If you use WordPress, then having a WordPress email subscription plugin is crucial to growing your email list.
The right plugin can help to build a list of interested readers or customers and create targeted marketing campaigns and promotions.
With automation workflows, you can send out a series of emails to welcome new subscribers, re-engage passive ones, and capture abandoned products and cart recoveries at the perfect time.
The hardest part? Researching the best plugins and finding the ones that do everything you need.
In this article, we reveal the 10 best email subscription plugins, with insight into their features and how to get the most from them.
Create and manage email marketing & SMS campaigns directly from your WordPress website with Omnisend’s plugin
Top 10 WordPress email subscription plugins in 2023
You need the right WordPress email subscription plugins to effectively implement email subscriptions on your site. But with hundreds of plugins available, how do you choose?
We’ve done the research and settled on the top 10 effective and easy-to-use WordPress email subscription plugins.
Whether you need robust email marketing or list management features, there’s a plugin here to fit your needs.
These plugins make it simple to create signup forms, manage subscribers, and integrate with top providers to grow your mailing list.
Omnisend is one of the top email marketing and automation platforms, with a particular focus on ecommerce brands.
It offers an excellent WordPress email subscription plugin that helps you grow your email list and boost your conversions.
With Omnisend, you can create beautiful and responsive signup forms that match your brand and website design. You can also customize the form fields, triggers, and display options to suit your needs.
Install and activate the Omnisend for WordPress plugin in your WordPress admin panel
Go to the Omnisend tab in WordPress and enter the API key
Click Connect to Omnisend to complete the integration
Once connected, you can create and manage forms to collect subscribers
You can then segment subscribers and send email campaigns through Omnisend
Alternatively, you can connect through Omnisend:
In Omnisend’s dashboard, click Connect your store and select WordPress
Click Install Omnisend plugin to go to the WordPress marketplace
Install and activate the plugin in WordPress
Copy the API key provided in Omnisend and paste it into WordPress
Click Connect to Omnisend in WordPress to complete the setup
Verify the API connection in Omnisend to ensure it’s working correctly
Sign up for Omnisend. If you haven’t already, create an account on Omnisend’s website. You can start with a free plan or choose a paid plan for more email sends.
Proceed with front-end integration. In Omnisend, head over to the Dashboard. Alternatively, access the Connect your store page through the drop-down menu at the top right.
Select your store. Choose your ecommerce platform. If your store isn’t listed, select Other as your store platform and enter your store’s URL.
Copy the snippet code. On the next page, you’ll get the snippet to add to your store code. You’ll need to paste it into the HTML source code of your website right before the closing </body> tags.
Add the snippet to your online store. You must insert the snippet code into every page of your store. You can use a WordPress plugin like Code Snippets to help you inject codes as needed.
Install code snippets. Go to your WordPress admin dashboards. Access the Plugins page, and search for Code Snippets. Install and activate it.
Paste your code snippet. Check for the Snippets app that appears in the WordPress admin dashboard sidebar. Open it, and search for Example Javascript snippet. Click the slider to enable it, then click Edit to paste your snippet.
Replace <YOUR_BRAND_ID> with your Omnisend Brand ID. Confirm your Omnisend Brand ID reflects in the pasted snippet.
Run the snippet. Select the option to Run snippet everywhere to render it on all pages. Rename the snippet and save your changes.
Verify. Return to the Omnisend store connection page and click on Verify. You’ve successfully completed the front-end integration.
OptinMonster is a popular email subscription plugin for WordPress. It helps website owners grow their email lists, increase sales, and improve their business.
OptinMonster does this by facilitating the creation of beautiful popups and email subscription forms. Other types of interactive popups include sticky announcement bars and gamified spin-a-wheel opt-in forms. Mobile popups and targeted offers are also available.
Let’s check out OptinMonster’s main features and pricing.
Features
Multiple form types, e.g., lightbox, slide-in, floating bar, inline, etc.
Smart targeting and segmentation options
A/B split testing and analytics
Drag-and-drop form builder with dynamic elements like countdown timers
Hundreds of pre-built popup templates
Exit-intent popups and onsite retargeting
Email marketing and CRM integrations
Behavior-based personalization and geolocation targeting for popups
Yet another of the best email list-building plugins available is Thrive Leads.
This email subscription plugin for WordPress supports all the standard form types. These include popup lightboxes and sticky ribbons. It also has opt-in widgets and a content lock.
Additionally, Thrive Leads has direct API integrations for several email marketing services.
Unfortunately, Thrive Leads doesn’t have a free version or trial so there’s no way to test out its features before committing.
Features
Design and deploy various opt-in forms with a drag-and-drop editor
Advanced targeting options based on posts, categories, tags, and more
A/B testing engine to compare different forms and find the best performers
Actionable reporting and insights to track your opt-in form performance
Integration with popular email marketing services and other tools
Bloom, by Elegant Themes, is part of the design framework and theme builder plugin Divi. To use Bloom you need a Divi subscription.
Bloom has over 100 templates and six different display types to choose from. Some of these are popups, fly-ins, and inline forms. This variety in form types makes it possible to match your site’s design and branding.
Bloom also integrates with popular email marketing services. These include Mailchimp, AWeber, ConvertKit, and more.
However, this WP email subscription plugin has a few drawbacks. It lacks some standard features like a visual drag-and-drop builder and exit-intent popups. Also, you can only use the plugin once you’ve signed up for Divi.
Features
Unlimited opt-in forms that can be highly targeted
MailPoet is a WordPress email subscription plugin that offers a simple, intuitive, and robust solution for creating and delivering beautiful emails to the right inboxes. It can handle your newsletters, email customization, and lots more.
It’s easy to use and has a drag-and-drop editor that lets you design beautiful emails in minutes. You can also segment your subscribers based on various criteria.
However, MailPoet has limited customization options for its opt-in forms and email templates.
Features
Create and add newsletter subscription forms to your site
Create automated emails based on user actions or events
Subscriber segmentation options based on behavior and interests
Pre-built, customizable email and subscription form templates
WPForms is a popular and user-friendly WordPress email subscription plugin. It allows you to create and embed beautiful forms on your website. You can use it to collect email addresses, grow your email list, and send newsletters to your subscribers.
WPForms also has advanced features like conditional logic, file uploads, and payment integration.
However, WPForms isn’t a dedicated email marketing tool. It only helps you capture leads. You need to integrate it with a third-party service like Omnisend to send automated emails and SMS messages.
Features
Drag-and-drop form builder
Responsive and mobile-friendly forms
Email marketing integration
Form templates and layouts
Smart conditional logic for high-performance forms
Responsive, mobile-friendly forms
Spam protection and CAPTCHA
Payment integration with PayPal, Stripe, Square, and more
Pricing
Basic: $99/year
Plus: $199/year
Pro: $399/year
Elite: $599/year
Other WordPress email subscription plugins
Looking for more options to add an email subscription feature to your WordPress site? Check out these other WordPress email subscription plugins:
Icegram Express: Lets you create various types of opt-in forms, such as popups, sidebars, ribbons, and more. You can also customize the design, behavior, and targeting of your forms. Icegram has a free Starter plan. Pro costs $129/year, while Max costs $229/year. Only the Max plan supports email sending, automation workflows, and detailed reports.
Subscribe2: Allows you to send email notifications to your subscribers when you publish a new post. You can also create categories and let your subscribers choose which ones they want to receive updates from. There’s both a Free and Premium version (starts from $5/month). There’s a Free plan for up to 3,000 subscribers, and a Premium version from $5/month for unlimited subscribers.
BDOW!: Offers a suite of tools to grow your email list, such as welcome mats, scroll boxes, smart bars, and more. There’s a free version for up to 500 emails per month and less than 10,000 monthly visits. If you need more, there are Starter, Plus, and Pro plans at $12, $19, and $39 per month, respectively. The Starter plan adds popups, while the Plus and Pro plans support email campaigns and A/B testing.
Email Subscription Popup: Enables the creation of simple and responsive popup forms that ask visitors to subscribe to your newsletter. You can also customize the appearance, content, and timing of your popup. Email Subscription Popup has both free and Pro versions starting at $17.13 (one-time payments).
Choose the right WordPress email subscription plugin for you: Look for a plugin that’s user-friendly and offers the features you need. We’ve discussed a few great options, like Omnisend, further down this article.
Install and activate the plugin: Install the chosen plugin on your WordPress site. Navigate to your WordPress dashboard, select Plugins, and click Add New. Upload or search for the chosen plugin, then install and activate it.
Configure plugin settings: Access the plugin’s form builder and configure its settings according to your preferences. Most plugins provide pre-made templates to make this fast. Customize the form fields, layout, and confirmation or call-to-action (CTA) message.
Embed the form on your site: Generate the subscription form and use the provided shortcode or widget to embed it.
Test, preview, and save: Preview the page or post to ensure the subscription form appears as expected. Fix any display issues on mobile and confirm the signup process works as intended. Save the changes when you’re satisfied with the form’s placement.
Once your subscription form is ready, ensure you promote it throughout your website and in your content. This will help maximize your subscription rate. You can also consider creating dedicated landing pages to encourage more signups.
What features should a WordPress email subscription plugin have?
When choosing a WordPress (WP) email subscription plugin, consider the features it offers to ensure it aligns with your goals and needs.
Remember, email subscription plugins for WordPress aren’t all created equal. Here are some key features you should look for:
Easy to use: The plugin should be simple to set up and manage, even for beginners. Go for those with a user-friendly interface.
Customization: Check for options to customize emails and signup forms. Their appearance and content should match your website’s branding and design.
Integration: Seamless integration with your email marketing provider and other tools saves time. You won’t have to export and import subscriber lists.
Features: Ensure your WordPress email subscription plugin has all the essential features. These include signup forms, confirmation emails, and list management.
Double opt-in: This feature requires subscribers to confirm their email addresses. By adding this extra step, opt-in emails prevent spam signups and enhance consent.
Email automation:Automation allows sending targeted emails based on subscriber actions or triggers. These include welcome emails and re-engagement flows.
Analytics: This feature provides valuable insights into your email subscription list’s performance. Track subscriber growth, engagement stats, conversions, and more.
Image via Omnisend
Nice-to-have features:
Responsive design: Ensures subscription forms are mobile-friendly to capture subscribers from various devices
A/B testing: Lets you test different versions of your subscription forms to determine the most effective ones
Exit-intent popups: Appear when users are about to leave your site, providing a last chance to capture their email address
Conditional logic: Allows you to show or hide specific fields in your subscription forms based on user behavior or choices
There are plenty of WordPress email subscription plugins that let you create opt-in forms and manage subscribers directly within WordPress.
Omnisend, WPForms, and OptinMonster go further with automation workflows for sending emails, but only Omnisend combines advanced features with ease of use.
Its drag-and-drop form builder lets you quickly create perfect customized signup forms, while automation workflows enable targeted campaigns based on subscriber behaviors.
Integration with WooCommerce and other plugins further enhances its functionality for ecommerce sites, helping integrate transactional email workflows that capture sales.
Whichever email subscription plugins interest you, thoroughly research their features and workflows before committing to any paid plan.
Ready to start building your email list? Check out Omnisend’s powerful and intuitive email marketing platform
Richard is a Content Marketing Manager at Omnisend. An avid writer, he's said to have been born holding a pencil. Fascinated by all things handmade, if he's not reading or writing he can often be found practicing leathercraft.
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