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Announcement Bar

By Austin

Site Administration & Utilities / URL Redirects & 301 Management

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

Announcement Bar Review - In-Depth Analysis

Add a fixed position announcement bar to your site with jQuery and Custom Post Types. Control announcements easily.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.82/10

User Rating

1/5 (based on 2+ reviews)

Active Installations

3,000+

Update Frequency

Below Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

This plugin adds a jQuery file that will position a fixed bar at the top of your browser screen to show announcements controlled by a custom post type on each page load. Built with simple HTML and javascript.

Upon installation, you can choose the prefix for your post type. Be sure to choose wisely, because once you publish your first post this can't be changed. If you are having problems with redirects visit your permalinks page to flush your rewrite rules by visiting your permalinks settings page.

A cookie is added and deleted when you toggle the bar open and closed. Depending on the position of the bar when you leave the page is where it will be when you re-visit the site.

Please be aware when publishing a post, as you have to fill in the content with non-html text and add a link into the link field. This link is the permalink and is what gets counted when clicked on. It will also revert to the home page if missing, and not count against the counter.

This plugin is brand new and has some future plans including saved bar position with cookie settings and post and page per post ID.

Comparing to Alternatives

Announcement Bar faces strong competition from other notification bar plugins that offer better compatibility and user experience.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Simple to install and activate
No known security vulnerabilities
Lightweight with minimal configuration needed

Weaknesses

Does not display visually on popular themes like Twenty Sixteen
Causes layout issues by disrupting the header
Limited functionality compared to alternatives
No premium version or advanced features available

User Sentiment Analysis

With a 1-star average rating from all reviewers, user feedback is overwhelmingly negative, highlighting significant functional issues.

Positive highlights

Common complaints

Does not display the announcement bar visually on the Twenty Sixteen theme and others
Causes the header layout to break or become distorted
Appears on every page without customization options

Weaknesses

Poor theme compatibility
Disrupts site layout
Lacks customization and control options

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users looking for a very basic announcement bar who are willing to test compatibility with their theme.

Not ideal for

Anyone using popular themes like Twenty Sixteen or those needing reliable, visually consistent notification bars with customization options.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers a basic announcement bar with minimal features and no premium upgrades.

Final Verdict

Announcement Bar currently suffers from critical compatibility issues that prevent it from displaying correctly on common themes and disrupt site layouts, leading to poor user experiences. Its lack of customization and absence of a pro version limit its appeal compared to better alternatives.

Given the availability of more reliable and feature-rich alternatives like Notice Bar and Easy Notification Bar, users seeking a functional and visually consistent announcement bar should consider those options instead. Announcement Bar may only suit users with very specific needs and willingness to troubleshoot theme conflicts.