Looking to grab your WordPress visitors’ attention for product launches, sales or important updates? A WordPress notification bar plugin is perfect for this. Adding a subtle yet noticeable banner at the top of your site to highlight promotions, announcements or calls to action.

In this guide, we’ll cover the 5 best WordPress notification bar plugins comparing their features to help you choose the ideal one for your WordPress blog, WooCommerce store or any other site.

Why Use a WordPress Notification Bar?

A notification bar or top bar in WordPress can be very effective to get your visitor’s attention quite easily and quickly without distracting him from the browsing.

It can enhance the conversion rate by promoting specific important actions like signing up for the newsletters, viewing new items or enjoying the special offers. Unlike pop-ups, notification bars let users browse freely while keeping important messages visible.

You can customize them to match your site’s design. For WooCommerce sites, they’re great for promoting sales, encouraging social media follows or inviting visitors to join your mailing list.

How to Add a Top Bar to WordPress?

Adding a top bar into WordPress is quite easy if you have the right plugin at hand. Just pick any notification bar plugin you like then install it and activate it through your WordPress dashboard.

After activate you should go to plugin settings and configure such aspects as design, position and content. You can replace colors, fonts and add CTA buttons. When you’re done, publish the bar and it will appear on your site.

Here’s a list of the 5 Best Plugins for Notification Bars in WordPress to help promote your business and increase sales.

1. wiseCampaign

wiseCampaign is a lightweight super easy-to-use WordPress plugin that allows you to create eye-catching banners at the top of your site.

Key features include:

• Customizable Notification Bars: Easily create and customize notification bars with options for color, text, fonts and styles to match your site’s design.

• Targeted Messaging: Display notification bars based on user behavior, such as location, pages visited or user type (registered vs. guest).
• Multiple Display Positions: Choose where your notification bars appear – top, bottom or sides of your site for maximum visibility.

• Advanced Call-to-Action (CTA) Options: Add clickable buttons to your bars for promoting offers, collecting emails or driving traffic to specific pages.

• Easy Setup: The plugin is simple to install and configure even for beginners with no coding required.
• Mobile-Friendly: Optimized to look great on both desktop and mobile devices ensuring your bars reach all visitors.

• Exit-Intent Technology: Show notification bars when a user is about to leave the site. These build attention and enforce conversions.
• A/B Testing: Run tests of different versions of your notification bars to see which one performs best with your audience.

• Analytics and Tracking: Inbuilt analytics to track performance and engagement. This way, you will be able to optimize your bars for better results.
• WooCommerce Integration: Seamlessly integrates with WooCommerce to display important messages like free shipping offers or discounts boosting sales.

WiseCampaign is a WordPress plugin that assists businesses by creating engaging, top-bar marketing banners for product promotions, discounts or any other type of announcement.

Below are pros and cons, among user feedback and feature lists:

Pros

• Ease of Use: wiseCampaign is intuitive and allows users to activate, preview and customize campaign banners with ease. It’s suitable for small business owners and marketers without extensive any coding knowledge.
• Customizability: The plugin offers a range of customization options, including background colors, dynamic headlines, countdown timers, logos and call-to-action buttons. This flexibility enables users to create banners that align with their branding.
• Targeting Options: Users can set display rules, choosing where and when banners appear. Targeting by page, user type and mobile versus desktop devices provides better campaign control.
• Templates and Components: The plugin includes ready-made templates, saving time on design. Users can also adjust individual components, such as fonts and button colors to create unique and compelling messages.
• Responsive Support: wiseCampaign offers 24/7 support, helping users quickly resolve issues which is particularly valuable for non-technical users.

Cons

• Limited Free Version: While the plugin is free, its premium features (such as advanced display and user-targeting options) are only available in the pro version. This may limit its utility for users looking for comprehensive functionality without a paid upgrade.
• Compatibility Issues: Some users have reported occasional compatibility issues with specific WordPress themes or plugins. Although wiseCampaign aims for broad compatibility, users may need to troubleshoot in certain cases.
• Data Collection Concerns: The plugin collects telemetry data to improve product functionality but only with user consent. Some users, however, might still have privacy concerns regarding data collection.

Overall, wiseCampaign is a robust and versatile tool for WordPress users seeking to add top-bar campaigns easily. It can boost engagement and conversions with minimal setup, though the pro version is often necessary for full-featured use.

2. Hello Bar

Hello Bar provides a variety of display options ranging from classic top bars to more eye-catching formats like modals and sliders.

Key features include:

• Customizable Templates: A wide selection of pre-made templates is available, along with a Design Assistant that customizes colors and fonts to align with your site’s style.
• Customizable Display Styles: Choose from eye-catching header and footer bars, bold pop-ups, floating alerts, sleek sliders and even full-page takeovers that command attention.
• Analytics and A/B Testing: Built-in analytics let you track performance, and A/B testing helps you improve how well your notifications work.

Here’s a quick overview of the pros and cons of using the Hello Bar plugin by user feedback and feature lists:

Pros

• Simple to Set Up: Easy to use without any coding skills needed.
• Multiple Display Options: Choose from different formats like top bars, pop-ups, sliders and full-page notices.
• Ready-to-Use Templates: Offers templates and a design tool to match your site’s style.
• Analytics for Tracking: Lets you track how notifications are performing.
• A/B Testing: Test different messages to see what works best.
• Integrates with Other Tools: Works with email services and CRMs for collecting leads.
• Mobile-Friendly: Looks good on both mobile and desktop.

Cons

1. Limited Free Features: The free plan has basic features; some options are only on paid plans.
2. Hello Bar Branding: Free version includes Hello Bar’s logo which might look less professional.
3. Limited Customization: Customizing options can be limited compared to other plugins.
4. Could Slow Down Site: Adding it may affect site speed especially on heavy sites.
5. Paid Plans Can Be Pricey: Premium features come at a cost which may not fit all budgets.
6. Basic Targeting Options: Doesn’t offer very detailed targeting for specific audiences.

Hello Bar is a great tool for grabbing attention quickly but may not have all the customization options some users want.

3. Top Bar Pro

Top Bar Pro delivers essential features for creating notification bars, with the ability to target specific audiences.

key features include:

• Targeted Display: Display bars to specific users—like registered members or guests.
• Delay Settings: Control when the bar appears to capture attention at just the right moment.

Here are the pros and cons of using Top Bar Pro for notification bars:

Pros

• Simple to Use: The interface is straightforward making it easy to create and customize notification bars without needing coding skills.
• Targeting Options: The ability to target specific user groups, such as visitors from certain locations or those that may have taken certain actions already on your site.
• Custom Design: Color, text and layout are adjustable via basic settings to match your site’s branding.

Cons

• Limited Features in Free Version: The free version is quite basic, and advanced features like detailed targeting or more design options are only available in the paid version.
• Less Customization: While it provides some customization, it doesn’t offer as many design options compared to other, more advanced plugins.
• Basic Analytics: Doesn’t have as comprehensive analytics or tracking features compared to some other notification bar tools.
• Paid Plan Costs: The premium features come with a price tag, which might not be suitable for smaller sites or businesses on a tight budget.
• May Require Additional Plugins for Advanced Functions: Some advanced targeting and functionality might require third-party integrations or plugins.

Top Bar Pro is great for users who want an easy way to create effective notification bars but it may not have the depth of features that more advanced users need.

4. FooBar Pro

FooBar Pro is an easy-to-use WordPress plugin for adding notification bars. It works with most themes and lets you place unlimited bars at the top, bottom or sides of your page.

Key features include:

• Templates: Offers customizable layouts for announcements, call-to-actions, sign-ups – integrated with Mailchimp and countdowns.
• Integration with WooCommerce: It includes the Free Shipping bar displaying the amount of money spent to encourage larger purchases that will increase sales and make you unique among competitors.
• Personalization: Changes of color, insertion of icons and the use of pulse, wiggle and ripple effects to draw attention.

Here are the main pros and cons of using FooBar Pro for notification bars:

Pros

• Easy to Use: Simple setup and user-friendly interface, even for beginners.
• Multiple Display Positions: You can place notification bars at the top, bottom or sides of your page.
• Unlimited Bars: Create as many notification bars as you need for different purposes.
• Customization Options: Customize colors, fonts and add icons or effects (like pulse and wiggle) to catch users’ attention.
• WooCommerce Integration: Includes a Free Shipping bar to encourage larger purchases and boost sales.

Cons

• Limited Free Features: The free version has basic features, and many advanced options are only available with the Pro version.
• Basic Analytics: Lacks in-depth analytics compared to other more advanced notification bar plugins.
• Limited Design Options: While customizable, the design options may not be as extensive as some other plugins.
• Pricing: The Pro version comes with a cost which may not fit all budgets, especially for small websites.
• Could Slow Down Site: Adding too many notification bars or using complex effects might affect page load speed.

FooBar Pro is a solid choice for simple notification bars with good customization but it may not be the best option for those who need advanced features or more detailed analytics.

5. Easy Notification Bar

Easy Notification Bar is a simple and lightweight plugin for basic announcements on WordPress sites. It’s perfect for those who need a straightforward notification bar.

Key features include:

• Simplicity: Easy to set up and works with most themes ideal for simple announcements.
• Basic Customization: Change colors, fonts and text to match your site’s style.

Here are the main pros and cons of using the Easy Notification Bar plugin:

Pros

• Lightweight and Fast: Won’t weigh your website down due to its minimal approach.
• Compatibility: Works out of the box with most WordPress themes.
• Basic Customization: It is used to style the colors, fonts and text by adapting them to your website.
• Targeted Display: Option to show or hide bars based on user type such as registered users or guests.
• Time Delay Feature: Lets you set a delay for when the bar appears to catch users’ attention at the right moment.

Cons

• Limited Features: Offers only basic functionality. So, it may not meet the needs of advanced users.
• No Advanced Customization: Customization options are minimal lacking advanced design or targeting features.
• No Detailed Analytics: Lacks built-in analytics to track bar performance or user interaction.
• Basic Design: The look and feel of the bars are simple which may not suit users looking for more complex designs.
• Not Ideal for Large Sites: Best suited for small sites or simple announcements as it may not scale well for larger more complex needs.

Easy Notification Bar is great for users who need a simple lightweight solution for basic announcements but it may lack the features needed for more advanced use cases.

Final Verdict

A good WordPress notification bar plugin helps you display announcements, promotions and updates, making it easier to grab attention and boost conversions. The plugins we talked about have different features to fit your needs from simple messages to advanced tools.

Think about what your site needs – a simple bar for quick messages or something more advanced for targeted alerts. If you want lots of options, wiseCampaign is a good choice. Check out what each plugin offers, pick the best one for your site and customize it for the best results.