article

How to Add a Waitlist to Webflow (Code Embed Guide)

Add a waitlist to Webflow with a Code Embed element or site-wide footer code — inline or popup, on the $15 Basic plan. Plus the template question, answered.

AAymane E.·October 4, 2026·7 min read·Updated November 8, 2026

You built your pre-launch page in Webflow and now you need a Webflow waitlist form that actually works — tracking referrals and sending emails, not just dumping addresses somewhere. GetWaitly's widget drops into Webflow with two lines of code.

There is one Webflow rule to know up front: Webflow custom code needs a paid site plan to run. Here is how to add a waitlist to Webflow — both for an inline form and a popup.

The short answer

Add a Code Embed element where you want the form and paste your GetWaitly snippet, or put the script in Site settings → Custom code → Footer to load it site-wide. Publish. Custom code only runs on a paid Site plan — Basic ($15/mo) or Premium ($25/mo), billed yearly as of November 2026 — and never on a free Starter webflow.io site. A paid Workspace plan does not change that. That is a waitlist on Webflow in about five minutes.

What you need

A GetWaitly account with a waitlist created (free plan covers 100 subscribers).
Your waitlist's public ID from the Widget/Embed section of the dashboard.
A Webflow site on a paid Site plan: Basic at $15/mo (static sites, 300 pages) or Premium at $25/mo (adds the CMS). Prices are billed yearly, checked November 2026. On the free Starter plan, Webflow lets you add code in the Designer but strips it on the published site.

Step 1 — Get your embed code

In GetWaitly, open the waitlist and go to Widget. Copy:

Script tag:

<script src="https://getwaitly.com/widget.js" defer></script>

Container div:

<div class="gw-widget" data-waitlist-id="YOUR_WAITLIST_ID"></div>

Use the waitlist's public ID, not the URL slug.

Step 2 — Choose where the form lives

Option A — Inline form on one page (recommended)

Open your Webflow project in the Designer. Go to the page where you want the form. Open the Add panel (the plus icon) and drag a Code Embed element onto the canvas where the form should appear.

Double-click the embed, paste both lines, and click Save & Close:

<div class="gw-widget" data-waitlist-id="YOUR_WAITLIST_ID"></div>
<script src="https://getwaitly.com/widget.js" defer></script>

Give the Code Embed element a width in the Style panel — the widget fills whatever width it is given. Height can stay auto.

Publish the site, then open the published page in a private window. The Designer shows a placeholder; the live page renders the form.

Option B — Popup on every page

If you want a button that opens the form in a modal anywhere on your site, load the widget script once globally and place the trigger button where you want it.

First, go to Site settings → Custom code and paste the script into the Footer code box (before </body>):

<script src="https://getwaitly.com/widget.js" defer></script>

Save. Then add a Code Embed element (or a button) where the trigger should appear, with:

<button class="gw-trigger" data-waitlist-id="YOUR_WAITLIST_ID">Join waitlist</button>

This is a strong fit for a nav CTA, a hero button, or a sticky element.

Step 3 — Publish and test

Publish your Webflow site. Open the live page in a private window and submit a test email. Confirm the success message appears and the subscriber lands in your GetWaitly dashboard.

If you see an empty box instead of the form, the usual cause is the plan: custom code does not run on the free Starter site plan. Upgrade the site to a paid Site plan (or use a paid Workspace) and publish again.

Webflow-specific gotchas

Free plan strips code. The Code Embed element and Site settings custom code are visible in the Designer on any plan, but they only execute on a published site with a paid Site plan. Starter publishes to webflow.io and drops them.
A paid Workspace is not enough. Custom code is a Site plan feature, on the site itself. Upgrading your Workspace seats does not unlock it on a Starter site.
Webflow merged CMS and Business into Premium in May 2026. The Site plan lineup is now Starter (free), Basic ($15/mo), and Premium ($25/mo), billed yearly. Basic has no CMS; Premium adds it. Either one runs the widget.
Dynamic custom code is a Premium feature. Pulling CMS fields into an embed needs Premium now. The GetWaitly snippet is static, so Basic is enough.
Code Embed supports HTML, CSS, and JS only — no PHP or server-side languages. The GetWaitly snippet is plain HTML and JavaScript, so it fits.
CMS pages. If you want the form on a CMS Collection template, put the Code Embed in the Collection page. The widget snippet itself is static.

Do you need a Webflow waitlist template?

People search for a "Webflow waitlist template" expecting the template to do the work. It does not, and it helps to be clear about the split:

A template controls how the page looks — layout, sections, typography. Webflow's marketplace and Made in Webflow have plenty of coming-soon and pre-launch templates.
The form itself still needs somewhere to store signups, deduplicate emails, and send confirmation mail. A template cannot do that, and neither can a Webflow form on a static site — it stores submissions but gives you no referral links, queue positions, or broadcasts.

So you do not need to switch templates to add a waitlist. Keep the page you designed, drop in the Code Embed, and let GetWaitly handle the list behind it. If you like a template's layout, use it for the visuals and still wire the form to GetWaitly.

Alternative: no custom code

If you would rather not pay for a Site plan, or you simply want a link instead of an embedded form, use GetWaitly's hosted page. Publish it at getwaitly.com/w/your-id, customize the branding, and link to it from your Webflow buttons. The signup lives on GetWaitly's domain instead of yours, but there is no code to maintain.

Be honest with yourself about the upgrade. If a waitlist form is the only reason you would move off Starter, don't — Starter still gives you two static pages on webflow.io, and a button to the hosted page works there. Upgrade when you want the custom domain or the CMS anyway, and the embed comes free with it.

FAQ

Does the GetWaitly widget work on Webflow's free plan?

The code can be added in the Designer, but it will not run on a published free (webflow.io) site. Custom code requires a paid Site plan — Basic or Premium. A paid Workspace plan does not unlock it. GetWaitly itself works on any plan, including its free tier.

How much does Webflow cost to add a waitlist form?

Basic at $15/mo or Premium at $25/mo, billed yearly (checked November 2026). Basic is enough, because the widget snippet is static. You only need Premium on Webflow's side if you want the CMS — the waitlist does not require it.

Where do I paste custom code in Webflow?

Two places: a Code Embed element for code in a specific spot on a page, and Site settings → Custom code → Footer for code that should load across the whole site. For an inline waitlist form, use the Code Embed element.

Why is my Webflow embed showing an empty box?

Almost always the plan. Custom code is stripped on free Starter sites. Upgrade the site to a paid Site plan, republish, and check the live page — not the Designer preview, which shows a placeholder.

Can I make the waitlist a popup in Webflow?

Yes. Load the widget script in Site settings → Custom code → Footer, then add a Code Embed with a gw-trigger button wherever you want the trigger. Clicking it opens the form in a modal.

Will the widget match my Webflow design?

It inherits your GetWaitly accent color and font, not your Webflow styles. You control its width and placement from the Code Embed element's parent. If you need pixel-perfect control, use GetWaitly's no-JavaScript form action or design a custom form and post to the join endpoint.