Jotform vs Gravity Forms
A cloud workflow platform versus a WordPress plugin. One runs anywhere, the other runs your WordPress site. Here is where each one wins.
Gravity Forms wins if you live inside WordPress and need unlimited submissions, deep WP integration, and developer-level extensibility. Jotform wins if you need HIPAA, work outside WordPress, or want a platform that does more than forms.
Gravity Forms is a WordPress plugin. It installs on your self-hosted WordPress site, stores data in your database, and gives you unlimited submissions with no monthly caps. For agencies managing many WordPress sites, the Elite license at $259/yr for unlimited sites is a serious value.
Jotform is a cloud platform. No WordPress required, no server to maintain, no plugin updates to manage. It runs anywhere and comes with payments, approvals, e-signatures, HIPAA, Tables, Apps, and 150+ integrations out of the box.
The short version: if WordPress is your home and you need deep site integration, Gravity Forms. If you need a form that works everywhere, takes payments, routes approvals, or handles PHI, Jotform.
Jotform vs Gravity Forms, dimension by dimension.
| Dimension | Jotform | Gravity Forms | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free for 5 forms and 100 submissions/mo; Bronze from $34/mo ($408/yr) | Basic $59/yr (1 site), Pro $159/yr (3 sites), Elite $259/yr (unlimited sites). No free plan. | Competitor |
| Platform | Cloud SaaS. Works on any website, any platform, or standalone. Zero server management. | WordPress plugin only. Requires self-hosted WordPress. No Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, or static site support. | Jotform |
| Submission limits | Capped per plan: 100/mo on Free, 1K on Bronze, 10K on Silver, 100K on Gold. | Unlimited on all plans. Limited only by your server. | Competitor |
| Payments | 40+ gateways: Stripe, PayPal, Square, Authorize.net, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo, ACH. | 5 gateways on Pro+: Stripe, PayPal, Square, Mollie. No Apple Pay, Authorize.net, or Venmo native. | Jotform |
| HIPAA / compliance | HIPAA on Gold ($99/mo billed annually). Signed BAA included. End-to-end encryption. | No native HIPAA. Requires third-party add-on plus compliant hosting. No BAA from Gravity Forms. | Jotform |
| Integrations | 150+ native integrations on all paid plans. Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, Teams. | ~40 add-ons, tiered by license. Salesforce locked to Elite. Zapier locked to Pro+. | Jotform |
| Workflow automation | Jotform Workflows built in: approvals, routing, assignments, PDFs, e-signatures. | Requires Gravity Flow ($59+/yr) for approvals. Basic email routing only without it. | Jotform |
| WordPress integration | Embed via iframe or script. No access to WordPress user roles, post types, or custom fields. | Deep integration: user registration, post creation, custom post types, WooCommerce hooks. 500+ WP actions/filters. | Competitor |
| Reporting | Visual report builder, Jotform Tables (spreadsheet/database), charts, analytics. | Entries view in WordPress admin. No visual reports. Export to CSV and build your own. | Jotform |
| Developer extensibility | REST API, webhooks, Zapier. Limited compared to plugin-level access. | Full add-on framework, 500+ WordPress hooks, REST API, direct database access. Maximum developer control. | Competitor |
Pick Jotform if...
- You are not on WordPress, or you need forms on multiple platforms.
- You need HIPAA compliance with a signed BAA.
- You want approval workflows, e-signatures, or PDF generation built in.
- You need 40+ payment gateways, not just 5.
- You want visual reporting without exporting to a spreadsheet first.
- You need forms that work offline via a mobile app.
- You want zero server management: no WordPress updates, no plugin conflicts, no hosting troubleshooting.
Pick Gravity Forms if...
- You live inside WordPress and need deep site integration: user registration, post creation, custom fields.
- You are an agency managing many WordPress sites and Elite at $259/yr is a fraction of Jotform Gold.
- You need unlimited submissions with no monthly caps.
- You want full data ownership on your own server, no third-party access.
- You are a developer who needs 500+ WordPress hooks and an add-on framework.
- You need WCAG 2.0 AA accessibility compliance out of the box.
Picking between these two for a real project?
I set up Jotform for teams choosing between these tools every week. A 20-minute call tells you which one fits your workflow, or whether you need both.
What I tell people who ask me privately.
I built inside Jotform for nearly five years. The WordPress vs SaaS question is the real decision, not feature checklists. If WordPress is your stack and you have a developer who can maintain it, Gravity Forms at $259/yr for unlimited sites is hard to beat on price.
But I have seen too many projects where the WordPress plugin ecosystem becomes a liability. Plugin conflicts, PHP updates breaking forms, hosting downtime during peak submission windows. Jotform absorbs all of that. You pay more, but you ship faster and sleep better.
HIPAA is the dealbreaker. Gravity Forms has no native HIPAA compliance. You need a third-party add-on, compliant hosting, and you still will not get a BAA from Gravity Forms itself. Jotform Gold at $99/mo billed annually gives you HIPAA with a signed BAA on day one. For healthcare practices, this is not optional.
If Jotform is the right call, here's where to start.
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View kitnonprofitDonation & Receipt Workflow
Donation pipeline: gift, receipt, record, tax letter.
View kiteventsCamp Registration System
Camp registration: signup, payment, waivers, waitlists, check-in. One Jotform.
View kitJotform vs Gravity Forms: common questions.
Is Jotform better than Gravity Forms?
For most use cases outside WordPress, yes. Jotform works everywhere, offers HIPAA, built-in workflows, 40+ payment gateways, and visual reporting. Gravity Forms is better if WordPress is your only platform and you need deep WP integration, unlimited submissions, and developer extensibility.
Can Gravity Forms do HIPAA compliance?
Not natively. There is a third-party add-on, but Gravity Forms itself does not provide a BAA or guarantee HIPAA compliance. You also need compliant WordPress hosting. Jotform Gold includes HIPAA with a signed BAA at $99/mo billed annually.
Is Gravity Forms cheaper than Jotform?
At the entry level, yes. Gravity Forms Basic is $59/yr for one site. Jotform Bronze is $408/yr. But for agencies, Gravity Forms Elite at $259/yr for unlimited sites is less than $22/yr per site versus Jotform's per-plan pricing. The tradeoff is features: Jotform includes workflows, e-signatures, Tables, Apps, and 150+ integrations that Gravity Forms does not.
Can I use Gravity Forms without WordPress?
No. Gravity Forms is a WordPress plugin. It requires a self-hosted WordPress installation. If your site is on Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, or a static site, Gravity Forms will not work. Jotform runs anywhere.
Does Gravity Forms have approval workflows?
Not built in. You need Gravity Flow, a separate product at $59+/yr, for approval workflows, task routing, and conditional notifications. Jotform includes workflows on all paid plans.
What about data ownership?
Gravity Forms stores everything on your server, which gives you full data ownership. Jotform stores data on Google Cloud/AWS, and you can export anytime. For some organizations, on-premise data is a hard requirement, and that favors Gravity Forms.
Still not sure which one fits?
Free 20-minute call. Describe what you're trying to do and I'll tell you straight which tool is the right choice, even when it isn't Jotform.
Bring the work your team still does by hand.
One 20-minute call: how it runs today, what an agent or automation would change, and whether it is worth building.