Popupsmart vs OptinMonster: how each meters traffic, which plans include exit intent and who should pick which

Popupsmart vs OptinMonster: the main difference is the meter

Both tools show popups on any site that can run a script, and both let you target by page, device and visitor behavior. The main difference is what they count. Popupsmart counts a pageview each time any page of your site loads. OptinMonster's pricing page says it does not charge by website pageviews and counts an impression only when a visitor sees an OptinMonster campaign.

Both vendors' pages were read on October 23, 2026, and amounts are left to those pages.

Side by side: what each vendor's pages state

• Meter: Popupsmart counts pageviews each month. OptinMonster counts campaign impressions.
• Free plan: Popupsmart lists 5,000 pageviews, one website and one live popup. OptinMonster's pricing page lists no free plan and offers a 14-day money-back guarantee.
• Plan ladder: Popupsmart runs Free, Basic, Advanced, Pro and Expert, sized from 5,000 to 500,000 pageviews. OptinMonster runs Basic, Plus, Pro and Growth, sized from 2,500 to 100,000 impressions and from one to five sites.
• Exit intent: Popupsmart's pages say it is on every plan, the free one included. OptinMonster lists its Exit Intent technology starting on the Pro plan.
• A/B testing: it starts on Popupsmart's Advanced plan and on OptinMonster's Plus plan.
• Formats: OptinMonster lists content locking on Plus, and follow-up campaigns and unlimited sub-accounts on Growth. Popupsmart's own comparison page says OptinMonster has more formats, including inline and sidebar forms.
• Billing: OptinMonster says new plans are billed annually by default, with monthly billing available, and that its first-year offer renews at the normal amount. Popupsmart has a monthly view and an annual view with a discount.

A worked example of the two meters

Take a shop with 40,000 pageviews in its busiest month that shows one exit offer to about one visitor in twenty. That is an illustration, not a forecast. A pageview meter counts all 40,000 page loads. An impression meter counts roughly 2,000 views of the offer.

OptinMonster's own FAQ advises a plan with 20 to 30 percent more impressions than your pageviews, to cover a sitewide popup plus other targeted campaigns. Under that advice the two quotas end up close in size for a site that runs several campaigns on most pages. Run the same sum with your own analytics before you choose.

What each vendor says about the other

Popupsmart's OptinMonster page is written by Popupsmart and states that it makes one of the tools listed. It argues that Popupsmart suits a team without a developer, and it concedes OptinMonster's advantages: more formats and a longer list of integrations, which the page puts at 35 against its own 19.

OptinMonster's pricing page argues that its impression meter does not penalize traffic growth, and says it will not turn off campaigns when you pass a limit but will move you to the next tier when one is available. Both are sales positions, so compare the features you need on each pricing page.

Which to choose

• Choose Popupsmart if your site sits near its free allowance, you want exit intent without a paid tier, or you run a Shopify store and want the app.
• Choose OptinMonster if you want inline forms, content locking, follow-up campaigns or sub-accounts for client sites, or if a high-traffic site shows popups to few visitors.
• Choose neither yet if a free plan with a larger allowance or a free WordPress plugin covers the job. OptiMonk lists 10,000 free pageviews, and Popup Maker's core is free but puts exit intent in its Pro version.

Questions to ask before you pay

• Which count will I hit first, pageviews or impressions, using my own busiest month?
• What renews at what amount after an introductory first year, and for how long can I cancel?
• What does the free popup display, and what happens to my popups when the allowance runs out?
• Which triggers and formats sit behind a higher plan? The Popupsmart pricing guide and the shortlist set out the other options.