If you ask a seasoned WordPress user is there any WordPress plugin to enable you adding notification bar to your blog, surely he/she will say yes. And, chances are he/she will recommend Hello Bar. We have to admit that Hello Bar is one of the best options in terms of notification bar for WordPress. But, it’s not the only one. There are many alternatives out there that you can try too.

Hello Bar is indeed a fancy notification bar plugin for WordPress. The only problem is, its price is a bit too high for a plugin with the function (and features) like that. It’s right that Hello Bar also offers a free version for its service but, when you have tried it (free version) you will find nothing useful. Plus, the installation process is very time-consuming. The last time I tried to use the free version of Hello Bar, I found no option to allow me add a URL to the bar.

#Reasons to install notification bar

This is the case. You have just created a page on your WordPress blog containing useful e-books and you want to offer them as free items. Sure, you need to find a way to let your visitors know the existence of the page so you decide to provide a notification bar.

It’s just an example of so many things you can do wit notification bar. The use of notification bar can be vary depending on your need.

Notification bar is a better idea to show your visitors something and this article will show you the best options of WordPress notification bar plugins alternatives of Hello Bar. Starting from free to the paid ones.

#Paid alternatives to Hello Bar

1. Thrive Leads

Let’s start with the paid options. Thrive Leads is one of the hello bar plugins for WordPress which you can use to replace Hello Bar. This plugin has been designed specifically to help you collect email addresses. So, if you are currently looking to collect email addresses from your visitors then Thrive Leads is the right option. Even so, you can also use it for any other purpose other than collection email addresses.

Thrive Leads itself is developed by a WordPress theme company Thrive Themes but you don’t have to be a user of one of its themes to use the plugin. Since Thrive Leads is developed as a commercial plugin, it offers several advanced features to help you get a massive conversion of your campaign.

2. WP Notification Bar

WP Notification Bar is also a notification bar that is developed by a WordPress and pugin theme company, MyThemeShop. The plugin has all the features that Hello Bar has but comes with different payment model. While Hello Bar will bill you monthly, you will only pay once for WP Notification Bar which cost for $29. You may can get the similar free plugins like WP Notification Bar but, there are several advantages you can get from this plugin.

You can take advantage of WP Notification Bar for any purpose depends on your need from  putting a referral link, display newsletter form or social media icons and even countdown timer. Additionally, WP Notification Bar also allows you to display the bar only on specific pages.

#Free alternatives to Hello Bar

3. WordPress Notification Bar

On the first list of free WordPress notification bar plugin we have WordPress Notification Bar. Just like the name suggests, you know what you can do with this plugin. WordPress Notification Bar is a freemium plugin. You can use the plugin for free but, paid version is also available if you need more features. If you just want to use your notification bar to show your site visitors of the new page on your site, then the free version is enough.

4. Promo Bar by ZotaBox

Zotabox is a service which provides you several marketing tools to help you get the most out of your website. One of the tools offered by Zotabox is Promo Bar. Just like its name, you can take advantage of this tool (Promo Bar) to display a specific page on your site that contains promotion materials. But, if you want to use it for different purpose — other than displaying promotional page –, there is no one to forbid.

Promo Bar by Zotabox is similar to Hello Bar in many ways. Settings are done in the Zotabox dashboard, not your website. You will also see the Zotabox logo at the left side of the bar just like Hello Bar unless you upgrade your free plan to paid one. But still, the free version of Promo Bar by Zotabox is much better than Hello Bar. It comes with lesser restrictions.

5. WPFront Notification Bar

Need a simpler option of WordPress notification bar plugin?. If so, WPFront Notification Bar is probably the right stop. Though it is very simple, WPFront Notification Bar can meet your expectation of a notification bar since you are allowed to put a link on the bar. Several standard options of notification bar are available. You can set the number of seconds before the bar appears (and disappears), you can also set any height you want as well as the colors of the bar. This plugin is fully free.

6. Fluid Notification Bar

Fluid Notification Bar is pretty similar to WPFront Notification Bar in terms of simplicity. The customization options of this plugin may not as rich as WPFront Notification Bar but it features an option to allow you display the social icons into your bar. You can also add a link to your bar. If you don’t like the default turquoise appearance, you will also be able to change it to match your taste. Fluid Notification Bar is also a fully free plugin.

7. Attention Grabber

If you visit the Attention Grabber page on the WordPress plugin directory site, you will see a notification that this plugin hasn’t been updated for over two years but it still runs very well on the current version of WordPress. Attention Grabber is intended to become a free alternative to Hello Bar. Specifically, this plugin helps you to collect email address by providing a subscription form. You can also tell your visitors about a specific page on your site they should visit.