Whether you want to create a site that’s similar to Reddit, a quiz-style Q&A where answers are provided, or a submission form that will answer users’ questions – WordPress has you covered with a variety of specialized Q&A plugins.
In this article, we’re looking at six of our favorite WordPress question and answer plugins.
We chose these plugins because they all function uniquely, have helpful features, and of course – positive reviews.
Why Use a WordPress Q&A Plugin?
There are many benefits to using a WordPress Q&A plugin, especially if your theme or design doesn’t include Q&A features.
Here are some of the major advantages of note:
- Customized Design that Integrates with Your WordPress Site: All of the plugins featured in this article can be customized to match the design on your site. This means adding a Q&A to your site won’t interfere with your brand and style – rather it will match and compliment it.
- Consumer Confidence and More eCommerce Sales: Having answers about your eCommerce products can enhance consumer confidence. Q&A plugins give your visitors the information needed to influence them (in a good way) and make a sale.
- Reward Systems and User Profiles: You don’t need to look any further than here at WPMU DEV to see this in action. We have this feature in our “DOTW” (Discussion of the Week) forum where users can earn “Hero Points” for participating in question and answer threads.
- Enhanced Q&A Functionality: Considering WordPress currently doesn’t support Q&A beyond the comment section, a plugin can offer a more attractive (and modern) solution to Q&A.
As you can see, Q&A plugins can offer great benefits to your WordPress site, and there’s a full range of free and premium options available.
So the natural question is: Which one will work best for you?
Let’s get into our list then.
6 Of The Best WordPress Q&A Plugin Options
Here are 6 great WordPress plugins for adding Q&A functionality to your site. Hopefully, one of them will be the answer (pun intended) you’ve been looking for.
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Forminator
To get started, our very own Forminator is a 5-star rated option that’s perfect when it comes to quizzes or forms for question submissions (for free!).
You can even use your Q&A quizzes to generate leads. Forminator allows you to integrate a lead-gen form into your quiz and collect participants’ information (e.g. name, email, etc.).
Forminator also has some handy email routing and pre-population features – making it quick and easy for users to pre-fill Q&A submissions.
On top of that, you can integrate your Q&A forms with your favorite 3rd party apps, such as HubSpot, MailChimp, Trello, and more.
Finally, you can easily set up forms which enable users to submit questions and have a personalized auto-response answer.
With over 100k active installations (and again, a 5-star review), Forminator is a great choice for a Q&A plugin because of its ease of use, integrations, lead generation, and it costs nothing to use!
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CM Answers
The CM Answers plugin allows users to post questions and answers (Stack Overflow style). The plugin comes with voting, notifications, moderation, access control, and more.
Admins have the ability to customize the questions & answers, filter unwanted content, add answers, and keep tabs on users’ actions in the forum.
Some of the basic features include:
- View count
- Answer count
- Sorting options in the Q&A pages
There is also a Pro version that has additions, such as anonymous posting, private answers, advertisements, and more. The costs range from $39 to $199, depending on add-ons and the number of sites.
This plugin has a 4-star review and over 1k active installations.
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WP Answers
WP Answers is a premium plugin that also includes its own responsive theme if required.
This plugin doesn’t go for the Stack Overflow look and feel, however, it provides a simpler but equally pleasing layout.
WP Answers includes a reputation system, social media integration, and built-in moderation. It also can be used with your existing theme as an add-on feature.
This plugin also has:
- Automatic product updates
- Premium support
- Help documentation
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Their site states that they’re the ultimate WordPress questions and answers plugin. It seems like a good quality choice to interact and reward users.
As of December 2020, the cost for WP Answers is $34.
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YITH WooCommerce Questions and Answers
The YITH WooCommerce Questions and Answers plugin allows visitors to your eCommerce shop to ask questions about products.
It even features a FAQ mode that lets you use a section of your site as a FAQ page that shows information users might find useful.
The plugin offers your visitors a way to interact, ask, and answer questions while giving your customers confidence about their purchase.
Some of the key features are:
- Users can ask questions on specific WooCommerce products
- Easily manage questions and answers
- FAQ mode
You can find more information about this plugin with their documentation. Also, you can see a demo of it in action here.
This plugin has a 4-star review and over 2k active installations. It might be a good fit for you if you have a WooCommerce WordPress site and numerous products for sale.
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bbPress
With the bbPress plugin, you can integrate an elegant and streamlined discussion board into your WordPress site. You can also have a Q&A forum up in no time.
The forums are all arranged by topics in your dashboard. From the dashboard, you can see the replies, author, and when it was created. This well-organized approach is visually appealing and functional for users.
bbPress is a popular plugin that’s well maintained and updated – it also has an active support forum.
It currently has a 4-star review and 300k active installations.
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Simple:Press – WordPress Forum Plugin
Simple:Press – WordPress Forum Plugin is for creating a customized forum with a lot of possibilities. It gives you the option to add as many additional features as you need, so you can enhance your Q&A forum as needed.
The plugin has hundreds of features between its free and premium version – such as multi-level forum structures, post threading, and private messaging.
You can also import data into Simple: Press’ forum from other forums, which makes moving easy if you decide to switch to their platform.
Some of the other key features are:
- Unlimited Forums
- Alternate Custom Login and Registration Screens
- Pin Forums
- Breadcrumbs
As mentioned, there are also premium options, such as analytics, ads, WooCommerce dashboard integration, and more. Prices start at $99 to $199 per year, depending on what package you go with.
This plugin comes in with a 4-star rating and 600+ active installations.
For all of the options it offers, it’s a plugin worth testing out if you have a lot of customization needs.
Q: What’s the Best One? A: That’s Up to You!
When it comes to choosing the best Q&A plugin for WordPress, it largely depends on whether you need to have a forum-type option, a quiz-style, or submission forms.
Plus, there’s the option of free or premium. Or, you can use a combination of plugins, if necessary.
Adding a Q&A plugin is a quick, attractive, and easy solution to answering your users’ questions, keeping them engaged, and, if you have an eCommerce site, giving them confidence in knowing what they’re purchasing.
Any questions?
Source: premium.wpmudev.org