Formidable Forms vs Happyforms (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Formidable Forms grades higher than Happyforms: 2.8 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Formidable Forms grades higher on the free plan, features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Formidable Forms
WordPress form builder that also displays entries as Views
Happyforms
WordPress form builder with a live preview in the customizer
Which one is for you
Pick Formidable Forms if
- Fits if you want to show form entries back on a WordPress page
- Works for WordPress sites that take payments through forms
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't run WordPress, as there is no hosted version
- Watch out: the first-year price is a discount and renewals are at full price
- Pricey if you need surveys, quizzes or signatures, since they start on Business at $399 a year
- Watch out: if your license lapses you lose support, updates and editing of premium fields already used
Pick Happyforms if
- Fits if you run WordPress and want to see the form as you build it
- Works for sites that want signatures or payments in a form
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't use WordPress, as it runs only inside it
- Watch out: without an active subscription you are locked out of the plugin in the dashboard, though entries can be exported
- Watch out: Starter covers 1 site and Pro 3, and Starter has only some paid features
- Watch out: the page doesn't list what the free edition includes
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAFormidable FormsGood | 2.2GPAHappyformsFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BBasic is $79 a year for one site, about $6.60 a month, but surveys, quizzes, signatures and PDFs sit on Business at $399 a year, about $33 a month. | BStarter is $89 a year for 1 website, about $7.40 a month, with Pro at $99 for 3 sites shown on a sale with no end date. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe free plugin on WordPress.org builds forms from templates and takes Stripe and PayPal payments, with a transaction fee until you hold a Pro license. | CA free edition is listed on WordPress.org, but the plans page names conditional logic and signatures as paid-only and doesn't list what the free one has. |
| Features | BViews, payments, logic, calculations, multi-page forms and AI forms. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core work. | CLive builder, conditional logic, multi-page forms, payments, signatures and uploads. Starter has only a subset of the paid features, and the free edition's features aren't listed. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You build forms inside the WordPress admin. | CNo store rating on record, and it is a plugin you install and configure inside WordPress, so it sits at C. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, inside WordPress, with Stripe, PayPal, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Salesforce, HubSpot, WooCommerce and Authorize.net. | CWordPress only, with eight listed features including email marketing connections. |
| Best for | WordPress forms that show entries as Views | a WordPress form builder with a live preview |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Formidable Forms and Happyforms. How we grade
Price against what you get
Formidable Forms starts at $6.58 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Happyforms starts at $7.42 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0.
Formidable Forms scores higher and starts $0.84 a month lower. Of the other form and survey tools on the chart, none scores higher than Formidable Forms for less, and 19 score higher than Happyforms for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Formidable Forms also covers databases.
- Happyforms also covers workflow automation and no-code.
At a glance
| Formidable Forms | Happyforms | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $79 per year for 1 site, after a first year at $39.50 | $89 per year for 1 website |
| Free plan | Free plugin on WordPress.org with form building, templates and Stripe and PayPal payments (a transaction fee applies without a Pro license). | A free edition of the plugin is listed on WordPress.org; the plans page describes paid-only features such as conditional logic and signatures. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Strategy11, LLC | Jestro LLC (trading as Happyforms) |
| Price read from | formidableforms.com | happyforms.io |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Formidable Forms
- It runs only inside WordPress and has no hosted version.
- Introductory prices are for the first year; the vendor says renewals are at full price.
- Surveys, quizzes, signatures and PDFs need the Business plan at $399 a year.
- A license that lapses loses support, updates and the ability to edit premium fields already used in forms.
Happyforms
- It runs only inside WordPress.
- Without an active subscription you are locked out of the plugin in the WordPress dashboard, though submissions can still be exported.
- Starter covers 1 website and Pro 3 websites; going beyond a limit is not billed automatically.
- The plans page does not list which features are in the free edition.
Key features
Formidable Forms
- Views of entries
- Views show stored entries on the site as grids, tables, calendars or timelines, so a form can feed a directory or listing page. They start at the Plus plan.
- Payment forms
- Stripe and PayPal one-time and recurring payments, with ACH, Klarna and others through Stripe. A 3% fee applies on Basic and Plus and is removed on Business.
- Logic, calculations and multi-page forms
- Conditional logic, calculations, repeaters, file uploads and multi-page forms are on the paid plans, starting with Basic.
- Surveys, quizzes and signatures
- The Business plan adds survey fields such as NPS and Likert, scored quizzes, digital signatures and PDF generation.
- AI forms
- An AI form builder creates forms from a description. Paid plans include a monthly AI request allowance, from 1,000 on Business to 3,000 on Elite.
- Integrations
- Email marketing starts at Plus, and CRM connections such as Salesforce and HubSpot are on Elite.
Happyforms
- Live form builder
- Preview the form as you build it, directly in the WordPress customizer.
- Conditional logic and multi-page forms
- Show or hide parts of a form, split long forms over pages and let people resume partial submissions.
- Payments
- PayPal and Stripe order, donation and payment forms with coupon codes and no transaction fees from the plugin.
- Signatures and file uploads
- Collect hand-drawn signatures and file uploads, with over 20 advanced fields.
- Email marketing integrations
- Connects to Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, AWeber, Constant Contact, ConvertKit, MailerLite and others.
- Spam protection and data control
- reCAPTCHA, a submission blocklist and IP logging; submissions stay in your own WordPress database.
Plans
Formidable Forms
Basic$79
per year for 1 site, full price after first year
100+ templates, file uploads, multi-page forms, repeaters, conditional logic and calculations. First year $39.50.
Plus$199
per year for 3 sites, full price after first year
Adds Views (grid, table, calendar), Mailchimp, AWeber and ConvertKit connections and graphs. First year $99.50.
Business$399
per year for 7 sites, full price after first year
Adds surveys, quizzes, digital signatures, forms to PDF, user registration and no payment fee. First year $199.50.
Elite$599
per year for unlimited sites, full price after first year
Adds Salesforce, HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, WooCommerce, white labeling and multisite. First year $299.50.
Happyforms
Free$0
The WordPress.org edition, installed on your own site, with fewer features than the paid plans.
Starter$89
per year for 1 website
Priority support and a subset of the paid features, marked as Starter-only on the plans page.
Pro$99
per year for up to 3 websites
All features; shown on sale at $99 with $159 crossed out and a '$60 off today' label, with no end date given.
Unlimited$399
per year for unlimited websites
All features on unlimited websites.
Ways to pay less
Formidable Forms
- Other savings
50% off the first year of any paid plan
Introductory pricing shown on the pricing page takes 50% off the first year: Basic $39.50, Plus $99.50, Business $199.50, Elite $299.50. Renewals are at full price.
Happyforms
- Other savings
14-day refund guarantee
The plans page says a payment is refunded in full if Happyforms is not right for you within 14 days.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Formidable Forms or Happyforms?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Formidable Forms is cheaper to start with: $6.58 a month when paid by the year, against $7.42 a month when paid by the year for Happyforms. Formidable Forms starts at $79 per year for 1 site, after a first year at $39.50, and Happyforms starts at $89 per year for 1 website.
Which has a free plan, Formidable Forms or Happyforms?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Formidable Forms and Happyforms have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.