8 Best WordPress Popup Plugins for Bloggers (Free & Paid)

Popups can be like that overly enthusiastic salesperson — annoying, pushy, and really good at slowing down your experience.

But when done right, they're more like a friendly tour guide, gently pointing you towards something cool you might have missed. That's how the best WordPress popup plugins work, too. They help you create fun, easy-to-use popups.

Why? To get you more email subscribers, show off special deals, and get feedback from your readers.

In this article, I'll share the 8 best WordPress popup plugins for bloggers like you.

So, get ready to boost those leads and conversions with these helpful WordPress popup plugins!

Here's the deal: Popups are there to grab your reader's attention before they leave your site. They're not meant to be annoying but to give something helpful or interesting at the right time.

Now, here are some big benefits that WordPress popup plugins bring to the table:

Grow your email list: Popups are a tried-and-true way to get more email subscribers. Give a freebie, a discount code, or a sneak peek at exclusive content. Think about resources your readers would love!
Show off your best stuff: Have a new product, blog post, or limited-time offer? Popups are perfect for shouting it from the rooftops (or, you know, your website).
Cut bounce rate: Catch visitors who are about to leave and give them a reason to stay with a well-timed popup.
Get feedback: Want to know what your readers really think? Popups can help you get feedback through surveys or polls.
Expand your socials: Add social buttons to your popups to make it easy for visitors to follow you on social media.
Test, test, test: Try out different popup styles and see what works best for your audience. Most WordPress popup plugins let you do A/B testing to compare different popups and see which one gets the best results.

Not all WordPress popup plugins are created equal, though.

The best WordPress popup plugins let you easily style the look, feel, timing, and targeting of your popups. That way, they always match your brand and help your visitors.

Ready to see what the best WordPress popup plugins can do? Let's get to the best options for bloggers!

OptinMonster – The best WordPress popup plugin
Bloom – The easiest email WordPress popup plugin
Popup Maker – the best free WordPress popup plugin
Kadence Conversions
Thrive Leads
Sumo
Formidable Forms
Icegram Engage

OptinMonster is the big kahuna of WordPress popup plugins. It's simply the best plugin for popups in WordPress.

It has everything you need to grow your email list, improve conversion rates, and keep visitors engaged with your blog.

When you use OptinMonster's WordPress popup builder, you'll build beautiful popups in minutes. Want lightbox popups, floating bars, and more? Just drag and drop what you want!

Don't forget to try out the ready-made popup templates, too. That way, you don't have to start from scratch.

More WordPress popup plugin benefits for bloggers:

Smart targeting: Show the right popup to the right people at the right time. You control the trigger options. Plus, you can target based on interests, pages they've viewed, or even where they're coming from.
Exit intent popups: To keep visitors from leaving, show them a popup just as they're about to leave. It's your last chance to get their attention!
Easy email pairing: Connect OptinMonster to your email list (like Mailchimp or ConvertKit) so new subscribers are added automatically.
Tracking and A/B Testing: See how your popups are doing and try different versions to find what works best.

You can create popups to give away freebies like recipe ebooks or printable planners to encourage sign-ups. Or, show off your latest blog posts or products to boost traffic and sales.

If you have an online store, OptinMonster improves cart abandonment by sliding in last-minute discounts or free shipping.

How much is OptinMonster?

OptinMonster has a few packages. Its Basic plan starts at $9 per month (billed annually).

2. Bloom – The easiest email WordPress popup plugin

Do you want your email sign-up forms to look amazing AND be easy to use?

Bloom, by Elegant Themes, is the perfect popup plugin for your WordPress website.

It's like having a personal designer help you make eye-catching email opt-in popups to match your website. Bloom also helps you turn website visitors into email subscribers with its special features.

More WordPress popup plugin benefits for bloggers:

Tons of designs: Choose from over 100 beautiful templates and customize the colors, fonts, and images to make them your own.
Different kinds of popups: Create popups that slide in, pop up in the middle of your posts, or pop up when someone is about to leave your site.
Smart timing: You decide when and where your popups show up.
Works with email tools: Bloom connects to popular email services so you can quickly add new people to your email list.
Great for Divi users: Divi isn't just one of the best WordPress food blog themes. It's the most popular WordPress theme in the world. If you use the Divi theme, Bloom works perfectly with it.

Let's say you're a travel blogger. And you just shared a post about secret spots in Bali. With Bloom, you could create a popup that offers a free guide to those spots when readers finish your post.

They get a cool guide, and you get a new email subscriber!

How much is Bloom?

Bloom comes with the Divi theme subscription. That starts at $89 per year.

Want a simple, flexible, and affordable way to create solid popups? The Popup Maker WordPress plugin is a great choice.

And the best part? It has a free version that's perfect for bloggers just starting!

More WordPress popup plugin benefits for bloggers:

Simple setup: It has a drag-and-drop builder and clear instructions. Start creating popups in minutes!
Endless possibilities: Choose from different popup types. Ones that cover the whole screen, slide in from the side, or stick to the top of a specific page. You can even make video popups or popups that show special content.
Make it your own: Change colors, fonts, images, and more to match your website.
Smart triggers: Choose when your popups show. Try different triggers, like when someone is about to leave your site or after they've scrolled down the page.

Part of an education affiliate program? Maybe you're an education blogger who partners with an online tutoring platform.

Use Popup Maker to create a slide-in popup that shows after a visitor reads a blog post about the benefits of e-tutoring. The popup could feature a special discount code for the tutoring platform, encouraging them to sign up and learn more.

How much is Popup Maker?

Pinching pennies? No problem. Popup Maker has a free version. There are three different paid versions. The START Plan is $99 per year.

4. Kadence Conversions

Kadence Conversions is a simple WordPress plugin that lets you make cool popups for your website.

It works really well with the Kadence Theme, but you can also use it with any other WordPress theme. It has a drag-and-drop builder and pre-made templates that you can style to match your site. You can even make banners and slide-ins to catch your readers' attention.

More WordPress popup plugin benefits for bloggers:

Simple to use: New to WordPress? No problem. Creating popups is as easy as pie.
Looks great: Your popups will look awesome and match your website.
Show popups at the right time: You're in control of popup timing.
Track your results: See how well your popups are working so you can make them even better.

Think about this example. Did you recently start a health blog? Use a Kadence Conversions popup window to offer a free yoga class schedule to visitors who land on your yoga blog posts.

How much is Kadence Conversions?

You can get Kadence Conversions by itself for $89 per year. There's also a full bundle that comes with Kadence Blocks Pro, Kadence Theme Pro, and more. It's $219 per year.

5. Thrive Leads

Thrive Leads by Thrive Themes is your all-in-one tool for getting more email subscribers and customers. It's made to help you make your website work harder so you can reach your goals.

There are tons of different types of forms, like popups, slide-ins, and banners, to choose from. You can easily change how they look to match your website. Plus, you can show the right message to the right person at the right time.

More WordPress popup plugin benefits for bloggers:

Drag-and-drop editor: Easily create and customize your forms with the drag-and-drop editor.
A/B testing: Test different versions of your forms to see which ones convert better.
Smart targeting: Show your forms exactly when you decide.
Analytics: Track the performance of your forms and see what's working and what's not.

Are you a lifestyle blogger who shares tips on decluttering and organizing? If so, use Thrive Leads to create popups that offer a free checklist for cleaning out your closet. Or, promote your latest eBook.

It's a great way to get your readers excited about your content and encourage them to take action.

How much is Thrive Leads?

Thrive Leads is available as part of the Basic membership for $99 per year. It's also part of the Thrive Suite membership, which starts at $299 per year.

6. Sumo

Sumo (now BDOW) is packed with tools to help you grow your email list, get more readers, and make your site more popular.

The plugin also makes it easy to create cool popups, add social sharing buttons, and see what's working on your site.

Sumo offers a great user experience thanks to its simple tools and ready-made templates. You can choose from different popup styles and decide when and where your popups show up.

More popup WordPress plugin benefits for bloggers:

Grow your email list: Create eye-catching email subscription popups that encourage sign-ups for your email list.
Promote your best content: Highlight your most popular blog posts or special offers.
Get more social shares: Make it easy for readers to share your posts on social media with Sumo's sharing buttons.
See what works: Track your results to see which popups and strategies are most effective.

Imagine you're a fashion blogger who just wrote a post about the top trends for fall. You could use Sumo to create a popup that offers a free downloadable style guide to anyone who signs up for your email list.

How much is Sumo?

Sumo has a free plan and a Pro plan for $39 per month.

7. Formidable Forms

Formidable Forms is the best WordPress form builder. It's perfect for building powerful, eye-catching contact forms that do way more than just collect emails.

Whether you want to quiz your audience, gather feedback, or even sell products, Formidable Forms can handle it all.

But what about popups? Well, with a special add-on, Formidable Forms lets you easily turn any of your forms into a modal popup box.

More WordPress popup plugin benefits for bloggers:

Endless possibilities: Create unlimited forms and popups, collect all the responses you want, and let your imagination run wild.
Drag-and-drop Fun: Build your forms and popups with a simple drag-and-drop builder.
Popup power-up: Easily turn your forms into eye-catching popups with the Bootstrap Modal add-on.

Maybe you're a mom blogger who wants to create a fun quiz to help moms find the best mom affiliate programs. With Formidable Forms, you can build an interactive quiz that pops up on your website. Then, it gives personalized results based on their answers.

How much is Formidable Forms?

Formidable Forms has a free online form builder. But, the bootstrap modal popups are included in the Plus plan and above. That plan starts at $99.50 for the first year.

8. Icegram Engage

Icegram Engage is a WordPress popup plugin that helps you create personalized popups for your readers. It goes beyond generic messages and makes your visitors feel special.

For example, you could welcome a reader by name or show them content related to what they're interested in.

It's like a beauty blogger welcoming a returning reader with a “Welcome back, [Name]! Check out this new makeup tutorial!” message.

More WordPress popup plugin benefits for bloggers:

Craft personalized popups: Welcome visitors by name. Suggest products based on their interests. Or, show them content they're most likely to enjoy.
Test and tweak: Experiment with different popup styles and messaging to see what works best for your audience.
Track your results: See how many people see your popups, click on them, and take action. That way, you can improve your strategy over time.
Personalize your whole site: Icegram Engage isn't just about popups. You can use it to personalize your entire website and give each visitor a unique experience.

How much is Icegram Engage?

There's a free version of Icegram Engage on WordPress. If you want more features, Pro is $129 per year.

Now that you're convinced that popup plugins are the bee's knees (and they totally are!). How do you choose the right one for your blog?

It's like picking the perfect recipe – you need to consider your ingredients (features), your budget, and your personal taste.

Here's a quick rundown of what to look for:

Ease of Use: Can you create popups without learning how to code?
Styling options: Does the plugin offer enough flexibility to match your brand's style?
Targeting & triggers: Can you control when and where your popups appear?
Popup types: Does the plugin offer the types of popups you need (e.g., email opt-ins, announcements, content upgrades)
Integrations: Does the plugin work with your email marketing service and other tools?
Pricing: Can you find a plugin that fits your budget and offers the features you need?

Remember: Don't overload your site with too many plugins. This can slow down your site's performance. Choose the best Wordpress plugins that meet your specific needs. Like speeding up your WordPress site.

Blogging is about more than WordPress popup plugins

A successful blog is built on more than just popups and WordPress popup plugins.

To really thrive, you also need to focus on creating content that your readers love, optimizing your site for search engines (like using internal link optimization and updating old blog posts), and building a strong relationship with your audience.

Want more ways to grow your blog?

Try WP Tasty

Check out WP Tasty's suite of plugins for bloggers.

Tasty Recipes is the best WordPress recipe plugin for adding stunning recipe cards to your food blog. Tasty Pins can help you grow your Pinterest following and connect your site to Pinterest for more traffic.

(This article may contain affiliate links.)