Hello Bar
Replaceable in one session with an AI coding agent.
A bar across the top of a site carrying an announcement or an email signup, with targeting rules and split testing.
Build an announcement bar. STACK - A JSON config file, a script under 2KB, no service THE CONFIG - Message, link, colours, and rules: page pattern, referrer pattern, minimum visit count, date range - Rules evaluated in the browser; the config is a static file on your CDN NOT BREAKING THE PAGE - Reserve the height with a CSS custom property set before paint, or the whole page jumps - Position sticky, not fixed, unless you have measured the effect on short windows DISMISSAL - Remembered in localStorage keyed on a version string in the config - Changing the message increments the version, so a dismissed bar reappears for a genuinely new announcement MEASURING - Log shown, clicked and dismissed to your own endpoint with no visitor identity Include the config format, the layout reservation and the version rule.
What you lose
- Targeting by page, referrer and visit count, changeable by a marketer without a release
- Split testing with the statistics presented
- A bar that does not shift the page layout as it appears
If you would rather not build
- A static config plus a script, which is what the prompt builds
- Any CMS block, if you already have one
- A dismissible banner in your own template
The escape hatch
open source · no votes, no paid placement
Astro
$0Renders the bar from the same config at build time, with no client script.
withastro/astrofree · open source
Formbricks
$0If the bar is really a signup or a survey prompt.
formbricks/formbricksfree · open source
Why this verdict
our own opinion · changed only by a person
91/100
Verdict yes at 91. A static config and a small script. Keying dismissal on a version is what makes the second announcement work.
History
tracked since 10 Aug 2026 · nothing is ever overwritten
Nothing recorded yet. This chart fills in once the page has visitors, votes or prompt copies — it will not draw a flat line to look busy.
Questions about Hello Bar
answered from the record above
Is Hello Bar free?
No — the plan we track is $29 a month. Growth at around $29/month billed monthly, cheaper annually.
Can you replace Hello Bar by building your own?
YES. Replaceable in one session with an AI coding agent. Replacement score 91 out of 100, build time one session. Read what you lose before you decide.
How much does Hello Bar cost?
$29 a month on Growth — $348 a year. Recorded 10 Aug 2026.
What do you lose by replacing Hello Bar?
Targeting by page, referrer and visit count, changeable by a marketer without a release; Split testing with the statistics presented; A bar that does not shift the page layout as it appears. If any of those carry weight for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to Hello Bar?
Yes: Astro, Formbricks. The prompt on this page is for when you want it your way instead.
Related entries
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free forever · no tracking pixel · every prompt stays free on the site