How to Create a WordPress Popup Without a Plugin — Claspo

Creating a popup in WordPress without a plugin can be a great solution for those who prefer keeping their WordPress installation light. All you need to do is simply embed a code snippet, and you’re ready to launch a lead capture form, announce a sale, or collect feedback.

In this guide, we will show you how to add a popup on WordPress without a plugin using Claspo and some other methods.

When you want to avoid plugins and keep your WordPress installation lightweight, there are several ways you can create popups manually or via third-party platforms. Let’s explore your options.

One of the easiest ways to create a WordPress popup without plugin (modal or form) is by simply embedding a small JavaScript code provided by external services like Claspo. With this approach, you avoid installing extra plugins that could slow down your site or conflict with your theme. Instead, you just copy a short code snippet and add it to your WordPress site — and your widget is ready to go.

What makes this option so beginner-friendly is how much you can do without touching a single line of code:

You get access to a full template library with professionally designed layouts. Just pick one that fits your site’s style.
The drag-and-drop editor lets you easily customize texts, colors, images, and even add custom fields to your form — no design skills needed.
You can set up triggers: show your popup after a delay, on scroll, make WordPress popup on click, or exit-intent.
The built-in targeting options allow you to personalize who sees the popup — for example, newcomers vs returning visitors, visitors from specific countries (geotargeting), or shoppers with items in the cart.
You can even run A/B tests to see which version of your popup works best.
Scalable: easy to manage multiple widgets across different websites, ideal for agencies or marketers managing several projects.

If you’ve been wondering how to add a popup in WordPress without plugin, or whether it’s even possible to build a flexible popup in WordPress without plugin, this method covers pretty much everything — and you don’t need any technical background.

Another bonus? You won’t have to worry about updates or maintenance. The external service keeps things running smoothly behind the scenes, so your popup form keeps doing its job while you focus on your content.

When it makes sense to choose this option:

You want full popup functionality without technical complexity.
You care about performance and want to avoid plugin overload.
You want to launch advanced popups (gamified wheels, quizzes, cart abandonment, etc.) that would otherwise require multiple plugins.

Of course, like any method, this approach isn’t perfect for absolutely everyone. Since you’re using an external service, you do rely on their platform being up and running. Also, while most core features are very generous, some advanced options may require a paid subscription if your needs grow. However, with Claspo, you won't encounter this drawback, as our lifetime free plan provides access to absolutely all features without restrictions.

If you're comfortable writing a bit of code, another way to approach how to create a popup in WordPress without plugin is by building it manually. This gives you full control over how your popup form looks, when it appears, and how it functions — but you’ll need some basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

In this method, you write your own popup code to your WordPress site directly. You can place the code inside your theme file editor (for example, code into the functions.php file or in the footer.php) or use a child theme if you don’t want to risk breaking anything important.

At its core, you’ll be creating a wordpress modal without plugin — a little box that appears on top of your page content. When everything works correctly, you’ll see the little modal pops right when you want them to. With JavaScript, you can control when the pop-up in WordPress appears: after a delay, on scroll, on click, or even simulate exit-intent behavior.

If you want to create a pop-up that's truly customizable, coding gives you that flexibility. You decide on the popup type, its design, triggers, and what happens when users submit your form. You can also style your pop-up in WordPress using custom CSS to match your site's design perfectly.

For example, you might write your own HTML form inside the popup that collects emails, displays a discount, or promotes limited-time offers. When used wisely, popups can create a sense of urgency or exclusivity, helping you boost your conversion rates even without extra plugins.

But keep in mind: while you don’t need to create an account with any external service, you’re fully responsible for maintaining the code, fixing any issues, and making sure everything stays compatible after WordPress updates.

Pros of using custom code:

Full control over popup behavior and design
100% hosted on your own website without external services.
No need to copy the embed code or integrate third-party tools.

Cons of using custom code:

Requires coding skills and regular maintenance.
More complex if you want advanced features like targeting, A/B testing, or analytics.
Mistakes in your code to your WordPress website can potentially break your site.

Let us quickly introduce you to our free popup maker first. Claspo is a free popup builder for WordPress with lifetime access to all advanced features. At first glance, you might think it’s like Canva, but for creating popups. The builder follows a similar principle: you are offered ready to use templates, components, and a drag-and-drop editor to customize them to match your website’s design and vibe.

However, Claspo goes beyond just design — it's a powerful lead generation tool with advanced features like exit intent technology, cart abandonment recovery, and gamification. With its intuitive design tools, you can easily create highly engaging, conversion-focused popups tailored specifically to your target audience.

Claspo also comes with advanced targeting options for segmenting audiences based on behavior, location, or shopping habits, which helps to deliver personalized interactions.

Now, let’s see how things work.

First, sign up to get your free account with lifetime access to all our features (no hidden charges 😉).

Once logged in, click on the New Widget button, and let’s add an email subscription to WordPress.

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You can start from scratch or use one of the templates available. We recommend using a template to save time.

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Step 2: Select a template

On the left side of the popup editing screen, filter templates by selecting Grow Email List in the Use Case section and choose the Popup Layout. Apply additional filters if necessary to find the template that best fits your needs.

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Now it's time to make your popup your own. Add new fields by dragging and dropping components from the left sidebar. Our popup builder will align items so everything stays neat.

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Modify the text by double-clicking any text area and adjust the fonts, spacing, and other settings via the right sidebar. You can even customize the popup's close button to match your design.

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Customize the success, error, and "already subscribed" states to provide helpful feedback depending on a user’s interaction.

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You can also configure what action occurs when users click the button, like submitting the form or redirecting to another page.

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To see how your popup looks on both desktop and mobile, click the Preview button in the top-right corner. If you need to make changes, simply go back and adjust the design until you’re satisfied.

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Step 5: Set triggers and launch settings

The default display rules in Claspo are designed to ensure a smooth user experience. For example, the popup might appear after 20 seconds on a page and once per session.

You can change the popup behavior to adjust the trigger, such as showing the popup on specific pages or to certain audiences.

In addition, with Claspo’s overlap protection and annoyance safeguard features, you can maintain an optimal user experience by ensuring popups don’t become intrusive.

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Step 6: Set up your integrations

To make the most of your popup forms, integrate Claspo with apps like Mailchimp, HubSpot, or other marketing platforms for seamless marketing automation. Claspo can easily be a part of your marketing stack, allowing you to run smooth lead-generation campaigns.

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You can also connect Claspo to Google Analytics to track the performance of your popups.

Step 7: Install the script

Now, the part you’ve been waiting for: installing the script.

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All you need to do is copy and embed code from your Claspo account right before the closing </body> tag.

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There’s also another way to add a WordPress popup without a plugin. If you have the Google Tag Manager (GTM) code installed on your WordPress site, you can add the Claspo script to a tag in GTM. After that, you can run Claspo web page widget software on your site.

Once installed, verify the script's functionality, and you're all set! Claspo's support team can assist you if you encounter any issues.

To create popups that convert well, you must understand how people behave on your site and give them a reason to act at the right time.

Here are ten popular WordPress popup examples to get you started.

Imagine a user browsing your online store and about to leave without making a purchase. That’s where a website exit intent popup comes in. This type of popup detects when the user's mouse moves toward the close button or address bar and triggers an offer—like “Wait! Get 15% Off Your First Purchase.”

Exit-intent_popup
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Why does this work? It captures attention at a crucial moment and provides an incentive to rethink their decision to leave. Using an incentive, especially in e-commerce, has been proven to significantly reduce cart abandonment.

A scroll-triggered popup appears when someone is engaged enough to scroll 50-70% down a page, like a blog post. For example, “Enjoying this post? Get our full guide in PDF. Sign up to download.” This approach works because it appears at a moment of peak interest. If readers find your content useful, they will likely see value in getting more of it.

Scroll-Triggered_Content_Upgrade_Popup
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These popups are timed to appear after the user has spent some time on your site, usually about 20-30 seconds. Imagine this: "Get Free Shipping on Your First Order! Enter your email to receive the offer."

Timed_popup
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Since the visitor is already spending time on your page, they are likely interested in your products, and offering something like free shipping can help push them towards making a purchase. Timed popups often help to re-engage website visitors before they lose interest.

Click-triggered popups are activated by users clicking on a specific element, making them feel like a natural continuation of the user’s action. The popup can be triggered by clicking a button, link, or image icon.

You will need to find the CSS selector of the element you want to be the trigger and add it to the popup display settings.

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But there’s another way to open a modal popup on button click in WordPress without a plugin. You can also use a launcher, a.k.a. teaser. Launchers are custom buttons that users can click to trigger a popup. They’re usually placed in one of the bottom corners of the page.

Do you need code to use launchers? Not if you’re using Claspo. You can enable a launcher when picking your template or create a separate launcher and link it to another popup.

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Our data shows that gamified elements can increase conversion rates by up to 300%. A gamified wheel popup adds a fun twist to the standard email capture approach.

It might look like this: “Spin to Win! Enter your email to get a chance to win discounts or gifts!” People enjoy games, and the possibility of winning makes the popup feel less like a marketing ploy and more like an opportunity. This playful approach increases user interaction rates.

Gamified_Wheel_popup
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These popups are designed for users who add items to their cart but show signs of leaving the page. A message like, “Don’t Leave Yet! Complete your purchase now and get 10% off,” can be effective here. Cart abandonment is a huge challenge in e-commerce. Baymard Institute reports that 69.99% of online shopping carts are abandoned, but cart recovery strategies based on cart abandonment surveys, such as offering a discount, can recover 10-15% of lost sales.

Cart_Abandonment_popup
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Welcome pop-ups appear when a visitor first arrives at your site, offering something valuable right away, like "Join our VIP list for exclusive offers and get 20% off your first order!" This helps capture emails from first-time visitors who may not yet be ready to buy but are interested enough to subscribe.

Welcome_popup
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With this type of popup, you can build trust and reduce the perception of risk, especially for first-time buyers. Displaying real-time purchases or sign-ups on your site sends a message that the business is active and reliable.

Imagine browsing an online store, and a small pop-up appears that says: "Someone just bought this item 5 minutes ago!" You might think, “Oh, people are actively buying this. It must be good!” This little nudge could be enough to make you more inclined to purchase it yourself.

Social_Proof_popup
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Countdown popups create urgency by giving visitors a time limit, which prompts them to take immediate action. For example, "Complete your order within the next 20 minutes using the promo code below and get 5% off all items in your cart!" This strategy effectively uses the psychological principle of scarcity, where limited time creates a sense of urgency.

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Our data shows that time-limited offers can boost sales by up to 332%. This is largely due to the fear of missing out (FOMO), which compels users to make quick decisions to avoid missing a deal.

You can use two types of countdown timers: fixed timers and relative timers. Fixed countdown timers are synced to a specific deadline for all users, such as "Offer ends at midnight tonight."

On the other hand, relative timers are dynamic and personalized, starting a countdown for each individual visitor when they land on your page. This ensures that each person still feels urgency, regardless of when they visit your site. Relative timers work particularly well for evergreen campaigns where you want to create a sense of urgency for each new visitor without having to manually adjust the deadline. And guess what! Claspo has this feature!

A survey or quiz popup adds an interactive element to a popup form. BuzzSumo found that interactive content gains 2x more engagement than static content, leading to better opt-in rates. People enjoy quizzes and the promise of personalized results. Plus, a discount makes them more likely to provide their email.

Product_Recommendation_Quiz
Use this template

Check out our articles featuring some of the best WordPress popup plugins designed to enhance your website's engagement and boost conversion rates, along with top age verification popup plugins for Wordpress to ensure compliance and safeguard your content effectively.

Final Words to Get Started

Creating popups in WordPress without plugins can be a game-changer for your site. While many WordPress popup plugins offer great features, they still require installation and regular updates inside your WordPress dashboard. With this no-plugin method, you get similar advanced functionality but manage everything externally — keeping your site lightweight and easy to maintain. You can take full control and build high-performing popups without relying on plugins that might slow down your site or cause conflicts.

With Claspo, you get the flexibility to easily create popups in WordPress without complex setups. The drag-and-drop builder, rich template library, and smart targeting options make it simple to design popups that match your brand — whether you want to collect emails, drive sales, or boost engagement. And because you're using a simple popup code you avoid many of the headaches.

The beauty of this approach is that you're still fully in control while keeping your site fast and stable. You don't have to worry about compatibility every time WordPress updates or adding yet another name to your growing list of WordPress plugins. Instead, you're free to focus on your visitors — and creating popups in WordPress that actually work.

We’ve already shown you how to create different types of popups, but if you want to learn how to create even more advanced designs, triggers, and personalization, you can explore more guides — like our deep dive on how to create a WordPress modal popup.

If you’re ready to see how easy creating WordPress popups without plugins can be, give our free lifetime plan a try. Just a few steps, and you’ll have your first popup without plugins live — helping you capture leads, engage visitors, and grow your business.