Hello Bar vs. Icegram Engage: Which One is Right for You?

Tired of your website visitors ghosting you? Want to grab their attention and turn them into loyal subscribers or paying customers? Notification bars are your secret weapon, and two WordPress plugins are battling for the crown: HelloBar and Icegram Engage.

But which one will reign supreme on your website?

In this no-holds-barred comparison, we’ll dive deep into the features, flexibility, and finesse of both contenders. We’ll uncover their strengths, weaknesses, and everything in between, so you can confidently choose the perfect notification bar plugin to supercharge your site.

Hellobar v/s Icegram Engage…

HelloBar is a hosted solution. Icegram Engage is a WordPress plugin. HelloBar offers header notification bars,popups, overlays and slide-ins. Icegram Engage offers header/footer notification bars, and three other message types – Popups, Messengers and Toast Notifications in the FREE version and sidebars, overlays, interstitials, badges, inlines, ribbons, exit redirects etc as premium addons. Icegram Engage allows creating campaigns and adding multiple messages to it, HelloBar is only for single messages. So Icegram Engage does a lot more than HelloBar…

But why not just compare the action bar message type of Icegram Engage to that of Hello Bar?

Creating your first notification bar…

HelloBar asks for your goal first – collecting emails, driving traffic to a page or sharing and connecting. Then guides you through a wizard like process to create your notification bar. This is great and easy to use.

Icegram Engage creates a sample campaign when you install it on your WordPress site and offers a single screen configuration that’s very easy to understand.

Both Icegram Engage and Hello Bar have a quite user friendly, simplistic, one page configuration panels.

Styling your action bar

Hello Bar allows you to enter the bar text and then style it according to font color, font, background color, button color etc.

Icegram Engage gives you similar options of background color, text color. Also it has the fully powered WordPress editor that can be used to style your messages even further. Icegram Engage also does not impose any limits on the size of the message. You can do single line messages, or long texts with images.

This means you can use Icegram Engage even to create header “panels” – not just “bars”.

Themes

Hello Bar doesn’t provide any themes as such. But gives you color combinations to choose from.

Icegram Engage on the other hand provides 4 amazing themes. These themes can further be modified (color palette or CSS customizations) in order to suit your website.

Headline Generator

This is a unique feature from Icegram Engage. You don’t need to break your head or spill four cups of coffee devising the perfect headline. Icegram Engage can give you ready options – you fill in the blanks and are ready to go!

Message Editor

Hello Bar comes with a live editor – this gives you a preview of your changes right at the top of current page.

Icegram Engage on the other hand gives you flexibility by providing a WordPress editor and a preview mechanism. So you can see how your messages will look on the exact page you are targeting them on. And like we mentioned earlier, you can do single line messages for action bars, or long texts with images for action panels!

Positioning – not just header, but footer too…

Both Hello Bar and Icegram Engage give positioning options. However Icegram Engage offers both header and footer positions, and makes it very easy to pick your choice.

Targeting – whom / where / when to show your notification bar?

Hello Bar:

• Offers basic targeting based on time delay and exit intent.

Icegram Engage:

• Provides extensive targeting options in the free version, including:
  • Who: Target specific user roles or logged-in/out users.
  • Where: Display on specific pages, posts, or categories.
  • When: Control the timing and frequency of the notification bar.
  • How Many Times: Limit the number of times a user sees the message.
  • On Which Device: Target desktop, mobile, or tablet users.

The Verdict: Icegram Engage’s behavior trigger and advanced targeting capabilities offer more precise control over who sees your messages and when.

Analytics

Hello Bar provides analytics on how your action bar is faring. Icegram Engage provides analytics for tracking how eacho f it’s campaigns are faring.

Price – you do get free meal at times…

Hello Bar:

• Completely free, but with limited features and customization options.

Icegram Engage:

• Core features are free, including multiple message types and extensive targeting options.
• Premium add-ons are available for additional features, advanced targeting, and more themes.

The Verdict: Icegram Engage offers better value, providing a wider range of features and customization options for free. Premium add-ons are available for those who need even more advanced functionality.

Summary

HelloBar is great for simple, header notification bars. Icegram Engage is great for WordPress site owners who need full power and flexibility.

To summarize let’s put it in a table:

What’s your take?

Hello Bar or Icegram Engage? What is your choice and why? Drop a comment below!

Download Icegram Engage

FAQs

• Q: Is Hello Bar completely free? Are there any limitations?
  A:  Yes, but with limited features. Premium features require a paid subscription.
• Q: Can I use both Hello Bar and Icegram Engage on my WordPress site?
  A: Technically, yes. But it’s not recommended as they might conflict.
• Q: I’m not tech-savvy. Which plugin is easier to use, Hello Bar or Icegram Engage?
  A: Both Hello Bar and Icegram Engage are designed to be user-friendly. Hello Bar is slightly easier for beginners, but Icegram Engage offers more flexibility.
• Q: Can I track the performance of my notification bars with these plugins?
  A: Yes, both plugins offer analytics. Icegram Engage provides more detailed data.

Additional resources:

• Writing Engaging Emails: Lessons From The Office’s Wittiest Workers
• Buffalo Bills’ Secrets: Transform Your Email Campaigns into a Winning Drive