GF is worth getting because:

* it will save you time making forms because it is so easy & intuitive (just drag and drop like widgets)
* it will save you time because it works flawlessly
* it comes with phenomenal support
* you can make all kinds of cool forms not just contact forms
* when you use GF, especially the first few times, it it will make you say WOW, this is so COOL
* it might spark your imagination & creativity
* it is very powerful but not overwhelming

Conclusion:

as a user of GF i recommend it to everyone and suggest you HURRY and grab it NOW,
because i don't won't you to come back crying to me later on and asking why i didn't tell you about it sooner.

Even if support suddenly dried up, the functionality of the plugin is exceptional and I could get by without Carl's help for about 95% of what I require from it.

I would happily recommend this to anyone needing advanced form functionality.

It won't be long until someone releases something similar for free.

I wasn't judging a book by it's cover, I have used the plugin - it is good - but I was advising other people to be wary of the hype surrounding ANY plugin or theme that gives big kick-backs to WordPress bloggers. Affiliate commissions do not necessarily mean that a product is good or bad, but it is something that a smart consumer needs to be aware of, precisely because you want to avoid "judging a book by its cover".

What really counts is the extent to which the product continues to improve and be supported long after all the hype has died down. You have received good support from Carl and that is a promising sign, precisely the sort of thing I am talking about. Gravity Forms is a brand new product not one of the bloggers currently evangelizing it or any of the people who, like me, were on the beta, can actually predict how it will mature i.e. whether or not it is a good long-term investment.

None of what I am saying should be considered controversial, it is just common sense, never invest time and money into a software product without doing proper research and, no, reading blog posts based upon a kick-back does not count as proper research.

Looking at http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/tdo-mini-forms/
and http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/fresh-page/ as alternatives. Is this better or are these others failing in some way?

I wasn't attacking you, I was just exasperated that you seemed to have accepted someone else's deliberate misinterpretation of what I'd said; there is a big difference between "it remains to be seen if the plugin is good" and what I suggested, which is that it remains to be seen if the product will be good in the long-term i.e. if it will continue to evolve and be supported for years to come. It doesn't matter how good your plugin and your intentions are at the moment, there are certain things that only time will tell.

I also stand by my assertion that "a glossy site and a video do not mean the product is good" - seriously, that is just common sense, not skepticism.

You made the comment that it remains to be seen if the plugin was good and that a glossy site and a video do not mean the product is good. You seem skeptical.

I simply pointed out that you were provided with the plugin via the beta releases so you should know if the plugin is as good as advertised because you were privy to the beta releases. So since you have used it, i'm curious as to why you are displaying so much skepticism over the quality of the product. You should have an opinion based on hands on knowledge of the plugin as to it's quality.

You just said the plugin was good but you had issues with the pricing, fair enough. I'm glad you liked the plugin and i'm sorry you don't like our pricing.

Don't attack me for comments made by others.

I stopped responding to George Burley when it became clear that he was just trolling, but are you, the developer, now going to play his little game of pretending that it is somehow not valid for anyone to discuss your product in anything other than fawning language?

At no point have I said that your plugin is bad, or that the free versions were better, that was merely implied by George Burley's nutty little rant. I merely responded to the first poster's comment about all the people pushing your product. Then I agreed with a comment suggesting the pricing was pitched a little high (and, yeah, from conversations I've had since then, $200 is the sticking point for a lot of developers). Then I made a comment on differences between premium and Open Source generally, and even finished by mentioning what I saw as your product's "killer feature".

If George Burley chose to interpret all that as me slamming the plugin itself and saying that the free options are better, well, that is his own deranged business, I am no more responsible for what he says than I am responsible for a schizophrenic shitting on a police car.

Being in on the beta gave me a preview of the plugin itself and, as it happens, your plugin is good and I have made suggestions, that you have responded to, on your forum. Being on the beta does not, however, remove my rights to free speech, don't try to spin it that way.

I've tried using "free" plugins which offered similar functionality but none have come anywhere near close to the features here, and have you tried getting support from the author??

It's like comparing the e-commerce and Shopp plugins - e-commerce is free but near impossible to use whereas Shopp has a dedicated support team willing to help at all hours.

For those who are on the fence give it it try - have a look at these examples:

https://www.jamesmorrisondesign.com/contact/
https://www.jamesmorrisondesign.com/get-a-quote/

@donnacha | WordSkill - you've judged a book by its cover - if you're not willing to give it a try don't knock it!

If everything should be for free, how would anyone live?

The submit button has an action hook on it so if you know how to use hooks you could use this to fire javascript when the form is submitted.

You are comparing apples to oranges.

Thesis and Gravity Forms serve two very different purposes.