OptinMonster vs Popup Maker (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Popup Maker: it is third in our ranking of popup and widget tools, and it grades higher too, 2.6 against 1.8.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
OptinMonster grades higher on features. Popup Maker grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
OptinMonster
Pop-ups, floating bars and opt-in forms added to an existing site
Popup Maker
WordPress popup plugin with a free edition and yearly Pro licenses
Which one is for you
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
Pick Popup Maker if
- Fits if you run WordPress and want a free popup plugin
- Works for site owners who pay yearly for exit-intent
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your site is not on WordPress, as it is not a hosted service
- Tight if you want exit-intent on the free edition, since that needs Pro
- Watch out: Pro is licensed per site, with 5 sites at $149 for the first year
- Watch out: after a license expires the plugin works but stops getting updates and support
- Pricey if you need Pro+ for ecommerce, at $249 a year for 1 site
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAOptinMonsterWeak | 2.6GPAPopup MakerGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | BPro is $99 a year, about $8.25 a month, inside the cheapest quarter ($9); the first year is $59.40. |
| Free plan and 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. | BThe free plugin on WordPress.org has unlimited popups with page, post and taxonomy targeting, with a limited feature set. |
| Features | 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. | CPopup types, triggers, targeting, analytics and split testing. Exit-intent and scroll triggers need Pro. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo rating on record; a plugin you install and configure on your site. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb only, with five integrations listed. |
| Best for | pop-ups that grow an email list | popups on a WordPress site, free or with a yearly license |
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: OptinMonster and Popup Maker. How we grade
Price against what you get
OptinMonster starts at $17.50 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Popup Maker starts at $8.25 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
OptinMonster scores higher, and starts $9.25 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other popup and widget tools on the chart, none scores higher than OptinMonster for less, and none scores higher than Popup Maker 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
- OptinMonster also covers templates and no-code.
- Popup Maker also covers reports.
At a glance
| OptinMonster | Popup Maker | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $210 per year at renewal, after a first year for $108 (Basic) | $99 per year for 1 site ($59.40 for the first year) |
| Free plan | None | Free plugin on WordPress.org: unlimited popups with page, post and taxonomy targeting, but a limited feature set. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Retyp, LLC | Code Atlantic LLC |
| Price read from | optinmonster.com | wppopupmaker.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Popup Maker
- Runs only inside WordPress; it is not a hosted service.
- Exit-intent and scroll triggers need the paid Pro license; the free edition lacks them.
- Pro is licensed per site count; the 5-site first-year price is $149 and larger packs are listed too.
- After a license expires, the plugin keeps working but stops getting updates and support.
Key features
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.
Popup Maker
- Popup types
- Email opt-ins, exit-intent popups, contact form popups, announcement banners, cookie notices and content upgrades.
- Triggers
- Open automatically with a delay, on a click or on form submission in the free edition. Exit-intent and scroll triggers need Pro.
- Targeting conditions
- Free targeting by post, page, custom post type, category, tag and taxonomy; Pro adds user roles, scheduling and complex logic.
- Analytics and split testing
- Pro adds performance tracking with WordPress dashboard widgets and split testing; Pro+ adds popup-to-purchase revenue attribution.
- Ecommerce popups
- Pro+ covers cart-abandonment, upsell and cross-sell popups for WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads, plus LifterLMS enrollment popups.
- No traffic limits
- All plans include unlimited popups, impressions and theming, so price does not rise with pageviews.
Plans
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.
Popup Maker
Free$0
Free WordPress.org plugin with automatic and click triggers and basic targeting.
Pro$99
per year for 1 site
Exit-intent and scroll triggers, advanced targeting, analytics, split testing and FluentCRM tagging. First year $59.40.
Pro+$249
per year for 1 site
Pro plus revenue attribution and WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads and LifterLMS tools. First year $149.40.
Ways to pay less
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.
Popup Maker
- Other savings
40% off the first year
A launch special on the pricing page takes 40% off the first year for new customers only; renewal returns to the regular price.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, OptinMonster or Popup Maker?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Popup Maker is cheaper to start with: $8.25 a month when paid by the year, against $17.50 a month when paid by the year for OptinMonster. OptinMonster starts at $210 per year at renewal, after a first year for $108 (Basic), and Popup Maker starts at $99 per year for 1 site ($59.40 for the first year).
Which has a free plan, OptinMonster or Popup Maker?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Popup Maker 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.