Comparison: The best email opt-in plugins for building your newsletter
We present you the best email opt-in plugins! You know for sure that email list is the essential pillar for your business? If not, take note and get started. If you are not yet engaged in email list building, you are making a big mistake, which will set your business back more than a few steps. And that’s for the simple reason that email is still considered the most effective marketing tool for 80 to 90 percent of traffic. That’s why our topic today is email marketing and the right newsletter popup plugins for it.
The TOP WordPress Newsletter Plugins in direct comparison
ConvertPlug | Thrive Leads | OptinMonster | SumoMe | Bloom | Ninja Popups | Mailchimp 4 WP | Hello Bar |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Preise | 21 $ / 1 einmalig | 67 $ / 1 97 $ / ∞ einmalig | 9 $ / 1 19 $ / 3 29 $ / ∞ pro Monat | Kostenlos 20 $ / 1 119 $ / 1 pro Monat | 89 USD / ∞ pro Jahr | 25 USD / 1 einmalig | Kostenlos 49 $ / 1 99 $ / 5 pro Jahr | Kostenlos 12 $ / 1 83 $ / 1 pro Monat |
A/B Tests | Ja | Ja | Ja | Ja | Ja | Ja | Nein | Ja |
Rating | ||||||||
Links | Seite | Seite / Bericht | Seite / Bericht | Seite | Seite / Bericht | Seite | Seite / Bericht | Seite |
ConvertPlug vs Thrive Leads vs OptinMonster vs SumoMe vs Bloom vs Ninja Popups vs Hello Bar
Why email list building at all?
As Neil Patel, co-founder of KISSmetrics, said, email consistently outperforms most of the many channels he has tested as a marketer. A robust email list not only brings a high conversion rate, you also open up the opportunity to serve the growing list with different products and services, make decent money and take your business to the next level.
So how does email list building work that everyone says is so important?
Did you know that an email list makes for closer user engagement and decidedly higher traffic than compared to any other platform? Wondering why that is? When a visitor to your website signs up for the email list via double opt-in, he or she has a genuine interest in your offers and will open, read and even click on the links in your email. So it’s no wonder that experienced marketers emphasize email list building so much.
You must always stick to the double opt-in process
, though. So wait for the confirmation email before sending the newsletter.In case you still have doubts, here are some benefits of email:
- They are personal: they can be precisely targeted to the recipient, and are direct and casual when they land straightforwardly in users’ inboxes.
- They’re focused: A person has invested effort and time to sign up for your email list, share his or her email address, and signals interest in your offerings. No wonder, he or she will be more receptive and receptive to your message (if it meets their need or target), that’s why it gets you results.
- You can tailor appropriately to a specific audience: If you already know that your email list subscribers have given their consent for more information about your brand and offers, and have also provided data on what they like and prefer, you can send them appropriate offers and content – which leads to better conversion and ends in real results.
- An email is personal: Unlike publicly shared messages, emails give you a chance for one-to-one interaction between your business and your potential or existing audience. More importantly, emails get read and give people the opportunity to reach out to you, even ask questions or articulate their concerns, something they wouldn’t do on a public platform like this. In this way, emails help users build a trusting, direct relationship with you and, gradually, trust in your brand and spread that message further.
Maybe now you’re ready to get serious about email list building and get started.
Which email optin plugin is best for WordPress sites?
You can build your email list by building opt-in forms in key locations on your site and encouraging visitors to provide their email addresses. By collecting emails this way, you can have a robust email list to use in your marketing strategies in no time. Even though people approach differently when deciding on the best opt-in tool for WordPress sites, here are some of the tools that take the top spots:
- ConvertPlug
- Thrive Leads
- Bloom
- Ninja Popups
- OptinMonster
- SumoMe
- Mailchimp for WP
- Hello Bar
So how do you choose the best one? Here are some tips on how to make your own decision:
Price comparison with the full range of functions
At $29 per month, OM gives you access to everything, and for an unlimited number of pages. By comparison, SumoMe gives you all the features for $119 per year – but only for one page at a time. A more budget-friendly option opens Thrive Leads, where you can use a selection of quite useful features for unlimited pages for a one-time 97 USD. Also very interesting is the offer from Elegant Themes, with the Bloom plugin. You pay 98 USD annually and can use all plugins and themes on as many sites as you want. With Hello Bar you get for 83 USD the full functionality and without traffic limitation. MC4WP costs 99 USD per year and can be used on five pages.
Very inexpensive is Ninja Popups with one-time 25 USD, but only for one page.
However, the winning crown goes to ConvertPlug, where you can get all these features on a single page for the small and one-time payment of 21 USD.
You can get a better overview in the Email-Optin comparison table
above.All opt-in plugins in feature comparison
Before we compare these opt-in tools
further, let’s take a look at what exactly these opt-ins do.What are opt-ins?
Opt-ins are entry forms that help you with email list building by encouraging visitors to register on your site or respond to your CTA (call-to-action) and perform the desired action. To get the email address through the opt-in forms, you can use “bribes” such as free downloads, a newsletter subscription, giveaways, coupons, special offers, or the like.
Why is the ad position so important?
You’ve chosen to use an optin form. Now you should choose the display position prudently, after all, this is the decisive factor for the user to actually perform the desired action. If there is a discrepancy between the form and the ad placement, your conversion rate will suffer.
Now let’s take a look at the ad options that the above mentioned opt-in plugins have on them.
OptinMonster, Thrive Leads, SumoMe and ConvertPlug offer the following variants and positions for email opt-in forms:
- Lightbox Popup
- Slide-ins
- Floating bar/Hello bar
- 2-Step Opt-in
- Videos Opt-in
- Mobile Opt-in
- Welcome mat/Full-screen form
- Custom HTML/Canvas Opt-in forms
OptinMonster, MC4WP and Hello Bar lack a blocked content opt-in form, while SumoMe, ConvertPlug, Thrive Leads, ElegantThemes Bloom and Ninja Popup have it. You can use sidebars with OptinMonster and Thrive Leads, but they are not offered with the other opt-in plugins.
With the exception of SumoMe, Ninja Popups and HelloBar, all the tools offer Widgets Areas and After Post or Inline forms.
A social media variant is only available with SumoMe and ConvertPlug and OptinMonster. Comparing the extensions listed here, ConvertPlug is the only plugin that triggers an opt-in form with one click before the content is on the page.
Design type and customization
Why is design an issue?
An attractive, user-friendly, simple, and flexible design, when paired with well-planned content, makes it easy to get visitors to opt-in. Here are the main points you should think about when designing your opt-ins:
- You should give your opt-ins a clean, professional look, place them properly and align the elements with your website’s design.
- Having a small and unattractive button is just as unhelpful as having boring button text or the simple command “Sign up!”. Ideally, the button text should show a benefit and treat users in a friendlier way to bring more entries and better conversion.
- Combining a strong, crisp and effective headline with a targeted content that conveys an enticing benefit would help make the most of your opt-ins.
- Instead of placing numerous elements, such as social media buttons, metadata under the title, etc., that do nothing but distract visitors from the main point, create your opt-ins as single, coherent units without flashy visual distractions.
- Instead of dark and boring colors, you should choose a complementary color to the rest of the website as the main color of your popups.
Based on these points, let’s take a look at the extent to which opt-in tools open up options for design and customization:
While all plugins are adaptable for mobile devices and offer ready-to-use templates, they vary in terms of other features. MailChimp for WP comes without ready-made templates.
ConvertPlug, Thrive Leads, OptinMonster and Ninja Popups should be your favorites if you’re looking for a 100 percent editable design
and core live editor – you won’t get these features with SumoMe, Bloom and Hello Bar.To determine how these tools score as easy-to-use form builders on a scale of 0 to 10, ConvertPlug and Thrive Leads clearly win with a score of 9.8 each, relegating the rest to the bottom by a significant margin – OptinMonster at 9.5 and SumoMe at 9.2.
Except for SumoMe and Hello Bar, all of them offer real-time live preview
; while OptinMonster lacks the feature to include multiple fields in the on-demand customization of the opt-in form.If you need animated effects, OptinMonster lets you choose from 26 options offered, Thrive Leads from 22, ConvertPlug from 56, and Bloom from 10 options – SumoMe and MC4WP do not offer this feature.
Trigger functions in comparison
Customer behavior is better understood with triggers, which in turn help users do what you want. For example, a popup at the right time can keep a visitor from leaving your site and turn her or him into a returning visitor or customer.
Understand user behavior
You can explore visitor behavior on your website in three different ways, namely user experience testing, analytics, and customer support. Triggers can help you test the user experience and realize more conversion because you can better assess user behavior.
MailChimp for WP generally does not offer popups, only forms. Therefore, almost all triggers fall away with the plugin.
Most opt-in plugins have the following trigger options that you can use:
- On Exit – Exit Intent Popup
- After Time – Time Delay Popup
- After Post – After Post Trigger
- On Load – Show on Page Load
- When scrolling – Scroll Popup
Bloom unfortunately lacks the exit intent trigger, which unfortunately sets this plugin back a lot.
The integration of the form via shortcodes can, except for the Hello Bar, all providers.
I still find the option to Subscribe after a comment or after a purchase very interesting. These triggers work very well, because the visitor has already confirmed the interest with the previous action.
Form display control
Who do you want to show the modules to?
To make the most of opt-ins, you should understand users’ motivations. Ideally, you should use a form that fits the “Users Journey” and the current location. If you implement this, your email list will see a huge boost.
Almost all plugins offer the following form display controls:
- Page level targeting
- Cookie control
Especially ConvertPlug and OptinMonster stand out again with full functionality.
With the competitors, the display control is very mixed. But I must also say, features like referrer detection are very rarely needed and even more rarely used.
AB Split Test and Conversion Analyses
A/B testing allows you to try out variations of your opt-ins so that you can determine the best one, the one that will bring you the highest conversion compared to the others. Split testing is part of e-mail marketing.
OptinMonster, Thrive Leads, ConvertPlug, Bloom, Ninja Popups and SumoMe have all the features you could want.
The following testing and analysis features are:
- A/B testing
- Trigger testing
- Conversion analysis
Especially if you serve a small niche, testing and optimization are very important. Not every page can generate tons of visitors. This allows you to monetize even smaller amounts of traffic optimally and utilize them in the long term.
Newsletter Integration
When choosing the right email newsletter plugin, the mailing service is often the deciding factor. Especially if a certain provider has been used for years and nothing is to be changed. There are also considerable differences in prices. In some cases, the services can also be used free of charge. Of course, limited, but especially for young sites and very few subscribers, this is usually enough.
With the many tested plugins, some newsletter services have come together. 60 pieces to be exact. The list has become very long, but so you will surely find the optimal optin plugin for you.
When it comes to third-party service or software integration, all tools except HelloBar offer email linking with:
- Active Campaign
- AWeber
- Constant Contact
- GetResponse
- MailChimp
- InfusionSoft
- Mad Mimi
Ninja Popup offers the most integrations. MailChimp for WP, as the name suggests, only offers integration with this provider.
For one or the other, perhaps the linking of Feedburner or Feedblitz is still interesting. Both you can use with OptinMonster.
A short comparison of all popup tools
If you have discovered a suitable plugin for you, more information can’t hurt. That’s why we’ve taken a closer look at each plugin and service and summarized the most important points.
So that you can jump straight to your favorite, we have listed and linked all participants again.
ConvertPlug
The ConvertPlug plugin from BrainstormForce is one of the most sophisticated of all participants. In terms of features and functions, it scores particularly well and outranks every competitor.
Features:
- User-friendly
- easy integration of new addresses
- CK Editor
- ready to use templates
- Trigger test
- more than 700 font options
- A/B test
- Campaign comparison
- Real-time editor
- independent plugin with email collector
- integrated analysis tools
- well-timed trigger
- all templates suitable for mobile devices
- Control repetition with cookies
Pricing:
You can use ConvertPlug with the normal license for an incredible price of 21 USD. This includes QC from Envato, unlimited updates and six months of support. Support can be extended to 12 months for only an extra 6.30 USD, saving you 8 USD.
What’s so unique about it?
Starting with the built-in email collector, more than 700 font options and the ability to fully customize the design, the implementation of exit intent technology, well-timed triggers, inactivity triggers, 2-step opt-in variant, independent email integration and the designability of inline, after and before messages – this WordPress plugin is a feature-packed tool that will set you apart from the competition and drive your conversion to the top.
With a knowledgeable support team that provides you with experts to guide and assist you every step of the way, you won’t have any problems with ConvertPlug. With a simple and quick ticket system, complemented by a discussion forum, proper documentation and “how-to” videos, the decision makers make sure that users have a pleasant experience with this plugin. No wonder, this WordPress lead generation tool is fun to use and the most affordable among the competitors on the market.
Thrive Leads
thrivethemes.com builds great themes and even better WordPress plugins. Thrive Leads
is certainly one of the best programs for collecting email subscribers.The scope of services and the quality of the software has convinced bloggerpilot.com
throughout. Price-wise, it is in the middle segment.Features:
- A/B testing
- Available insights and reports
- User-friendly
- Multiple testing options
- User-friendly for mobile devices
- Drag-and-drop editor
Pricing:
With a single page license for 67 USD you can install and activate the plugin on a single website. With this you get the following benefits:
- all functions included
- unlimited and free updates
- Support for one year
With an Unlimited Page License for $97 USD, you can install and activate the plugin on all your own websites – separate from the coveted features that would be selectable in the single-page licenses.
With an agency license for 588 USD annually, you can install and activate the plugin on your own and your client’s websites. You will then have the following advantages:
- all functions are included
- unlimited and free updates
- unlimited support
What’s so unique about it?
Thrive Leads, seen as an alternative to OptinMonster, is equipped with a drag-and-drop editor in tandem with display rules that can be flexibly aligned. This tool is moreover responsive, allowing for adaptation to mobile devices, and helps land the popups quickly.
OptinMonster
OM is aimed directly at the marketer, with a great package. You don’t have to worry about your server or the plugin. Everything is run by the provider. And very successfully. Hundreds of thousands of websites rely on this service.
Features:
- well-timed triggers
- Drag-and-drop editor
- A/B testing
- special popup for mobile devices
Pricing:
- 9 USD per month: perfect for those who want to start and are looking for a solution
- 19 USD per month: perfect for growing business and reaching higher goals
- 29 USD per month: just right for those who want to achieve huge results at high speed, for expanding businesses that have the goal to achieve more
Where do they differ?
Targeting is further refined with special opt-in forms for mobile devices. You can even track conversion if you use Optincanvas technology. OptinMonster works on any platform that can be connected at will. So even without WordPress. The interaction of OptinMonster and Google Tag Manager is already a feature that many users find very helpful.
SumoMe
The second major SaaS-based provider is SumoMe. Unlike other tools, many of SumoMe’s offerings can be used for free. However, very limited, which makes many users then upgrade. The service is particularly interesting if you do not only rely on a CMS and thus want to be independent.
Features:
- adaptable and smart display mode
- flexible design
- possible to unlock all 15+ templates for list builder design
- Option to hide the blue icon
- Support for conversion pixel and tracking
- possible activation of the Scroll Box Pro (all five Scroll Box design templates)
- Possibility to download all shared data
- VIP e-mail support (Sumo Pro)
- Priority email support included.
Pricing:
Beginners can choose the Free variant to use all apps, while those seriously interested in the business can use the Starter variant at $20 per month. Here, VIP support is available and SumoMe branding is waived over and above everything else offered in the Free variant.
For some outstanding results, the Pro variant is the best bet at $119 per month. This will get you beyond the Starter variant:
- A/B Test
- Pro views
- advanced display rules
- the full range of Pro templates
- Company integrations
A free version can be used for 14 days to test the Pro variant before you have to pay for it.
What is so unique about it?
To get the basic benefits, the free version of SumoMe is enough. Since this tool is user-friendly and easy to integrate into a WordPress site, it may be considered an effective lead generation tool. For quick and clear results, the Pro variant is the best.
Bloom
The plugin Bloom from ElegantThemes
is only available as a membership. But it’s worth it, because it gives you access to 5 more extensions and 87 great themes.Features:
- Popups, flyins, forms
- Content blocking
- Six triggers
- 16 supported mailers
- More than a hundred designs
- Fully customizable
- Split test
- Detailed statistics
I already presented the Bloom E-Mail Optin Plugin
in detail.Pricing:
The plugins are available but the developer membership for 89 USD annually. The plugin is still usable after one year, but then you will not receive any updates. You can use the plugin on as many sites as you like.
Bloom’s strengths
The membership at ET is already very interesting. For a reasonable annual fee you have access to 89 themes and six plugins. That is already a great offer.
Also, Bloom offers pretty much all the options. With one exception. The Exit-Intent trigger is not supported.
Ninja Popups
Ninja Popups for WordPress is one of the very old hands in the business. Already since the end of 2012 the program is available and since then it gets regular updates and improvements.
Features:
- Most sold popup plugin on codecanyon.net
- Visual drag & drop editor
- 50 popup themes
- 74 animations and effects
- Compatible with WPML and WooCommerce
- Social and opt-in locker
- Statistics
- Video Tutorials
- Extensions available
- A/B testing possible
- Fully Responsive
Pricing:
Pricing is simple. For a one-time 25 USD, the plugin can be used for a lifetime. Updates included. Support is only available for six months, however. An extension of the support costs 7.50 USD for one year.
The license is only valid for one site!
Where can Ninja Popups score?
A big advantage are the many included themes. No other extension offers this in this scope.
Matching to this is the drag&drop editor, with which you can fully use many templates.
Ninja-Popups delivers the full package. With 39 mailing services supported, there’s hardly a service that can’t be connected.
Social services like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Pinterest are also included in the scope of features.
The two options to block content and the many triggers round everything out.
MailChimp for WP
MailChimp for WP takes a special status. The plugin does not offer popups, only forms and the perfect connection to MC.
For this reason, mc4wp sometimes performs very poorly in the comparison tables. If you don’t need popups, or already implement them differently, the plugin is well worth a look.
Features:
- Perfect implementation for MailChimp
- Integration with: Contact Form 7, WooCommerce, Ninja Forms, Easy Digital Downloads, Events Manager and BuddyPress
- Checkbox for comment and registration form
- free version available
Pricing:
The basic version is available for free in the Plugin Directory. The premium version costs 49 USD per year for one site, 99 USD for five sites.
After one year you can continue to use the plugin for free, but you will no longer receive updates. The annual renewal is 40% cheaper.
The strengths of MailChimp for WP?
Yes the plugin definitely lives through the seamless MailChimp integration. If you can get by with the basic features, you can also still enjoy the free usage. But for popups you need an additional plugin.
Hello Bar
Hello Bar is the typical representative of the freemium model. The basic version is free, but it displays the manufacturer’s branding and also comes with limitations.
Even if the name would suggest otherwise, there are also popups, page takeovers and sliders.
Multiple pages can be created and managed per account.
Features:
- WordPress plugin, but can also be used on other systems
- Targeting on device, date, URL or referrer
- Very easy to use
Pricing:
The free plan supports a maximum of 10 bars or popups. The Hello-Bar logo is always displayed.
The Pro plan costs $12 per month, removes any branding and many limitations. However, only 250,000 insertions are included.
All limits drop with the Enterprise plan for $83 per month. However, the upgrade is only valid for one site at a time and not for all created ones.
There is another 15% discount for annual payment.
Special features?
Unlike many other tools, Hallo Bar can be used on all websites. The integration is done by JavaScript. There is a plugin for WordPress.
If you can live with the branding and the other restrictions, you will find the free version an easy-to-use tool for newsletter setup.
More interesting WordPress popup extensions
I would love to make a complete list of
all lead generation tools and test all of them. However, that is difficult to do.But at least I would like to list some more results of my research for you. One or the other representative will also experience a review soon.
- Optin Revolution https://de.wordpress.org/plugins/optin-revolution/
- Rapidology https://www.rapidology.com/
- OptiMonk https://www.optimonk.com/
- optinskin https://optinskin.com/
- PopupAlly https://de.wordpress.org/plugins/popupally/ / https://ambitionally.com/popupally-pro/
- Picreel https://www.picreel.com/
- Leadpages https://www.leadpages.net/
- Leadoutcome https://leadoutcome.com/
- plugmatter https://plugmatter.com/
- Chimpy https://de.wordpress.org/plugins/chimpy-lite/
My conclusion
When you consider all the features offered, the results found, the ease of use, and the pricing, ConvertPlug makes some of the competition look old. As an email marketing service, I like to use MailChimp.
I hope our email opt-in plugins comparison could help you in your search for the perfect popup and form tools!