Apply Online vs Essential Addons for Elementor
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| Feature | Apply Online v2.7.1.1 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 4.1/5 Visit Details | Essential Addons for Elementor v6.8.7 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.9/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 2,000+ | 1M+ |
| Last updated | September 28, 2026 | October 19, 2026 |
| Editions | ApplyOnline · ApplyOnline add-ons ($) | Essential Addons for Elementor · Essential Addons for Elementor - Pro ($) |
| Pros | Drag-and-drop application form builder with file attachment fields; Several ad types, each with its own shortcode; Dedicated manager role for reviewing applications | Large set of widgets added to Elementor; Form widgets for Gravity Forms, WPForms, Contact Form 7, Fluent Forms and Ninja Forms; WooCommerce product widgets such as product compare |
| Cons | Applicant tracking, conditional fields and captcha need paid add-ons; Email notifications rely on the host mail server | Premium widgets and extensions need the Pro version; Some widgets call third-party services such as OpenSea and Facebook |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | — |
| Features (Form plugins checklist) | ||
| Drag-and-drop builder | Yes | — |
| Conditional logic | No | — |
| Multi-step forms | No | — |
| Payments | No | — |
| File upload | Yes | — |
| Calculations | No | — |
| Entries in admin | Yes | — |
| Spam protection | No | — |
| Free version | Yes | — |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Multiple ad types with their own filters, Shortcodes for ad archive, single ad and form, Email notification to recipients on new application, Application manager capability set, Security nonce on application forms, Attachment links on applications, Paid add-on updates through a licence key ($) | Filterable gallery widget, Data table widget, Event calendar widget with Google Calendar source, WooCommerce product compare widget, NFT gallery widget, Twitter and Facebook feed widgets, TypeForm embed widget, Essential Addons admin menu page |
| Integrations | ||
| Analytics | — | WP Insights usage tracker (opt-in) |
| Social | — | X (Twitter) API, Facebook Graph API |
| E-commerce | — | WooCommerce |
| Plugins | Polylang | Elementor, Gravity Forms, WPForms, Contact Form 7, Fluent Forms, Ninja Forms |
| Other | ApplyOnline add-on update server ($) | Formstack, Google Calendar, TypeForm API, OpenSea |
| Requires WordPress | 5.0 | 5.3 |
| Requires PHP | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | Only if you agree |
| External services | — | api.twitter.com, graph.facebook.com, send.wpinsight.com, www.googleapis.com, opensea.io, magiceden.io, api.typeform.com |
| Shortcodes | 7 | — |