---
title: "Cognito Forms vs Gravity Forms: SaaS Standalone vs WordPress Plugin in 2026 | Paperform"
description: "Cognito Forms vs Gravity Forms compared: SaaS vs WordPress plugin, pricing, calculations, and total cost of ownership. Which approach is better in 2026?"
url: "https://paperform.com/form-builders/cognito-forms-vs-gravity-forms"
type: static
generatedAt: "2026-10-12T00:05:02.978Z"
---

![](/images/og/form-builders/cognito-forms-vs-gravity-forms.png)

# Cognito Forms vs Gravity Forms: SaaS Standalone vs WordPress Plugin in 2026

This comparison is about more than features. It is about two very different approaches to form building. Cognito Forms is a standalone SaaS platform: sign up, build forms, embed anywhere, and the platform handles hosting, security, and maintenance. Gravity Forms is a WordPress plugin: powerful and extensible, but locked into the WordPress ecosystem with all the hosting, maintenance, and security responsibilities that entails.

The right choice depends on your infrastructure. If you're already running WordPress and want forms tightly integrated with your site, Gravity Forms is the ecosystem play. If you want zero infrastructure overhead and platform independence, Cognito Forms eliminates the WordPress dependency entirely.

## Who Is Cognito Forms?

Cognito Forms was founded in 2013 in Columbia, South Carolina. Now private equity-backed, the platform focuses on workflow-oriented forms with built-in calculations, e-signatures, Stripe payments on the free plan, and HIPAA compliance on enterprise tiers. As a standalone SaaS, Cognito Forms handles all infrastructure, including hosting, security, backups, and updates, so users can focus on building forms instead of managing servers.

## Who Is Gravity Forms?

Gravity Forms was created by Rocketgenius, Inc. and has been the premium WordPress form plugin since 2008. It requires a WordPress installation to run and extends through a massive ecosystem of official and third-party add-ons. Gravity Forms is licensed annually ($59-$259/year) and stores form data within your WordPress database. The plugin's extensibility and WordPress-native approach make it the default choice for WordPress developers and agencies, but it carries the overhead of WordPress hosting and maintenance.

### Quick Verdict

Choose Cognito Forms if:

 - You don't use WordPress or want to leave WordPress
 - You want zero infrastructure: no hosting, security, or plugin updates
 - Free-tier payments, calculations, and conditional logic matter
 - You need HIPAA compliance without managing your own server security

Choose Gravity Forms if:

 - Your website runs on WordPress and you want native integration
 - You need the extensibility of 200+ official and third-party add-ons
 - You prefer data stored in your own database (data ownership)
 - WordPress developers on your team can customise with PHP hooks

## Feature Comparison

Side-by-side across every feature category.

| Feature | Cognito Forms | Gravity Forms |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Form Building |
| Document-style editor | No | No |
| AI form creation | Yes | Yes  Basic |
| Field types | 20+ | No |
| Multi-page forms | Yes | Yes  Basic |
| Guided mode (one question at a time) | No | Yes  Elite |
| Conditional logic | Yes | Yes  Basic |
| Calculations field | Yes | Yes  Basic |
| AI calculations assistant | No | No |
| Scoring | Yes | Yes  Elite |
| Answer piping | Yes | Yes  Basic |
| Pre-filling and hidden fields | Yes | Yes  Basic |
| Save and resume | Yes  pro | Yes  Basic |
| Auto-close by number | Yes | No |
| Auto-close by date | Yes | No |
| Appointment/booking field | No | No |
| Signature field | Yes  team | Yes  Elite |
| Color picker field | No | No |
| API-powered dropdowns | Yes | No |
| Google address search | Yes | No |
| File uploads | Yes | No |
| Drag-and-drop builder | No | Yes  Basic |
| 30+ field types | No | Yes  Basic |
| Payments |
| Cognito Pay (native card processing) | Yes | No |
| Stripe payments | Yes | Yes  Pro |
| PayPal payments | Yes  team | Yes  Pro |
| Square payments | Yes  team | Yes  Pro |
| Braintree payments | No | No |
| Google Pay | Yes | Yes  Pro |
| Product sales (eCommerce) | Yes | Yes  Basic |
| Subscriptions | No | Yes  Pro |
| Coupons and discounts | Yes | Yes  Elite |
| Custom pricing rules | Yes | No |
| Tax calculations | Yes | No |
| Quotes/invoices | Yes  team | No |
| Refunds | No | Yes  Pro |
| 3D Secure | No | Yes  Pro |
| Design & Customization |
| Template gallery | Yes | Yes  Basic |
| Rich media (images, GIFs, videos) | Yes | Yes  Basic |
| Unsplash and Giphy integration | No | No |
| Image editor | No | No |
| Adobe Creative Cloud | No | No |
| Language translation | Yes  pro | Yes  Basic |
| Advanced theming | Yes  pro | Yes  Basic |
| Custom form URL | No | No |
| Custom domains | No | No |
| Custom HTML & CSS | Yes  pro | Yes  Basic |
| Remove branding | Yes  pro | Yes  Basic |
| Custom email domains | No | Yes  Elite |
| Analytics |
| Submission results and reports | Yes | Yes  Basic |
| AI report insights | No | No |
| Paperform analytics | No | No |
| Google Analytics & Facebook Pixel | Yes  pro | Yes  Elite |
| Custom analytics scripts | No | Yes  Basic |
| Partial submissions | No | Yes  Elite |
| Collaboration |
| Multi-user accounts | Yes  pro | Yes  Basic |
| User permissions and management | Yes  team | Yes  Basic |
| Advanced permissions & admin | Yes  enterprise | No |
| Form sharing (templates) | Yes | Yes  Basic |
| Spaces and tag management | No | No |
| Security |
| SOC 2 Type II | No | No |
| GDPR compliant | Yes | Yes  Basic |
| SSL encryption | Yes | Yes  Basic |
| Two-factor authentication | Yes | No |
| Enforce 2FA for all users | No | No |
| SSO (SAML) | Yes  enterprise | No |
| reCAPTCHA | Yes | Yes  Basic |
| Local data residency | No | Yes  Basic |
| Custom S3 storage (BYO) | No | No |
| Integrations & API |
| Native integrations | No | No |
| Zapier | Yes | Yes  Pro |
| Make (Integromat) | Yes | No |
| Webhooks | Yes | Yes  Elite |
| Standard API | Yes | Yes  Basic |
| Business API | No | No |
| MCP connector (AI app access) | Yes  pro | No |
| WordPress plugin | Yes | Yes  Basic |
| oEmbed support | Yes | No |
| 50+ official add-ons | No | Yes  Basic |
| MCP server (AI assistant access) | No | Yes  Basic |
| Stepper workflow automation | No | No |

## Where Cognito Forms Wins

 ![Cognito Forms builder](/images/form-builders/cognito-forms/screenshot-homepage.png)

*Cognito Forms' SaaS builder — no WordPress required.*

### Zero Infrastructure Overhead

Sign up for Cognito Forms and you're building forms in minutes. No WordPress installation, no hosting provider, no SSL certificates, no plugin updates, no security patches, no database backups. The platform handles everything. Gravity Forms requires an active WordPress site with reliable hosting, security monitoring, regular plugin and core updates, and database maintenance. For non-technical users or teams without WordPress expertise, Cognito Forms eliminates an entire category of operational overhead.

### Generous Free Tier

Cognito Forms' free plan includes unlimited forms, 100 submissions/month, Stripe payments, conditional logic, and calculations. Gravity Forms has no free plan. The cheapest license is $59/year (Basic), plus WordPress hosting costs. For budget-conscious users, Cognito Forms offers production-ready forms at zero cost, while Gravity Forms requires upfront investment before you build your first form.

### Built-In Calculations

Cognito Forms' calculation engine is central to the platform: formula-based computations handle dynamic pricing, conditional values, and complex field math on all plans including free. Gravity Forms has pricing fields and basic number calculations, but for complex formulas you'll need add-ons like GravityMath or custom development. Cognito Forms delivers more calculation power out of the box.

### Platform Independence

Cognito Forms works on any website: WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, static sites, or standalone hosted pages. Embed via iframe or link directly. Gravity Forms is WordPress-only. If you ever migrate away from WordPress, your forms don't come with you. Cognito Forms' platform independence is a hedge against future website platform changes.

## Where Gravity Forms Wins

 ![Gravity Forms](/images/form-builders/gravity-forms/screenshot-homepage.png)

*Gravity Forms — the premium WordPress form plugin with extensive add-on ecosystem.*

### WordPress-Native Integration

Gravity Forms lives inside WordPress. Forms render natively in your theme, submissions are stored in your database, and the plugin integrates with WordPress hooks, filters, and the admin interface. For WordPress sites, this means forms that match your site's design perfectly, data that's accessible through WordPress tools, and workflows that connect to other WordPress plugins. Cognito Forms embeds work well but they're always an external element on a WordPress page.

### Massive Add-On Ecosystem

Gravity Forms has 50+ official add-ons and 200+ third-party extensions covering payment gateways, CRM integrations, advanced fields, PDF generation, quiz features, and more. Need a specific integration? There's probably a Gravity Forms add-on for it. Cognito Forms integrates through Zapier and Power Automate, which is functional but less direct than Gravity Forms' plugin-level connections for WordPress-specific workflows.

### Data Ownership

Gravity Forms stores all submission data in your WordPress database, on your hosting and under your control. You own the data physically, not just contractually. Cognito Forms stores data on its servers. For organisations with strict data residency requirements or those who prefer physical control of their data, Gravity Forms' approach is reassuring.

### Developer Extensibility

Gravity Forms offers PHP hooks, filters, and a developer API that WordPress developers can use to customise every aspect of form behaviour. Custom field types, conditional processing, custom notifications, and integration logic are all possible through code. Cognito Forms is more of a closed platform: powerful out of the box, but less customisable through code for edge cases that fall outside its built-in capabilities.

## Pricing Comparison

Direct price comparison is tricky because Gravity Forms doesn't include hosting costs.

| Tier | Cognito Forms | Gravity Forms + Hosting | Key Difference |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Free / Entry | Free: unlimited forms, 100 subs, Stripe, calculations | Basic: $59/yr + hosting ($60-600/yr) | Cognito is free; Gravity Forms starts at $120+/year total |
| Mid-Tier | Pro: $19/mo ($228/yr) — all-inclusive | Pro: $159/yr + hosting + add-ons | Similar total cost; Cognito includes infrastructure |
| Full-Featured | Team: $39/mo ($468/yr) — workflows, documents | Elite: $259/yr + hosting + premium add-ons | Gravity Forms is cheaper on paper; add-on costs close the gap |
| Enterprise | Enterprise: $129/mo — HIPAA, SSO, managed | No enterprise tier — you manage your own security | Cognito offers managed compliance; Gravity Forms is DIY |

Gravity Forms prices exclude hosting, SSL, maintenance, and third-party add-on costs.
  Compare With
#### Cognito Forms
Free plan 14 days trial Individual (Free) Free forms: Unlimited submissions: 100 entries/month storage: 100 MB users: 1 Pro $24 /mo $19 /mo billed annually forms: Unlimited submissions: 2,000 entries/month storage: 1 GB users: 2 Team $49 /mo $39 /mo billed annually forms: Unlimited submissions: 10,000 entries/month storage: 10 GB users: 5 Enterprise $174 /mo $129 /mo billed annually forms: Unlimited submissions: Unlimited storage: 100 GB users: 20 Verified 2026-09-22
#### Gravity Forms
Basic — $59 /mo billed annually forms: Unlimited submissions: Unlimited storage: WordPress database (self-hosted) users: Unlimited (WordPress users) Pro — $159 /mo billed annually forms: Unlimited submissions: Unlimited storage: WordPress database (self-hosted) users: Unlimited (WordPress users) Elite — $259 /mo billed annually forms: Unlimited submissions: Unlimited storage: WordPress database (self-hosted) users: Unlimited (WordPress users) Nonprofit — $129 /mo billed annually forms: Unlimited submissions: Unlimited storage: WordPress database (self-hosted) users: Unlimited (WordPress users) Verified 2026-09-22
| Product | Plan | Monthly Price | Annual Price (per month) | Free Plan | Free Trial | Limits |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cognito Forms | Individual (Free) | Free | Free | Yes | 14 days | forms: Unlimited, submissions: 100 entries/month, storage: 100 MB, users: 1 |
| Cognito Forms | Pro | $24/mo | $19/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: 2,000 entries/month, storage: 1 GB, users: 2 |
| Cognito Forms | Team | $49/mo | $39/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: 10,000 entries/month, storage: 10 GB, users: 5 |
| Cognito Forms | Enterprise | $174/mo | $129/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: Unlimited, storage: 100 GB, users: 20 |
| Gravity Forms | Basic | Not listed | $59/mo billed annually | No | No | forms: Unlimited, submissions: Unlimited, storage: WordPress database (self-hosted), users: Unlimited (WordPress users) |
| Gravity Forms | Pro | Not listed | $159/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: Unlimited, storage: WordPress database (self-hosted), users: Unlimited (WordPress users) |
| Gravity Forms | Elite | Not listed | $259/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: Unlimited, storage: WordPress database (self-hosted), users: Unlimited (WordPress users) |
| Gravity Forms | Nonprofit | Not listed | $129/mo billed annually | forms: Unlimited, submissions: Unlimited, storage: WordPress database (self-hosted), users: Unlimited (WordPress users) |

## What Users Say
    Gravity Forms  4.63 / 5 (522 reviews)        G2  4.7 (240)   Capterra  4.6 (91)   GetApp  4.6 (91)   Trustpilot  4.5 (100)      Cognito Forms  4.35 / 5 (998 reviews)        G2  4.5 (90)   Capterra  4.7 (216)   GetApp  4.7 (216)   Trustpilot  4 (476)
Both platforms hold strong review ratings. Gravity Forms is praised for its WordPress integration depth and extensibility; WordPress developers consider it the gold standard for forms. Cognito Forms reviewers highlight the generous free tier, calculation engine, and zero maintenance overhead. The split reflects the audience: Gravity Forms for WordPress-committed teams, Cognito Forms for platform-independent users who want managed infrastructure.

## Consider Paperform

If Cognito Forms' utilitarian design feels limiting and Gravity Forms' WordPress dependency doesn't suit your stack, [Paperform](https://paperform.com) offers a design-forward SaaS alternative. It isn't the cheapest entry point here — Pro is $59/month, or $49/month billed annually — but nothing in it is metered. Submissions and seats are unlimited on every paid plan, so a good month costs the same as a quiet one and you never budget growth against a submission counter or pay per person to add a colleague. Cognito Forms sells submissions by tier; Gravity Forms sells licences by site and then bills you again in hosting and add-ons.

The other difference is scope. One Paperform subscription covers forms, eSignatures (Papersign) and workflow automation (Stepper), rather than three vendors stitched together with connectors that each have their own plan, their own renewal and their own failure mode. On top of that you get a document-style editor that produces forms that look like landing pages, an Excel-style calculation engine driving logic across questions, pages, emails and integrations, five payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, Square, Braintree, Google Pay) and 4000+ integrations.

Founded in 2016, Paperform is bootstrapped and profitable — no private equity or investor pressure. It's SOC 2 Type II, GDPR and CCPA compliant, though it isn't HIPAA compliant and doesn't sign BAAs, so regulated health data belongs elsewhere. For teams that want beautiful, standalone forms with powerful calculations and no WordPress dependency, Paperform combines the best of both worlds. See the [Cognito Forms alternatives](/form-builders/cognito-forms-alternatives/) or [Gravity Forms alternatives](/form-builders/gravity-forms-alternatives/) pages for deeper analysis.

## Frequently Asked Questions

Can Cognito Forms replace Gravity Forms if I leave WordPress?

Yes, and it's one of the most common migration paths for teams moving away from WordPress. Cognito Forms is a standalone SaaS platform: no hosting, no plugins, no WordPress dependency. You embed forms via iframe or link to hosted form pages. Most Gravity Forms field types have direct Cognito Forms equivalents, and Cognito's calculation engine is comparable for computed fields and conditional logic. The main adjustment is rebuilding any Gravity Forms add-on integrations (CRM connections, payment processors) using Cognito's Zapier or Power Automate connectors.

Is Gravity Forms cheaper than Cognito Forms?

On paper, Gravity Forms' Basic license ($59/year) looks cheaper than Cognito Forms' Pro plan ($19/month = $228/year). But the comparison isn't apples-to-apples. Gravity Forms requires WordPress hosting ($5-50+/month), SSL certificates, plugin maintenance, and security monitoring. Total cost of ownership for a Gravity Forms setup typically runs $120-650/year when you include hosting and maintenance. Cognito Forms' $15/month includes hosting, security, SSL, backups, and maintenance, with no infrastructure overhead. For teams without existing WordPress infrastructure, Cognito Forms is often cheaper in total cost.

Which platform has better calculations?

Cognito Forms has a more capable built-in calculation engine. Its formula-based calculations handle dynamic pricing, conditional values, computed totals, and complex field math across all plans including free. Gravity Forms offers calculations through its pricing fields and conditional logic, but the computation capabilities are more limited without third-party add-ons like GravityMath. For pricing calculators, order forms, and dynamic quoting, Cognito Forms delivers more out of the box.

Does Cognito Forms work with WordPress?

Yes. Cognito Forms can be embedded on any website, including WordPress, via iframe embed codes or direct links. However, it runs as an external SaaS service: form data is stored on Cognito's servers, not in your WordPress database. Gravity Forms stores data within your WordPress installation, which some users prefer for data ownership. If you want forms on WordPress but don't want the maintenance overhead of a WordPress plugin, Cognito Forms' embed approach works well.

## Sources & References

 1. [Gravity Forms vs Cognito Forms — Comparison](https://www.g2.com/compare/gravity-forms-vs-cognito-forms) — G2, 2026
2. [Best WordPress Form Plugins in 2026](https://www.wpbeginner.com/best-wordpress-contact-form-plugins/) — WPBeginner, 2026

## Updates

We re-audit the form builders we compare on a regular cadence and log every change here — a public record of what changed and when.

- Updated June 4, 2026 — Updated Cognito Forms 'Pro' pricing from $15/mo to $19/mo ($228/yr), corrected Gravity Forms' founding year to 2008, raised its official add-on count from 30+ to 50+, and replaced free-tier e-signature claims with conditional logic.

Last updated September 22, 2026

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