Joinchat vs OptinMonster (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Joinchat grades higher than OptinMonster: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Joinchat grades higher on value for money and the free plan. OptinMonster grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Joinchat
WhatsApp chat button and AI assistant for WordPress sites
OptinMonster
Pop-ups, floating bars and opt-in forms added to an existing site
Which one is for you
Pick Joinchat if
- Fits if you run WordPress and want customers to message you on WhatsApp
- Works for a site that is fine with just the free button
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your site is not on WordPress
- Pricey if you want the AI Assistant: 39 euros a month with 2,000 responses
- Watch out: Premium and Premium Plus cover updates and support for 1 year, then renew
- Watch out: all prices are in euros, with no dollar prices shown
Pick OptinMonster if
- Fits if you run a blog or shop and want more email sign-ups from it
- Works for agencies running sign-up campaigns across client sites, with sub-accounts from Pro
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want exit intent on a budget, as it starts on Pro at $870 a year
- Not for you if you want to try it first, as there's no free plan or trial, only a 14-day refund
- Pricey if you budgeted on the first year, as Basic goes from $108 to $210 at renewal
- Watch out: going over the impression limit moves the account up to the next plan automatically
- Tight if you want geolocation, retargeting or store integrations, as all need Growth at $1,470 a year
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAJoinchatFair | 1.8GPAOptinMonsterWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C96 euros a year for one site is about 8 euros a month, around the cheapest quarter, and the paid tier adds ChatFunnel and agents. The page lists no dollar prices. | DGraded on a site with 20,000 visitors, more than Plus's 10,000 impressions a month, so it's Pro: $870 a year at renewal, $72.50 a month, after a $444 first year. That's dearer than most popup tools here. Pro does bring exit intent, which the cheaper plans lack. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe free plugin adds the WhatsApp button, which covers the basic job. The AI Assistant has a 15-day trial. | FNothing free and no trial. There's a 14-day refund, but a money-back promise isn't a trial: you pay before you see it on your site. |
| Features | CThe button, ChatFunnel, support agents with country rules, lead capture and an AI assistant. It does a chat job, not the popup job, and lead capture and tracking start on Premium Plus. | BLightboxes, floating bars, slide-ins, full-screen overlays and coupon wheels, 700+ templates, targeting by page, time, scroll and device, A/B tests and revenue tracking. Exit intent and geolocation sit on the dearer plans. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You install a plugin and set up channels and funnels. | CNo rating on record. Templates and a drag-and-drop builder help, but you have to add its code to your site, or use the WordPress or Shopify route, and set up targeting rules before anything shows. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWordPress only, with WhatsApp, Google Ads, GA4, Tag Manager and webhooks named. | BWorks on any site you can add JavaScript to, with plugins and guides for WordPress and Shopify, and sends sign-ups to Mailchimp, Constant Contact, ActiveCampaign and ConvertKit. Zapier needs Pro. No desktop or phone app. |
| Best for | a WhatsApp chat button for WordPress | pop-ups that grow an email list |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Joinchat and OptinMonster. How we grade
Price against what you get
Joinchat starts at about $8.94 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. OptinMonster starts at $17.50 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7.
OptinMonster scores higher, and starts $8.56 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other popup and widget tools on the chart, 16 score higher than Joinchat for less, and none scores higher than OptinMonster for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Joinchat also covers whatsApp messaging and chatbots.
- OptinMonster also covers templates, no-code, forms and a/B testing.
At a glance
| Joinchat | OptinMonster | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | €96 per year for 1 site | $210 per year at renewal, after a first year for $108 (Basic) |
| Free plan | Free plugin from WordPress.org that adds a floating WhatsApp contact button to a site. | None |
| Free trial | 15-day trial on the AI Assistant subscription | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Joinchat | Retyp, LLC |
| Price read from | join.chat | optinmonster.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Joinchat
- It runs only inside WordPress.
- All prices on the pricing page are in euros, with no dollar prices shown.
- Premium and Premium Plus cover updates and support for 1 year, then renew.
- The AI Assistant is a separate monthly subscription with a cap of 2,000 responses a month.
OptinMonster
- It does not build or host pages: it runs on an existing site where you can add JavaScript, with plugins and guides for WordPress, Shopify and others.
- First-year prices are introductory; Basic renews at $210 a year, and monthly billing costs $21 a month.
- Exit Intent, countdown timers and Zapier need Pro; geolocation, retargeting and store integrations need Growth.
- Going over the impression limit moves the account up to the next plan automatically; there is no free plan or trial, only a 14-day refund.
Key features
Joinchat
- WhatsApp contact button
- A floating button on the site opens a WhatsApp conversation; the free plugin covers this.
- ChatFunnel
- Conversational forms that qualify and guide a lead before handing the chat to WhatsApp.
- Support agents and country rules
- Premium lets a site list several contact channels and agents, and show or hide the button by country.
- Lead capture and tracking
- Premium Plus saves leads in WordPress, sends webhooks, and sends Google Ads conversions and GA4 and GTM events.
- AI assistant
- An optional AI agent answers customer questions from a knowledge base; the site says it can handle up to 80% of inquiries.
OptinMonster
- Campaign types
- Lightbox pop-ups, floating bars, inline and sidebar forms, slide-in scroll boxes, full-screen overlays, yes/no forms and, on Growth, coupon wheels.
- Drag-and-drop builder and templates
- Design campaigns from more than 700 templates without code, with custom fonts, CSS and success messages, and an AI Popups option.
- Targeting and triggers
- Show a campaign by page, time on site, scroll depth, device or referrer; Exit Intent detection starts at Pro and geolocation at Growth.
- A/B testing and analytics
- From Plus, split-test campaigns and see full reports; Pro adds revenue attribution to tie campaigns to sales.
- Onsite retargeting and follow-ups
- Growth can show different campaigns to new and returning visitors and follow up after someone has already signed up.
- Email and store integrations
- Sends sign-ups to email services such as Mailchimp and Constant Contact; Growth adds Shopify, WooCommerce and Magento integrations.
Plans
Joinchat
Free$0
Floating WhatsApp button so visitors can message you from the site.
Premium€96
per year for 1 site
ChatFunnel, handoff to WhatsApp, contact channels, support agents, country rules and 72-hour ticket support.
Premium Plus, 1 site€180
per year for 1 site
Premium plus lead capture, saved leads, webhooks, Google Ads and GA4/GTM events, and 24-hour ticket support.
Premium Plus, 5 sites€240
per year for 5 sites
The Premium Plus feature set licensed for up to 5 sites.
Premium Plus, 20 sites€480
per year for 20 sites
The Premium Plus feature set licensed for up to 20 sites.
AI Assistant€39
per month, 2,000 responses a month
Monthly add-on with a knowledge base, reports, AI actions and 40+ languages. Shown as €39, down from a crossed-out €49.
OptinMonster
Basic (yearly)$210
per year at renewal, after a first year for $108
1 site and 2,500 campaign impressions a month, every campaign type, 700+ templates and page targeting. Advertised as $9 a month for the first year.
Basic (monthly)$21
per month, billed monthly
The Basic plan paid month to month: 1 site and 2,500 impressions a month, with basic marketing integrations.
Plus (yearly)$570
per year at renewal, after a first year for $324
2 sites, 10,000 impressions a month, A/B testing, device targeting and content locking. Advertised as $27 a month for the first year; $57 billed monthly.
Pro (yearly)$870
per year at renewal, after a first year for $444
3 sites, 25,000 impressions, exit intent, countdown timers, revenue attribution, Zapier and 2 sub-accounts. $37 a month the first year; $87 monthly.
Growth (yearly)$1,470
per year at renewal, after a first year for $804
5 sites, 100,000 impressions, geolocation, onsite retargeting, coupon wheels and unlimited sub-accounts. $67 a month the first year; $147 monthly.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom impression volumes with dedicated support, and optional Okta SSO login or custom integrations at extra cost.
Ways to pay less
Joinchat
- Other savings
14-day money-back guarantee
The pricing page promises a full refund within 14 days, no questions asked.
OptinMonster
- Other savings
Introductory first year at about half price
New annual plans cost $108 (Basic), $324 (Plus), $444 (Pro) or $804 (Growth) for the first year, then renew at $210, $570, $870 or $1,470.
- Annual discount
Annual plans cost less than paying monthly
Basic renews at $210 a year against $21 a month ($252 a year) on monthly billing, and Growth at $1,470 against $147 a month.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Joinchat or OptinMonster?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Joinchat is cheaper to start with: about $8.94 a month, against $17.50 a month when paid by the year for OptinMonster. Joinchat starts at €96 per year for 1 site, and OptinMonster starts at $210 per year at renewal, after a first year for $108 (Basic).
Which has a free plan, Joinchat or OptinMonster?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Joinchat has a free plan. OptinMonster does not.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.