8 Best WordPress Notification Bar Plugins (Compared)

A floating bar or “hello bar” can be an effective and non-intrusive way to alert users about a sale or coupon. However, if you’re a beginner, you might not know how to create one in WordPress.

At WPBeginner, we use OptinMonster to create notification bars that gently remind our readers about special promotions, free workshops, and our professional services. In our experience, OptinMonster is hands down the best notification bar plugin out there.

Still, we know that every WordPress website owner has a unique set of needs. So, we decided to pull our collective expertise and do some additional testing and research to bring you a list of the top notification bar plugins overall.

We found that the best options include OptinMonster, SeedProd, and TrustPulse, but there are a few other good ones too.

In this article, we will share and review the 8 best WordPress notification bar plugins to boost traffic, get more subscribers, and increase sales. This way, you can pick the right tool for your needs.

Overview of the Best WordPress Notification Bar Plugins

Are you in a hurry? Here’s a quick overview of the best WordPress notification bar plugins.

#	Plugin	Best For	Starting Price	Free Version
🥇	OptinMonster	Lead generation & growing email lists	$7 / month	❌
🥈	SeedProd	Creating custom websites and landing pages	$39.50 / year	✅
🥉	TrustPulse	Growing conversions using FOMO	$5 / month	✅
4.	Thrive Ultimatum	Complete marketing suite	$99 / year	❌
5.	WP Notification Bar Pro	Show unusual content in notification bars, like related posts or social media buttons	$19 / year	❌
6.	Hello Bar	Most beginner-friendly plugin	$29 / month	✅
7.	Easy Notification Bar	Best free alternative with basic features	Free	✅
8.	WPFront Notification Bar	Simple and basic notification bars	Free	✅

How We Test and Review WordPress Notification Bar Plugins

There are plenty of WordPress notification bar plugins on the market, but not all of them have the right features to get maximum results.

For example, some notification bar plugins are too simple and don’t come with the proper settings to let users hide notifications. Others may not have the ability to add dynamic elements like call-to-action buttons or countdown timers to boost urgency.

Basically, you need to choose a floating bar plugin that aligns with your goal. You can ask yourself whether you want to increase traffic, show announcement alerts, grow your email list, increase sales conversions, or something different.

To ensure that we recommend only the most helpful and user-friendly WordPress notification bar plugins, we use a strict testing process. We test and assess several key factors, including:

• Ease of Use: We evaluate how intuitive the plugin’s interface is for users of all technical levels. For instance, we check how easy it is to set up the plugin, change notification bar settings, find different options, and more.
• Core Features: We prioritize plugins that offer important notification bar functionalities, such as displaying targeted messages, calls to action, promotional offers, display rules, and more.
• Targeting and Cookie Settings – Your notification plugin should have a targeting option that allows you to customize the message for different sections and also remember what a visitor has seen in the past to improve user experience. So, we looked for different targeting options offered by the plugins.
• Customization Options: It is essential to customize notification bars to match your website branding and specific campaign needs. We checked whether plugins provide the flexibility to change color schemes, fonts, and overall design. We also looked for templates and intuitive editing tools like a drag-and-drop builder.
• A/B Testing and Analytics: We assessed whether the plugin provides tools for A/B testing different notification bar variations and tracking user engagement metrics.
• Integrations: Seamless integration with popular email marketing and analytics tools is a significant advantage. We checked whether a plugin could connect with different email marketing services and other plugins.
• Pricing: We evaluated the pricing plans offered by each plugin. As a user, you should get value for money, so we compared the features against the price point.
• Support options: Lastly, we made sure that there are support options available. Good support can save you a lot of money in the long run.

With that said, let’s compare the best WordPress notification bar plugins.

1. OptinMonster

OptinMonster is the best lead generation software on the market, with an exceptional notification bar feature. Thanks to its powerful suite of marketing tools, it is perfect if you want to turn website visitors into subscribers and customers.

At WPBeginner, we use OptinMonster to show exit intent and notification bars, offer content upgrades, and create different campaigns. If you want to learn more, then please see our OptinMonster review.

The plugin also includes a notification bar feature with dozens of beautiful templates. The drag-and-drop builder allows you to customize the design or even create completely custom templates to match your brand. You can include things like a countdown timer, too.

OptinMonster is great for notification bars that encourage action. Its advanced targeting features allow you to personalize the message based on your goals and users’ past behavior.

What impressed us the most was that you can also use OptinMonster’s notification bars to show an alert or message. If you’ve had to suddenly change your business hours, for instance, you can alert your website visitors about this.

Other use cases include creating a free shipping bar notice for WooCommerce, adding an opt-in newsletter form, making a discount alert bar, redirecting traffic to a landing page, and more.

Below are some real example screenshots from OptinMonster’s floating bar gallery:

Aside from just notification bars, you can use OptinMonster to create all sorts of different popups and alerts, including spin-to-win gamified opt-in forms, exit-intent popups, fullscreen welcome mats, and more.

Not to mention, there is no other solution that offers more personalization and targeting features than OptinMonster.

You can show your popup when a user is about to exit your website, stays on pages for a specific time, is from a particular location, and more.

Why We Recommend OptinMonster: We chose OptinMonster because it is the most comprehensive and powerful plugin for adding notification bars in WordPress. It also comes with advanced display rules, which help show your campaigns at the right time to the right people. It’s perfect for lead generation and growing your email list.

Pricing: OptinMonster plan prices start at $7 per month.

2. SeedProd

SeedProd is the best WordPress website builder and landing page plugin. So, it’s ideal if you are starting from zero and need to create complete pages or build an entire custom website with notification bars.

In fact, we use SeedProd across different projects to create websites and landing pages. For more details, please see our SeedProd review.

You can create a custom landing page and add a notification bar at the top of your website. The plugin offers multiple pre-built templates, making it super easy to customize each element.

There are different blocks that you can add to your page. We also liked that these blocks include standard options like images and text, along with advanced blocks like a progress bar, optin form, giveaway, and more.

The best part is that SeedProd also integrates with different email marketing services. This allows you to collect leads and grow your email list.

Why We Recommend SeedProd: It is a great solution if you’re creating a new landing page or website theme from scratch and need to add notification bars to your design. It comes with pre-built templates and a drag-and-drop builder.

Pricing: SeedProd prices start at $39.50 per year. There is also a free version available.

3. TrustPulse

TrustPulse is a little different from the plugins we’ve looked at so far. If you’re looking to boost conversions using fear of missing out (FOMO), then TrustPulse offers a real-time social proof notification. It lets your users know what’s happening on your site and encourages them to take action.

This can be a great way to take advantage of the FOMO effect while building trust around your brand. At WPBeginner and our other brands, we use the plugin to boost conversions using FOMO. You may want to see our complete TrustPulse review to learn more.

When someone visits your site, TrustPulse will show a small notification bar that lets them know who’s buying your product right now or who’s bought it recently. This is a powerful form of social proof that is proven to increase conversions.

While testing, we found that it works with all top eCommerce platforms, including WooCommerce. You can also set up TrustPulse to track other types of interactions. For instance, you could use it to show a notification when someone joins your email list.

TrustPulse is incredibly easy to use out of the box. However, there are plenty of features you can customize if you want to. For instance, you can easily change the message, colors, and images used in your notifications.

It also gives you lots of helpful analytics, showing which pages deliver the highest conversion rate.

Why We Recommend TrustPulse: We added TrustPulse to the list because it helps boost conversions using the FOMO effect. By showing social proof on your site, you can encourage users to take action.

Pricing: TrustPulse prices start at $5 per month. There’s even a free version, which lets you show notifications for up to 500 sessions (user visits).

4. Thrive Ultimatum

Thrive Ultimatum is one of the best countdown plugins for WordPress. It allows you to create floating banners and other types of notification widgets to create a sense of urgency.

With its pre-made templates and drag-and-drop builder, you can quickly create eye-catching notification bars that match the look and feel of your site. To learn more about its features, see our Thrive Themes Suite review.

When testing the tool, we noticed that you can set up fixed notification campaigns with a start and end date. There’s also a recurring campaign option that will automatically start, stop, and repeat campaigns for you.

We were also impressed that you can even create evergreen notification campaigns, which are personalized, limited-time offers for each individual prospect.

Then, you can easily display the notification bars across your entire website or show them only on specific pages and posts.

Why We Recommend Thrive Ultimatum: If you’re looking for a complete marketing suite that also lets you show notification bars, then the bundled Thrive Themes Suite may be the perfect choice.

Pricing: Thrive Ultimatum will cost you $99 per year. You can also purchase the Thrive Suite for $299 per year and get other tools as well.

5. WP Notification Bar Pro

WP Notification Bar Pro offers multiple notification types that you can set up on your WordPress site. We found this plugin to be a great option if you want to create a notification bar that’s somewhat unusual.

For instance, you can use WP Notification Bar Pro to show your latest posts or posts related to users. You can also display a search form or social media buttons in your notification bar.

WP Notification Bar Pro lets you create multiple notification bars. You can set their priority so that the most important one always displays on a given page. Using the plugin, you’ll easily build your email list, grow your social media following, advertise sales, and more.

We noticed that you can also split-test your bars to see which performs best. You can track your views and clicks, too.

Why We Recommend WP Notification Bar Pro: This is a great solution if you want to show unusual content in the notification bars. For instance, you can show related posts, forms, social buttons, and much more.

Pricing: WP Notification Bar Pro will cost you $19 per year.

6. Hello Bar

Hello Bar is another popular notification bar plugin for WordPress. It is a good option for complete beginners because using it is super straightforward.

Like OptinMonster, Hello Bar integrates with popular email marketing services and can be used to add users to your email lists.

In addition to notification bars, Hello Bar lets you create other types of popups, such as sliders and even popups that take over the whole screen.

There’s a limited free version of Hello Bar available. When testing, we discovered that you’ll need to create an account with Hello Bar in order to use it.

The free version doesn’t give you as much control over your notification bars as the full version. You’ll still be able to make some basic design changes using it, though.

However, you won’t be able to remove the Hello Bar branding unless you pay for a premium plan. That’s why we think OptinMonster is a much better option at the price.

Why We Recommend Hello Bar: If you’re a beginner and want to show notification bars on your site without a complicated setup, then this plugin is for you.

Pricing: Hello Bar prices start at $29 per month. There is also a free version available.

7. Easy Notification Bar

Easy Notification Bar is a simple, free option for adding notification bars in WordPress. What makes this plugin so good is that you can simply install it on your site and get started right away. There’s no complicated setup or settings, which makes it a great free alternative to premium plugins.

It doesn’t have all the options you’ll get from other plugins, but you can still do basic things like type in your text, choose a font size, add a link, and customize the colors.

While reviewing the plugin, we found that, unlike lots of other plugins, Easy Notification Bar only offers a floating bar and doesn’t let you create different types of popups.

It could be a great option if you just want to put an alert on your website. For instance, if you run a restaurant and want to alert customers to a temporary closure or change in business hours, this plugin might be all you need.

It’s completely free, and there’s no premium version. If you’re on a tight budget after the other costs of building a WordPress site, then this could be a good plugin to start with.

Why We Recommend Easy Notification Bar: We chose this plugin because it is a great free alternative to other premium options on our list. It may not offer all the features, but it gets the job done. You can add basic notification bars to your site without breaking the bank.

Pricing: Easy Notification Bar is a free WordPress plugin.

8. WPFront Notification Bar

WPFront Notification Bar is another simple plugin for creating notification bars in WordPress. It is also free to use, which makes it a great choice for small businesses. You can simply place the bar at the top or bottom of the page.

You can also set the bar to automatically close and/or have a close button for your visitors. A feature we really liked was that you can configure when the bar appears by setting a start and end date for it.

WPFront Notification Bar is completely free and regularly updated. As with Easy Notification Bar, there’s no premium version. One key drawback with this plugin is that you can only create a single notification bar at a time.

Why We Recommend WPFront Notification Bar: If you’re looking for a free plugin that lets you add simple and basic notification bars, then we recommend this plugin. It is a good alternative to other premium plugins on our list and is easy to use.

Pricing: WPFront Notification Bar is free to use.

Which Is the Best Notification Bar Plugin for WordPress? (Expert Pick)

In our opinion, OptinMonster is the best WordPress notification bar plugin because of its large template selection, easy-to-use design customizer, advanced personalization/targeting features, and hundreds of integrations with popular email marketing services & CRMs.

It also gives you a wide range of other marketing tools, such as popups, slide-ins, fullscreen welcome mats, gamified spin-a-wheel opt-in forms, and more.

If you’re looking to display social proof notifications, then TrustPulse is an ideal solution. It uses FOMO to create a sense of urgency and encourages users to take action.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for a website and page builder that can help you add notification bars to your site’s design, then SeedProd is the best option. It is easy to use, offers a drag-and-drop builder, and has lots of themes to choose from.

FAQs about Notification Bar Plugins for WordPress

Here are some common questions users have about WordPress notification bar plugins.

1. How do I add a notification bar in WordPress?

The easiest way to add a notification bar in WordPress is by using a plugin. For instance, you can use OptinMonster to create stunning notification bars. The plugin offers prebuilt templates, a drag-and-drop builder, and powerful display rules.

2. How do I show notifications in WordPress?

There are several ways to show notifications in WordPress. You can use OptinMonster to show a notification bar at the top or bottom of your website. You can also use TrustPulse to show real-time social proof notifications. You can even run push notifications to inform users about new content, sales, and other promotional offers.

3. What is the Better Notifications for WP plugin?

Better Notifications for WP is a free plugin you can use on your site to show notifications. However, the free version lacks a lot of features. As an alternative, you can give Easy Notification Bar a try. It is another free plugin that is easy to use.

We hope this article helped you learn about the best WordPress notification bar plugins. You might also want to take a look at our expert list of the best WooCommerce spin-a-wheel coupon plugins and how to create a welcome gate in WordPress.

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