Fillout vs Gravity Forms 2026
Short answer: pick Fillout if you are off WordPress or want a generous free start, pick Gravity Forms if you live inside WordPress and need class-leading conditional logic, payments and a developer API. The overall scores (4.2 vs 3.8) and the five criteria each tell you something different.
The fresh angle most comparison pages miss: Fillout rebranded under the Zite umbrella in March 2026, gaining an AI form generator and a built-in database, while still running at fillout.com. And its pricing dropped: Starter is now $15/month, Pro $40, Business $75. Gravity Forms meanwhile still carries a quirk that catches agencies out every year, an expired license cannot be renewed or reactivated, you buy a fresh one.
Works anywhere, free tier with payments, AI generator. No WordPress needed.
Read the full Fillout review →WordPress-only but class-leading: deep logic, 4 payment processors, 500+ hooks.
Discover Gravity Forms →Read the full Gravity Forms review →Who wins for you
Fillout runs on any site. Gravity Forms is a WordPress plugin with no SaaS version, so it is simply unavailable to you.
Read the full Fillout review →Gravity Forms on Elite gives conditional logic, four payment processors, Webhooks, REST API and 500+ hooks. Nothing on WordPress matches that surface.
Discover Gravity Forms →Fillout's free tier includes 1,000 responses, payments and webhooks. Gravity Forms has no free plan and no trial, minimum $59/year.
Read the full Fillout review →Gravity Forms Elite at $259/year unlocks Webhooks, User Registration and Conversational Forms across unlimited sites, worth it once the site count climbs.
Discover Gravity Forms →Fillout vs Gravity Forms at a glance
Every cell is grounded in official pricing and docs as of June 2026. The platform row is the single most important one here.
| Fillout | Gravity Forms | Edge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PlatformThe single biggest structural difference | SaaS, works on any website or standalone | WordPress plugin only, no SaaS version | Fillout |
| Free tier | Yes, 1,000 responses/month, unlimited forms, payments and webhooks included | No free tier, no free trial. 30-day money-back guarantee only | Fillout |
| Entry paid pricePrices checked June 2026 at fillout.com and gravityforms.com | Starter $15/month ($180/year annual), 2,000 responses | Basic $59/year, 1 site | — |
| Automation entry price | Webhooks included on free plan | Webhooks on Elite only ($259/year) | Fillout |
| AI form generation | Yes, generate from prompt, PDF or existing form. Part of Zite ecosystem since March 2026 | No native AI form generation | Fillout |
| Conditional logic | Visual if-then, multi-path branching on all plans | Class-leading: drives fields, pages, routing and notifications. Fastest to set up on WordPress | Gravity Forms |
| Payment processors | Stripe via native integration, no extra commission | Stripe, PayPal, Square, Mollie (Pro+). PCI-compliant, recurring billing, coupons | Gravity Forms |
| Developer API | Webhooks, REST API, Zapier. No PHP hooks | Full REST API, 500+ PHP actions and filters, Add-On Framework, Gravity Connect | Gravity Forms |
| License renewal policyA real catch for WordPress agencies | Monthly or annual SaaS subscription, renews normally | Annual only. Expired license cannot be renewed, you must repurchase | Fillout |
| Integrations | 50+ native: Airtable, Notion, Slack, Google Ads, Zite Database, Zapier | 30+ first-party add-ons: Mailchimp, HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, Salesforce, Zapier (Pro+) | — |
| EU/GDPR | SOC II, TLS 1.2, AES encryption. EU data region available | GDPR tools, reCAPTCHA, Akismet. Data stays inside your WordPress server | — |
| Ideal user | Non-technical teams, startups, agencies on any stack needing automation + database | WordPress developers, agencies, publishers needing deep logic and payments on WP | — |
Prices checked June 2026 at fillout.com/pricing and gravityforms.com/pricing. Gravity Forms add-ons (GravityView, Gravity Flow, Gravity Perks) cost $99-349/year extra on top of the base license.
Criterion by criterion, head to head
The same five criteria we scored on each tool's review page. Scores are fixed from those reviews.
01 Round 1: getting the first form live.
Fillout wins this cleanly at 4.5 to 3.4, and the gap is structural, not cosmetic. Fillout is a SaaS with a modern drag-and-drop interface, real-time preview, 100+ templates, and an onboarding that takes two minutes: sign up, choose a template, publish. We built a 15-question lead form with conditional logic in under 15 minutes. Community reviews consistently praise the builder as the cleanest drag-and-drop they have used, and one of Fillout's own G2 reviewers put it simply: "best form drag and drop I've used, works first time every time."
Gravity Forms installs like any standard WordPress plugin and gets a basic form live quickly for anyone comfortable in the WordPress admin. Bulk-add for long choice lists is a genuine time saver developers appreciate. But the learning curve is real and the reviews are consistent on it: "not the most modern or beginner-friendly," "clients get freaked out by the range of options." There is no undo, no live preview in the same sense, and the interface is admittedly dated. For a developer who lives in WordPress, it is fast and familiar. For a non-technical marketer handed the keys, it is a wall.
Choose Fillout if anyone non-technical will build or edit forms on your team.
Choose Gravity Forms if you are a developer comfortable in the WordPress admin and value raw speed in that context.
02 Round 2: what each dollar actually buys.
Fillout wins this 4.0 to 3.2, and Gravity Forms' score is hurt by the gap between the sticker price and what you actually need to pay for a real build. The Gravity Forms headline is $59/year, but the features most automation builders want, Webhooks, User Registration, Conversational Forms, are all Elite-only at $259/year. Add popular third-party add-ons like GravityView or Gravity Flow ($99-349/year each) and a real agency workflow lands around $400-600+ per year. An expired license also cannot be renewed: you repurchase from scratch, which is the kind of billing friction that has no equivalent in Fillout's world.
Fillout's value story is cleaner. The free plan includes 1,000 responses, payments, webhooks and conditional logic at $0. Starter at $15/month covers 2,000 responses, Pro at $40/month covers 5,000, Business at $75/month gives unlimited responses plus analytics and custom domain. These are the current June 2026 prices (down from the older $19/$49/$89 structure). The one honest catch: Fillout's free plan removed Fillout branding only from the $40/month Pro tier up, and at very high response volumes the Business tier at $75/month is still required.
Choose Fillout for transparent incremental pricing, a real free tier and no license renewal surprises.
Choose Gravity Forms only once you have budgeted for Elite ($259/yr) plus the add-ons your build actually needs.
03 Round 3: raw power, AI and developer surface.
Gravity Forms takes this 4.7 to 4.5, and within its domain, WordPress, that score is earned. The conditional logic engine is genuinely class-leading: it drives fields, pages, sections, email routing and notifications from a single visual rule builder, and the reviewer consensus is that it is fast and intuitive even for complex scenarios. Native payments across four processors (Stripe, PayPal, Square, Mollie) with PCI compliance and recurring billing is a real edge. The developer surface is the other differentiator: full REST API, native Webhooks on Elite, 500+ PHP actions and filters, and the Add-On Framework for custom extensions. Deep data capture, surveys with analysis, quizzes with auto-grading, partial entries, digital signatures, and geolocation, all available on the right tier.
Fillout counters with 50+ field types, multi-path conditional logic, payment collection via Stripe, native automation workflows and, as of March 2026, an AI form generator that builds a complete form from a prompt or an uploaded PDF. The new Zite Database integration means form submissions can feed directly into a scalable Postgres-powered store without a third-party tool. These additions push Fillout beyond "form builder" toward "lightweight data app platform." Where it does not match Gravity Forms: no PHP hooks, no four-processor payment stack, and no equivalent to Gravity Flow's multi-step approval chains.
Choose Fillout if you want AI generation, a built-in database layer and modern automation without code.
Choose Gravity Forms if deep conditional logic, multi-processor payments and a PHP developer surface are non-negotiable.
04 Round 4: who answers when it breaks.
Gravity Forms edges this 3.6 to 3.5, a margin so tight it barely separates them. Both tools have real strengths and real gaps. Gravity Forms offers ticket-based support backed by thorough official documentation (docs.gravityforms.com), an API reference, per-add-on guides and video courses on Gravity Learn. When you reach the right person, the outcomes are genuinely good: one Trustpilot reviewer wrote that the team went above and beyond to replicate a complex PayPal-site-plugin issue. Priority support comes with Elite.
Fillout's support is responsive on paid plans, typically 24-48 hours by email, with Intercom chat on higher tiers. G2 reviewers specifically praise the team's speed and willingness to help. The honest weakness on both sides: Gravity Forms has no live chat below Elite, and two reviewers hit the PayPal add-on sync problem support could not resolve. Fillout's community forum is inactive, a real contrast to Airtable or Notion communities. Neither is flawless when things go genuinely wrong, which is why the scores are nearly identical. Gravity Forms wins on documentation depth and knowledge base breadth; Fillout wins on chat availability at lower tiers.
Choose Fillout if you want chat support included from a lower tier.
Choose Gravity Forms if documentation depth and the Elite priority queue matter more than chat.
05 Round 5: integration breadth and CRM reach.
Gravity Forms takes this 4.3 to 4.0, and the edge comes from the CRM and email marketing depth of its first-party add-ons: Mailchimp, HubSpot CRM, ActiveCampaign, Campaign Monitor, Salesforce, AWeber, SendGrid, Constant Contact, all officially maintained. One Trustpilot reviewer called out HubSpot CRM wiring specifically as smooth and easy. The Zapier add-on (Pro+) reaches 200+ apps, native Webhooks on Elite push to any external endpoint, and the REST API plus Gravity Connect / API Alchemist handle two-way integrations. For WordPress sites with a CRM-heavy stack, few plugins come close.
Fillout's integration story is 50+ native connectors with standout depth on the no-code tools: the Airtable integration is bidirectional (create and update records, 2-3 second sync), Notion connection populates databases in real time, Slack notifications fire with custom formatting, and Google Ads conversion tracking attributes form submissions back to campaigns. The Zite Database integration added in 2026 gives a direct Postgres-backed store without middleware. The gap versus Gravity Forms is mainly on the CRM side, no native Salesforce connector, and HubSpot needs Zapier as middleware rather than a first-party add-on.
Choose Fillout if Airtable, Notion and Zite Database are your primary stack.
Choose Gravity Forms if Mailchimp, HubSpot, Salesforce or ActiveCampaign native connectors are critical.
The real cost, plan by plan
Different models: Fillout charges monthly per response tier, Gravity Forms charges annually per site count. We map them side by side, then call out where each gets expensive fast.
| Fillout | Gravity Forms | Edge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FreeFillout has the most generous free tier in this segment | $0: 1,000 responses/month, unlimited forms, payments, webhooks, conditional logic | None. 30-day money-back guarantee, no ongoing free tier | Fillout |
| Entry paidPrices checked June 2026 | Starter $15/month ($180/year): 2,000 responses, CAPTCHA, premium fields, login forms | Basic $59/year: 1 site, standard add-ons (HubSpot, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign) | — |
| Mid tier | Pro $40/month ($480/year): 5,000 responses, custom emails, branding removal, custom CSS | Pro $159/year: 3 sites, adds Stripe, PayPal, Square, Zapier | — |
| Top/unlimited tier | Business $75/month ($900/year): unlimited responses, analytics, custom domain, priority support | Elite $259/year: unlimited sites, all add-ons, Webhooks, User Registration, Conversational Forms, priority support | — |
| Automation (Webhooks) | Included on free plan | Elite only ($259/year) | Fillout |
| CRM add-ons | HubSpot via Zapier (adds ~$20+/month). No native Salesforce | HubSpot, Salesforce, ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp native on Basic+ | Gravity Forms |
| Total for automation agencyAssumes one Gravity Forms power agency build with two common add-ons | Business at $75/month = $900/year, everything included | Elite $259 + GravityView $99-349 + Gravity Flow $99-349 = $457-957+/year | Fillout |
Prices checked June 2026. Fillout pricing changed in early 2026 from the older $19/$49/$89 structure to $15/$40/$75. Gravity Forms add-on costs are third-party and not included in the base license.
Pick by scenario
Choose Fillout if...
- Your site is not on WordPress, Fillout runs on any stack as a SaaS
- You want a real free tier with payments and webhooks before spending a cent
- Airtable and Notion are your databases and you want bidirectional native sync
- You want to generate forms from a prompt or PDF using the new AI builder (March 2026)
- You need transparent monthly pricing without annual license renewal surprises
Choose Gravity Forms if...
- You build on WordPress and want the deepest conditional logic in the ecosystem
- You need payments across Stripe, PayPal, Square and Mollie with recurring billing and coupons
- You are a developer who wants 500+ PHP hooks, a REST API and a custom Add-On framework
- Your CRM is HubSpot, Salesforce or ActiveCampaign and you need first-party native connectors
- You manage many WordPress client sites where Elite's unlimited-site coverage pays off fast
Frequently asked questions
Is Fillout really free compared to Gravity Forms?
Yes, and the gap is significant. Fillout offers a permanent free plan with 1,000 responses per month, unlimited forms, payments via Stripe, webhooks, conditional logic and file uploads at $0. Gravity Forms has no free plan and no trial: the cheapest option is Basic at $59 per year for one WordPress site. If you want to test the tool, Gravity Forms offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and an Elite demo on request, but you pay before kicking the tyres on your own site.Can Fillout replace Gravity Forms on a WordPress site?
It depends what you use Gravity Forms for. Fillout can be embedded on a WordPress site via an iframe or embed code, and works well for lead generation, surveys, payment collection and Airtable or Notion-connected forms. What it cannot replicate: Gravity Forms' deep PHP hooks, native payment processing across four processors, multi-step Gravity Flow approvals, and the conditional logic that fires WordPress-side actions like user registration or post creation. For a simple form that collects data and triggers a webhook, Fillout is a capable and cheaper alternative. For complex WordPress-native workflows, Gravity Forms is in a different category.Why is Gravity Forms so expensive compared to Fillout?
The sticker prices look close (Gravity Forms Basic $59/year, Fillout Starter $15/month), but the realistic comparison is Gravity Forms Elite at $259/year against Fillout Business at $75/month. Gravity Forms gates its automation features, Webhooks, User Registration and Conversational Forms, to the Elite tier. Gravity Forms also has no free option. Then add third-party add-ons like GravityView or Gravity Flow at $99-349/year each: a real agency build lands at $400-600+ per year before the work starts. Fillout's $900/year Business plan includes everything without extra add-ons.What happened to Fillout in 2026 with the Zite rebrand?
In March 2026, the company behind Fillout officially rebranded to Zite, reflecting a broader shift into AI-powered app building. Fillout itself remained at fillout.com under the same accounts, with no migration required. The changes that matter for users: a new AI form generator that builds forms from a text prompt or uploaded PDF, tighter integration with Zite Database (a Postgres-powered store), and planned access-control improvements. Pricing was adjusted downward, Starter went from $19 to $15/month, Pro from $49 to $40, Business from $89 to $75. For existing users, this is net positive; for people evaluating long-term commitment, it is worth watching how the product roadmap shifts.What happens if a Gravity Forms license expires?
This is the catch most comparison articles skip. An expired Gravity Forms license cannot be renewed or reactivated. You have to buy a brand-new license. After expiry, the plugin keeps running on installed sites but receives no updates, no security patches, no support, and cannot register new sites. A cancelled license is ineligible for renewal even before it expires. The practical advice: diarise the renewal date and pay it on time, because letting it lapse means starting over from scratch while running an unpatched plugin.Fillout vs Gravity Forms for GDPR and EU teams?
Both have GDPR tooling, but the architecture differs. Fillout is a cloud SaaS with SOC II certification, TLS 1.2, AES encryption and EU data region selection. You control consent checkboxes and data retention policies. Gravity Forms runs inside your WordPress installation, so all form data lives on your own server by default, giving you full data residency without depending on a vendor's data center policy. For highly sensitive EU data where you want zero third-party cloud handling, Gravity Forms on a self-hosted WordPress server is structurally stronger. For teams that want a managed, compliant SaaS without running a server, Fillout's EU region and SOC II cover the requirement.Does Fillout support Airtable better than Gravity Forms?
Yes, by a significant margin. Fillout's Airtable integration is native and bidirectional: form submissions create or update Airtable records in real time (2-3 second latency), with full field mapping you configure once. Gravity Forms has no native Airtable add-on; the connection requires a third-party tool like Zapier or Make, adding middleware cost and complexity. For Notion, the comparison is similar: Fillout has a native one-way connector that feeds a Notion database directly, while Gravity Forms requires Zapier. If Airtable or Notion is central to your stack, Fillout is the clear choice.Can Gravity Forms connect to automation tools like n8n, Make or Zapier?
Yes, with a tier caveat. The native Zapier add-on is available from Pro ($159/year) and reaches 200+ apps but needs a REST API v2 key to connect. For n8n or Make, the cleanest route is native Webhooks, which pushes form data to any external endpoint, but Webhooks are Elite-only ($259/year). Fillout, by contrast, includes Webhooks in the free plan. So if automation connectivity is your main need and you are not already committed to WordPress, Fillout reaches the same external tools at a lower entry price.Fillout vs Gravity Forms vs Typeform: which should you pick?
Three tools for three profiles. Typeform is the most visually polished, conversational and brand-focused, ideal for surveys and experiences where design matters above all, but the free plan allows only 10 responses/month and paid plans are the priciest of the three. Fillout is the most automation-friendly non-WordPress option: generous free tier, native Airtable and Notion, webhooks, AI generation and a built-in database layer. Gravity Forms is the deepest WordPress-native builder, unmatched for complex logic, PHP developer surface and multi-processor payments inside a WordPress stack. Pick Typeform for design-first surveys, Fillout for automation and modern stacks, Gravity Forms for serious WordPress builds.Is Gravity Forms worth $259 per year for the Elite license?
For a WordPress agency managing multiple client sites with real automation needs, yes. Elite covers unlimited sites, which matters fast once client count grows, and it unlocks Webhooks, Conversational Forms, User Registration and Partial Entries. Priority support is also Elite-only. The honest caveat: add GravityView or Gravity Flow and the year cost climbs to $400-600+. For a single site with a simple contact form, Basic at $59 is plenty and Elite is overkill. Budget for the tier and add-ons your actual workflow needs, not the headline price.
Test both, then decide
Fillout is free to start, Gravity Forms has a 30-day money-back guarantee. Rebuild one real form on each before committing.
Best for non-WordPress stacks, generous free tier with payments and webhooks, AI form generation, Airtable and Notion native sync. No credit card needed.
Read the full Fillout review →Best for WordPress agencies needing deep conditional logic, four payment processors and a 500+ hook developer surface. Elite covers unlimited sites.
Discover Gravity Forms →Read the full Gravity Forms review →Gravity Forms links on this page are affiliate links. Using them supports our independent tests at no extra cost to you. We score both tools the same way and call out the weaknesses on each.
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