OptiMonster is a good tool for creating popups with opt-in forms and building your list, but it does have its limitations. Since it was launched almost 10 years ago, we think it’s time to take a look at more modern tools that are available out there.
In this article, we’ll cover the 10 best OptinMonster alternatives that can help your online business’ marketing efforts. So if you’re already familiar with OptinMonster, and now you’re looking for an alternative email list building tool—you’re in the right place.
Let’s get started by taking a look at some of OptinMonster’s pitfalls.
4 reasons you might need an OptinMonster alternative
1. There’s no free version or free trial; the pricing is expensive
There are no two ways about it: OptinMonster is quite expensive. Their lowest payment tier comes in at $14 a month.
For that amount of money, you’ll get access to many of the basic features that OptinMonster offers, such as their drag and drop editor, page-level targeting, and list segmentation. However, you’re limited to only one site and 2,500 page views, max—which can quickly force you to choose an even higher payment tier.
If you’re a small business that doesn’t have a huge marketing budget, your resources might be best used elsewhere. That’s especially true if you find an OptinMonster alternative that has a free version that fits your needs.
2. Integrations are plan based
Another reason you might need to pay for a higher subscription to OptinMonster is if you’d like to integrate your popup maker with other tools that you use for marketing.
This is because integration with many popular email marketing services is restricted to the “Plus” and “Pro” tiers, which cost $30 and $47 a month, respectively.
You also need to be on at least the Plus plan to use Conversio, ConvertKit, or Customer.io with OptinMonster, while only Pro users can integrate with HubSpot, Infusionsoft, Marketo, and other tools.
3. Many features are plan based
OptinMonster’s features are also very limited within their lower payment tiers. For instance, countdown timers, gamified popups, or even exit-intent popups (which are crucial for conversion rate optimization) are not available for OptinMonster’s basic plan.
Additionally, there are a few important features that are reserved for OptinMonster’s most expensive plan: the $80 a month “Growth” tier. These include geo-targeting, onsite retargeting, and AdBlock detection.
4. Limited templates to choose from
Despite the expense associated with using OptinMonster, their library of popup templates leaves something to be desired. Their webpage promises users access to “97+ pre-made templates,” which is a much lower number than many of the OptinMonster alternatives on this list.
It’s especially problematic when you consider that these templates are split among many different use cases. So if you’re looking to use an exit-intent list building popup, you’ll only have a few options to choose from.
Top 10 OptinMonster alternatives
As you can see, the most premium version of OptinMonster has some good features and capabilities. But, you need to pay a lot to access them.
The OptinMonster alternatives collected below offer comparable and even better features at a much lower monthly cost.
Let’s see what contestant no. 1 has to offer.
OptiMonk is a dedicated popup builder that helps ecommerce stores grow their contact lists, promote sales, and stop cart abandonment. It’s able to accomplish all these diverse functions because of the powerful customization options that control precisely when, how, and whom your popups would appear to.
Users appreciate these options and the great results they bring: OptiMonk has over 400 five-star reviews in the Shopify App Store.
OptiMonk’s unique features
OptiMonk’s popup software is jam-packed full of useful features that lead directly to higher conversion rates. Even better, almost all of these features are available in the free version (except A/B testing, unbranded popups, and targeting based on custom variables—which are useful upgrades you get with their available tier plans).
All the features we discuss below are available without a paid subscription, which makes OptiMonk an excellent Optinmonster alternative.
Over 300 pre-made templates
OptiMonk’s template library is full of tried and true popup templates that deliver great results. There are 300+ options—meaning that you’ll have many to choose from no matter what use case you need a popup for.
The template library even contains popups that have been designed for seasonal events like the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Black Friday/Cyber Monday.
Powerful drag and drop editor
Once you’ve chosen a template for your popup, you can easily customize it to fit the look and feel of your site. Some of the customization options include:
- Size, layout, and position
- Color
- Images
- Opt-in form fields and copy
The process is simple and doesn’t require any coding knowledge. That said, if you’re proficient in CSS, OptiMonk’s software allows you to edit the code to your heart’s desire.
Lots of campaign types
With OptiMonk, you don’t have to worry that the popup type you need could be hidden behind a paywall.
Every campaign type that OptiMonk offers is available on the free version of the software. This includes:
- Gamification campaigns
- Sticky bars
- Feedback forms
- Email signups
- SMS signups
Notably, OptiMonk also includes their exit-intent technology in the free version, which allows you to save conversions by using reliable cart abandonment popups.
Advanced targeting features
You can tailor your messages toward different segments of visitors by using OptiMonk’s many targeting features.
For example, you can display particular popups to users who have added specific items to their cart (using the cart rules feature) or you can show different popups to first-time and returning visitors.
You can also target customers based on:
- Location
- The pages they’ve viewed
- Traffic source
- The time spent on pages
- The time spent on-site
With these advanced targeting features, you’ll only show relevant popups to your visitors—improving their customer experience… rather than annoying them.
A wealth of integration options
OptiMonk integrates with all the most popular tools that help business owners run their online stores. Here are just a few of the many integrations available through OptiMonk (and you can see the full list here).
Importantly, OptiMonk offers deep Google Analytics integration, which helps you evaluate how your campaigns are performing.
Who is this tool for?
Just about any ecommerce store can make great use of OptiMonk to grow their list and boost their sales and conversion rates. That’s because the software combines ease-of-use with flexibility and tailor-fit solutions.
So if you’re running a store all by yourself, you’ll be able to create your popups quickly and efficiently. And if you’re part of a big team (which includes web designers, copywriters, and designers), everyone can use their skills to the fullest extent, thanks to the deeply-rooted customizability of OptiMonk popups.
Based on all the features OptiMonk offers, and considering the price, it is probably the best OptinMonster alternative there is.
Pricing
Free, or from $29/month.
2. Privy
Privy is a lead generation tool that also offers ecommerce stores the opportunity to run their email marketing campaigns through the same application. This means that you can create a popup opt-in form and send welcome emails using the same tool.
While this is convenient, it does come with some drawbacks. The dual functionality of Privy means that their popup editor and targeting/triggering options aren’t as well-developed as “a dedicated popup maker.”
Privy’s unique features
Privy has a couple of features that differentiate them from OptinMonster.
Multiple opt-in form types
Since Privy provides email marketing services in addition to popup software, their opt-in form templates come in many shapes and sizes. You can choose between forms that contain different numbers of fields as well as the type of information you’d like to collect.
Whichever decisions you make, there will be an opt-in form that fits your needs.
Cart abandonment emails
By using Privy, you’re able to send cart abandonment emails to customers that don’t complete the checkout process.
Who is this tool for?
Users who want to use an all-in-one marketing tool should consider using Privy. You won’t have to deal with both a popup maker and email marketing services at the same time. Instead, you can take care of everything within one platform.
Pricing
Free for up to 100 contacts, then from $15/month.
3. Sleeknote
Sleeknote is a big name in popup software and has modern capabilities.
However, it’s not a great OptinMonster alternative for those looking to save money. In fact, it’s even more expensive than OptinMonster. That means Sleeknote is an option for ecommerce stores with a large budget for their lead generation tools.
Sleeknote’s unique features
As a dedicated popup maker, Sleeknote has a functional drag and drop editor with all the key features you’d need to create high-performing popups.
Here are a few of their more advanced features:
Multi-step campaigns
Sleeknote links together the different types of popups they offer into “multi-step” campaigns. This aids stores in showing the right popups to users at different stages of their customer journeys.
These intelligent targeting rules take a lot of the guesswork out of creating popup campaigns.
A/B testing
This software comes equipped with split testing capabilities that help you to optimize your popup conversion rates. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell what popups will connect with your website visitors, so it’s good to try out as many different options as possible.
Integrations
Happily, Sleeknote integrates with CMS, analytics, and marketing tools like HubSpot, Mailchimp, Google Analytics, and many others.
Who is this tool for?
Sleeknote is one of the best OptinMonster alternatives for large ecommerce operations with a lot of money and expertise to devote to their lead generation tool.
Pricing
From $70/month.
4. Sumo
Sumo is a lead generation plugin that’s all about simplicity. The cornerstone of their approach is a quick setup process that allows you to get your opt-in forms up and running within minutes.
Sumo’s unique features
One of Sumo’s catchphrases is “set it and forget it,” which encourages users to set up their popups quickly and then let them run. It’s great if you don’t have much time to invest in running your popup campaigns.
Intuitive drag and drop builder
You can create an opt-in form easily with Sumo. You can start with one of their opt-in form templates and be ready to launch it after minimal editing.
The downside to this ease-of-use is that you can’t create as many form types as you can with other OptinMonster alternatives on this list.
Integrates with other Sumo products
This lead generation tool also has several other products that integrate seamlessly with their popup maker. You can check out their other products below:
Who is this tool for?
Sumo is perfect for store owners who don’t have a lot of time to spend on creating, A/B testing, and updating their popups. If all you want is a simple email opt-in popup, then this is the OptinMonster alternative for you.
Pricing
Free, or $49/month.
5. Elementor
Elementor’s popup maker is part of their general web design application, which allows you to create landing pages, blogs, and ecommerce stores.
Elementor is a WordPress plugin that replaces many other dedicated WordPress plugins.
Elementor’s unique features
Here are a few of Elementor’s unique features that revolve around their powerful drag and drop editor.
Mobile-friendly editing
You can easily adapt any popups you’re designing for different types of devices. With the click of a button, you can go from editing a popup for desktop to modifying it for mobile viewing. It’s a pretty handy tool, given the importance of mobile in today’s ecommerce landscape.
SEO optimization
The code running behind the scenes of Elementor is quite efficient—meaning that your low page-load times will help you reach the top of Google’s search rankings.
Who is this tool for?
We’d recommend Elementor as an option for people just getting their ecommerce stores up and running. That way, you can take advantage of all of the available features you might need.
Pricing
From $49 a year.
6. Getsitecontrol
Getsitecontrol is capable of generating great lead-building popup forms. Even better, you can get access to many of Getsitecontrol’s basic features with their free plan.
If you decide to use them for your popups and opt-in forms, you can also take advantage of their powerful “Getform” survey system.
Getsitecontrol’s unique features
Beyond the additional benefits that the survey tool offers, Getsitecontrol enables you to create some great-looking popups.
Sticky bar opt-in forms
Getsitecontrol offers a unique opt-in form that you can use, called large notification bars. These give website visitors a chance to subscribe to your email list without interrupting their shopping experience.
Advanced targeting on Shopify
This OptinMonster alternative provides some key targeting features that Shopify users can take advantage of. You can easily set up custom popups to appear on the cart page, thank you page, and product pages.
Who is this tool for?
Getsitecontrol is a good, generalized popup creator for people who use Shopify. Unfortunately, it’s not quite as powerful if you run your store on a WordPress site.
Pricing
From 8 Euros a month.
7. Popup Maker
Popup Maker is one of the best lead generation tools for those who like to design their own popups. The software’s user-friendly drag and drop functionality allows you to create any popup you can imagine.
Popup Maker’s unique features
Here are a few of the key features that help you create unique opt-in forms and popups using Popup Makers.
Visual theme builder
The visual theme builder in Popup Maker allows ecommerce brands to develop elegant themes that can be used again and again. Once you’ve used their customization options to create a popup that matches your website, it can be applied to all of your future popups. That means you won’t have to search for your brand’s color palette every time you create a popup.
Popup animations
One way to spice up your popups is by adding animations to them. Not only will they look great, but they will also draw more attention to your opt-in forms and increase your conversion rates.
There are several animations to choose from—meaning you can decide whether you want your popups to bounce into the middle of the screen or slide toward one of the corners.
Who is this tool for?
Popup Maker has lots of elements to choose from in their drag and drop form builder like popup scheduling, A/B testing, and exit-intent technology. But they’re only accessible through a paid membership. This means Popup Maker is ideal for ecommerce businesses with a bigger budget.
Pricing
Starts from $87 a year.
8. Thrive Leads
Thrive Leads is part of the “Thrive Suite,” which has software that solves several ecommerce needs like creating landing pages, A/B testing, and automating sales and messaging.
Their Leads software is geared toward building opt-in forms for ecommerce sites and has all of the key features you’d expect from an OptinMonster alternative.
Thrive Leads’ unique features
As a dedicated WordPress plugin, Thrive Leads helps users cut through the complexity of the CMS platform with its drag and drop form builder and elegant themes.
A/B testing engine
The advanced split testing capabilities of the Thrive Leads plugin come from the developer’s experience of creating “Thrive Optimize,” which is a standalone A/B testing WordPress plugin.
You’ll be able to run an A/B test easily, and you’ll get detailed data on your crucial results and insights.
Inline forms
Unlike some of the opt-in form tools on this list, Thrive Leads gives you the option to create embedded inline opt-in forms (that are part of your page,) as well as popup forms. This type of email signup form is excellent for certain use cases like blog posts and landing pages.
Who is this tool for?
Thrive Leads is a WordPress plugin, so it’s a no-go if your store is on Shopify. But it’s among the best OptinMonster alternatives for midsize and large businesses that use WordPress. Small businesses might opt to look elsewhere because there is no free plan available.
Pricing
You can’t purchase Thrive Leads as a standalone product, though. The Thrive Suite basic plan starts at $30 a month.
9. Ninja Popups
Ninja Popups works in concert with another product from the same developer: Ninja Forms, to create targeted and high-converting opt-in forms. Using these two tools gives you access to Ninja Popup’s drag and drop popup builder and intelligent targeting rules while also allowing you to create your own forms from scratch.
Ninja Popups’ unique features
This OptinMonster alternative has a few notable features worth taking a look at.
Conditional logic
The conditional logic function allows you to build forms that change as users fill in their details.
For example, if a user clicks on a box indicating that they don’t wish to subscribe to an SMS list, that field will vanish from the form. It’s a useful feature that you can get creative with.
However, this function isn’t part of their core plugin (see the note in Pricing).
Accept payments in forms
Another uncommon feature is the ability to accept payments in popup forms. You might not want to use this feature if you’re just trying to grow your list. However, it’s a great feature for special use cases, like if you sell subscriptions for your magazine or podcast.
Who is this tool for?
The many add-on options that are available for Popup Ninja, make it useful for solving specific problems.
Say you just want to use exit intent technology but don’t need many other features—you can choose to purchase only the exit-intent add-on. That means you won’t have to pay for a bunch of features that you don’t need.
Pricing
From $99 a year (Note: some functions must be purchased separately as add-ons).
10. WP Subscribe Pro
The final entry on our list of OptinMonster alternatives is a bare-bones, open-source solution for creating inline opt-in forms. Unfortunately, you can’t create popups using this tool though.
WP Subscribe Pro could use some modern updates to provide more features for users, but it’ll get the job done if all you need is a simple email and SMS opt-in form that doesn’t appear in popups.
WP Subscribe Pro’s unique features
Since WP Subscribe Pro is just a simple bit of code that you can run through your WordPress dashboard, it doesn’t offer a ton of unique features.
However, being jam-packed with features isn’t the point of WP Subscribe Pro. It’s really meant to provide simple opt-in forms to those who need them but don’t want to pay for expensive SaaS products.
Integrations
Even though WP Subscribe Pro is open-source software, it still can integrate with popular email marketing services like MailChimp, Aweber, and FeedBurner.
Who is this tool for?
WP Subscribe Pro is a great OptinMonster alternative for a small group of people that are tech-savvy and aren’t looking to spend much on their opt-in forms. You also have to solve any problems you run into by yourself because WP Subscribe Pro doesn’t offer customer service.
Pricing
Free.
So what's the best OptinMonster alternative?
Out of all options we presented, OptiMonk seems to be the best OptinMonster alternative.
While other lead generation tools like Ninja Popups and Thrive Leads can generate beautiful and effective opt-in forms, there’s a cost in terms of both dollars and complexity. OptiMonk is free and packed with advanced features that are incredibly easy-to-use. It’s great for both beginners and experienced popup users who have a full range of needs.
So why not pick out one of OptiMonk’s freemium opt-in forms and give their drag and drop builder a try?
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