow users to submit documents, images, and other files which are stored on the site server or connected cloud storage via add-ons. Upload options can be restricted by file type and size for better security and storage control.

Add-ons and Integrations

An official add-on library connects Gravity Forms to marketing, analytics, CRM, and storage services, expanding the plugin beyond standalone forms. The add-ons catalogue includes CRM connectors, payment gateways, and tools for user registration and surveys; explore the add-ons catalog.

Accessibility and Security

Gravity Forms includes tools and guidance for building WCAG 2.1 AA compliant forms and implements security best practices for input sanitization and user data handling. Administrators can further secure submissions using server-level controls and third-party plugins.

With these features, Gravity Forms lets teams capture structured data, route it automatically, and integrate it into broader systems while keeping the entire workflow inside WordPress.

Gravity Forms pricing

Gravity Forms uses an annual subscription model with tiered licenses that include different sets of sites, support levels, and add-ons. Pricing is presented as yearly license fees, with higher tiers providing broader add-on access and multisite capabilities.

Annual Billing:

  • Basic License – $59 per year (1 Site, Standard Support). Includes a selection of marketing add-ons such as HubSpot and Mailchimp.
  • Pro License – $159 per year (3 Sites, Standard Support). Adds payment and workflow integrations like Stripe, PayPal, Zapier, and Trello.
  • Elite License – $259 per year (Unlimited Sites, Priority Support, WordPress Multisite). Includes the full add-on library such as surveys, signatures, polls, and advanced user registration add-ons.

Enterprise

  • Enterprise – Custom pricing available for large organizations that require bespoke licensing, dedicated SLAs, or white-glove support. For details on licensing and to compare plan features, visit the official Gravity Forms site.

What is Gravity Forms Used For?

Gravity Forms is commonly used for lead capture, contact forms, event registration, payment collection, surveys, and user onboarding flows on WordPress sites. Its conditional logic and multi-page forms make it well suited for complex application forms and gated content capture.

Organizations use Gravity Forms to automate handoffs from the website to CRMs, email platforms, and internal teams, turning form entries into actionable records. Agencies and developers often deploy it across client sites for consistent data capture and centralized add-on management.

Pros and Cons of Gravity Forms

Pros

  • Flexible developer hooks: Gravity Forms exposes actions and filters that let developers customize validation, submission handling, and storage without modifying core files.
  • Comprehensive add-on ecosystem: The official add-ons cover payments, CRMs, and automation platforms which reduces the need for custom integrations.
  • Strong conditional logic and layout controls: The ability to build multi-page, conditional flows and column layouts improves respondent experience and form completion rates.
  • Site-level control for agencies: Elite licensing supports unlimited sites and multisite setups, which is useful for agencies managing many client installs.

Cons

  • Paid-only licensing model: The plugin does not have a permanent free tier, which can be a barrier for small hobby sites or very small budgets.
  • Learning curve for advanced customization: Nontechnical users may find some advanced features and developer-focused hooks require assistance from a developer.
  • Potential server resource usage: Large volumes of file uploads or high submission rates can require careful hosting and storage planning to avoid performance issues.

Is Gravity Forms Free to Try?

Gravity Forms is paid-only with annual licenses. The product does not include a permanent free plan; prospective users can view demo forms and feature examples on the site and compare license tiers on the official licensing pages. For trials, check the demo form gallery to test form styles and behavior before purchasing.

Gravity Forms API and Integrations

Gravity Forms provides developer APIs, webhooks, and documentation for extending form behavior and integrating submissions with external systems. The developer documentation details hooks, REST API endpoints, and examples for custom integrations.

In addition to the API, Gravity Forms connects to many services via official add-ons including CRMs, email marketing tools, storage providers, and payment gateways; common integrations include HubSpot, Mailchimp, Stripe, PayPal, and Zapier. Browse the add-ons catalog for supported connections.

10 Gravity Forms alternatives

Paid alternatives to Gravity Forms

  • WPForms — A user-friendly form builder with a strong template library and beginner-focused UI, suitable for marketers and small businesses.
  • Formidable Forms — Emphasizes data-driven applications and reporting, useful for creating directories, calculators, and complex front-end displays.
  • Ninja Forms — A modular plugin with add-ons for payments and integrations, giving control over which features you pay for.
  • Typeform — A cloud-based, conversational form experience designed to increase engagement, with hosted forms rather than a WordPress plugin.
  • JotForm — A hosted form builder with a large template library and integrations, offering both free and paid tiers for teams.
  • HubSpot Forms — Part of the HubSpot CRM suite, native integration with contact records and marketing automation.

Open source alternatives to Gravity Forms

  • Contact Form 7 — A long-standing, free WordPress plugin for simple contact forms with extensible hooks and many community extensions.
  • Fluent Forms (free version) — Offers a performant free core plugin with modular paid add-ons for advanced integrations and payments.
  • Caldera Forms (legacy/free forks) — Historically popular for complex layouts; while the original project changed status, community forks and similar free plugins remain available.

Frequently asked questions about Gravity Forms

What is Gravity Forms used for?

Gravity Forms is used to build custom forms, collect payments, and automate workflows inside WordPress. It supports contact forms, registrations, surveys, file uploads, and many integrations for routing submissions.

Does Gravity Forms support payments?

Yes, Gravity Forms supports payments through official add-ons. Payment gateways such as Stripe, PayPal, and Square can be added to accept one-time payments and subscriptions tied to form entries.

Does Gravity Forms have an API?

Yes, Gravity Forms provides REST API endpoints and developer hooks. The developer documentation includes examples for accessing entries, forms, and extending functionality programmatically.

How much does Gravity Forms cost per year?

Gravity Forms uses annual licenses starting at $59 per year for the Basic License. Higher tiers such as Pro and Elite increase site counts, support level, and include more add-ons.

Can Gravity Forms build accessible forms?

Yes, Gravity Forms includes tools and guidance to create WCAG 2.1 AA compliant forms. Accessible markup options and field settings help sites meet common accessibility standards.

Final verdict: Gravity Forms

Gravity Forms is a mature, developer-friendly WordPress form plugin that combines a visual builder with deep customization and a broad add-on ecosystem. It excels at structured data capture, payment collection, and building conditional, multi-step workflows that integrate with CRMs and automation platforms.

Compared to WPForms, Gravity Forms starts at $59 per year and emphasizes extensibility and official add-ons for enterprise-style workflows, while WPForms targets ease of use and may be preferable for nontechnical users. For teams that need server-side control, advanced integrations, and a single plugin to manage complex forms across multiple sites, Gravity Forms is a strong choice.