Are you looking for the best WordPress popup plugins to get more leads and boost conversions?
Popup plugins are a powerful tool that can drastically grow your subscribers and sales.
But with so many options to choose from, finding the right one can feel overwhelming.
So we did the research for you.
In this article, we’ll reveal the best WordPress popup plugins for website owners ready to elevate their business to new heights.
In This Article
What to Consider in Popup Plugins for WordPress
Not all popup plugins are created equal. At their worst, they can slow down your website, disrupt the user experience, and even drive away your customers.
And at their best, they launch your email lists, conversions, and growth of your business.
That's why it's critical to choose the right one.
When comparing the best WordPress popup plugins, we looked at the following criteria:
- Intuitive Interface: These plugins are easy to use from the get-go. They don't have a learning curve to get your site up and running with its lead generation efforts. There's also no coding required.
- User-Friendly Designs: This goes for both the website owner and your visitors. For website owners, popup templates are easy to customize. For visitors, the popup designs enhance, rather than disrupt, the user journey.
- Lightweight Performance: The best popup plugins for WordPress won't drag down your website's loading times. Our selection is optimized for speed.
- Customization Features: The most effective popups use custom elements like trigger options, time delays, engaging calls to action (CTAs), and unique design options.
- Advanced Targeting Options: Plugins that let you precisely target specific user segments are drastically more impactful than generic catch-alls. These tools allow you to target your efforts based on behavior, location, referral source, and more.
Best WordPress Popup Plugins: Our Expert Picks
1. OptinMonster
OptinMonster is the most comprehensive and powerful conversion optimization plugin on the market. It offers a robust tool kit to empower website owners and marketers to engage their audience and boost conversions. With its innovative features and user-friendly interface, OptinMonster has earned its reputation as the best WordPress popup plugin for those seeking to maximize their website’s potential.
We love it for its ease of use and visually stunning offers. Whether you’re customizing one of their many templates, A/B testing different types of popups, or gaining valuable insights from reporting, each step is uncomplicated and easy to understand.
They also offer unlimited popups.
OptinMonster has many proprietary features that make campaigns more effective than the competition.
Here are some of our favorite tools exclusive to OptinMonster:
- Exit-Intent® technology captures the attention of users who are about to leave your website. These triggers reduce cart abandonment and convert visits into revenue.
- InactivitySensor™ compels inactive users back to your site and encourages them to take the next step. This feature has proven to help retailers close sales and publishers grow subscribers.
- MonsterLinks™ 2-step opt-ins turn any clicked link or image into a popup encouraging users to subscribe or buy. We love how this technology turns your existing assets (images and links) into effective lead generation.
Ideal for: Any website owner serious about growing their business.
Standout feature: The drag-and-drop builder makes it easier than ever to create eye-catching popups and fullscreen overlays. With a generous portfolio of attractive templates, you can intuitively customize your campaigns to reflect your brand. OptinMonster has over 400 templates built-in, the most of any popup maker in the world!
Cost: As low as $9/month (billed annually)
OptinMonster offers 4 plans to meet the needs of every budget. Their most popular plan is a Pro account for $29/month. To unlock all the OptinMonster tools, a Growth account is $49/month.
Every plan also comes with a 14-day no-risk guarantee.
Features and Benefits:
- Precise Targeting: Use behavior, demographics, and referral source targeting to engage specific audience segments.
- Scroll Trigger: Engage your customers at just the right moment with triggered popups at strategic points on your page.
- Popup Templates: A library of 400 templates and their drag-and-drop popup builder allows you to be the designer of attractive popups that convert.
- Campaigns: Choose from various campaign types, including floating bars, coupon wheel opt-ins, countdown timers, lightbox popups, and content lockers to grow your email list.
- Customizable Opt-In Forms: A library of 400 templates and an intuitive interface allows you to be the designer of attractive campaigns.
- Google Analytics Integration: Connect your OptinMonster account with Google Analytics for detailed popup tracking.
- Intuitive Interface: Whether you’re a beginner to WordPress or a seasoned pro, this popup plugin is one of the easiest to navigate and customize.
- Support: OptinMonster’s friendly and knowledgeable support staff is available to answer any questions to help you get the most out of their plugin.
Drawbacks:
- Pageview Limits on Free Version: The free version comes with 500 pageview credits. Once you surpass this limit, you'll need to upgrade to a paid plan.
2. Thrive Leads
Thrive Leads is a runner-up for its user-friendliness and aesthetically appealing interface. It gives you total control over every design and text element with attractive templates that are easy to customize.
Like OptinMonster, Thrive Leads also uses a drag-and-drop popup maker, so you can build email list forms and mobile-friendly popups, all without ever having to touch a piece of code. The process is as simple and straightforward as it gets.
As for reporting, Thrive Leads makes it easy to interpret detailed statistics. You’ll understand exactly how your campaign is performing and reveal actionable insights to make improvements.
Ideal for: e-Commerce businesses, personal brands, and online course creators
Standout feature: We love the mobile-specific templates that create a fast and positive user experience with popups that look great on all devices.
Cost: $99/year
Features and Benefits:
- Extensive Opt-In Forms: Customize floating ribbons, in-line forms, 2-step opt-ins, screen overlays, fly-ins, content upgrades, scroll mats, and more for maximum conversions.
- Advanced A/B Testing: Discover what’s working and what’s not. You can then pivot your energy to campaigns that generate the most revenue and grow campaigns that show promise.
- SmartExit: Exit-intent popups can help you convert leads into customers and subscribers before they leave your site.
- Page-Level Targeting: Turn visitors into leads with page-level targeting that allows you to select specific pages and posts for optimal efficacy.
Drawbacks:
- No Free Version: Thrive Leads doesn’t have a free option but offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
3. Elementor Pro
Elementor Pro is a WordPress landing page builder that offers engaging, designer-made popup templates. You can leverage its drag-and-drop editor to bring your popup visions to life without coding constraints. It is incredibly beginner-friendly but also includes advanced settings for those wanting to take their lead-generation efforts to the next level.
Their popup builder plugin includes a variety of targeting capabilities, from page-based to behavior-driven targeting, like clicks, scrolling, and form submission.
We also love how easily you can integrate your popups into other email service providers and CRMs, like MailChimp, Hubspot, Drip, ActiveCampaign, and more.
Ideal for: Designers and premium retailers
Standout feature: With over 100 designer-made templates to choose from, Elementor Pro takes a quality-over-quantity approach to its popup builder. Each design is visually stunning and customizable to capture your brand.
Cost: $59/year
While Elementor does offer a free page builder plugin, you will need a Pro account to unlock the popup builder.
Features and Benefits:
- Creative Visuals: Leverage the power of design without the need for coding, resulting in captivating popups that match your brand.
- Seamless Integration: Effortlessly integrate popups into your other marketing channels, maintaining a consistent user experience.
- Responsive Design: Ensure your popups look flawless on any device, maintaining engagement across different screen sizes.
- Email Integration: Connect your popups with most email marketing services for seamless branding.
Drawbacks:
- No A/B Testing: Elementor Pro offers no A/B testing capabilities.
- No Analytics: This plugin does not offer popup analytics.
4. TrustPulse
TrustPulse is an innovative solution that uses social proof to cultivate trust and boost conversions. It operates on the principle that people are likelier to engage with a website where others have found value. Social proof acts as a visual representation of this proof.
Using real-time notifications to display other user activity (purchase, email signups, and demo registrations), you demonstrate the popularity and credibility of your brand.
It’s no secret that our peers often influence our actions. TrustPulse taps into this psychology with social proof that plays on FOMO (fear of missing out). Showing other visitors’ actions as they occur creates a sense of urgency that encourages users to take the next step.
In addition to its conversion capabilities, the clean interface and beginner-friendly trigger options make this easily one of the best popup plugins for WordPress.
Ideal for: Marketing agencies, e-commerce websites, and small business owners
Standout feature: TrustPulse’s real-time event tracking is a powerful tool to showcase user actions as they occur. These popup notifications trigger a sense of urgency that drives engagement and conversions.
Cost: Starts at $5/month (billed annually)
TrustPulse offers 4 plans, each with a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Features and Benefits:
- Comprehensive Event Tracking: Track various events, including downloads, signups, and purchases to showcase authentic activity, driving other users to action.
- Effective Targeting: Reach your ideal audience with targeting that shows the right popup at the right time.
- Customizable Display: Tailor the appearance and placement of notifications to complement your website’s design, reinforcing your brand image.
- Data-Driven Insights: Gain valuable insights into user behavior and engagement patterns through detailed analytics.
- Integration Flexibility: Integrate TrustPulse with various website platforms like WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify, Squarespace, and more.
Drawbacks:
- No Free Version: TrustPulse doesn’t provide a free popup plugin option.
5. Bloom
The creator of the popular Divi WordPress theme, Elegant Themes, brings us our next popup plugin: Bloom.
This plugin is available to Elegant Theme customers looking to maximize their lead generation and email subscribers. If you’re already using one of their themes on your WordPress website, Bloom makes a smart choice that covers your essential popup needs.
It has over 100 customizable templates, 6 different display types, and triggers that can be set to specific user interactions.
For targeting, you can select from basic options. However, it won’t go as deep as other premium popup plugins mentioned earlier.
Ideal for: Divi users
Standout feature: The Elegant Theme bundle gives you access to Bloom, Divi, Extra, and Monarch. If you were planning on using any of these tools already, it is cost-effective to go the bundle route instead of buying another email opt-in plugin.
Cost: $89/month (with Elegant Theme membership)
Features and Benefits:
- Pre-Built Templates: Customize almost every aspect of your popup to create designs that seamlessly integrate into your website.
- Dashboard: Access reports to learn how your popup campaigns perform and identify growth opportunities.
- A/B Testing: Compare variations of your lead generation efforts and see which ones generate the most conversions.
- 24/7 Divi Support Center: Elegant Themes has a live chat support team available every day of the week, making it easy to get your questions answered immediately.
Drawbacks:
- Load Times: Bloom pulls code from your WordPress site, so it can slow down servers when server resources are limited.
- Basic Features: While it has many features you would expect from a popup plugin, there are fewer tools than some of the other plugins listed.
- No Visual Customizer: Selections don’t show automatically, so you have to click into a preview mode for each change.
6. Popup Maker
Popup Maker is a free popup plugin for WordPress. You can upgrade to unlock even more features, but their free tools are great for anyone starting out. It’s currently used on over 600,00 websites, making it a popular choice for free and paid account holders.
It comes with various list-building and revenue-generating tools, like auto-opening opt-ins, cross-sell slide-ins, and content upgrades. The reporting features also allow you to see which campaigns perform best.
Overall, if you want to explore the power of different popups but aren’t ready to commit to a membership, Popup Maker is an excellent option.
Ideal for: Beginners, aspiring entrepreneurs
Standout feature: The form builder integration makes it easy to incorporate your popups in popular contact form plugins like WPForms.
Cost: Free
To unlock more popup features, plans start at $87/year.
Features and Benefits:
- Free: Use Popup Maker at no cost.
- Various Campaigns: Set up different campaigns that drive sales and email subscribers.
- WooCommerce Integration: Target users based on their shopping activities and behavior with strategic popups that encourage customers to convert.
Drawbacks:
- No Analytics: In the free version, you cannot access analytics.
- No Exit Intent: Only the highest-paid plan offers exit intent popups.
Bonus: Sumo
Sumo is another free popup plugin for WordPress. It is straightforward to set up and includes a template with customization options. It also has features like social media sharing and website visitor targeting.
Ideal for: Website owners on a budget
Standout feature: Sumo declares a free forever plan. There is peace of mind in knowing you’ll never have to pay (unless you want to unlock more features).
Cost: Free
To remove Sumo branding and access more templates and tools, you’ll need to sign up for the $39/month Pro plan.
Features and Benefits:
- Free: Use Sumo at no cost.
- Analytics: See which forms performed best in the last 7 days.
- WooCommerce and Shopify Integration: Connect your store to start converting customers with popups.
Drawbacks:
- Branded Popups: If you’re using the free version, Sumo adds its branding to your popup. This may be a dealbreaker for some users. To remove them, you must buy a premium version.
- Limited Features: The popup tools are very limited for free users. You’ll most likely need to sign up for a paid plan to see a significant difference in your metrics due to popups.
Pricing and Feature Comparison of WordPress Popup Plugins
Popup Plugin | Starting Price | Features & Benefits | Drawbacks |
OptinMonster | $9+/month (billed annually) |
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Thrive Leads | $99/year |
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Elementor Pro | $59/year |
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TrustPulse | $5+/month (billed annually) |
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Bloom | $89/month |
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PopupMaker | Free or $87/year |
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Sumo | Free or $39/month |
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Q&A on Popup Plugins for WordPress
What is the best WordPress popup plugin?
OptinMonster is the best WordPress popup plugin on the market. It has extensive popup features with a user interface that makes it simple to navigate and customize. It also has 400 templates, the most of any popup builder.
What is the best free WordPress popup plugin?
Popup Maker offers a generous range of popup tools and features at no cost, making it the best free WordPress popup plugin. You can set up different campaigns and watch how they perform with the Popup Maker’s reporting feature.
How do I choose the best WordPress popup plugin for me?
To choose the best WordPress popup plugin, it’s important to keep your specific needs in mind. Some things to consider are your website’s goals, target audience, and design preferences. We recommend OptinMonster and Thrive Leads for their comprehensive offering of popup plugins that serve an array of needs.
How do I use popup plugins in WordPress?
To use popup plugins in WordPress, simply download and activate your chosen software. Here is a step-by-step tutorial on how to install WordPress plugins. Once it’s installed on your WordPress website, each plugin will operate slightly differently. However, rest assured that all the plugins in our lineup were chosen for their ease of use and functionality.
The Best WordPress Popup Plugin: Winner
If you’re looking for the best WordPress popup plugin to grow leads and conversion rates, OptinMonster is the standout winner. It offers advanced features like Exit-Intent® Technology, strategic A/B testing, and robust reporting that helps you create the most effective popups in just a few clicks.
We also recommend TrustPulse for those wanting social proof. And Popup Maker for a free solution.
Finally, an honorable mention that merits attention is Icegram. They offer a range of popup forms and subscription opt-in widgets. You can also use custom CSS and Javascript in the popup body.
Fuel Your Website’s Growth With WordPress Popup Plugins
We hope this post helped you find the best popup plugins for WordPress. If you’d like more ways to drive visitors to your WordPress website, you may want to check out other articles on our blog. We suggest these methods to grow organic traffic and how to use a WordPress FAQ block to boost SEO.
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