# Best Free Popup Builders
Eight popup builders with free publishing plans. Compare the actual allowances and restrictions, from email-platform forms to Shopify apps and general website widgets.
- Page: https://popuppapa.com/best-free-popup-builders/
- Updated: 2026-10-26
## Free popup builders, compared
A free popup builder can mean several things: a live widget with a monthly traffic allowance, forms bundled into an email platform or an editor that charges when you publish. Only the first two belong in a shortlist for running a popup without a subscription. The size and meaning of the allowance matter as much as the word “free”.
These eight products have ongoing free plans in our assessment. We exclude ConvertFlow’s build-and-preview-only offer and Hello Bar’s lifetime free-view allowance from this monthly-use selection. The order follows the whole-product popup profile; it is not a free-tier feature score. The descriptions explain which parts of each product are actually included for free.
| Tool | Whole-product popup score / 100 | Free allowance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [1\. Klaviyo](#klaviyo) | 75.29 | 250 active profiles |
| [2\. Getsitecontrol](#getsitecontrol) | 74.52 | 10,000 widget views |
| [3\. OptiMonk](#optimonk) | 71.21 | 10,000 pageviews |
| [4\. Poptin](#poptin) | 60.21 | 1,000 visitors |
| [5\. Pop Convert](#pop-convert) | 52.76 | 2,000 sessions · 100 subscribers / mo |
| [6\. Popupsmart](#popupsmart) | 49.83 | 5,000 pageviews |
| [7\. CWILL](#cwill) | 47.98 | 30 new subscribers |
| [8\. Poper](#poper) | 47.29 | 10,000 pageviews · 1 site · 50 AI credits |
All listed entry plans cost $0. Scores describe the whole product, including paid capabilities; they do not score the free plan alone. Allowances use different units. Pop Convert’s account and public listing disagree on its free limits.
## What puts a tool higher on this list?
Popup Papa tests popup software and examines product documentation, pricing and published use cases. We assess tools against the same criteria, then give different capabilities more weight for different tasks. The numbers below are absolute scores: they do not depend on which other app a tool is compared with.
We first select products with a confirmed ongoing free plan and live campaign use. We then order them by the shared Popups without email marketing score, which compares their wider onsite toolkit. This keeps the rating consistent with the directory while avoiding an unsupported claim that every scored feature is available for zero cost.
A lower-ranked product can still be the better free choice. OptiMonk includes its feature set and no branding in Free, while Getsitecontrol reserves advanced controls for Pro. Klaviyo’s forms sit inside contact and sending limits. Those plan boundaries are more useful for this decision than treating the score as a ranking of free entitlements.
[Explore this ranking](https://popuppapa.com/?priority=popupsindex.md#directory)
## 1\. Klaviyo
75.29See breakdown
| Section | Points | Available | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Formats & content | 9.40 | 17.24 | |
| Forms | 18.22 | 22.41 | |
| Surveys | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Gamification | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Targeting | 19.33 | 20.69 | |
| Experiments | 9.38 | 12.07 | |
| Email & SMS | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Team & sites | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Developer | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Support | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Editor & workflow | 5.17 | 10.34 | |
| Data & reporting | 5.17 | 8.62 | |
| Integrations | 8.62 | 8.62 | |
| Shopify | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
[Full scoring details in the review](https://popuppapa.com/reviews/klaviyo/index.md#capability-score)
Klaviyo includes signup forms in its free email platform. A form can collect an address into a list and use the same profiles, segmentation and automation environment as later messages. This is useful when the business wants both capture and a small initial email programme rather than a popup that sends data somewhere else.
Form testing and targeting are included on Free and paid email plans in the stored assessment. The commercial limit is the size of the active audience and sending capacity, not simply the number of visible popup impressions. SMS usage has its own terms. A free form therefore does not mean unlimited marketing across every channel.
Its high score comes from the wider popup toolkit, and the free plan can be a practical starting point within its contact allowance. It is less natural for a site that only needs a service notice and does not want an email platform. The review shows the transition from Free to paid Email as the active list grows.
### The free plan
Forms · Segmentation · Automation
Free · Up to 250 contacts
[Klaviyo review and plans](https://popuppapa.com/reviews/klaviyo/index.md)
## 2\. Getsitecontrol
74.52See breakdown
| Section | Points | Available | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Formats & content | 15.29 | 17.24 | |
| Forms | 17.76 | 22.41 | |
| Surveys | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Gamification | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Targeting | 16.28 | 20.69 | |
| Experiments | 5.36 | 12.07 | |
| Email & SMS | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Team & sites | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Developer | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Support | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Editor & workflow | 7.76 | 10.34 | |
| Data & reporting | 3.45 | 8.62 | |
| Integrations | 8.62 | 8.62 | |
| Shopify | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
[Full scoring details in the review](https://popuppapa.com/reviews/getsitecontrol/index.md#capability-score)
Getsitecontrol’s Free plan provides basic widgets with a recurring allowance measured in widget views per site. That unit is useful for a narrowly displayed message or simple signup: a visitor who never sees the widget is not the same workload as a displayed campaign. The free allowance should still be assessed per site rather than as one unlimited portfolio.
The product’s advanced capabilities contribute to its strong popup score, but they are not all free. A/B testing, conditional logic, advanced targeting and scheduling belong to Pro or Pro Max. Free therefore serves a simpler campaign than the full-featured product described in many comparison sections.
The main Getsitecontrol platform also differs from the separate GSC Popup Shopify app. A free offer or badge attached to that companion product should not be transferred to this one. The review keeps the product identities and plan boundaries separate, including email sending, which has its own cost rather than becoming unlimited through the widget allowance.
### The free plan
Basic widget tools
Free · 10,000 widget views per site
[Getsitecontrol review and plans](https://popuppapa.com/reviews/getsitecontrol/index.md)
## 3\. OptiMonk
71.21See breakdown
| Section | Points | Available | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Formats & content | 9.40 | 17.24 | |
| Forms | 11.76 | 22.41 | |
| Surveys | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Gamification | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Targeting | 19.38 | 20.69 | |
| Experiments | 5.38 | 12.07 | |
| Email & SMS | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Team & sites | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Developer | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Support | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Editor & workflow | 10.34 | 10.34 | |
| Data & reporting | 6.33 | 8.62 | |
| Integrations | 8.62 | 8.62 | |
| Shopify | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
[Full scoring details in the review](https://popuppapa.com/reviews/optimonk/index.md#capability-score)
OptiMonk’s current Free offer is unusually broad: the feature set and branding removal are included, while paid tiers expand traffic, domains and AI credits. That means a small site can use more than a deliberately simplified editor, including experiments and audience controls, without buying an entry subscription solely to remove the vendor mark.
The limit is site pageviews on one domain. Pageviews count even when no popup appears, so a campaign shown only on exit or to a narrow audience does not make the rest of the website’s traffic disappear from the allowance. Campaigns pause when the pageview cap is reached.
This is a different trade-off from a builder that reserves advanced features for paid tiers. The free plan can support a sophisticated small-site campaign, but the traffic ceiling remains real. Essential and the higher plans mainly buy capacity and more domain slots, rather than unlocking the same A/B testing described in the free feature set.
### The free plan
All features · No branding
Free · 10,000 pageviews · 1 domain
[OptiMonk review and plans](https://popuppapa.com/reviews/optimonk/index.md)
## 4\. Poptin
60.21See breakdown
| Section | Points | Available | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Formats & content | 10.97 | 17.24 | |
| Forms | 12.24 | 22.41 | |
| Surveys | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Gamification | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Targeting | 17.07 | 20.69 | |
| Experiments | 2.69 | 12.07 | |
| Email & SMS | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Team & sites | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Developer | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Support | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Editor & workflow | 5.17 | 10.34 | |
| Data & reporting | 3.45 | 8.62 | |
| Integrations | 8.62 | 8.62 | |
| Shopify | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
[Full scoring details in the review](https://popuppapa.com/reviews/poptin/index.md#capability-score)
Poptin’s popup-only Free plan allows live campaigns on one domain within a visitor allowance, with Poptin branding. Unlimited popups in that offer means the number of campaigns is not the same constraint as the number of visitors. A site can still reach its traffic limit even when each individual campaign has a small audience.
Poptin also has a Growth email-and-popup offer, including a free account configuration with its own contact and sending limits. Feature observations from Growth Free should not automatically be applied to every popup-only plan. The review distinguishes these commercial tracks rather than treating “Free” as one identical package everywhere.
For a simple signup, the important decision is whether the visitor allowance and destination workflow fit. Branding removal and higher traffic are paid upgrades, while Growth adds a different mix of contact capacity and follow-up. The whole-product score includes capabilities beyond the narrow entry plan, so it should not be read as a free-feature checklist.
### The free plan
Unlimited popups · Poptin branding
Free · 1,000 visitors · 1 domain
[Poptin review and plans](https://popuppapa.com/reviews/poptin/index.md)
## 5\. Pop Convert
52.76See breakdown
| Section | Points | Available | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Formats & content | 7.84 | 17.24 | |
| Forms | 9.05 | 22.41 | |
| Surveys | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Gamification | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Targeting | 16.28 | 20.69 | |
| Experiments | 2.69 | 12.07 | |
| Email & SMS | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Team & sites | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Developer | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Support | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Editor & workflow | 7.12 | 10.34 | |
| Data & reporting | 2.88 | 8.62 | |
| Integrations | 6.90 | 8.62 | |
| Shopify | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
[Full scoring details in the review](https://popuppapa.com/reviews/pop-convert/index.md#capability-score)
Pop Convert offers free publishing for Shopify stores, including popup and bar creation within its entry allowance. It is a store app rather than a general script-based builder for every website. The free editor and live limits should also be separated from the paid advanced targeting, testing and follow-up features.
There is a material difference between the account and public listing. The account shows 2,000 sessions, 100 subscribers and 250 emails monthly, while the public listing describes lower visitor and subscriber limits. The table uses the account allowance and this section preserves the discrepancy rather than promising that every new store receives the same package.
Paid access follows the store’s Shopify plan and removes the free session and subscriber caps. The account also describes a trial with automatic paid renewal, so a trial screen is not identical to the ongoing Free plan. The full review records both the free offer and the paid-plan conditions.
### The free plan
Unlimited editor, popups and bars · 1 AI generation
Free · Account: 2,000 sessions · 100 subscribers · 250 emails / mo
[Pop Convert review and plans](https://popuppapa.com/reviews/pop-convert/index.md)
## 6\. Popupsmart
49.83See breakdown
| Section | Points | Available | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Formats & content | 10.59 | 17.24 | |
| Forms | 12.36 | 22.41 | |
| Surveys | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Gamification | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Targeting | 12.98 | 20.69 | |
| Experiments | 2.69 | 12.07 | |
| Email & SMS | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Team & sites | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Developer | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Support | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Editor & workflow | 2.59 | 10.34 | |
| Data & reporting | 0.00 | 8.62 | |
| Integrations | 8.62 | 8.62 | |
| Shopify | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
[Full scoring details in the review](https://popuppapa.com/reviews/popupsmart/index.md#capability-score)
Popupsmart’s Free plan allows one live popup on one site within a recurring pageview allowance. It can suit a small website with one primary campaign, such as a signup or notice, rather than a programme that needs several simultaneous audiences and offers. The live-campaign limit is distinct from the amount of traffic.
The wider editor includes forms, ratings, games and AI-assisted changes, but paid features should not be inferred from access to a design control alone. A/B testing starts on Advanced; Basic removes branding and expands capacity. The selected product score includes the assessed toolkit across plans, not only the single free campaign.
Because website pageviews count whether or not the popup appears, a low display frequency does not necessarily extend the allowance. The upgrade question is therefore both operational and commercial: whether one campaign remains enough, whether testing is needed and whether the site’s total traffic fits the free tier.
### The free plan
1 live popup
Free · 5,000 pageviews · 1 site
[Popupsmart review and plans](https://popuppapa.com/reviews/popupsmart/index.md)
## 7\. CWILL
47.98See breakdown
| Section | Points | Available | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Formats & content | 6.28 | 17.24 | |
| Forms | 6.47 | 22.41 | |
| Surveys | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Gamification | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Targeting | 18.57 | 20.69 | |
| Experiments | 0.00 | 12.07 | |
| Email & SMS | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Team & sites | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Developer | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Support | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Editor & workflow | 5.17 | 10.34 | |
| Data & reporting | 2.88 | 8.62 | |
| Integrations | 8.62 | 8.62 | |
| Shopify | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
[Full scoring details in the review](https://popuppapa.com/reviews/cwill/index.md#capability-score)
CWILL’s Free offer is built around Shopify subscribers and email capacity rather than a popup-view cap. It includes unlimited popup views but a small allowance for new subscribers. A store with many visitors and few collected contacts therefore encounters a different limit from a pageview-based popup service.
The app combines discount-led signup campaigns with Shopify Customers and follow-up functions. Free access does not make every email workflow available: higher tiers expand capacity and Pro adds custom flow conditions and branching. Subscriber limits, sending limits and feature access remain three separate parts of the offer.
The plan matrix and upgrade cards describe some preset access differently, and the review keeps that caveat visible. The free plan is useful to evaluate a small store’s ongoing capture needs, but unlimited views should not be translated into unlimited subscribers or unlimited email. Those are the resources that drive the commercial model.
### The free plan
Unlimited popup views
Free · 30 new subscribers · 2,000 emails
[CWILL review and plans](https://popuppapa.com/reviews/cwill/index.md)
## 8\. Poper
47.29See breakdown
| Section | Points | Available | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Formats & content | 4.71 | 17.24 | |
| Forms | 13.62 | 22.41 | |
| Surveys | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Gamification | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Targeting | 14.55 | 20.69 | |
| Experiments | 2.69 | 12.07 | |
| Email & SMS | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Team & sites | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Developer | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Support | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Editor & workflow | 1.95 | 10.34 | |
| Data & reporting | 1.16 | 8.62 | |
| Integrations | 8.62 | 8.62 | |
| Shopify | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
[Full scoring details in the review](https://popuppapa.com/reviews/poper/index.md#capability-score)
Poper’s Free plan combines a pageview allowance, one website and AI credits, with one game available in the assessed account. This provides a different starting point from a plain signup editor: a small site can explore a reward-led campaign as well as ordinary popup design.
The important restriction is integration access. Free blocks the external connections needed to send contacts automatically into platforms such as Mailchimp or Klaviyo. A game that collects an address and a complete connected lead-generation workflow are therefore not the same free offer. Advanced branching and the survey suite also have higher-tier requirements.
Pro adds games, A/B testing, integrations and more sites and seats. The listed paid prices are promotional, and billing uses different traffic terminology from the usage counter. For the free decision, the practical question is whether the included campaign can operate within its allowance and whether the business can use the resulting contacts without the paid connection it actually needs.
### The free plan
One game allowed; integrations gated
Free · 10,000 pageviews · 1 site · 50 AI credits
[Poper review and plans](https://popuppapa.com/reviews/poper/index.md)
## Campaigns in practice
Published campaigns show what a popup can do, but their case studies usually do not establish which subscription tier was used. The examples below illustrate possible jobs for a builder; they are not claims that the reported campaigns or results were achieved on Free.
### A useful guide instead of a generic signup
Getsitecontrol’s Kern River Outfitters case pairs an email request with a rafting resource. It shows a clear use for a small-site popup: offer information relevant to someone planning a trip. The case does not establish that the campaign’s trigger settings are included in today’s Free plan.
[Kern River Outfitters example](https://getsitecontrol.com/blog/customer-case-study-kern-river-outfitters/)
### A promotion with a destination page
Green Banana used Poptin to highlight current offers and send visitors to the promotions page. That is a different job from building a mailing list. When comparing free builders, the relevant requirements would be the message format, destination button and traffic allowance—not email sending capacity. The case does not specify a current free-tier entitlement.
[Green Banana announcement example](https://www.poptin.com/case-studies/green-banana-case-study/)
### A first question that gives the lead context
OptiMonk’s Pots, Planters & More campaign separated personal and business shoppers before collecting an email. It illustrates why form structure can matter beyond the address field. The current Free plan’s broad feature access is a pricing fact; the historical campaign result remains a separate case study, not proof of free-plan performance.
[Pots, Planters & More example](https://www.optimonk.com/pots-planters-more-case-study)
## How these tools differ
### Free publishing versus a free editor
ConvertFlow lets users build and preview without paying, but live publishing requires a subscription. That is useful for evaluating the editor, yet it does not meet the scope of this article. A trial is another distinct offer because it ends or changes billing status.
The selected products have ongoing free plans. Pop Convert still needs attention because its account can show a trial that renews into paid access alongside the Free option. The existence of a free plan does not make every onboarding path a free commitment.
### Monthly capacity versus a lifetime allowance
Hello Bar’s free views are a lifetime allowance, so it is excluded from this ongoing monthly-use shortlist. A recurring allowance replenishes according to the plan’s cycle; a lifetime allowance is exhausted once across the account’s use.
The units also differ. Pageviews count site loads, widget views count displayed widgets, visitors count people under the provider’s rules, and subscribers count captured contacts. The table keeps those labels rather than presenting all allowances as an equivalent amount of free traffic.
### A high product score is not a free-plan score
Getsitecontrol’s advanced form and targeting capabilities contribute to its rating even though Pro is required for many of them. Popupsmart’s testing capability starts on Advanced. By contrast, OptiMonk currently includes its feature set in Free and charges for more capacity.
The same shared product score cannot describe these free entitlements as though they were identical. This guide uses the score for a consistent ordering and the prose for the actual free-plan boundaries. It does not create a second, unverified rating model.
### The integration can be the paid feature
Poper’s free game access does not include external integrations. Klaviyo’s signup forms, by contrast, already belong to its profile and email system. These are different starting points for someone who wants contacts to reach a usable mailing list automatically.
A free form that saves submissions is not necessarily a free connection to the service that sends the newsletter. Fields, destination lists and subscription status can also change the usefulness of that connection.
[Mailchimp routes](https://popuppapa.com/mailchimp-popup-integrations/index.md) · [Klaviyo routes](https://popuppapa.com/klaviyo-popup-integrations/index.md)
### One live campaign can be enough—or the real limit
Popupsmart limits Free to one live popup. Other offers allow more campaigns but constrain visitors, contacts or domains. A site running one signup may fit the first model; a site with separate notices, surveys and audience-specific offers may reach the campaign limit before it reaches the traffic cap.
A campaign count also differs from a variation count or a multi-step form. The relevant unit is what the plan allows to be active, not how many drafts can be created in the editor. Testing can add a separate upgrade requirement.
### Free Shopify apps have their own scope
CWILL and Pop Convert are Shopify-focused products. Their view, subscriber and store-plan terms should not be applied to an ordinary WordPress or custom website. Getsitecontrol’s separate Shopify popup app also should not be confused with the main platform in this table.
A free app can be a strong fit within its platform, but installation compatibility and plan scope come before the headline allowance. The Shopify selection compares those store-specific connections in more detail.
[Shopify popup apps](https://popuppapa.com/best-shopify-popup-apps/index.md)
## Six limits behind a free popup plan
A useful free plan is defined by what can stay live, not only by a zero on the pricing page.
1. 01Publishing. Building and previewing are different from serving the popup on a real website.
2. 02Renewal period. Monthly capacity and a one-time lifetime allowance are different offers.
3. 03Counting unit. Pageviews, visitors, widget displays and new subscribers are not interchangeable.
4. 04Live campaigns. A limit on active popups can matter before a traffic allowance is exhausted.
5. 05Connections. Saving a lead and sending it automatically to the required platform can have different access tiers.
6. 06Upgrade boundary. Branding removal, testing, conditional logic and additional sites may each change the required plan.
## Common questions
What is the best free popup builder?
There is no single winner for every free workload. Klaviyo is useful for forms inside a small email programme, Getsitecontrol provides basic widgets measured by displays, and OptiMonk currently includes a broad feature set without branding within its pageview cap. The scores shown here describe whole products, not free tiers alone.
Which free popup software has no branding?
OptiMonk’s current Free offer includes branding removal. Other builders may reserve it for a paid plan, such as Poptin Basic or Popupsmart Basic. A free publishing allowance should not be assumed to remove the provider’s branding.
Are free popup apps really free forever?
An ongoing free plan has no scheduled trial end, but it still has limits and the provider can change its terms. A lifetime view allowance and a renewable monthly allowance are different. A free trial that renews into paid access should not be treated as the same offer.
Can I use a free popup builder with Mailchimp?
It depends on whether the connection is included, not just whether the editor is free. Poper gates integrations behind paid access. Other products have different plan rules and field mapping. The destination guide compares the connector behaviour.
[Compare Mailchimp integrations](https://popuppapa.com/mailchimp-popup-integrations/index.md)
Why is ConvertFlow not in the free publishing list?
Its free offer supports building and previewing rather than publishing a live campaign. It can be useful for evaluating a funnel, but it does not meet this article’s requirement for ongoing free website use.
Why is Hello Bar not included?
Its free allowance is lifetime rather than a replenishing monthly allowance. That can support a limited evaluation, but it is not directly comparable with the ongoing free tiers selected here. The Hello Bar review explains the paid monthly and annual options.
[Read the Hello Bar review](https://popuppapa.com/reviews/hellobar/index.md)
Do free Shopify popup apps include unlimited signups?
Not necessarily. CWILL allows unlimited popup views but limits new subscribers, and Pop Convert has session and subscriber caps. A view allowance says nothing by itself about the number of contacts or emails included.
[Compare Shopify popup apps](https://popuppapa.com/best-shopify-popup-apps/index.md)
Can I run exit-intent popups for free?
Some plans include the trigger, while others reserve advanced timing for paid access. OptiMonk and Klaviyo offer form triggers within their free limits; Getsitecontrol requires Pro or Pro Max for advanced triggers. The particular plan matters more than the general feature list.
[Compare exit-intent tools](https://popuppapa.com/best-exit-intent-popup-tools/index.md)
## Related articles
[### Email signup popup tools
Compare capture capabilities beyond the entry allowance.](https://popuppapa.com/best-email-signup-popup-tools/index.md)
·
[### Shopify popup apps
Understand the platform-specific free and paid options.](https://popuppapa.com/best-shopify-popup-apps/index.md)
·
[### Popup software for agencies
See how sites and team access change the buying decision.](https://popuppapa.com/best-popup-software-for-agencies/index.md)