Gravity Forms vs Ninja Forms (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Ninja Forms grades higher than Gravity Forms: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Ninja Forms grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Gravity Forms
WordPress form builder plugin sold as a yearly license
Ninja Forms
WordPress form builder with a free core and paid add-ons
Which one is for you
Pick Gravity Forms if
- Fits if you run WordPress and want form entries kept on your own site
- Works for agencies building forms across many client sites on the $259 Elite license
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you don't have a self-hosted WordPress site or a WordPress.com Business plan, since it's only a plugin
- Skip it if you want to try before paying, as there's no free version or trial, only an online demo
- Pricey if you need Stripe, PayPal or Zapier ($159 Pro) or surveys, quizzes, signatures and webhooks ($259 Elite)
- Tight if you have more than one site, as Basic covers 1 site and Pro 3
- Watch out: asking for a refund within the 30 days switches the license off at once
Pick Ninja Forms if
- Fits if you run WordPress and want to start free and add only what you need
- Works for agencies that manage 3, 20 or unlimited sites
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't use WordPress, as there is no hosted version
- Watch out: the first-year discount is for the first year only, and licenses auto-renew at full price
- Tight if you want payments or CRM links on Plus, because they need Pro at $199 a year
- Watch out: add-ons have no demo or trial, only a 14-day money-back guarantee
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAGravity FormsFair | 2.6GPANinja FormsGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BGraded against its alternatives. Basic is $59 a year for one site with unlimited forms and entries, a fraction of what hosted builders like Jotform or Typeform charge. Stripe and PayPal need Pro at $159 a year, and you need a WordPress site and hosting to run it on. | BPlus is $99 a year for 3 sites, about $8.25 a month, but payments and CRM connections sit on Pro at $199 a year. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free and no trial, just an online demo. There are refunds within 30 days, but asking for one switches the license off at once, and a refund isn't a trial anyway. | BThe core plugin is free with unlimited submissions, spam protection and 28+ fields, though add-ons cost extra. |
| Features | C30+ field types, conditional logic, multi-page forms, calculations, payments and, on Elite, surveys, quizzes, polls and signatures. The gap is the listing's own: it only runs as a WordPress plugin, so without a WordPress site it does nothing. | CConditional logic, multi-step forms, payment gateways and email add-ons exist, but payments, CRM and automation are gated to higher plans. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. Fields are dragged into place inside WordPress, but first you need a self-hosted WordPress site or a WordPress.com Business plan, then the plugin and its add-ons installed, then each form built. | CNo store rating on record. You build each form inside the WordPress admin. |
| Platforms and integrations | BIt runs in the browser inside WordPress and connects to Stripe, PayPal, Square, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Salesforce, Zapier and Slack, with a REST API and 500+ hooks for developers. No desktop or phone app of its own. | BWeb only, inside WordPress, with PayPal, Stripe, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, Salesforce, Zapier and Slack. |
| Best for | forms on your own WordPress site | a free WordPress form core with paid add-ons |
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: Gravity Forms and Ninja Forms. How we grade
Price against what you get
Gravity Forms starts at $4.92 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Ninja Forms starts at $8.25 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Gravity Forms starts $3.33 a month lower. Of the other form and survey tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than Gravity Forms for less, and 4 score higher than Ninja Forms 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
- Ninja Forms is open source, according to its own site.
- Gravity Forms also covers surveys.
- Ninja Forms also covers workflow automation.
At a glance
| Gravity Forms | Ninja Forms | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $59 per year | $99 per year for 3 sites, after a first year at $59.40 |
| Free plan | None | Core plugin is free: unlimited submissions, spam protection and 28+ form fields; add-ons are optional. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Rocketgenius Inc. | Saturday Drive, Inc. |
| Price read from | gravityforms.com | ninjaforms.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Gravity Forms
- It runs only as a WordPress plugin, so you need a self-hosted WordPress site, or a WordPress.com Business plan with a custom domain.
- There is no free version and no trial; the vendor offers an online demo instead.
- Stripe, PayPal and Zapier need Pro, and surveys, quizzes, signatures, user registration and webhooks need the $259 Elite license.
- Refunds are given within 30 days of a payment, and requesting one deactivates the license immediately.
Ninja Forms
- It runs only inside WordPress; there is no hosted version.
- The first-year discount is for the first year only; licenses renew at full price each year unless cancelled.
- Add-ons have no demo or trial, though each purchase has a 14-day money-back guarantee.
- Payments, CRM and automation connections need Pro or Elite.
Key features
Gravity Forms
- Drag-and-drop builder
- Build forms inside WordPress from 30+ field types, a template library and layouts of up to four columns per row, then embed them on any page.
- Conditional logic and multi-page forms
- Show or hide fields, sections and pages based on answers, split long forms into pages, and route notification emails by what was submitted.
- Calculations and payments
- Fields can be calculated from a formula. The Stripe, PayPal Checkout and Square add-ons, which handle subscriptions, need Pro; discount codes need Elite.
- Surveys, quizzes and polls
- Elite adds add-ons for surveys, graded quizzes, polls, signatures, partial entries from abandoned forms and conversational one-question-at-a-time forms.
- Entries stored on your own site
- Entries and uploaded files are saved to your WordPress database and server, with unlimited forms and entries, CSV export and tools for handling personal data and consent.
- REST API and hooks
- A REST API, 500+ actions and filters and an add-on framework let developers build their own integrations; the Webhooks add-on needs Elite.
Ninja Forms
- Free open-source core
- The plugin on WordPress.org is the complete free form builder, with unlimited forms and submissions and 28+ form fields.
- Add-on based plans
- Plus, Pro and Elite bundle add-ons; buyers on lower plans can add others at 20% or 40% off the list price.
- Conditional logic and multi-step forms
- Conditional Logic, File Uploads, Multi Step Forms, Layout and Styles and Conversational Forms come with the Plus plan.
- Payment gateways
- PayPal is included from Plus, and Stripe, Authorize.net and Elavon from Pro.
- CRM and automation connections
- Pro lists HubSpot, Salesforce and Zoho CRM, plus Zapier, Slack and Trello add-ons.
- Email marketing add-ons
- Plus lists ActiveCampaign, AWeber, Campaign Monitor, Constant Contact, Mailchimp, MailPoet and other email service add-ons.
Plans
Gravity Forms
Basic$59
per year
1 site, standard support, and the Basic add-ons for email marketing tools such as Mailchimp, HubSpot and ActiveCampaign, plus reCAPTCHA and Akismet.
Pro$159
per year
3 sites and standard support. Adds the Pro add-ons, including Stripe, PayPal Checkout, Square, Zapier, Slack, Dropbox and Trello.
Elite$259
per year
Unlimited sites, WordPress Multisite, priority support and every add-on, including surveys, quizzes, polls, signatures, user registration and webhooks.
Ninja Forms
Core$0
Free plugin with unlimited submissions, spam protection, submission restrictions and free support.
Plus$99
per year for 3 sites
16 add-ons: conditional logic, file uploads, multi-step forms, PayPal, email marketing. First year $59.40.
Pro$199
per year for 20 sites
28 add-ons, adding Stripe, Authorize.net, CRMs, Zapier and Slack. First year $119.40.
Elite$499
per year for unlimited sites
Every add-on, including future releases, with priority support. First year $299.40.
Ways to pay less
Gravity Forms
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit License at $129 a year
Registered nonprofits can apply for a $129-a-year license covering 3 sites with add-ons such as Stripe, PayPal, Survey and User Registration. It renews at the same price.
Ninja Forms
- Other savings
40% off the first year of a paid plan
A first-time discount takes 40% off the first year: Plus $59.40, Pro $119.40, Elite $299.40. The subscription then renews at full price.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Gravity Forms or Ninja Forms?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Gravity Forms is cheaper to start with: $4.92 a month when paid by the year, against $8.25 a month when paid by the year for Ninja Forms. Gravity Forms starts at $59 per year, and Ninja Forms starts at $99 per year for 3 sites, after a first year at $59.40.
Which has a free plan, Gravity Forms or Ninja Forms?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Ninja Forms has a free plan. Gravity Forms does not.
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.