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Hustle vs MailOptin

Updated 6 Oct 2026. 25 features compared side by side.

Hustle

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.4 (859)

WPMU DEV's free popup, slide-in and embed opt-in plugin with built-in email lists, broad targeting and 20+ email integrations.

Free installs80K+
From$120/yr
UpdatedOct 2026
Visit site Full profile
VS

MailOptin

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.8 (438)

Freemium popup, opt-in form and email newsletter plugin with 50+ email/CRM integrations, WooCommerce targeting, A/B tests and automated post emails.

Free installs10K+
From$99/yr
UpdatedOct 2026
Visit site Full profile

Choose Hustle if…

  • You need geo-location targeting
  • You prefer the more widely used option

Choose MailOptin if…

  • You need A/B split testing and content lockers
  • You want the more complete feature set (93/100 vs 84/100)
  • You want the lower entry price ($99/yr vs $120/yr)
  • You weigh user ratings (4.8 vs 4.4 on WordPress.org)

Hustle includes 1 feature that MailOptin lacks, including Geo-location targeting; MailOptin has 2 that Hustle lacks, including Content lockers and A/B split testing. Both include 20 of the 25 features we track. 1 feature is not yet verified for one or both plugins.

At a glance

Hustle
MailOptin
84/100
Feature score
93/100
22 of 25
Features included
22 of 25
4.4/5
WordPress.org rating
4.8/5
80K+
Active installs
10K+
83%
Support threads resolved
0%

Feature comparison

Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.

Feature
Hustle
MailOptin
Campaign types5/75/7
Lightbox popups KeyClassic modal popups over the page.
Hustle Included

Popup modules are free (up to 3 in the free version).

MailOptin Included

Lightbox popups are included in the free Lite version.

Slide-insSmall boxes that slide in from a corner.
Hustle Included

Slide-ins in nine positions; 3 allowed in the free version.

MailOptin Paid version Standard

Slide-in opt-ins are a premium optin type.

Floating barsSticky top or bottom bars.
Hustle Partial

Slide-ins can sit top/bottom-centre and share bars float, but no dedicated opt-in bar.

MailOptin Paid version Standard

Top or bottom notification bars are premium.

Fullscreen welcome matsFull-screen overlays or welcome gates.
Hustle Partial

Popup width/height are customisable; no dedicated fullscreen welcome-mat type.

MailOptin Not verified
Inline & after-post forms KeyOpt-in forms embedded in content or after posts.
Hustle Included

Embeds place opt-ins above/below content, in widgets or via shortcode.

MailOptin Included

Before/after post and sidebar forms in Lite; shortcode embeds are premium.

Spin-to-win & gamifiedCoupon wheels or other gamified opt-ins.
Hustle Not included

No spin-to-win or gamified module type.

MailOptin Not included

No spin-to-win or gamified optin types are offered.

Content lockersHide part of a post until the visitor opts in.
Hustle Not included

No content-locking module; types are popup, slide-in, embed and social share.

MailOptin Paid version Standard

Content locker requires an email opt-in to reveal content.

Triggers & targeting8/87/8
Exit intent KeyShows a campaign when the visitor is about to leave.
Hustle Included

Exit-intent trigger is included in the free plugin.

MailOptin Paid version Standard

Exit-intent trigger for popups, bars and slide-ins.

Scroll, time & click triggers KeyTrigger after time on page, scroll depth or a click.
Hustle Included

Time, scroll (percent or element) and click triggers for free.

MailOptin Paid version Standard

Time on site, scroll, pageview and click-launch triggers are premium.

Page & content targetingShow campaigns on specific pages, posts, categories or URLs.
Hustle Included

Rules for posts, pages, categories, tags, archives, templates and URLs.

MailOptin Included

Page-level targeting by post, page, post type and category in Lite.

Device targetingDifferent campaigns for mobile and desktop.
Hustle Included

Visitor device and browser conditions are free.

MailOptin Paid version Standard

Device targeting is among the premium display rules.

Geo-location targetingTarget visitors by country or region.
Hustle Included

Visitor's country condition is part of the free advanced rules.

MailOptin Not included

Premium display rules list no country or location targeting.

Referrer & UTM targetingTarget by traffic source, referrer or UTM parameters.
Hustle Included

Referrer and source-of-arrival rules; UTM/query values can be captured too.

MailOptin Paid version Standard

Referrer detection plus show/hide rules by URL query string.

Frequency & cookie controlsControl how often a visitor sees a campaign.
Hustle Included

Hide on page or site-wide after close/conversion, with reset periods.

MailOptin Included

Exit and success cookies plus global cookies set how often campaigns reappear.

WooCommerce targetingTarget by cart contents, cart value or products viewed.
Hustle Partial

Targets WooCommerce pages, products, categories and tags, not cart value.

MailOptin Paid version Standard

Rules for cart total, items in cart, purchase history and customer spend.

Design & testing3/44/4
Drag & drop editor KeyVisual campaign builder without code.
Hustle Included

Step-by-step module editor with layouts, palettes and animations.

MailOptin Included

Drag-and-drop form and template builder with live preview.

Template libraryReady-made campaign templates.
Hustle Included

Designer-made templates for newsletters, discounts and seasonal sales.

MailOptin Included

Library of responsive optin templates for each campaign type.

A/B split testing KeyTest variations of a campaign against each other.
Hustle Not included

A/B testing is not documented in free or Pro.

MailOptin Paid version Standard

A/B split testing of optin campaigns.

Mobile-specific designsMobile-optimised layouts or separate mobile designs.
Hustle Included

Responsive modules with mobile appearance options.

MailOptin Included

Templates are responsive and mobile-optimised.

Integrations & analytics6/66/6
Email marketing integrations KeyMailchimp, ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit, Brevo and similar.
Hustle Included

Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Brevo, Kit, AWeber, GetResponse, MailerLite and more.

MailOptin Included

Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign, Brevo, MailerLite and 40+ more.

CRM, Zapier & webhooksSend leads to CRMs, Zapier or webhooks.
Hustle Included

HubSpot, Keap and Zoho CRM integrations plus Zapier via webhook.

MailOptin Included

HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho CRM, Dynamics 365 and webhooks; no native Zapier app listed.

Use your form plugin in popupsShow forms from WPForms, Gravity Forms, CF7 and similar inside popups.
Hustle Partial

Integrates with Forminator; other forms only via shortcodes in content.

MailOptin Included

Paste a WPForms, Gravity Forms or CF7 shortcode via the custom HTML option.

Conversion analytics KeyViews, conversions and conversion rate per campaign.
Hustle Included

Views, conversions and conversion rate per module, plus dashboard widget.

MailOptin Paid version Standard

Advanced analytics on impressions and conversions are premium.

Runs fully in WordPressNo external SaaS account required; campaigns and leads stay on your site.
Hustle Included

Self-hosted; opt-ins are kept in local email lists.

MailOptin Included

Self-hosted plugin; premium lead bank stores leads on your site.

GDPR consent optionsConsent checkboxes and privacy controls.
Hustle Included

GDPR approval field plus IP tracking and retention privacy settings.

MailOptin Included

Acceptance checkbox with consent saved to your email provider.

Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?

Pricing compared

Hustle Freemium

Free$0
Pro Basic (WPMU DEV)$120 per year, 1 site
Pro Standard (WPMU DEV)$180 per year, 3 sites
Pro Plus (WPMU DEV)$360 per year, 10 sites

MailOptin Freemium

Free$0
Standard$99 per year, 1 site
Pro$289 per year, 3 sites
Agency$499 per year, Unlimited
Lifetime$999 lifetime, 3 sites

Downloads trend

Hustle

14,116 downloads last week

MailOptin

2,365 downloads last week

Verdict

Based on our feature data Checked 6 Oct 2026

MailOptin scores higher on our feature checklist (93/100 against 84/100) and includes A/B split testing and content lockers that Hustle does not. Hustle still has the edge on geo-location targeting. Paid plans start at $120/yr for Hustle and $99/yr for MailOptin. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.

Biggest differences

A/B split testing

Hustle: not included. MailOptin: paid version (Standard). A/B split testing of optin campaigns.

Content lockers

Hustle: not included. MailOptin: paid version (Standard). Content locker requires an email opt-in to reveal content.

Geo-location targeting

Hustle: included. MailOptin: not included. Visitor's country condition is part of the free advanced rules.

Written from the feature, pricing and install data on this page, not from hands-on testing. How we compare.

Which would you choose?

0 votes so far. Vote to see the results.

FAQ

Which is better, Hustle or MailOptin?

MailOptin scores higher on our feature checklist (93/100 against 84/100) and includes A/B split testing and content lockers that Hustle does not. Hustle still has the edge on geo-location targeting. Paid plans start at $120/yr for Hustle and $99/yr for MailOptin. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.

Which has more features?

They are level: both include 22 of the 25 popups & lead generation features we track.

Is Hustle free?

Hustle has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $120/yr.

Is MailOptin free?

MailOptin has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $99/yr.

Feature data last changed 6 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit to Hustle or MailOptin. Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.