Forms are an essential element of nearly every website. Whether you need a simple contact form, a lead generation form to grow your email list, an order form for your ecommerce store, or something more complex like a multi-page application form, every site needs a way to collect information from visitors.
While WordPress does not have a built-in form builder, there are many excellent form plugins available. One of the most powerful and user-friendly options is Kali Forms. In this in-depth Kali Forms review, we‘ll take a close look at all the features and benefits of this plugin to help you decide if it‘s the right fit for your WordPress site.
What is Kali Forms?
Kali Forms is a freemium WordPress plugin that makes it easy to create beautiful, responsive forms without any coding knowledge. It offers an intuitive drag-and-drop form builder along with a wide range of field types, templates, and customization options.
Some key features of Kali Forms include:
- Visual drag-and-drop form builder
- Pre-built form templates
- Customizable form layouts and styling
- Conditional logic for smart, dynamic forms
- Multi-page forms to boost conversions
- File upload fields
- Built-in anti-spam protection
- Integrations with popular email marketing and CRM platforms
- Payment collection via PayPal and Stripe
- Detailed form entry analytics
While the core Kali Forms plugin is free, there is also a Pro version that unlocks more advanced features and integrations. We‘ll look at the differences between the free and paid plans in more detail later in this review.
Ease of Use: How to Create a Form with Kali Forms
One of the biggest advantages of Kali Forms is how quick and easy it is to create a new form, even if you have no technical skills. Here‘s a simple step-by-step guide:
Step 1: Install and Activate Kali Forms
From your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins → Add New and search for "Kali Forms". Install and activate the plugin.
Step 2: Create a New Form
In your WP dashboard, go to Kali Forms → Add New. Choose from one of the pre-made templates or start from scratch. Give your form a name.
Step 3: Build Your Form
Using the visual form builder, drag and drop form fields from the left panel to add them to your form. Click on a field to customize the label, placeholder, default value, and other settings in the left sidebar. Rearrange fields by dragging them up or down.
Step 4: Configure Form Settings
Click the Settings tab to configure your form. Options include:
- Form Layout: Adjust width, spacing, columns, colors, etc.
- Spam Prevention: Enable Google reCAPTCHA or Akismet.
- Form Actions: Choose what happens when the form is submitted, like showing a thank you message or redirecting to another page.
- Notification Settings: Customize the email that gets sent to you and/or the submitter when a form is completed.
Step 5: Publish Your Form
When you‘re happy with your form, click the Publish button. Then copy and paste the provided shortcode into the page or post where you want the form to appear.
And that‘s it! Your WordPress form is now ready to start collecting submissions. Kali Forms will store all form entries so you can view, manage, and export them from your WordPress dashboard.
As you can see, creating a form with Kali Forms is very straightforward. The visual drag-and-drop builder makes the process intuitive. And with the variety of pre-made templates, you can get a form up and running in just a few minutes.
Kali Forms Free vs Pro
The free version of Kali Forms is packed with features and is suitable for many use cases, from a basic contact form to a more advanced survey or lead gen form. However, the Pro version takes things to the next level with powerful upgrades like:
- PayPal & Stripe payment collection
- CRM integrations (HubSpot, Salesforce, etc)
- Email marketing integrations (Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, etc.)
- Webhooks to connect to thousands of third-party tools
- User registration forms
- Digital signature fields
- Multi-page forms
- Partial form submissions
- Form abandonment tracking
If you need any of these advanced features, the Pro version is well worth the investment. We‘ll dive into pricing details later on.
Kali Forms Use Cases and Examples
With its range of form fields and options, Kali Forms is adaptable to just about any form you need to create. Here are a few examples:
Contact Form
The most basic use case, but also the most essential for many sites. Add fields for name, email, phone, message, and any other info you want to collect. Kali Forms‘ pre-made templates make setting up a contact form quick and painless.
Lead Generation Form
To grow your email list, you need opt-in forms on your site. With Kali Forms, you can create an attractive inline form, popup, or widget to entice visitors to sign up. Integrations with popular email providers make it seamless to send form data to your mailing list.
Registration Form
Whether you need people to register for an event, course, webinar, or as a member of your site, Kali Forms has you covered. You can mark fields as required, set limits on registrations, and even collect payments.
Application Form
Collecting applications for jobs, scholarships, or programs is made easier with Kali Forms. Set up a multi-page form to gather all the necessary info. Enable file uploads so applicants can attach resumes, writing samples, or other docs.
Survey or Quiz
Get feedback from customers or conduct market research with a survey form. Add radio buttons, checkboxes, dropdowns and more. With conditional logic, you can show/hide questions based on previous answers for a smart, responsive experience.
Calculator Form
Make complex calculations based on form field values. For example, create a booking form that calculates a quote based on selected options. Or a mortgage calculator that determines payments based on the loan amount, term, and interest rate entered.
The use cases are virtually unlimited. Whatever type of information you need to collect through your WordPress site, Kali Forms provides the tools and flexibility to create the perfect form.
Kali Forms Pricing
As mentioned, there is a free version of Kali Forms available. It‘s a great way to test out the features and see if the plugin meets your needs. The free plan includes:
- Unlimited forms and entries
- All standard form fields (name, email, URL, paragraph text, dropdown, radio, checkbox, etc.)
- Basic conditional logic
- File uploads
- Multi-column layouts
- reCAPTCHA and Akismet spam protection
- Email notifications
For many WordPress sites, especially simpler ones, the free version will suffice. However, if you want access to the more advanced features, you‘ll need to upgrade to Kali Forms Pro.
There are four pricing tiers for Kali Forms Pro:
- Starter: $29/year for one site
- Freelancer: $49/year for up to 3 sites
- Small Business: $69/year for up to 15 sites
- Agency: $89/year for unlimited sites
The main difference between the plans is the number of sites you can use the plugin on. In terms of features, all Pro plans include access to the full set of advanced fields, integrations, and add-ons.
Compared to other premium form plugins like Gravity Forms or WPForms, Kali Forms is very competitively priced. And the Starter plan is an especially affordable option for a single site.
Kali Forms Alternatives and Competitors
While Kali Forms is an excellent choice, it‘s certainly not the only WordPress form plugin on the market. Here‘s a quick comparison of how it stacks up against some of its top competitors:
WPForms
WPForms is one of the most popular WordPress form builders. It offers a very user-friendly interface and includes many of the same features as Kali Forms, such as a drag-and-drop builder, pre-made templates, integrations, and spam protection. One unique feature is its Conversational Forms mode which turns your form into an interactive conversation.
Pricing for the Pro version starts at $79/year for one site, making it a bit more expensive than Kali Forms. And the free version is more limited in terms of fields and features.
Gravity Forms
Gravity Forms is another well-known and trusted WordPress form plugin. It‘s been around longer than most other options and offers a very robust feature set. It includes advanced features like user-submitted posts, quiz scoring, and pricing fields.
However, there is no free version of Gravity Forms available. Pricing starts at $59/year for a single site license. And the interface can be a bit less intuitive compared to Kali Forms or WPForms, especially for beginners.
Ninja Forms
Ninja Forms has a very generous free version which includes many more fields and features compared to other free form plugins. The drag-and-drop builder is very user-friendly and the plugin is known for its extensive library of add-ons.
The main downside of Ninja Forms is that many of the most useful add-ons require an expensive premium license. Pricing starts at $99/year for a single site, which is significantly more than Kali Forms.
Formidable Forms
Formidable Forms markets itself as more than just a form builder, but also a way to create custom databases and data-driven applications without code. It includes some unique features like frontend post submission, user registration, and data tables.
However, Formidable Forms has a steeper learning curve compared to Kali Forms. And its pricing is also on the higher end, starting at $79/year for one site.
Overall, Kali Forms compares very favorably to other top WordPress form plugins in terms of its features, ease of use, and value for money. While each tool has its own strengths, Kali Forms offers the best balance of power and simplicity at a very affordable price point.
Kali Forms Pros and Cons
To summarize, here are the main advantages and disadvantages of Kali Forms:
Pros:
– Free version is fully-featured and suitable for many uses
– Intuitive drag-and-drop form builder
– Wide selection of form fields and customization options
– Pre-built form templates for quick starting points
– Supports multiple-page forms and conditional logic
– Built-in spam prevention tools
– Integrates with popular marketing and payment platforms
– Detailed submission analytics and reports
– Very affordable pricing for Pro version
Cons:
– Some advanced features (e.g. digital signatures, conversational forms) are not available
– Limited styling options compared to some other form builders
– Customer support is only available for Pro users
Kali Forms Review: The Verdict
After thoroughly testing Kali Forms and comparing it to other leading WordPress form plugins, I can confidently recommend it as a top choice for most websites. The free version alone is powerful enough to replace multiple other plugins. And the Pro version offers tremendous value for its features and pricing.
Whether you need a simple contact form, an event registration system, a survey, or a payment collection form, Kali Forms has you covered. The pre-made templates and drag-and-drop builder make it exceedingly easy to get started. And the wealth of form fields, conditional logic, and integrations allow you to create forms perfectly tailored to your needs.
While it may lack a few specialty features, Kali Forms makes up for it in its affordable pricing and generous free version. If you‘re in the market for a new WordPress form solution, you can‘t go wrong giving Kali Forms a try.
