ConvertBox vs Thrive Leads Review (Read Before Buying)

Building your email list and converting visitors into potential buyers is critical when you have a site. ConvertBox and Thrive Leads are two tools that help with conversion rate optimization (CRO).

But it is not necessary to use both tools in your business. ConvertBox and Thrive Leads have their strengths and weaknesses in certain areas. In this ConvertBox vs Thrive Leads review, you will find out which tool you should use in your business.

ConvertBox vs Thrive Leads

ConvertBox Review

ConvertBox is a SaaS (Software as a Service) based CRO tool with numerous features and customization options. It lets you create many types of widgets:

1. Opt-in forms – For growing your mailing list
2. CTA widgets – For taking users to specific pages. ConvertBox tracks link clicks, too.
3. Other types of forms, such as quizzes and survey forms.

Check our ConvertBox review for more in-depth analysis.

Key features:

• Widgets management – Since ConvertBox is a SaaS tool, you can integrate all your sites and manage the widgets of each site separately under one dashboard. Also, widget “grouping” allows you to categorize a set of widgets based on the purpose (e.g., opt-in forms, inline forms, CTA widgets, or even campaign names, etc.), duplicate/clone widgets, and transfer any widget to another site in your ConvertBox account.
• Integrations – ConvertBox offers native integrations with numerous popular email service providers (ESPs), including Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, AWeber, and HubSpot. Also, you can integrate with any custom ESP through HTML form integration. Furthermore, integration platforms such as Pabbly Connect, Zapier, and Integrately include ConvertBox as one of their supported apps, allowing you to connect to thousands of services.
• Send events to Google Analytics – Add goals, track performance, and optimize campaigns with data provided by Google Analytics.
• Drag and drop page builder – Build your widgets without needing any coding skills. Select a template type from four different types, use the “Steps” feature to create multi-step forms (e.g., Yes/No forms and surveys), edit mobile-only view, and use elements such as countdown timer and progress bars to boost conversion rates.
• A/B split testing – Optimize widget performance through split testing. Two ways to A/B test: 1) Cookied split test and 2) Regular split test (aka random split test)
• Change ConvertBox type – Convert your ConvertBox type from one to another (e.g., Popup to Inline form) with a click of a button.
• Import and export ConvertBox – Import ConvertBox from another user or share your ConvertBox with others.
• Advanced display and targeting options – ConvertBox offers numerous ways to target users and display every widget. Furthermore, button settings allow you to set up actions such as applying a quiz score value and custom field name and value, firing a tracking script, and setting up targeted integrations.
• Analytics – Find which widget variant performed better during a specific period and more with analytics.

A/B split test is a critical feature. ConvertBox displays key metrics, including interaction rate (for call-to-action buttons) and lead conversion rate (for subscription forms). However, it does not provide statistical significance metrics, which are used to determine high-performing variants. You might have to use an A/B test calculator like this one for it.

The integration with WordPress, through ConvertBox’s WordPress plugin, allows you to target users based on post category and tags, as well as whether a user is logged in or not. This is especially useful if you want to display ConvertBox widgets to non-registered users and vice versa.

Targeting options allow you to display any widget to the right visitor at the right time.

It’s relatively easy to create multi-step forms and start split testing. (Great for creating qualification widgets and segmentation forms)

Button Actions in ConvertBox enable you to set up advanced integrations and execute specific tasks, such as firing JavaScript when a user clicks a button.

Plus, the newly added feature, the ‘Teaser box, lets you catch users’ attention with a small chat widget-like box and its animation and sound effects. Watch the short video below to see how it works. (Volume up your device if it’s low)

In addition, ConvertBox offers a wide range of features, including a media file manager and team collaboration tools.

Check out ConvertBox from here.

Thrive Leads Review

Thrive Leads is a WordPress plugin from ThriveThemes. ThriveThemes offers various plugins, including Thrive Architect, Thrive Comments, and Apprentice (a membership plugin), to enhance your website. All of ThriveThemes’s plugins are licensed under the GNU Public License, just like most WordPress plugins.

The Thrive Leads plugin lets you create opt-in forms and CTA widgets directly inside your WordPress dashboard.

Key features:

• Organization: Thrive Leads eases the organization of widgets. You can easily create groups and track performance.
• Four different ways to use Thrive Leads
  1. Lead Groups – Create opt-in forms and CTA widgets based on nine different types: In Content (automatically embedded), LightBox (shows as a popup widget), Post Footer (automatically embedded), Ribbon (shows like a notification bar at the top of the page), Screen filter lightbox, Scroll mat, Slide-in, Widget, and PHP insert.
  2. Lead shortcodes – Embed widgets anywhere on your WordPress site by placing the shortcode.
  3. ThriveBoxes – Display an opt-in form or CTA widget when a link or button is clicked.
  4. Signup Segue – Also known as One-click signup links. Used to autofill details on a web page based on the data in URL query strings. Best used for special promotions to reduce friction in your sales funnels.
• Advanced targeting: One of the key advantages of Thrive Leads over ConvertBox is that Thrive Leads offers significantly more flexible targeting options. For example, you can exclude specific posts and pages based on taxonomy. Additionally, you can save the display configuration as a template and reuse it later without needing to repeat every step, unlike in ConvertBox.
• Asset Delivery: Automatically deliver download links to your lead magnets to new subscribers without setting up emails in your email autoresponder, which is required when using ConvertBox.
• Drag-and-drop widgets builder: Thrive Leads is one of WordPress’s most powerful opt-in form builders. Preload a saved template or download one from the Thrive Leads Cloud library. Use 20+ elements, including countdown timers, and customize the widget with advanced settings such as layout and position, color adjustments, and scroll behavior. You can also do much more. Additionally, Thrive Leads allows you to edit the HTML source code (ideal for fixing bugs and cleaning up widget code) and customize the appearance with custom CSS.

Watch the demo video below to see how I make a subscription form on Thrive Leads.

Additionally, Thrive Leads includes a great section of reports where you can find daily conversions, CVR (conversion rates), and A/B tests with beautiful charts, and compare performance against a previous period.

Check out Thrive Leads form here.

Pricing comparison

ConvertBox is currently on a lifetime pricing promotion where you can purchase ConvertBox for a one-time fee, with no subscription fees.

Learn more about ConvertBox prices from here.

However, Thrive Leads is on a subscription-based pricing model.

ConvertBox vs Thrive Leads prices in short:

ConvertBox costs only a one-time $495 fee
Thrive Leads charges $99/year
ConvertBox is worth five subscription periods of the standalone Thrive Leads plugin.
ConvertBox’s lifetime price can increase and transition to a subscription-based pricing model at any time.

ConvertBox vs Thrive Leads: Differences

I have been using both ConvertBox and Thrive Leads for over three years. Here are the key differences between Thrive Leads and ConvertBox that I experienced.

1. Widgets management is more manageable in ConvertBox, especially if you have multiple sites — Suppose you have several WordPress sites. In that case, ConvertBox is convenient as you can very easily duplicate a widget and move it to another site. However, with Thrive Leads, you must export it as a Zip file and import it on the other side from the Advanced settings in the widgets editor, which involves additional steps.
2. Thrive Leads is a plugin — Since Thrive Leads is a WordPress plugin, it might slow down or conflict with other plugins on your site. Also, your web hosting storage will fill with “Leads Details” and log file information of Thrive Leads. You will have to delete those from time to time.
3. Thrive Leads makes delivering lead magnets more convenient than ConvertBox — Most bloggers utilize content upgrades as a method to grow an engaging mailing list. Thrive Leads is ahead in this area with features such as ThriveBoxes (display opt-in forms upon clicking a link) and the Asset Delivery method.
4. Thrive Leads is a powerhouse in widget creation for WordPress sites — From asset delivery (sending lead magnets to new subscribers) to advanced targeting options (include and exclude URLs), display triggers, and inhouse A/B split testing with automatic winner selection to WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor with more elements than ConvertBox, Thrive Leads is better for a WordPress site.
5. Thrive Leads provides more customization options — from scroll behaviors and icon library integrations to HTML source code editing and custom CSS, making it more flexible when it comes to widget customization.
6. ConvertBox can be integrated with your site through Google Tag Manager (GTM) – This means you can load ConvertBox widgets without compromising page speed or user experience.
7. Thrive Leads does not limit page views — One of the enormous benefits when comparing ConvertBox vs Thrive Leads is that the latter does not limit how many times a widget can be shown. ConvertBox changed its pricing and features at various times, and the chance of the monthly maximum view limit will decrease even more.
8. ConvertBox is currently on a lifetime plan — Use ConvertBox on your and your client’s websites, not limited to WordPress, and receive future updates and support for free with a one-time fee. Thrive Leads’ lifetime deals have ended for a long time.
9. Thrive Leads’ analytics is more data-rich than ConvertBox’s — ConvertBox reports are basic, even compared with ConvertBox’s alternatives, such as Convertful.
10. ConvertBox is feature-rich in visitor targeting — unlike Thrive Leads, ConvertBox lets its users target visitors based on multiple conditional rules, such as autoresponder tag, cookie value, and visitor location.
11. ConvertBox widgets are not 100% Whitelabel — When using ConvertBox to create CTA widgets, the user is directed to the ConvertBox tracking link and then redirected to the external link. Also, the redirect waiting time is significantly higher, considering the present metrics. But you can use a link tracker with a custom domain, such as ClickMagick, to cloak your tracking links when using Thrive Leads.
12. Setting a start and end date and time for widgets is possible in ConvertBox.

One key difference I want to highlight in this Thrive Leads vs ConvertBox review is that in Thrive Leads, when you download templates from Thrive Themes Cloud, some graphics are not optimized (e.g., compressed). The more you download templates, content blocks, etc., and integrate external services such as Icomoon, the more HTTPS requests you make and increase the overall HTML size, which adds up to the overall page loading time of your site.

However, since ConvertBox is a cloud-based SaaS app, all media are hosted on Amazon servers, which ConvertBox uses to host files, and only necessary elements are loaded on the front end. Plus, you can significantly reduce the impact on page speed by using Google Tag Manager to integrate ConvertBox with your site.

Thrive Leads vs ConvertBox: Win-overs

Here are a few sectors where each one wins over the other.

Thrive Leads wins	ConvertBox wins
Asset delivery	Not limited to pageviews
Widget builder is more feature-rich	Google Analytics integration
Automatic winner selection on A/B tests	Change widget type
Export leads details	Advanced visitor targeting
Not limited in pageviews	Cloud-based tool

Final words on ConvertBox on Thrive Leads

Both are great for creating opt-in forms and CTA widgets. However, there are several advantages of each tool over the other. You’ll find many of them in this Thrive Leads vs. ConvertBox comparison.

Thrive Leads performs better with WordPress-based sites. If your business is purely based on the WordPress ecosystem, then Thrive Leads makes it easier to grow your email list and convert visitors into potential buyers.

On the other hand, ConvertBox is a cloud-based conversion rate optimization (CRO) tool. So, you don’t depend on a plugin and don’t need to worry about updates for bug fixes or adopting newer versions of WordPress. Additionally, ConvertBox introduces new features, such as the “Teaser Box,” to enhance your overall conversion rate.

Both services offer superb support via email, regardless of the package you have purchased. Help guides and tutorials can be found on the respective websites, YouTube, and the sites of affiliate partners.

Before you go, check out the AWeber vs GetResponse comparison to find out the key differences between the two of the most popular, affiliates-friendly email marketing tools.