OptinMonster vs Bdow (formerly Sumo)
See why 1.2 million+ marketers use OptinMonster to turn their traffic into leads, sales, and loyal customers.
OptinMonster vs Bdow: An Overview
Campaign Types
Templates
Lightbox Popups
Fullscreen Campaigns
Floating Bar
Slide-in
Inline Forms
Click Trigger
Gamified
Yes/No Optins
Campaign Customization
Drag-and-Drop Builder
Save Custom Blocks
Mobile Preview
AI Text Generator
Campaign Targeting
Exit-Intent®
Time-Based Triggers
Page-Level Targeting
Scroll Depth Targeting
Device Targeting
Browser-Specific Targeting
Geo-Location Targeting
InactivitySensor™
AdBlock Detection
Chained Campaigns
Analytics & Testing
A/B Testing
Revenue Tracking
Google Analytics Integration
Email Integration
Number of Integrations
Webhook Integration
WordPress Features
WordPress Plugin
In-Dashboard Campaign Management
Account Management
Multi-Site Management
Campaign Folders
Sub-Accounts
OptinMonster
700+
50+
Bdow
Unspecified
Unspecified
See How OptinMonster and Bdow Compare
Based on our testing and user feedback, we’ve identified the most important areas to consider when choosing between OptinMonster and Bdow.
Click any section below to get straight to what matters most for your business:
OptinMonster vs Bdow: Ease of Use
Ever spent hours fighting with complicated marketing software when you should be, you know, actually marketing? You’re not alone.
Creating conversion campaigns shouldn’t require a computer science degree, yet many tools make it feel like you need one.
That’s why we’ve designed OptinMonster to be as easy to use as possible for marketers at any skill level.
Our dashboard features a clear and clutter-free design, easy-to-spot buttons and menus, and straightforward language. You’ll always know exactly where to click to find what you need.
Setting up your first campaign? No worries. Here’s why you’ll love OptinMonster:
- WordPress users can install our plugin and connect their site in just a few clicks.
- The plugin also enables campaign creation right in the WordPress dashboard.
- Using other platforms? Simply paste a code snippet to add to your site – our detailed documentation guides you through every platform setup.
Remember the last time you stared at a blank screen, not knowing where to start? That won’t happen here.
Our workflow guides you naturally from one step to the next, from choosing your campaign type to hitting that publish button.
You’ll immediately choose a campaign type and template using our helpful filters, then move into our drag-and-drop builder. Our interface guides you through each step with clear tabs – from customizing your design to setting up triggers and integrating your email service provider.
We’ve also got your back with:
- Mobile preview (because nobody wants a funky-looking popup on phones)
- Pre-launch checklist (forget something? We won’t let you!)
- Campaign folders (keep everything organized like a pro)
- Ability to pause or duplicate campaigns with just a few clicks
Now, let’s talk about Bdow. During our testing, we found their setup process straightforward enough. They offer a WordPress plugin and manual code options for other platforms.
They’ll even create a sample form for you automatically, which is nice.
Their campaign creation process follows a logical path:
- First, choose your campaign goal
- Then, select your form type.
- Pick a design.
- Set visibility rules for display
- Configure post-conversion actions (i.e., getting notified whenever someone subscribes to the campaign)
- Connect your email service
However, we noticed some limitations during our testing, like:
- All campaign creation happens on Bdow’s website (if you use WordPress, you cannot edit your campaigns using the plugin).
- At the time of testing, we saw that the plugin showed compatibility warnings with recent WordPress updates.
- No folder system for organizing multiple campaigns.
🏆 Winner: OptinMonster
Here’s why OptinMonster wins for ease of use:
- ✔ Guided workflow that actually helps you build better campaigns, not just tells you what to do
- ✔ True WordPress integration – create and edit campaigns right from your dashboard
- ✔ Smart organization with campaign folders and quick duplication
- ✔ Pre-launch checklist to ensure your campaigns are perfect before going live
OptinMonster vs Bdow: Campaign Customization
Let’s face it: not everyone is a designer, and most marketers don’t have time to become one.
When you need to launch campaigns quickly, starting from scratch isn’t just frustrating. It’s a waste of valuable time.
That’s why we’ve built a library of 700+ ready-to-use templates, each based on real data and customer success stories.
These are the campaign types you can find at OptinMonster:
- Popup – Perfect for email list building and special offers
- Fullscreen – Take over the entire screen when visitors land on your site for maximum impact
- Floating – Share announcements at the top or bottom of your site without disrupting the browsing experience
- Slide-in – Show targeted messages that smoothly appear as visitors scroll
- Inline – Create signup forms that blend naturally with your content
- Gamified – Turn offers into fun experiences with spin-to-win wheels
🎉 PortraitFlip used our Gamified campaign to convert over 3% of its mobile traffic into leads with a discount wheel promotion.
Check out the complete strategy in our PortraitFlip case study.
Here’s a common problem many marketers face: you know you need to create campaigns for cart abandonment, email list growth, or special promotions, but figuring out the perfect combination of design, timing, and targeting rules takes weeks of testing and optimization.
That’s why we created Playbooks. These are complete campaign packages that include pre-built templates, targeting rules, and timing settings.
Each Playbook is designed for specific goals, letting you launch campaigns that are already optimized for success.
Why spend hours testing what works when you can use strategies that are already proven to convert?
Our visual campaign builder makes customization a breeze. You can simply drag and drop new elements with your cursor and see exactly what they’ll look like before adding them to your campaign.
From basic options like text and buttons to interactive elements like countdown timers and progress bars, every block you need is right at your fingertips.
To make your campaign creation even faster, we’ve added smart features like:
- Save customized blocks for future use, so you can keep brand consistency without starting from scratch
- Smart Optimizations with AI text generation to create winning copy instantly
- Create unlimited views to build engaging multi-step campaigns that convert
- Easy style importing between campaign views to save time on design.
On the other hand, Bdow doesn’t explicitly mention the number of templates in their library. However, our research suggests they have around 400-500 templates covering these campaign types:
- Standard popup – Basic overlay forms for collecting information
- Welcome mat – Full-screen displays for first-time visitors.
- Smart bar – Floating bar messages that stick to the top or bottom of pages
- Inline form – Simple forms that embed within content
- Scroll box – Forms that slide in as visitors scroll down
- Click trigger – Campaigns that appear when visitors click specific elements
While OptinMonster doesn’t offer this exact campaign type, our MonsterLinks™ feature provides similar functionality by turning any link, button, or image into a trigger for opt-in forms.
🎉 Just ask SnackNation – they used MonsterLinks™ to achieve a 79.3% increase in conversion rate.
Want to learn their secret? Check out the SnackNation case study.
Bdow does offer Shortcuts, their version of pre-made campaigns, but they provide fewer options and less customization compared to our comprehensive Playbooks.
The Bdow editor lets you make basic adjustments without coding. You can customize both subscribe and success views, but there’s no way to import styles between them. In other words, you may need to spend extra time maintaining consistent branding across views.
While they offer standard elements like text blocks, images, and countdown timers, they’re missing more advanced features.
There’s no mobile preview mode, no ability to save customized blocks for reuse, and no advanced elements like videos or progress bars for interactive campaigns.
🏆 Winner: OptinMonster
OptinMonster wins because we have:
- ✔ Larger template library with 700+ proven designs
- ✔ More comprehensive pre-built solutions with Playbooks
- ✔ Real success stories backing up the effectiveness of our templates
- ✔ More powerful drag-and-drop builder with advanced elements and AI copy help
- ✔ Smart features like saved blocks and style importing that speed up the workflow
OptinMonster vs Bdow: Targeting & Display Rules
“Show this popup to everyone!” said no successful marketer ever.
The difference between a campaign that converts and one that annoys lies in showing it to exactly the right people at the right moment.
To make sure your campaigns reach the right audience at the right time, OptinMonster gives you powerful display rules across all our plans. Our visual rule builder lets you create sophisticated targeting combinations without getting lost in technical settings.
Even with our Basic plan ($7/month), you get essential rules like:
- Page-level targeting to show campaigns on specific URLs or pages
- Time-based triggers to display campaigns after visitors spend a certain time on your site
- Scroll depth targeting to engage active readers at the perfect moment
- Page view tracking to target visitors based on how many pages they’ve seen
Creating these display rules is simple. Just add your rules to a ruleset and choose whether your campaign should appear when ‘ALL’ rules are met or when ‘ANY’ rule is met.
You can even create multiple rulesets for more complex targeting scenarios and save rulesets for future use.
Want to target based on specific behaviors? Our Plus plan ($19/month) includes:
- Device targeting to deliver perfectly sized campaigns for every screen size
- Browser-specific targeting to ensure your campaigns work flawlessly across all browsers
- InactivitySensor™ to catch visitors before they leave by detecting idle behavior
When you upgrade to our Pro plan ($29/month), you get access to:
- Exit-Intent® technology to convert abandoning visitors before they leave
- MonsterLink™ triggers to launch campaigns from any link or button
- Referral source targeting to show campaigns based on traffic sources
- Cookie retargeting to deliver personalized experiences that convert better
- Campaign scheduling to run time-sensitive offers automatically
- Cart abandonment targeting to recover potential sales
Our Growth plan ($49/month) adds even more advanced targeting options:
- Geo-location targeting to deliver location-specific offers
- AdBlock detection to engage users with ad blockers
- MonsterChains to create smart campaign sequences that boost engagement
- HTML element targeting to launch campaigns at the perfect spot on your site
- Advanced visitor tracking to tailor campaigns for new vs returning visitors
🎉 See how businesses WIN with OptinMonster’s Display Rules:
During our testing, we found that Bdow’s targeting system uses two modes: ‘Smart Mode’ for automatic display settings and ‘Manual Mode’ for custom rules.
While the interface is clean, creating complex targeting combinations isn’t intuitive. For one, to add multiple conditions, you need to edit an existing condition and add subsequent ‘IF’ conditions within it – a process that isn’t immediately obvious.
This is different from OptinMonster’s simpler approach of simply adding rules to a ruleset and choosing between ‘ALL’ or ‘ANY.’
Their Basic plan ($12/month) includes standard targeting options:
- URL and homepage targeting for basic page control
- Device detection for mobile and desktop campaigns
- Simple page type rules for basic content targeting
Upgrading to Plus ($19/month) or Pro ($39/month) adds:
- Operating system and browser targeting
- IP-based targeting
- Referrer URL tracking
- Visitor behavior rules
- Date and time scheduling
- Location-based targeting by country, state, or city
- Shopify cart value rules
- Custom JavaScript targeting
- Cookie and meta tag rules
While these features add more control, they’re more limited compared to OptinMonster’s Plus plan at the same price point ($19/month). For example, there’s no option to detect idle visitors or target specific WordPress content types.
One limitation we noticed: Bdow focuses mainly on technical parameters rather than user behavior. There’s no exit-intent detection, no ability to detect idle visitors, and no campaign sequencing options.
🏆 Winner: OptinMonster
Simply put, OptinMonster has more powerful targeting capabilities:
- ✔ More intuitive targeting builder with visual rulesets
- ✔ Advanced behavioral targeting like Exit-Intent® and InactivitySensor™
- ✔ Powerful campaign sequencing with MonsterChains
- ✔ Same price point ($19/month) but with more advanced features
- ✔ Proven results from real businesses using our targeting tools
OptinMonster vs Bdow: Analytics & Testing
If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it. But what happens when your analytics are so complicated that you need a data science degree to understand them?
We’ve built OptinMonster’s analytics to give you powerful insights without the complexity. Our built-in analytics dashboard shows you exactly what matters:
- How many people see your campaigns (impressions)
- How many visitors take action (conversions)
- Which pages get the best results
- How your campaigns perform over time
What makes our analytics special is the simplicity. Filter by any date range, sort by performance, and instantly spot your winners. Plus, with our Google Analytics integration, you can get even deeper insights when you need them.
Other than that, each campaign comes with its own analytics view, giving you a detailed look at its performance. You can easily filter data by date using preset options or custom ranges, and sort your top-converting pages by either visitor count or conversion rate percentage.
Want to know exactly how much money each campaign generates? Our Revenue Attribution tracks direct sales impact from your campaigns, taking the guesswork out of ROI calculations.
When it comes to optimization, our Smart A/B Testing tools make improvement easy. You can:
- Create unlimited test variations with a single click (no complex setup needed)
- Test everything from headlines to images to find what truly drives conversions
- Get clear conversion data for each version and spot winners at a glance
- Automatically show variations to visitors randomly to eliminate testing bias
🎉 Smart Testing in Action: Chamaileon.io tripled their conversion rate from 5% to 16% using our A/B testing tools to find their perfect campaign combination.
During our testing, we found that Bdow’s dashboard offers basic analytics covering the essentials:
- Total impressions of your campaigns
- Number of emails collected
- Open and click rates
- Overall conversion rates
While their dashboard is clean and easy to navigate, we noticed some important limitations:
- Data retention caps at 30 days for free users (1-2 years for paid plans)
- No page-specific performance tracking
- Missing revenue attribution features
- No built-in Google Analytics integration
Meanwhile, their A/B testing tools (available for paid users) cover the basics. You can create variation tests, control how frequently each variation gets displayed, and select winning versions.
However, without detailed analytics behind these tests, you might struggle to understand why certain variations perform better than others.
🏆 Winner: OptinMonster
OptinMonster wins this round for its:
- ✔ Complete performance tracking with unlimited historical data
- ✔ Revenue Attribution to show exact campaign ROI
- ✔ Advanced A/B testing with unlimited variations
- ✔ Seamless Google Analytics integration
- ✔ Proven results from businesses tripling their conversion rates
OptinMonster vs Bdow: Email Integrations
Got leads? Great!
But if they’re not flowing smoothly into your email marketing system, you might as well be collecting them on paper.
You can connect OptinMonster with over 50 email marketing platforms, including all the popular services you might use:
- Mailchimp
- Constant Contact
- Brevo
- AWeber
- HubSpot
- Klaviyo
- And dozens more!
Setting up these connections usually requires some basic information like your account name and API key.
Don’t worry, we provide clear, step-by-step guides for each email marketing platform to make sure you can connect without any confusion.
We also understand that every business has unique needs. That’s why we’ve built flexible integration features that go beyond basic email connections:
- Webhook support to connect with virtually any platform
- Monster Leads feature to store leads in OptinMonster until you’re ready to export them to an email marketing provider
- Custom field mapping to send exactly the right data to your marketing tools
- Instant lead syncing across all platforms to keep your contact lists up-to-date
Our research found that Bdow connects with some email services, including common platforms like:
- Mailchimp
- AWeber
- HubSpot
- ActiveCampaign
They don’t specify the exact number, but we estimate it to be around 30-40 integrations.
The connection process varies by provider. While some integrations like Mailchimp offer simple one-click setups, others require manual form code insertion, which can get technical.
Bdow also includes a built-in autoresponder that lets you:
- Send immediate responses to new subscribers
- Create and send email broadcasts
- Set up welcome emails for new sign-ups
While having a built-in email sender is convenient, we found its features too basic for growing businesses. It’s better to just use an email marketing platform instead.
🏆 Winner: OptinMonster
Here’s why OptinMonster wins for email integrations:
- ✔ More integration options (over 50 options)
- ✔ Universal webhook support for unlimited connectivity
- ✔ Built-in lead storage with Monster Leads
OptinMonster vs Bdow: Customer Support
Even the best tools can feel overwhelming when you’re stuck. The difference? How quickly (and thoroughly) you can get unstuck.
OptinMonster offers multiple support channels to help you succeed at every step:
- Live support team available Monday-Friday, 9 am-5 pm EST
- Archie, our AI assistant, for instant help 24/7
- Comprehensive help center and blog with up-to-date documentation
- OptinMonster University for mastering conversion strategies
But we don’t stop at just answering questions. Every new user gets these exclusive benefits:
- VIP Done-For-You Campaign Setup service: All paid users get a free professionally designed campaign
- Access to our Inner Circle Facebook community: Learn from fellow successful marketers who use OptinMonster
- Regular webinars: Let us help you stay ahead of marketing trends using OptinMonster’s tools
From our experience, Bdow provides support primarily through its help center. While the help articles are organized into clear categories and written in an easy-to-understand style, we noticed some key limitations:
- Many articles show outdated interface versions
- Limited video tutorials available
- No live support options
Think of it this way: Bdow gives you a manual, but OptinMonster gives you a complete support team.
🏆 Winner: OptinMonster
OptinMonster offers a lot more value in terms of support:
- ✔ Faster help with live support and AI assistance
- ✔ Free Done-For-You campaign design for new users
- ✔ Comprehensive, up-to-date learning resources
- ✔ Regular webinars and expert training
- ✔ Active community of successful marketers
OptinMonster vs Bdow: Value for Money
The cheapest option isn’t always the best value. What matters is how quickly you can turn your investment into results.
We’ve designed OptinMonster’s pricing to grow with your business, starting at just $7/month (billed annually).
Our Basic ($7/month) subscription gives you everything needed to start converting visitors into subscribers, including:
- Unlimited campaigns and subscribers
- All essential form types
- 700+ templates
- Basic analytics
- Use on 1 site with 2,500 pageviews
- Standard support
As your needs grow, our Plus subscription ($19/month) unlocks powerful tools that help you convert more visitors:
- Use on 2 sites with 10,000 pageviews
- A/B testing and device targeting
- Content locking and Yes/No forms
- Full analytics reporting
- InactivitySensor™ to catch the attention of idle visitors
- More marketing integrations
Moving up to Pro ($29/month) brings dozens more game-changing features:
- Use on 3 sites with 25,000 pageviews
- Exit Intent® Technology for catching leaving visitors
- Mobile-specific campaigns
- Countdown timers for urgency
- Revenue attribution tracking
- Priority support with live chat
🎉 See it in action: Crossrope used our Pro Exit-Intent® feature to increase their email list by 900%!
Our Growth subscription ($49/month) is designed for businesses ready to maximize their conversion potential:
- All features unlocked
- Use on 5 sites with 100,000 pageviews
- Advanced targeting (geo-location, visitor type, etc.)
- eCommerce targeting
- Coupon wheel campaigns
- Premium support
While we don’t offer a free subscription, we believe in providing real value from day one. That’s why we offer a risk-free, 14-day money-back guarantee instead of a limited free version.
This way, you can test all the features of your chosen plan and see actual results before making a long-term commitment. You will also get access to OptinMonster University, our regular webinars, and our Inner Circle Facebook group.
Bdow takes a different approach to pricing, starting with a free plan that includes:
- Email opt-in forms
- Basic customizable design
- Social media sharing
- Simple visitor targeting
- Email broadcasts (limited to 500/month)
- Bdow branding included
Upgrading to the Starter plan ($12/month) unlocks:
- Single site usage
- Bdow branding removed
- Welcome emails added
- Webhook integration
- Increased email limit (6,000/month)
Moving to Plus ($19/month) adds some advanced functionality:
- Still limited to single-site usage
- Advanced visitor targeting
- A/B testing capabilities
- Email campaigns (10,000/month)
- One year of form and email statistics
- Store connection tools
- Cart abandonment features
- Discount code management
- eCommerce templates
- Two years of analytics data
- Advanced revenue tracking
Bdow’s Pro plan ($39/month) is the same as Plus. The difference is that you can connect Bdow to up to 3 websites.
While Bdow offers a free plan, we’ve found its feature set remains limited even at higher price points. For example, the $19/month Plus plan restricts you to a single site, while our Plus plan at the same price includes two sites and more advanced features.
🏆 Winner: OptinMonster
Here’s why OptinMonster offers better value:
- ✔ More features at every price point
- ✔ Higher website usage limits
- ✔ Advanced targeting and conversion tools included
- ✔ Comprehensive learning resources with every plan
Why Choose OptinMonster Over Bdow
Choosing the wrong conversion tool can cost you thousands in lost subscribers and sales.
After putting OptinMonster vs Bdow through their paces, here’s why OptinMonster stands out as the clear winner:
Build Your Email List in No Time
- Start with any of our 700+ proven templates (dozens more than Bdow’s library)
- Create beautiful campaigns in minutes with our smart drag-and-drop builder
- Let our AI help write high-converting copy that actually works
Reach the Right Visitors at the Perfect Moment
- InactivitySensor™ lets you catch idle visitors’ attention (something Bdow doesn’t offer)
- Our Exit-Intent® Technology has helped clients capture more leads
- Connect with 50+ email platforms to nurture leads automatically
Get More Bang for Your Buck
- More features at every price point
- Free campaign design from our conversion experts
- Complete training through OptinMonster University
While Bdow works for basic needs, we’ve built OptinMonster to help you achieve exceptional results. Plus, with our 14-day money-back guarantee, you can try all these features risk-free.
Ready to start converting more visitors?
Start Getting More
Leads & Sales Today
with OptinMonster!
In only 7 months, we added more than 95,654 names to our email list using OptinMonster’s Exit Intent™ technology. We strongly recommend it!
I hate popups, so I was hesitant to try one on my site. But the results from OptinMonster exit-intent popup speak for themselves. I doubled my subscription rate immediately without annoying my users. I haven’t had a single complaint. My only regret is that I didn’t start using OptinMonster sooner. I can only imagine how many subscribers I could have added to my email list! If you have a blog, then I highly recommend you start using OptinMonster. I’ve researched them all, and it’s the best in market.
Exit-intent popups have doubled my email opt-in rate. When done right, you can see an instant 12% lift on driving sales. I highly recommend that you use OptinMonster for growing your email list and sales.
