Fluent Forms vs Formello vs Ninja Forms (2026)
Quick Verdict
Choose Fluent Forms if...
Value-conscious developers and agencies who want maximum features at minimum cost, especially those already using FluentCRM.
Choose Formello if...
Developers who need a simple, lightweight Gutenberg-native form for projects where long-term plugin support is not a concern.
Choose Ninja Forms if...
WordPress users who want a free core and only need to pay for specific features as they grow.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Fluent Forms | Formello | Ninja Forms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drag & Drop Builder | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Conditional Logic | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-Step Forms | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| File Uploads | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Payment Forms | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Calculated Fields | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| User Registration | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Frontend Post Submission | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Conversational Forms | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Gutenberg Block | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Gutenberg-Native | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| AI Form Builder | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Digital Signatures | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Surveys & Polls | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Quizzes | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Scheduling / Date Limits | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Entry Management | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Export Entries | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Partial Entries | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Geolocation | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Webhooks | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom CSS | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Responsive Design | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ajax Submission | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Anti-Spam | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| reCAPTCHA | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| hCaptcha | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cloudflare Turnstile | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Honeypot | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Pricing Comparison
| Plan | Fluent Forms | Formello | Ninja Forms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Version | ✓Free | ✓Free | ✓Free |
| Starting Price | $9/year | $49/year | $99/year |
| Top Tier | Unlimited: $99/year | Pro: $49/year | Elite: $499/year |
| Lifetime Deal | From $279 | ✗ | ✗ |
Integrations
Email Marketing
| activecampaign | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| aweber | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| brevo | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| campaign monitor | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| constant contact | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| convertkit | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| drip | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| getresponse | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| mailchimp | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| mailerlite | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| mailpoet | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
Payment
| mollie | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| paypal | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| razorpay | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| square | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| stripe | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
CRM
| hubspot | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| salesforce | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| zoho | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
Automation
| make | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| uncanny automator | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| webhooks | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| zapier | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Other
| fluentcrm | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| google sheets | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| slack | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| telegram | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| twilio | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
Pros & Cons
Fluent Forms
Pros
- ✓Conditional logic available in free version (competitors charge for this)
- ✓Lightest frontend scripts of all major plugins (<42KB)
- ✓Conversational forms included
- ✓Lifetime deal available — excellent for agencies
- ✓Part of the WPManageNinja ecosystem (FluentCRM, FluentBooking integration)
Cons
- ✗Not Gutenberg-native (uses its own builder)
- ✗No native Salesforce integration
- ✗Template library smaller than WPForms (75 vs 2,100+)
- ✗Some integrations not updated regularly
- ✗No geolocation
Formello
Pros
- ✓True Gutenberg-native experience
- ✓Lightweight and developer-friendly
- ✓Webhooks and basic integrations
- ✓Entry management included
Cons
- ✗Slow update cadence — last updated May 2025, raises maintenance concerns
- ✗No multi-step forms, file uploads, payments, calculated fields, surveys, or user registration
- ✗Pricing page may be broken — unclear if Pro version is still actively sold
- ✗Very small install base (500+)
- ✗No Turnstile support
Ninja Forms
Pros
- ✓Free core plugin with genuinely useful features (calculated fields included free)
- ✓Calculated fields available in the free version — unlike most competitors
- ✓Modular add-on model lets you pay only for what you need
- ✓Good developer extensibility with hooks and filters
- ✓Easy drag-and-drop interface suitable for beginners
Cons
- ✗Add-on model gets expensive quickly if you need multiple features
- ✗Not Gutenberg-native (uses its own drag-and-drop builder)
- ✗No conversational forms or signatures
- ✗Heavy first-party scripts compared to Fluent Forms
- ✗Renewal pricing after first-year discount is a common complaint