MailerLite with WordPress: plugin, forms and what each option does

Our verdict

Use the official plugin if you want pop-ups and forms created in MailerLite on a standard WordPress site; it is the documented path and needs no code. Use embed code if you run a heavily optimized or cached site and want full control over where scripts load. Use a form-builder integration only if your forms already live in that builder and you need its conditional fields. [1] [4]

Whichever you pick, test a real sign-up after every major WordPress or caching-plugin update. The plugin is actively maintained, with a modification dated October 27, 2026, but WordPress.org flags that it has not been tested with the latest three major WordPress releases. [2]

The three options compared

The embed code option comes in two flavors. The JavaScript version uses a universal snippet just before the closing head tag plus the individual form code in the body, and picks up form edits automatically. The HTML version replaces both with one snippet, but you must update it on your site every time you edit the form. [4] MailerLite's support covers native integrations but not third-party integrations or custom API setups. [6]

Installing the official plugin

The plugin's WordPress.org name is MailerLite Signup forms (official). It lists 100,000 plus active installations, requires WordPress 3.0.1 or higher and PHP 7.2.5 or higher, and provides one block. Its documentation also gives a load_mailerlite_form function for placing a form in theme template files. [2]

• In MailerLite, go to Integrations, click Use under MailerLite API, then Generate new token. [1]
• Name the token for its purpose, such as WordPress main site, and choose whether to restrict it to specific IP addresses. Copy it or download it as a text file. [6]
• In WordPress, go to Plugins, Add new, search MailerLite, install and activate MailerLite Signup forms (official). [1]
• Open MailerLite, Settings in the WordPress sidebar, paste the token and click Save this key. [1]
• Add a form: MailerLite, Signup forms, Add new, Forms created in MailerLite; then place it with the block, a shortcode or the MailerLite sign-up form widget. [1] [2]
• Store the token in a password manager, not in a page or a shared document. Only the user who generated a token can view it in MailerLite. [6]

Pop-ups and double opt-in

The plugin enables the pop-up script by default; you can turn it off on the plugin's settings page. A pop-up still has to be enabled in MailerLite, and it appears according to the form's visibility settings. If no forms show in the plugin's list, MailerLite says it means you have no embedded forms in the connected account. [1] [3]

Double opt-in works differently by form type. Forms built in MailerLite use their own setting and confirmation email. Custom forms built in WordPress use a single plugin-wide toggle under MailerLite, Settings. Integrations and API sign-ups follow the account-wide Double opt-in for API and integrations setting under Account settings, Subscribe settings. Editing confirmation emails requires a paid MailerLite plan. [1] [5]

Caching and conflicts checklist

MailerLite's troubleshooting article names WP Rocket and Yoast SEO as plugins that sometimes conflict, and recommends disabling other plugins, reinstalling the MailerLite plugin, then re-enabling plugins one at a time. The plugin's changelog includes fixes for nonces on cached pages and for embedded form caching, which is a sign that caching is where problems tend to appear. [3] [2]

• Exclude MailerLite's scripts from JavaScript delay, defer or combine settings in your optimization plugin, then retest the form.
• After clearing the page cache, submit a test address in a private window and confirm it appears in MailerLite.
• If a form shows a success message but no subscriber appears, check double opt-in status before assuming data loss; unconfirmed subscribers wait for the confirmation email.
• If you see This page has been blocked by an extension, retest with browser extensions disabled.
• Check status.mailerlite.com before debugging if forms fail suddenly across the site.

Privacy checklist

• The universal script loads from MailerLite on every page where it is installed; list MailerLite as a processor in your privacy policy.
• MailerLite says double opt-in is not required by GDPR but recommends it; enable it for forms that collect EU addresses unless you have a reason not to.
• Only ask for fields you will use; GDPR's data minimization principle, which MailerLite summarizes on its double opt-in page, applies to form fields too.
• If you turn off the pop-up script, the universal script is still needed for JavaScript-embedded forms; remove it only if you use the HTML option.
• Review MailerLite's Data Processing Agreement, which its double opt-in page points to, if you handle EU subscribers.

Who should use which option

• Most bloggers and small business sites: the official plugin.
• Performance-tuned or headless setups: embed code, with the HTML option only if you rarely edit forms.
• Sites with complex multi-step or conditional forms already in a form builder: that builder's MailerLite connector, accepting that MailerLite support will not cover it.

Sources & verification

Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.

1. MailerLite Help: How to use MailerLite with WordPress Accessed 30 Oct 2026
2. WordPress.org: MailerLite Signup forms (official) plugin Accessed 30 Oct 2026
3. MailerLite Help: Troubleshooting WordPress forms Accessed 30 Oct 2026
4. MailerLite Help: How to add a form to your website Accessed 30 Oct 2026
5. MailerLite Help: How to use double opt-in when collecting subscribers Accessed 30 Oct 2026
6. MailerLite Help: MailerLite API key, Group ID, and documentation Accessed 30 Oct 2026