OptinMonster Versus Other Lead Generation Tools Like Sumo

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There are now several low-cost tools to give your website lead capture and subscriber conversion rate a huge boost. However, these lead generation tools all vary slightly in features and its often hard to decide which is best to use.

To help you understand the differences and pick one that best fits your needs, I have compared and rated the three major options available – OptinMonster, Sumo and Popup Domination.

You can see OptinMonster on my website which powers the popup that appears when you move your mouse to leave my website – known as an exit-intent popup. This tool gave me a huge boost in my email subscriber conversion rate – from 18% to 40%.

Here are the ratings and comparisons for these three major lead generation tools:

opt-in monster logo
Cost rating
8/10 The pro plan is $39 per month, but also has a free very limited version. 7/10 The basic plan starts at $16 per month with limited features. 9/10 The starter plan is $9 per month and has all features.
Types of lead generation available 8/10 Popup forms, slide in forms, footer/header bars, welcome mats, and embeddable forms. 9/10 Popup forms, slide in forms, footer/header bars, full screen forms, and embeddable forms. 7/10 Popup form styles, but no options for embedded, header/footer or slide in forms.
Quality and amount of pre-built templates
8/10 Good quality but not a huge variety of templates, all work on mobile too. 9/10 Great variety of templates, and all work on mobile. Good option to create from blank canvas. 7/10 Varying quality of templates – some great, some basic. All work on mobile.
Ease of setting up
9/10 Very easy to setup. Works with any type of website. 9/10 Very easy to setup. Works with any type of website. 8/10 Very easy to setup. Works with any type of website.
Ability to customize
8/10 Good for customization options with a fairly easy to use builder. 9/10 Highly customizable, with very easy to use drag and drop builder. 7/10 Fairly good customization options and editor, but is still lacking in some areas.
Exit intent popup options 8/10 Reasonable exit-intent options, and included in all plans. 8/10 Great exit-intent options, but only for plus plan and up (from $29). 7/10 Reasonable exit-intent options, and included in all plans.
Analytics and A/B testing capabilities 8/10 Simple analytics, with A/B testing functionality included in all plans. 8/10 Good analytics and A/B testing, but only for plus plan and up (from $29). 7/10 Simple analytics, with A/B testing functionality included in all plans.
Overall rating 8/10 Good tool that is continually improving and offering new features. 9/10 Best all around tool with the most features, just slightly more expensive. 7/10 Great low price, but only has popups. Not that easy or customizable.
 Free trial? Get a 14-day free trial of Sumo Get a 14-day free trial of Optin Monster Get a 14-day free trial of Popup Domination


Which is better? OptinMonster, Sumo or Popup Domination

OptinMonster and Sumo are clearly the best if you want more than just popups. And while its the most expensive for exit-intent popups, I think OptinMonster is the best because it offers the most features like full screen popups, slide-up forms and footer forms, and launches new features regularly. The drag and drop is also very easy to use and is better than the one in the other tools.

All three have 14 day free trials, so don’t just take my word for it – give one a spin, and you can always try another if you don’t like it.

optinmonster editor

Visitor incentives and follow-up emails are also essential

You need more than just a lead generation tool though – it is even more important to offer a compelling incentive to capture the highest amount of leads or subscribers. Don’t just offer a signup to your newsletter, as this is not very engaging. To give your lead generation conversion rates a great boost, you should give away something of value for free (like I have done with my free conversion toolbox).

Other good incentive ideas are giving away a free guide relating to your website, a first time purchase discount, or a free trial or consultation. I suggest you use the A/B testing options in these tools to see which converts better for your audience. You should also test different imagery and headlines for your incentives to see which converts best.

To increase the chances of visitors comverting from your emails, you need to design a compelling series of follow-up emails. These should have the aim of ‘softly and gradually’ converting them for your main website goals (like a purchase or additional orders). Don’t be too salesy, aim to give useful content in combination with a few emails that explain the benefits of what you are offering.