OptinMonster vs Wheelio (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Wheelio grades higher than OptinMonster: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
OptinMonster grades higher on features. Wheelio 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
Wheelio
Spin-to-win and scratch-card pop-ups for email and SMS capture
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 Wheelio if
- Fits if you run a Shopify store and want a spin-to-win offer
- Works for stores that collect emails and SMS numbers with coupons
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a free plan, as there is none after the 7-day trial
- Pricey if your store is busy, as price steps up with impressions from 30,000 to 750,000
- Skip it if you need ordinary forms or banners, since it is game-style pop-ups only
- Tight if you are not on Shopify, as other platforms sign up through the vendor dashboard
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAOptinMonsterWeak | 2.2GPAWheelioFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | C$14.92 a month for 30,000 impressions sits inside the $9 to $29 range; plans climb to $249.92 for 750,000. |
| 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. | C7-day free trial; the listing does not say a card is needed. No free plan. |
| 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. | CThree game formats, email, SMS and push capture, coupons and triggers. It does that job fully, but it is a smaller job than a general popup builder. |
| 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; you set up the game, prizes and coupons. |
| 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, built around Shopify, with eight integrations listed. |
| Best for | pop-ups that grow an email list | spin-to-win pop-ups for email and SMS capture |
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 Wheelio. 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. Wheelio starts at $14.92 a month and scores 2.3.
OptinMonster scores higher, and starts $2.58 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 1 scores higher than Wheelio 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, no-code, forms and a/B testing.
- Wheelio also covers sMS marketing.
At a glance
| OptinMonster | Wheelio | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $210 per year at renewal, after a first year for $108 (Basic) | $14.92 per month for up to 30k impressions |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Retyp, LLC | Wheelio |
| Price read from | optinmonster.com | wheelio-app.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.
Wheelio
- There is no free plan; the first step is $14.92 a month after a 7-day trial.
- Price follows impressions, so a busy store moves up steps from 30k to 750k a month.
- Built around Shopify; stores on other platforms sign up through the vendor dashboard instead.
- Game-style pop-ups only: it is not a general-purpose form or banner builder.
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.
Wheelio
- Three game formats
- Choose a wheel of fortune, a slot machine or a scratch card as the pop-up, with a set of predefined templates to start from.
- Email, SMS and push capture
- Collect email addresses, phone numbers, Messenger and push-notification opt-ins, passed on through the connected partner service.
- Coupon injection and dynamic codes
- Says it can inject the won discount straight into the Shopify checkout and create a unique code for each visitor to track sales.
- Triggers and scheduling
- Set when and where a campaign shows, using timing and exit-intent style triggers plus scheduling in the campaign setup.
- Email validation
- Uses an outside service to check each address and prevents duplicates, to keep the list clean.
- Consent options
- The vendor says pop-ups can be set up to follow GDPR, and to meet TCPA rules when collecting SMS leads.
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.
Wheelio
Beginner$14.92
per month for up to 30k impressions
Entry step. The listed step prices move with monthly impressions.
Level 1$29.92
per month for up to 60k impressions
Same product as every step; only the impression allowance changes.
Level 2$54.92
per month for up to 100k impressions
Same product as every step; only the impression allowance changes.
Level 3$109.92
per month for up to 250k impressions
Same product as every step; only the impression allowance changes.
Level 4$192.92
per month for up to 500k impressions
Same product as every step; only the impression allowance changes.
The Big Guns$249.92
per month for up to 750k impressions
Top step listed on the site, for the highest-traffic stores.
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.
Wheelio
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, OptinMonster or Wheelio?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Wheelio is cheaper to start with: $14.92 a month, 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 Wheelio starts at $14.92 per month for up to 30k impressions.
Which has a free plan, OptinMonster or Wheelio?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither OptinMonster nor Wheelio has a free plan. Wheelio has a free trial.
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.