PopupGenius vs OptinMonster
An OptinMonster alternative with a free plan and exit intent on every plan
OptinMonster is a mature popup tool with 700+ templates and a large WordPress following, and like PopupGenius it does not send email. The difference is in the plans. OptinMonster has no free plan, its $9 a month is a yearly introductory price, and exit intent starts on Pro. PopupGenius has a free plan, costs $9.99 month to month, and has exit intent on every plan.
PopupGenius free plan, on Shopify or your website: one popup, 500 views and 20 AI credits a month, with a small badge. No card.
PopupGenius and OptinMonster, side by side
Every OptinMonster fact links to the page it comes from, read on . Prices change, so follow the link before you decide. OptinMonster counts campaign impressions (its monthly page calls them pageviews); PopupGenius counts the times a popup is shown.
| What | PopupGenius | OptinMonster |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, and it does not expire: 1 popup, 500 popup views and 20 AI credits a month, with a small PopupGenius badge. No card. | No. Every plan has a 14-day money-back guarantee instead. Source: optinmonster.com/pricing |
| First plan, billed monthly | $9.99, billed month to month, for 5,000 popup views a month. On Shopify a 7-day trial first; on a website, billed by card. | Basic: $21/month, for 1 site and 2,500 pageviews a month. Source: optinmonster.com/pricing/monthly |
| The advertised $9 | No yearly plan or introductory rate: $9.99 every month. | Basic billed yearly: $108 today, then it renews at $210/year. The page calls it “special introductory pricing, all renewals are at full price.” Source: optinmonster.com/pricing |
| Exit intent | On every plan, including Free. | From Pro: $87/month billed monthly, or $444 for the first year billed yearly. Source: optinmonster.com/pricing |
| A/B tests | A/B variants on every paid plan, from $9.99/month. | From Plus: $57/month billed monthly, or $324 for the first year billed yearly. Source: optinmonster.com/pricing |
| Shopify | A Shopify app on the same plans, with a 7-day trial on paid plans. Listed, with no reviews yet. | A Shopify app at $49/month with a 30-day free trial, rated 2.5 stars from 15 reviews. Source: OptinMonster’s Shopify listing |
| Sends email | No. It collects the addresses: download them as a CSV file, or have each new one forwarded to the tool you send from. On Shopify each signup is also saved as a Shopify customer subscribed to email marketing. | No. OptinMonster’s own guide says it “does not send emails or manage automations on its own.” Source: optinmonster.com, email tools guide |
When OptinMonster is the better choice
- You want the biggest template library
- OptinMonster lists 700+ templates on every plan. PopupGenius has a smaller gallery and leans on building from a description instead.
- You run WordPress and want a plugin
- OptinMonster’s WordPress plugin has over a million active installs. PopupGenius works on WordPress through one script tag, with no plugin.
- You need its advanced targeting
- OptinMonster’s Growth plan adds geolocation targeting, OnSite Retargeting and Follow-up Campaigns, which PopupGenius does not offer.
- You run several sites from one account
- OptinMonster’s plans cover 1 to 5 sites. A PopupGenius website account is one site.
When PopupGenius fits better
- You want to start free
- The free plan does not expire and asks for no card. OptinMonster has a money-back guarantee, but you pay first.
- Exit intent is the popup you need
- It is on every PopupGenius plan, Free included. On OptinMonster it starts on Pro. See the exit-intent popup
- You want one price, every month
- $9.99 a month, with no yearly commitment and no renewal at a higher rate.
- You would rather describe the popup than assemble it
- Describe the popup, or start from a template. It is built in your site’s colors and fonts, and you change it by typing in a chat. How the popup builder works
Start free, pay when the popup has a job
The free plan is not a trial that runs out. It stays free, with one popup and a small badge on it.
Free
$0.00/mo
1 popup with 1 step, 20 AI credits and 500 popup views a month, with a small PopupGenius badge on the popup. Upgrade when you need more.
Starter
$9.99/mo
- 5,000 popup views a month
- 100 AI credits a month
- Unlimited popups and steps
- No PopupGenius badge
Growth
$19.99/mo
- 25,000 popup views a month
- 300 AI credits a month
- Unlimited popups and steps
- No PopupGenius badge
Pro
$39.99/mo
- 100,000 popup views a month
- 900 AI credits a month
- Unlimited popups and steps
- No PopupGenius badge
Every paid plan includes unlimited popups, unlimited steps and A/B variants, translations, and no PopupGenius badge. You pick one inside the app when the free plan runs out; there is nothing to choose now.
Questions about OptinMonster and PopupGenius
- Is OptinMonster’s $9 plan really $9 a month?
- It is $9 a month when you pay $108 for the first year. OptinMonster’s pricing page says renewals are at full price, which is $210 a year for Basic, and Basic billed monthly is $21.
- Does PopupGenius work on WordPress?
- Yes. Paste one script tag before the closing body tag, in your theme or with any header-and-footer plugin. There is no PopupGenius plugin to install or keep updated.
- Can I bring my OptinMonster campaigns over?
- Rebuild them rather than export them. Describe the campaign you had, or start from a template, and change it by typing until it matches. Keep OptinMonster running until the new popup is live.
- Does either of them send email?
- No. Both collect the addresses and hand them to the email tool you already use.
Try it next to OptinMonster, free
The free plan does not run out, so you can build the popup and compare before you switch anything off.