ConvertBox vs OptinMonster – Ultimate Showdown

Converting website visitors into leads, subscribers and customers.

That's what we all want a bit more of right?

And that's pretty much why you're here.

Maximum Conversion Rate Optimization!

Which of these two lead generation tools does the better job of it?

I've used both ConvertBox and OptinMonster extensively, and across different sites.

They both work. 

They are both packed with advanced features, and powerful features, that translate into real benefits for you!

And they're both worth the money…well…mostly!!! 

ConvertBox vs OptinMonster…do I have a clear favourite?..  

…of course I do!

ConvertBox vs OptinMonster

What Is ConvertBox?

ConvertBox is a cloud-based lead generation and list building tool.

It enables you to create highly personalized and targeted opt-in forms to grow the conversions from your website traffic. 

Through it's use of multi-step and multi-choice funnels, ConvertBox has powerful segmentation and targeting capabilities that build maximum engagement through genuine personalization.

ConvertBox is fully hosted and is easily installed on any website, WordPress or not.

In addition, ConvertBox has a beautiful, super easy-to-use visual editor.

We're talking point-and-click 3.0!

Before we go any further, let's take a quick look at ConvertBox's core features:

ConvertBox – Core Features:

Intelligent Targeting – Personalized messages based on ESP/CRM data, site activity, referring site etc.
Segmentation Funnels – Multiple choice funnels for segmenting and delivering personalized offers
Lead Capture Forms – Get the data you need with custom form fields
Drag & Drop Simplicity – Customize every part of your ConvertBox in-line with your brand
A/B Split Testing – Create multiple test variations and learn from real time data what's converting best
Track Everything – Real time detailed analytics and insights for each stage of your funnel

You can dig a little deeper and read my full ConvertBox Review if you like.

Let's now take a look at OptinMonster and then try to figure out where these two tools differ.

What is OptinMonster?

OptinMonster is one of the longest-running, and most powerful lead generation / list building tools available.

Since its launch way back in 2013, OptinMonster has become one of the most popular and widely used tools of its kind.  

OptinMonster is stacked with customizable triggers and targeting so that your campaigns deliver real results.

It's popular with marketing agencies, eCommerce sites, bloggers and all kinds of businesses looking to generate online leads.

And like ConvertBox, it works straight out of the box with all major website platforms.

Let's take a brief look at the core features of OptinMonster:

OptinMonster – Core Features:

Campaign Types – Choose campaign type to display the most attention-grabbing offers to your visitors
Campaign Types – Choose campaign type to display the most attention-grabbing offers to your visitors
Campaign Triggers – Detect visitor behaviour to trigger the right campaign at the right time
Drag-and-Drop Builder – Build stunning opt-in forms, optimized for high conversion rates
Targeted Campaigns – Build campaigns that get more leads, more subscribers, and make more sales
Actionable Insights – Collect the stats you need to take action and improve your lead-gen

If you want a broader view of a few more lead generation tools, take a read of this previous post: OptinMonster Alternatives.

That's probably enough background and outline on these two tools.

For me, the following 5 areas are where I think lead generation tools have to excel if they are going to make a meaningful difference to your conversion rates:  

5 Must-Have Features Of Top Lead Generation Tools 

If you want to be super competitive in the online marketing world, your lead generation software is going to have to come with these key features:

Key Feature 1: Intelligent Targeting

Key Feature 2: Segmentation Funnels

Key Feature 3: Engaging On-Site Messages

Key Feature 4: Lead Capture Forms / Multiple Custom Form Fields

Key Feature 5: A/B Split Testing

Let's take a closer look at these five key features, and see how both ConvertBox and OptinMonster measure up.

#1. Intelligent Targeting

Intelligent targeting is all about not treating every website visitor exactly the same.

So you cut out all of that infuriating stuff, like getting served the same pop-up message even though you've said no to it a thousand times before.

Or being asked to join the email list, when you're already on it and have been for ages.

Intelligent targeting knows how the visitor found their way to your site, whether they've visited before, as well as what they've already signed-up to, or previously purchased.

ConvertBox's ‘Intelligent Targeting' is committed to increasing the number of conversions from your website visitors.

It knows where visitors came from, where they are in the sales funnel, which actions they've previously taken on your site, as well as which pages they've viewed.

All of this means that visitors see messages that are highly specific to them and so the experience on your sire feels completely personal.

OptinMonster's ‘Precise Targeting' achieves a very similar thing with its ‘Targeting Conditions' and ‘Triggers'.

In a very similar way to ConvertBox, these are based on user behaviour so that all of your site messaging is  personalized, and therefore more persuasive

Set up correctly, these targeting conditions and triggers will mean that your campaigns will be displayed at the right time, to the right people.

If you really commit to getting to grips with intelligent targeting rules, either with ConvertBox or OptinMonster…

…you will see your conversion rates soar!

Which Is Best?

Wow this is seriously tough. 

Both of these are ahead of the chasing pack with their cutting-edge intelligent targeting technology.

They both do exactly what they are supposed to do, which is to maximise your conversions.

I prefer the set up process with ConvertBox because I find it more intuitive and it just seems to have a better flow to it.

But that's just a bit of personal preference I guess.

Too tight to call. This one is getting marked down as a draw.

#2. Segmentation Funnels

The natural progression from intelligent targeting is of course ‘Segmentation Funnels'.

Simply put these are dynamic funnels that intelligently direct, and re-direct, your customers so that they are always taking the best path through your funnels, dependant on their behaviour.

In my opinion, ConvertBox's ‘Segmentation Funnels' are in a class of their own.

You can set them up for highly personalized offers, discounts, bargains, prizes, all fully tailored to individual needs.

They're easy to set up, easy to change when needed, and most importantly they get results.

With OptinMonster you can achieve a similar outcome through clever use of targeting, triggers and campaign set-up. 

But I have found it to be a much clunkier process than with ConvertBox.

Which Is Best?

Yes you can create bespoke funnels with both. 

But because of the super easy set-up process, this is a hands-down win for ConvertBox in my book.  

#3. Engaging On-Site Messages

Fully engaging your visitors by addressing them personally, and adjusting offers through dynamic text replacement, are key to effective on-site messaging.

ConvertBox has got this feature nailed to the floor.  

Easy to set-up. easy to change if needed…and it works.

And there doesn't seem to be any limit on the type of offers you can apply this to with ConvertBox.

Whether you want to try and persuade a visitor to make a last-minute purchase through a totally fresh offer…

…or you want to try and get a new email subscriber to stay and complete a quiz, it's all easily available.  

In a similar way, OptinMonster's ‘OnSite Retargeting' identifies on-site behaviour and can target your visitors with offers perfectly matched to the topic they have been reading.

If the user accepts the offer, you can target them again with an even more specific offer, moving them further down the funnel.

If they decline the offer, well, that's just another opportunity to target them again, but with a different offer or message.

Which Is Best?

This technology can supercharge your customer acquisition and massively boost sales.

Both of these tools have powerful conditional rules functionality. I find ConvertBox's offering to be a little ahead of OptinMonster's.

I make this a win for ConvertBox.

#4. Lead Capture Forms / Multiple Custom Form Fields

From your site visitor's perspective, your lead capture forms need to be eye-catching.

They also need to have a very clear call-to-action, and look like they're going to be quick and easy to complete.

From your perspective, they must collect the data you need through custom form fields, and the data from each custom field must be able to be be passed on to your email marketing service provider and/or CRM.

From my own experience, both ConvertBox and OptinMonster provide all the necessary tools to create extremely effective lead capture forms.     

ConvertBox allows you to either pick a template and use it as it is, pick a template and customize it to suit, or build your forms from scratch.

As far as the form fields are concerned, you can pretty much set them up to collect just about any data you want. And you can easily add things like countdown timers if you wish.

You can set the forms up with whatever tags you want so that when the data is received by your CRM/ESP, they are automatically added to the correct campaign and/or email list. 

Once you've designed your conversion crushing opt-in forms, all you have to do is decide where you're going to place them. And whether you're going to tun single-step or multi-step forms.

These are ConvertBox's display options:

Sticky-Bar – this is the bar that can sit at either the top or bottom of the page
Slide-In/Callout Modal – comes in from either side of the page
Full-Page Overlay – covers the entire page
Center Modal – varying size box that pops-in over the middle of the page
Inline/Embedded – sits wherever you like inside your blog post or page content

OptinMonster has got pretty much every base covered when it comes to types of forms, lead capture form creation and display options. 

If you can't create form you want with OptinMonster, I would have to say that I think it's probably not possible to create, period!

You can use templates or design your own from scratch, and you can hook everything up to speak to your CRM/ESP, so that your campaigns run perfectly seamlessly.

Here are your OptinMonster display options:

Lightbox Popup
Floating Bar Display 
Fullscreen Welcome Mat 
Slide-in Scroll Box 
Inline Forms 
Gamified 

Which Is Best?

I don't think anyone offers more opt-in form templates, as well as design and display options, than OptinMonster.  

There is a hairs-breadth between them, and personally I prefer ConvertBox's opt-in form builder, with its slick visual editor, but…

…I'm going to say this a is a win for OptinMonster.

#5. A/B Split Testing

A/B testing is an essential part of online marketing.

So it stands to reason that when your choosing a lead-generation tool, it needs to come with powerful, and easy-to-use, split testing features.

You need to be able to test everything, and you need to be able to set your tests up quickly and without fuss.

ConvertBox has a super-simple A/B testing set-up process.  

And a split-testing dashboard that is very easy on the eye.

Inside the editor, you just click on ‘Create A/B Test' and ‘Create New Variation', to get a cloned version of your form, you then simply make whatever change you want to the cloned form and deploy your split test.

OptinMonster offers a similarly easy-to-use A/B testing set-up process.

Pretty much it's just a case of point and click to create your variation from the original form, all ready to start your testing.

Which Is Best?

Both powerful. Both easy to use.

It's got to be a draw.  

Does ConvertBox Work?

Yes, well, for me it does anyway.

Straight out of the box ConvertBox gave me a massive boost to my affiliate link clicks, and it happened almost overnight!

My set-up for this huge boost was simply this…

All I did was use the ‘Full Page' screen instead of the Center Modal, Sticky Bar or Callout Modal. 

I also used an image with text, rather than just text alone.

I split tested a few slightly different versions over three days. The usual stuff, tinkering around with email address field colours, field placement etc.

Next I created five different versions of the most successful full-page pop-up.

The reason I created five is because I targeted each one at specific visitors to my site.

I target via categories and tags, which are super easy to set-up and apply inside ConvertBox.

ConvertBox enables you to specify exactly which forms pop-up on which pages, through applying, or excluding, categories and/or tags. 

It sounds complicated, but it isn't, thanks to how easy ConvertBox is to use.

And it is well worth doing. 

Making sure that my site visitors are targeted with highly relevant, engaging, full-page opt-in forms, is what has given my affiliate clicks a massive boost. 

Okay, so that was a very long way of saying, yes, in my experience ConvertBox absolutely does work…

…and it works like a charm!

Does OptinMonster Work?

Yes, without doubt, OptinMonster works. It's a powerful tool.

You don't build up the longest track record in the industry without delivering solid results.

OptinMonster was the first lead-generation tool that I used, way back before I really had much of a clue about what I was doing…

…but I did know enough to recognise that every online marketer needs a decent lead-gen tool!

If I'm honest, I think they started to fall behind some of the competition a little while ago, not least to ConvertBox, but they have developed their product well.

That product development has to brought them straight back as one of the best on the market. 

ConvertBox – Pros & Cons

Pros:

Ease of Use – hardly any leaning curve, it works straight out of the box 
Powerful Lead Segmentation – visitor segmentation starts as soon as they hit you page
Multiple Form Options – form type, form field options, and method of delivery are all comprehensive
A/B Testing – powerful and super easy to set-up and adjust
Deep CRM Integration – always delivers the right offer based on your CRM data
Product Enhancement Roll-Out – not tedious updates, but valuable, regular product improvements 

Cons:

Width & Height of Boxes/Forms – a little more flexibility here would sometime be helpful
Additional Data Statistics – a couple of data points could be beefed up, such as top converting pages

OptinMonster – Pros & Cons

Pros:

Numerous Opt-In Methods – probably more ways you to deliver opt-in forms than anyone else
Lead Segmentation – powerful segmentation capability
Extensive Integrations – works with almost all ESP's and CRM's
Fully Functional API – A rare thing and not used by many, but for power users it is great to have
A/B Testing – quick to set-up and adjust 

Cons:

Steep Learning Curve – to get the most out of it, you will need to commit quite a bit of time 
Slow Loading Times – frustratingly you can find yourself waiting around for the tool to catch up
Full Data Requires GA –  for full data you'll need to hook OptinMonster up to Google Analytics
Expensive Higher-End Plans – can get very pricey at the top end 

Pricing

How much does ConvertBox cost?

ConvertBox is currently offering a lifetime access deal to early adopters. It will eventually move to a different, and no doubt higher, pricing structure, but for now it's a simple ‘one-time' payment lifetime license. 

ConvertBox Pricing

Lifetime Deal: $495.00 one-time cost, for use on 10 sites, up to 250,000/mo page views
ConvertBox Pro: $495.00 one-time cost, plus $95 one-time pro upgrade, for use on 50 sites, up to 500,000/mo page views, logins for 5 sub-users

Both plans above have a 14-day free trial period.  

How much does OptinMonster cost?

OptinMonster offer four different plans.

There is no free version of OptinMonster.

Each plan offers a different set of features, and not all of the features mentioned in this article are available in the least expensive plan.

There is also a page view limit in place with each plan, so pay a lot of attention when selecting your plan.

OptinMonster Pricing

Basic: $14 per month (billed annually at $168), for use on 1 site, up to 2,500/mo page views
Plus: $30 per month (billed annually at $360), for use on 2 sites, up to 10,000/mo page views
Pro: $47 per month (billed annually at $564), for use on 3 sites, up to 25,000/mo page views
Growth: $80 per month (billed annually at $960), for use on 5 sites, up to 100,000/mo page views

As you can see above, ConvertBox is significantly more generous with its monthly page views and site usage. 

If your site is getting upwards of 25,000 monthly page views…

…you will be paying more for your annual OptinMonster subscription, than you would for lifetime access to ConvertBox.

In this ConvertBox vs OptinMonster showdown, pricing is a significant win for ConvertBox. If you're likely to be a long-term user, the lifetime deal looks like a bargain! 

My Recommendation

Both of these lead-generation tools are excellent and will significantly boost your conversion rates if used properly.

Personally I have a preference for ConvertBox.

I think this is largely driven by just how easy it is to use, in addition to being fully effective.

I don't want to spend hours-on-end learning to use a new piece of software, I'm just not that kind of person. 

So for me, the fact that ConvertBox has a user-friendly dashboard, market leading drag-and-drop editor, and works powerfully, straight out of the box, makes it my personal favourite.

Wrapping It Up!

Well, you don't have to agree with me on this one. 

And I'm sure a ton of you don't.

I'm always interested in hearing the opinions of other users, so jump in and leave a comment if you have something to add to this ConvertBox vs OptinMonster review.