Grow your email list 2-7x faster than popups.
List Builder is the free core Leaky Paywall plugin. It replaces low-converting popups with a registration wall: readers trade an email to keep reading. Turn on paid subscriptions whenever you’re ready.
Powered by Leaky Paywall. Trusted by over 800 leading publishers.
99% of readers ignore your popup.
Newsletter popups convert about 1% of the readers who see them. Why? They interrupt before anyone knows your content is worth an email. The registration wall flips the trade: readers get the article, you get a committed subscriber.
| Popups | List Builder | |
|---|---|---|
| Conversion rate | 0.9-1.45% | 3.2-6.7% |
| Reader engagement | Low | High |
| Email quality | Passive | Committed |
| Blocks AI scrapers | ✕ | ✓ |
| Path to paid subscriptions | ✕ | Built in |
| Bounces low-engagement readers | ✕ | ✓ |
Conversion data from 12 publishers running Leaky Paywall registration walls with a one-free-article meter, compared to published popup benchmarks.
Three steps to a bigger, better email list.
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1
Reader finds your content
Search, social, a shared link. They land on an article and start reading.
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2
Registration wall appears
After the free preview, the reader trades an email to keep reading. A fair exchange for content they’re already invested in, not an interruption.
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3
You own the relationship
Registered readers join your email list automatically. You nurture them with your newsletter. When you turn on paid subscriptions, those readers convert at up to 45x the rate of cold traffic.
Everything you need to start today.
Install from the WordPress plugin repository. Works with any theme, any host, any caching setup. It works out of the box.
Registration wall
Readers trade an email to keep reading. You build a list of people who already value your content, not popup passersby.
Stripe Connect built in
Paid subscriptions ship in the plugin. Connect Stripe and start charging whenever you’re ready. No upgrade, no migration.
AI scraper protection
The wall that registers readers also blocks AI bots from crawling your free content. Your reporting stays yours.
Metered content
You set how many free articles readers get before the wall appears. Tighten or loosen the meter anytime.
Export to your email service
Send registered readers to Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign, or wherever you send email. Paid plans sync automatically.
Customizable messaging
Your wall, your words. Control the copy, design, and placement so it reads like you, not a template.
Popups collect emails.
Registration walls build relationships.
A reader who registers has made a decision about your content. That shows up everywhere downstream: higher open rates, more return visits, and way better paid conversion. List Builder is Step 1 of the flywheel, and the wheel keeps turning from there.
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Step 1 · Engage
Grow your email list 2-7x faster than popups
Popups ask. Registration walls require. Newsletter popups convert 0.9% of readers who see them. Registration walls convert 3.2-6.7%.
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Step 2 · Nurture
Send readers back to your site
Your newsletter is the one channel you own outright. AI can’t intercept it. Social media can’t throttle it. Google can’t down-rank it.
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Step 3 · Convert
Turn readers into subscribers
Registered readers convert to paid at up to 45x the rate of cold traffic. They’re already logged in: no new account required, less friction, higher conversion.
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Step 4 · Act Pro
Know what’s working. Fix what’s not
AI-powered Subscriber Insights tracks every logged-in reader: what content converts, which free readers are ready to pay, and which subscribers might cancel. Every week you get an action plan to win new subscribers and keep the ones you have.
Available with Leaky Paywall Pro.
- ↺Back to Step 1. The wheel keeps turning.
The registration wall builds the list. The newsletter activates it. Traffic grows, subscriptions increase, advertisers notice. That’s the whole system.
OK, what’s the catch?
There isn’t much of one. List Builder is free forever for building your email list. No credit card, no setup fees, no commitment.
When you turn on paid subscriptions, we take a 10% revenue share on new paid subscribers only. Your existing subscribers and your email list are never touched. We make money when the plugin makes you money.
Paid subscriptions are already built in.
Stripe Connect ships in the plugin. Test paid subscriptions whenever you want: same plugin, no migration, no new tools.
Build your list
Free forever. The registration wall grows your list while you publish.
Test paid subscriptions
Connect Stripe and try a paid tier. You control the dial.
Scale revenue
Upgrade for support and the full Leaky Paywall toolset when the numbers say go.
Stop losing readers to popups.
Install List Builder, set your meter, and start building a list of readers who chose you. Turn on paid subscriptions when you’re ready.
Free forever. No credit card. Powered by Leaky Paywall.