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Head-to-head · Paywall Software

Pigeon vs Poool

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score Pigeon #1 in Paywall Software 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Pigeon
Poool #5 in Paywall Software 8.8/10 Pricing on request ✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Poool

Pigeon leads on 0 checks, Poool on 0, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scorePigeon · 9.4/10
  • Free planonly Pigeon
  • Most featuresPigeon · 4 of 4

Pigeon scores higher on our rubric for paywall software: 9.4 against 8.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #5.

Pigeon is the better fit for publishers needing broad paywall control. Poool is the better fit for publishers running segmented experiments.

  • Pigeon fits best

    Publishers needing broad paywall control

  • Poool fits best

    Publishers running segmented experiments

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Pigeon 9.4/10 Visit ↗ Poool 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 8.8
Ranking #1 in Paywall Software #5 in Paywall Software
Best for Publishers needing broad paywall control Publishers running segmented experiments
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price $99/mo Pricing on request
Free plan ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud Cloud, Mobile
Platforms Web Web, iOS, Android
Support Email, Docs Email, Phone, Docs
Integrations 20 integrations 7 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Pigeon 4/4 · Poool 0/4
Metered paywall ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Registration wall ✓ (best) Not checked yet
One-time payments ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Entitlement rules ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Specs
Included pageviews Not checked yet Not checked yet
Supported CMS WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, HubSpot, Magento, Wix, Squarespace, Concrete, Hugo, Gatsby, Jekyll, Eleventy, Nuxt.js, Next.js, Astro, custom CMS Not checked yet
Payment processors AlignPay, Authorize.net, Clover, Braintree, PayPal, Stripe Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Eight paywall modes, including hard, soft, metered, and time-based
  • Rules can use URLs, CMS categories, tags, and API parameters
  • Billing, entitlements, analytics, CMS, and payment integrations in one platform
  • Supports dynamic, metered, registration, data and cookie-wall journeys
  • Combines segmentation, A/B testing and no-code wall design
  • Includes mobile SDKs, APIs, webhooks and cloud analytics exports
Cons
  • The free Experiment plan does not allow transactions
  • Publishers plan charges 10% transaction fees
  • Enterprise pricing starts at $500 per month with variable transaction fees
  • Pricing requires a sales conversation
  • Its broad feature set may exceed simple paywall needs
  • Some integrations depend on listed third-party services
Our verdict

Pigeon is a cloud-based paywall and subscription management platform for newspapers, magazines, blogs, education providers, and other digital content publishers. It supports hard, soft, metered, time-based, cookie, ads, newsletter, and…

Read the review →

Poool is a paywall and audience-conversion suite for publishers and digital media companies. It is designed to turn anonymous visitors into registered members and subscribers through Poool Access, Poool Engage and Poool Flow. Access covers…

Read the review →
  1. PigeonPaywall Software 9.4Free plan
  2. PooolPaywall Software 8.8Pricing on request

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Pigeon — where it wins

    • Eight paywall modes, including hard, soft, metered, and time-based
    • Rules can use URLs, CMS categories, tags, and API parameters
    • Billing, entitlements, analytics, CMS, and payment integrations in one platform

    Where it doesn't

    • The free Experiment plan does not allow transactions
    • Publishers plan charges 10% transaction fees
    • Enterprise pricing starts at $500 per month with variable transaction fees

  • Poool — where it wins

    • Supports dynamic, metered, registration, data and cookie-wall journeys
    • Combines segmentation, A/B testing and no-code wall design
    • Includes mobile SDKs, APIs, webhooks and cloud analytics exports

    Where it doesn't

    • Pricing requires a sales conversation
    • Its broad feature set may exceed simple paywall needs
    • Some integrations depend on listed third-party services
  • Pigeon9.4/10 · Free plan

    Broad paywall, entitlement, billing, and integration controls for digital publishers.

    Visit PigeonFull verdict →
  • Poool8.8/10 · Pricing on request

    A flexible paywall suite for publishers running segmented conversion experiments.

    Visit PooolFull verdict →

More comparisons

All paywall software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update