Privy Alternatives in 2025: Which Popup Builder Stands Out?

Popup Conversion Strategies
1

Hey all,

So here’s my situation—our team’s been using Privy for a while now (mainly for Shopify popups and some email flows), but with traffic ramping up (we’re at about 130K monthly pageviews), the cost and feature limitations are starting to sting.

We’re currently paying $168/month just to keep up.

That would be tolerable if it offered more advanced popup targeting, teasers, or cookie consent features—but it doesn’t. Also, gamification options? Not really there.

I’m now looking for Privy alternatives—ideally something affordable, strong on popup features, and easy to integrate with Shopify. I’m especially interested in options that don’t nickel-and-dime you for every little feature.

Any suggestions?

2

Hey RockTheScale4!

You’re absolutely right—Privy’s pricing model gets heavy as traffic grows. Especially since their popup tools are a subset of a broader email marketing platform.

If your main goal is popup performance, I’d highly recommend Popupsmart. It’s what we use for our German e-commerce store, and the cost-benefit balance is amazing.

Why I prefer Popupsmart over Privy:

  • Affordable: $32.5/mo for up to 50K pageviews. (You can check Popupsmart pricing here).

  • Shopify-specific triggers.

  • Teasers and video popups—super handy.

  • Gamification: Wheel popups, countdown timers, etc.

  • Cookie law compliance—built-in cookie consent popups.

For someone focused on growth and conversion, it’s far more purpose-built than Privy. And it’s lightweight—doesn’t slow down our store like some clunky tools.

3

As someone running a small wellness shop with lower traffic (~8K pageviews), I’ve actually tested Getsitecontrol.

For anyone in early stages:

  • Getsitecontrol is great—it includes forms, popups, surveys, and promo bars.

  • Their interface is user-friendly, and it supports Shopify.

4

Teaser feature was a game-changer for our user experience. We show a small, friendly prompt instead of bombarding users with full-screen ones.

Also, here’s a step-by-step guide I used to set up a teaser:

  1. Go to Popupsmart dashboard.

  2. Select “Create New Popup”

  3. Choose a teaser layout (floating icon or sticky corner message)

  4. Set the trigger: exit-intent, scroll %, time on page, etc.

  5. Customize design (fonts, colors, CTA)

  6. Embed the one-line script in Shopify theme code

non-intrusive, fully functional popup in under 10 minutes.

5

Appreciate all the insights!

I also run several campaigns for clients, and we’ve moved away from Privy to Omnisend for email + Popupsmart for on-site conversions.

Omnisend is excellent for automation flows, but it’s not really popup-focused.

Meanwhile, Popupsmart:

  • Integrates seamlessly with Shopify

  • Offers unlimited popup campaigns, even on the free plan.

  • Provides real-time conversion analytics (which Privy lacks unless you’re paying a premium)

Also worth looking at:

  • Sleeknote — good for advanced segmentation but pricey

  • Picreel — cheap but lacks variety

Poptin — decent tool but gets expensive above 10K visitors

6

Here’s a quick table to compare Popupsmart vs Privy, based on what’s already been shared above:

Feature Popupsmart Privy
Pricing $32.5 for 50K pageviews $168+ based on contacts
Popup Focus Strong (teasers, videos, gamification) Basic (limited types)
Free Plan Yes (5K views) Yes (contact-based)
Shopify Integration Yes, with triggers Yes, limited
Targeting Advanced behavior-based Basic targeting
Cookie Popups :white_check_mark: :cross_mark:
Phone Call Popups :white_check_mark: :cross_mark:
Unlimited Campaigns :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark:
Teaser Feature :white_check_mark: :cross_mark:
Live Conversion Analytics :white_check_mark: Limited

Let me know if anyone wants a similar comparison with Poptin, OptiMonk, or others!

7

For anyone interested in niche alternatives, here are a few under-the-radar tools I’ve tested:

  1. Claspo: Cost-effective, charges per interaction (not pageview)

  2. Convertful: Strong gamification, great for mid-sized sites

  3. Thrive Leads: WP-only but very flexible

However, if Shopify is your home, I’d still lean Popupsmart—easiest setup, most robust feature stack.

Comparison Table – Popupsmart vs Privy Alternatives (2025)

Tool Free Plan Pricing Gamification Shopify Integration Notable Features
Popupsmart Yes (5K PV) $32.5/50K PV :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: Teasers, video popups, cookie law compliance
OptiMonk Yes (10K PV) $29+/20K PV :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: Good targeting, branding removal only on paid
Poptin Yes (1K PV) $25+/10K PV :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: A/B testing, drag-drop, fast setup
Picreel No $9.99/10K :cross_mark: :white_check_mark: Budget-friendly but basic
Wisepops No $49+/50K PV :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: Enterprise-focused, strong analytics
Claspo Unknown Based on interaction :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: 7x cheaper than Sleeknote (claimed)
8

Honestly just popping in to say THANK YOU to everyone here. :raising_hands:t3: This thread is a goldmine for anyone considering switching from Privy.

For us, Popupsmart ticked all the boxes, especially after we needed cookie consent and phone call popups—things Privy just doesn’t offer.

Also, for those curious about load speed—Popupsmart’s popups are lightweight. Haven’t seen a single negative impact on site speed, which was a problem with other heavier platforms.