Notification – Custom Notifications and Alerts for WordPress

First, check if WordPress sends any emails at all — try resetting your password. If that email doesn’t arrive, the issue is your server configuration, not this plugin. Use any SMTP plugin to fix that.

You can also activate the debug log in plugin settings to confirm whether the notification is being triggered.

Absolutely. The plugin has an intuitive visual interface in the WordPress Admin — no coding skills required. Developers get a powerful API on top of that, but it’s entirely optional.

Create a new notification and select the Post Published trigger. Add an Email carrier and set the recipient type to Email/Merge Tag with the value {post_author_user_email}. Use merge tags like {post_title} in the subject and {post_permalink}, {post_publication_datetime} in the body.

WordPress doesn’t send these by default — it’s one of the most requested missing features. Create a notification with the Post Pending Review trigger. Set the recipient to the Role type and choose Editor (or Administrator). Use {post_title}, {post_author_user_display_name}, and {post_permalink} to build a useful message.

First, disable the default WordPress new user email in Notifications > Settings > Integrations. Then create a notification with the User Registered trigger. Set the recipient to Email/Merge Tag → {user_email}. Use {user_login}, {user_password_setup_link}, and {site_title} in the body to create your branded welcome message.

Create a notification with the User Login Failed trigger. Set the recipient to the Administrator role. Include {user_login}, {user_IP}, and {user_login_failed_datetime} in the body to see who tried to log in, from where, and when.

Use the Post Updated trigger. Set the recipient to the Administrator role (or any role/email you prefer). Include {post_title}, {post_permalink}, {post_updating_user_display_name}, and {post_revision_link} in the body to see what changed and who changed it.

Create two notifications — one with the Plugin Activated trigger and one with the Plugin Updated trigger. Use {plugin_name}, {plugin_version}, and {plugin_activation_date_time} in the message body. Similar triggers are also available for themes.

Create a notification with the User Role Changed trigger. Set the recipient to Email/Merge Tag → {user_email} so the affected user gets the notification. Use {user_display_name}, {old_role}, and {new_role} in the body.

Create a notification with the Comment Published trigger. Set the recipient to Email/Merge Tag → {post_author_user_email} so the post author is notified. Use {comment_author_user_display_name}, {comment_content}, {post_title}, and {post_permalink} in the body.

Both plugins let you customize WordPress email notifications, but they take different approaches:

• Merge Tags vs shortcodes — Notification uses a visual Merge Tag picker with a click-to-insert interface. BNFW uses shortcodes typed into a WYSIWYG editor.
• Multiple carriers — Notification has a carrier architecture that supports email, webhooks, and (via extensions) Slack, Discord, Push, SMS, and more. BNFW focuses on email only.
• Developer API — Notification lets you create custom triggers from any WordPress action, add merge tags, build new carriers, and bundle/white-label the plugin. BNFW doesn’t offer this level of extensibility.
• Extension ecosystem — 20+ extensions for additional carriers (Slack, Twilio, Pushover), conditional logic, scheduled triggers, WooCommerce, and more.

BNFW is a solid choice if you only need to customize email content. Notification is for users who want full control over what gets sent, where, and how.

They solve completely different problems. OneSignal sends browser push notifications to re-engage visitors after they leave your site. Notification sends event-driven alerts (email, webhook, Slack, etc.) when something happens inside WordPress — a post is published, a user registers, a comment needs moderation.

They complement each other rather than compete. Use OneSignal for marketing push notifications to your audience, and Notification for internal workflow alerts for your team.

Manage Notification E-mails gives you on/off toggles for default WordPress emails — you can mute them, but that’s it. Notification can also disable default emails, but then lets you replace them with fully customized versions — custom content, custom recipients, merge tags, and multiple carrier options. It’s the difference between muting emails and owning them.

With register_trigger() function. See the detailed guide

You can write a merge tag yourself or use the Custom Fields extension for a no-code solution.

Use the Conditionals extension to control exactly when a notification is sent.

Yes, just include filter-id:some-value in the Recipient value (using the Email/Merge tag type with the Email carrier), then return your recipient list from the notification/recipient/email/some-value filter.

Yes. See the detailed guide

The plugin can handle it, but your server probably can’t. For thousands of emails at once, use the SendGrid or Mailgun extensions, which are designed for high volume via a single API call. SMTP typically times out after a dozen emails.

Yes! We offer custom plugin development services. Feel free to contact us.