Ninja Forms
by Saturday Drive
Modular form builder where you buy only the features you need, with a usable free core.
This link may earn us a commission. It never changes our rating.
What Ninja Forms does
Modular form builder where you buy only the features you need, with a usable free core.
It sits in the forms part of a WordPress stack and is sold by Saturday Drive on a freemium basis. We recommend it in our forms guides because it does that one job well without asking you to rebuild the rest of the site around it.
Every plugin adds work to a page request, so treat this as a decision with a cost. Record a speed test before you install it and run the same test afterwards, on the same page, so you know exactly what it charged you.
Real user ratings
Score
4.4/5
Reviews
1,395
Active installs
600,000+
Downloads
63.2M
Latest version
3.15.3
Last updated
2026-09-07
These figures come straight from the public WordPress.org plugin directory API for version 3.15.3, not from us. Check them yourself on the WordPress.org listing. Our own editorial score is 4.3/5.
Where Ninja Forms ranks elsewhere
Ninja Forms does not appear in the published "best of" lists we track from WPBeginner, TechRadar, Kinsta, Themeisle and similar sites. That is not a mark against it - those roundups are short and skew towards the biggest names.
What changed in the latest version
- strengthen input validation for unserialize() operations
- preserve newsletter action list selection when provider connection is temporarily unavailable
- encode special characters correctly in CSV submission exports
- allow optional and hidden Date/Time fields to pass validation
- keep rich text editor scrollbar visible and functional in all views
- enforce granular two-tier permission model in Abilities API, responsibly reported by ChinhNguyen
- neutralize shortcode brackets in IP address and referer URL merge tags, responsibly reported by Jakub Herman
- validate repeater child field entries against server-side definitions
- apply context-correct output escaping in legacy submissions admin
- ensure shortcode neutralization callback is accessible for array inputs
- fix fatal error when Date/Time field is included in a CSV email attachment
- show correct Developer Mode status notice in form builder settings drawer
- strengthen input validation for list field option imports
- allow non-Latin characters and special symbols in list field option values
- preserve HTML formatting in checkbox and radio list option labels after editing
- capture time values correctly when Date/Time field is inside a Repeater
- preserve user-authored HTML in rich text editor without restructuring on toggle
- preserve HTML comments in Email Message field through Source/Visual toggles
- keep heading-formatted text inside table cells in rich text editor
- preserve nested div elements in HTML field editor
Release notes are the developer's own words, published on WordPress.org. Read the full changelog
Pros and cons
- Pay only for the add-ons you use
- A free tier you can trial before paying
- Actively maintained and used on production sites we test
- Add-on pricing adds up quickly
- The features most sites need sit in the paid tier
How to use it
- 1Start from a template close to the form you need.
- 2Add only the fields you will act on, and mark the rest optional.
- 3Set up notification and confirmation emails, then send a real test.
- 4Add conditional logic so long forms only show relevant questions.
- 5Pair it with an SMTP plugin so notifications actually arrive.
How it compares
Other forms plugins we recommend, with their rating and pricing model.
| Plugin | Our rating | WordPress.org | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ninja Forms | 4.3 | 4.4 (1,395) | Freemium | Pay only for the add-ons you use |
| Contact Form 7 | 4.0 | 4 (2,179) | Free | Almost no front-end weight compared with visual builders |
| Everest Forms | 4.6 | 4.9 (375) | Freemium | Very light on the frontend |
| Fluent Forms | 4.7 | 4.8 (795) | Freemium | Lots of features per pound |
| Formidable Forms | 4.6 | 4.8 (1,382) | Freemium | Calculations and front-end views |
| Formidable Forms Twilio | 4.2 | 4.8 (1,382) | Premium | Conditional SMS triggers |
Guides that cover Ninja Forms
7 Best Hosting Providers with AI Website Builders (2026)
AI builders shorten the first draft. Hosting quality, editing control and portability decide whether the result lasts.
Updated 10 September 2026
5 Best Form Builders With Conditional Logic in 2026
Conditional logic can shorten forms, but hidden fields and branching rules also create missed requirements and difficult-to-debug submissions.
Updated 10 September 2026
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