Pick a Getsitecontrol alternative by what happens after someone fills in your popup. If you mainly want more email sign-ups, a focused popup builder is enough; if you run an online shop, look at tools that join popups to email and SMS; and if you want to test what converts, choose a broader onsite marketing platform.
Getsitecontrol has grown beyond popups. Its homepage now leads with collecting emails, sending newsletters and building automations, so some people leaving it want a simpler popup tool and others want a fuller email setup. Below are eight options in no particular order, with a quick table first.
Eight popup tools in a quick table
| Tool | Type | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Justuno | Popups and visitor identification | Growing email and SMS lists |
| OptiMonk | AI popup agent for stores | Describing a popup and letting AI build it |
| OptinMonster | Lead generation software | Catching visitors who are about to leave |
| Poptin | Popups plus email automation | Popups and email campaigns in one account |
| Popupsmart | No-code popup builder | Template-based popups on any website |
| Privy | Ecommerce email, SMS and popups | Online shops joining popups to email and SMS |
| Sleeknote | Popups and visitor insight | Learning who sign-ups are, not just collecting them |
| Wisepops | Onsite marketing platform | Turning existing traffic into more conversions |
Targeting and timing decide whether a popup helps
Every tool here can put a box on your screen. What separates them is when that box appears and who sees it. A popup that greets a first-time visitor the second the page loads tends to get closed; the same offer shown to someone who's read two articles, or is about to leave, often earns a sign-up.
So test how each tool targets and times popups, and what it sends to your email tool once someone fills one in. If the sign-up lands in your email platform with the right tags, the popup's doing its job. If you're exporting spreadsheets by hand every week, it isn't, however good the design looks.
Mobile is where most of the difference shows. A popup that looks neat on a laptop can cover the whole screen on a phone, with a close button too small to tap. Preview every popup on a real phone before it goes live, and check the form fields work with the phone's keyboard. If a tool makes mobile versions awkward to build, that's a warning sign for everything else you'll build in it.
Shop, publisher or service site?
Ecommerce stores
Privy, Justuno, OptiMonk and Sleeknote all speak to online stores, linking popups to email or SMS and learning more about each visitor.
Lead generation on any site
OptinMonster and Popupsmart focus on capturing leads on any kind of website, from blogs to service businesses, without needing a developer.
Popups plus email in one account
Poptin bundles popups with email campaigns and automations, the closest match if you liked having both under one roof.
Broader onsite marketing
Wisepops goes beyond popups into onsite channels and conversion tools, for sites with enough traffic to run tests and learn from them.
Popup and lead capture tools, A to Z
Alphabetical, in no particular order. Each line paraphrases the vendor's own pitch.
Justuno
Best for: Growing email and SMS lists with popups plus visitor identification, which the vendor positions as the tools behind better list growth.
OptiMonk
Best for: Online stores wanting to describe a popup in plain words and have an AI agent design, write and publish it, per the vendor.
OptinMonster
Best for: Catching visitors who are about to leave, using the vendor's exit-intent technology to turn them into subscribers.
Poptin
Best for: Running popups, forms and email automations from one account; the vendor says you can start for free without a card.
Popupsmart
Best for: Building popups without code from ready templates and AI-assisted design, and connecting them to most websites, as the vendor describes it.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Privy
Best for: Ecommerce brands combining pop-ups with email and SMS marketing in one place, according to the vendor.
Sleeknote
Best for: Shops that want to learn who visitors are, not just collect emails, using popups, forms and gamified campaigns, per the vendor.
Wisepops
Best for: Sites with steady traffic that want more of it to convert, using onsite channels, AI and conversion tools the vendor groups together.
Advice for site owners before switching popup tools
Write down every popup you're running now, where it shows, what it offers and where the sign-ups go. Rebuild the one that brings in the most sign-ups first, connect it to your email tool and check a test sign-up arrives with the right tags. Only then move the rest across, and switch the old script off so two tools aren't firing at once.
Keep the offer more important than the design. A useful checklist, guide or discount code beats a clever animation every time. Match the offer to the page: a reader on a how-to article wants the template that goes with it, while a shopper on a product page cares about delivery or a first-order code. For more ways to turn visitors into leads, see my roundup of conversion tools for your website and these tools for website interactivity.
Popup mistakes that annoy visitors
- Showing a popup the instant the page loads, before anyone's read a word.
- Covering the whole screen on mobile with no easy way to close it.
- Asking for a phone number, a company name and a job title when an email address would do.
- Showing the same popup again to someone who's already signed up.
- Promising a freebie and then sending nothing, or sending it days later.
Do you make popup software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
Do popups hurt SEO?
Popups that cover the content on mobile frustrate visitors, so check Google's own guidance on intrusive interstitials before you launch one. Smaller banners and exit popups tend to get in the way less.
What's an exit-intent popup?
It's a popup that appears when a visitor's mouse moves towards closing the tab or leaving the page, giving you one last chance to make an offer.
How often should a popup appear?
Show it once, then hold back for a while for anyone who closes it. Most tools let you set frequency rules, so test what your visitors put up with.
Can popups collect phone numbers for SMS?
Several tools can, but text marketing usually needs clear consent. Rules vary by country, so check your regulator's guidance before you start sending texts.
What should I offer in a popup?
Something your visitor wants right now: a checklist, a guide, early access or a discount code. Match the offer to the page they're reading.
Do I need a separate email tool as well?
Some popup tools include email sending; others pass sign-ups to your email platform. Check the connection works before you rely on it.
