Trying to decide between Thrive Leads vs Convert Pro to grow your email list on your WordPress site?
Thrive Leads had a big pricing change in early 2021, which might have sent you searching for a Thrive Leads alternative. Or, you might just be considering these two tools based on their merits.
Either way, our comparison we’ll show you the similarities and differences between these two plugins and help you pick the best WordPress lead generation plugin for your site.
To really get in-depth with our Convert Pro vs Thrive Leads comparison, I’ll dig into seven key areas:
- Form types
- Form builders and templates
- Targeting rules
- Trigger rules
- Analytics and A/B testing
- Integrations
- Pricing
Let’s get started!
Form Types
Both plugins let you create a variety of different form types, from popups to notification bars, inline forms, and more. Overall, though, you won’t really find any differences here as both support the same options.
Here’s a full comparison table of the different form types in Thrive Leads vs Convert Pro:
| Form Type | Thrive Leads | Convert Pro |
| Popup | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Notification bar | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Slide-in | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Inline form | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Widget form | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Welcome mat | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Full-screen filler | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Two-step opt-in | ✔️ | ✔️ |
? Winner: It’s a tie – both plugins offer all the same core form types.
Form Builder and Templates
Both Thrive Leads and Convert Pro give you visual, drag-and-drop builders to control the designs of your forms. You’ll also get pre-built templates to use as jumping-off points. Or, you can always design your forms from scratch.
Here’s a quick summary of the high-level editing options and then I’ll give you a hands-on look at each builder:
| Editing Feature | Thrive Leads | Convert Pro |
| Drag-and-drop | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Visual editing | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Templates | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Desktop editing | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Tablet editing | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Mobile editing | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Animation effects | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Now, let’s look at the actual builders…
Thrive Leads
The Thrive Leads form builder is based on the Thrive Architect page builder plugin (our review), which means it’s very flexible. I would say this flexibility is definitely one of its strong points as you’re getting access to a full website design tool, rather than a limited editor.
When you create a new form, you’ll first be prompted to choose from the template library. Or, you can start from a blank slate:
From there, you’ll be in the visual, drag-and-drop editor. You can…
- Edit text by just clicking on the preview and typing.
- Customize or remove any of the existing elements on your form.
- Add new elements if needed.
You can also use the buttons at the bottom to switch between different responsive editing views – you get dedicated options for both tablet and mobile devices:
You get a lot of options here – it really does feel like a full page builder interface (because it is!).
The editor might feel a little overwhelming at first just because you do get so many options. But if you want full flexibility, Thrive Leads is great.
Additionally, if you’ve ever used the Thrive Architect page builder plugin, you’ll feel right at home because it’s pretty much the same interface.
Convert Pro
The basic process is the same for Convert Pro. To get started, you’ll choose from one of the many pre-built templates or you can choose a blank slate:
From there, you’ll be launched into the visual, drag-and-drop editor. Like Thrive Leads, you can…
- Edit text by just clicking on the preview and typing.
- Customize or remove any of the existing elements on your form.
- Add new elements if needed.
The element selection is a lot more limited, though. You only get a few options that are focused entirely on opt-in forms:
You also don’t get as many style options when you edit an element.
Overall, Convert Pro’s editor is definitely not as flexible as Thrive Leads, but I’m not sure it will matter to most people because Convert Pro can still handle all of the core features that most people need in an editor.
One other limitation is that, as I noted above, Convert Pro only gives you editing modes for desktop and mobile – there’s no tablet option.
? Winner: I think this one is pretty close to a tie as it really just comes down to personal preference. If I had to choose a winner, I would give the edge to Thrive Leads because its editor is a bit more robust.
Targeting Rules
In terms of targeting rules, Convert Pro is definitely the more flexible option. Targeting has always been one of the weak points in Thrive Leads, whereas targeting is one of the strong points in Convert Pro.
Thrive Leads does have one unique targeting rule, though. A “Smart Links” feature that lets you generate special URLs to share with your existing subscribers (like in the emails you send). Anyone who clicks a Smart Link will be excluded from seeing your offers. Or, you can also create special offers just for people who have already subscribed.
But beyond that, Convert Pro definitely takes this category.
Here’s a full comparison table of the targeting rules in Thrive Leads vs Convert Pro:
| Targeting Rule | Thrive Leads | Convert Pro |
| Specific pages/categories | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Logged-in users | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Device targeting | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Cookie | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Referring URL | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Date scheduling | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Ad block usage | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Geolocation | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Smart Links | ✔️ | ❌ |
Of course, these extra targeting rules are only helpful if you’re going to actually use them. If all you need is the ability to target your opt-in forms to specific content on your site, there’s zero functional difference between these plugins.
With Thrive Leads, you’ll set up targeting rules at the “lead group” level, which is a group of forms that all share the same rules. You’ll get lots of options for targeting specific types of content and the Other tab includes the logged-in option:
With Convert Pro, you’ll customize targeting rules for each individual form. These are divided into two tabs.
First, you have the Launch tab, which includes a lot of trigger rules (more on those next):
Then, you also have the Target tab, which only includes targeting rules:
? Winner: Convert Pro has more and more flexible targeting rules.
Trigger Rules
Another key consideration in choosing your list building tool is which triggers are available to you. For example, do you want to trigger your forms by time on site, scroll depth, exit intent, or maybe something else?
Here again, Convert Pro has the edge. Both offer all the core options, but Convert Pro has a few unique options and gives you more flexibility for configuring them by letting you apply multiple rulesets (this is similar to OptinMonster, if you’re familiar with that tool).
Here’s a full comparison table of the trigger rules in Thrive Leads vs Convert Pro:
| Trigger Rule | Thrive Leads | Convert Pro |
| Time on page | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Scroll depth | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Number of page visits | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Exit intent | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Inactivity | ❌ | ✔️ |
| After blog post | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| After CSS element | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| On click | ✔️ | ✔️ |
With Thrive Leads, you’ll set targeting rules at the individual form level:
One nice option is that you can add exit intent to other rules. For example, you could trigger a popup after 10 seconds OR if a person is about to leave:
With Convert Pro, you can set up your triggers from the Launch tab.
Two cool options are that:
- You can create multiple rulesets. Each rule set is an “OR” situation – as long as one ruleset is met, the popup will trigger.
- You can add multiple conditions within a single ruleset. This is an “AND” setup – every rule within a ruleset must be met in order for that ruleset to trigger.
? Winner: This is close to a tie, but I give the slight edge to Convert Pro because it includes the option to target by number of page visits and inactivity. Convert Pro’s ruleset approach is also more flexible.
Analytics and A/B Testing
Next, let’s look at analytics and A/B testing. Both tools offer built-in A/B testing, so they’re similar in that respect.
Both offer analytics, but there’s a slight difference there:
- Thrive Leads has built-in analytics – it automatically tracks conversions and impressions no matter what.
- Convert Pro’s analytics are based on Google Analytics, so you’ll need to be using Google Analytics to track conversions/impressions. You will be able to view those analytics in your WordPress dashboard, though.
I don’t think there’s really much functional difference, to be honest. However, if you aren’t using Google Analytics for some reason, this might be a drawback to using Convert Pro.
With Thrive Leads, you’ll get an overall summary as well as a breakdown for each individual form. You can also view charts that show data over time:
You also get the same basic reporting in Convert Pro, though you can’t see the chart over time:
? Winner: It’s a tie because both plugins support A/B testing and analytics. Thrive Leads has the edge if you’re not using Google Analytics, though.
Integrations
Both plugins include lengthy integration lists with all of the popular email marketing services and CRMs:
- Thrive Leads – 38+ total integrations including Zapier – view them here.
- Convert Pro – 39+ total integrations including Zapier – view them here.
? Winner: It’s a tie – both have solid lists and support Zapier for additional integrations.
Pricing
Pricing is a big area where Convert Pro is much better than Thrive Leads in 2021. This is mainly because of a pricing switch that Thrive Themes made in early 2021.
In the past, you could purchase the standalone Thrive Leads plugin for a competitive price. But now, you can only access Thrive Leads via the Thrive Suite membership, which gives you access to all of Thrive Themes’ plugins and themes for one price.
This means that:
- If you want access to all of the Thrive Themes tools, this offers really good value.
- If you only want access to Thrive Leads, it’s expensive for just a single plugin.
Beyond that, there are two important differences:
- Convert Pro lets you use the plugin on unlimited websites while Thrive Suite limits you to 25 sites.
- Convert Pro offers a lifetime license option, while Thrive Suite doesn’t.
Let’s look at the pricing…
? Convert Pro costs:
- $99 for a one-year license and use on unlimited sites.
- $399 for a lifetime license and use on unlimited sites.
Convert Pro also regularly runs promos to discount those prices to $79 and $299, respectively.
? Thrive Suite costs:
- $90 billed every three months ($360 per year) for use on 25 sites.
- $228 per year billed annually for use on 25 sites.
No matter how you cut it, Convert Pro is significantly cheaper. If you buy during one of the many sales, you can get a lifetime license of Convert Pro for $299, which is almost what you’d pay for one year of Thrive Suite.
? Winner: Convert Pro is much more affordable.
Recap: Pros and Cons of Each Tool
To quickly recap our Convert Pro vs Thrive Leads comparison above, let’s go over each tool’s strong points:
? Thrive Leads…
- Has a more flexible editor.
- Offers built-in analytics, instead of requiring Google Analytics.
- Has a Smart Links feature to show different offers to existing subscribers.
? Convert Pro…
- Has a lot more targeting options.
- Has more trigger rules.
- Is much more affordable.
- Has a lifetime plan.
And in terms of similarities – both tools…
- Have the same basic form types.
- Offer built-in A/B testing.
- Integrate with most popular email marketing services and CRMs.
Final Thoughts on Thrive Leads vs Convert Pro
In 2021 and beyond with the new Thrive Leads pricing, I think the decision between Thrive Leads vs Convert Pro is pretty clear.
Unless you specifically want to join the Thrive Themes ecosystem and access other tools such as Thrive Architect (our review), Thrive Theme Builder (our review), and more, then Convert Pro is definitely the better option.
Simply put, if you only want Thrive Leads, the difference in price between Convert Pro vs Thrive Leads is huge.
But it’s not just about price – Convert Pro is also the more flexible tool when it comes to targeting rules and trigger rules. So you’re getting a more powerful tool at a lower price – that’s tough to argue with.
Thrive Leads does win in a few areas, such as having a more flexible editor. But I don’t think that alone is enough to make up for the differences in price and targeting rules.
If you do want to use all of those other Thrive Themes products, Thrive Leads is still a great tool and you don’t need to purchase Convert Pro in addition to the Thrive Suite membership. But if you’re not all-in on the Thrive Themes ecosystem, Convert Pro is definitely the way to go and the best Thrive Leads alternative since Thrive Themes changed the pricing.
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For some other options, check out our full collection of the best WordPress list building plugins.
Still have any questions about choosing between Thrive Leads vs Convert Pro? Let us know in the comments!
