Privy is the store tool. Hello Bar is the bar. If you run Shopify and need the follow-up email, pick Privy ($24/month displays, $30 email; privy.com/pricing, 23 August 2026). If you need a top-of-page announcement on a content site, pick Hello Bar. Do not buy Privy to run a bar.
Who should win: Privy or Hello Bar?
| Privy | Hello Bar | |
|---|---|---|
| Job | Shopify capture + email/SMS | Notification bar, simple popup |
| Time to first campaign | An afternoon | Minutes |
| Sending | Email and SMS in-app | Bring your own ESP |
| Targeting | Cart, URL, device, traffic, known/unknown | Page, audience, source |
| Free | 15-day trial | Free Starter, 5,000 lifetime views |
| Floor price | $24/month displays | $39/month Growth, billed annually (23 Aug 2026) |
Hello Bar's paid floor on this site is $39/month Growth, billed annually, plus a free Starter plan capped at 5,000 lifetime views. Hero cards on hellobar.com/pricing also list Premium $69 and Elite $129 billed annually. The same page still prints a $29/$49/$99 table. See Hello Bar pricing.
How do the features differ?
Hello Bar's strength is the bar itself. A working announcement takes minutes and no developer. Paid plans include A/B tests, geo rules and date/time targeting. Custom popup uploads are not supported. HubSpot is missing.
Privy has bars too (Convert includes bar and banner displays). It also has spin-to-win, cart savers, Flows, Shopify product blocks and SMS credits. That is a different product. Hand Hello Bar to a new team member. Hand Privy to someone who will live in the dashboard for a quarter.
The 2023 page on this URL said Privy "primarily focuses on email capture" and Hello Bar has "a wider range of campaign types". That is backwards in 2026. Privy has the wider kit. Hello Bar has the narrower, faster one.
What about integrations?
Privy: Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Attentive, Postscript, Smile.io, Zapier. Details: Privy integrations.
Hello Bar: email providers plus Zapier, Google Analytics. Thinner on purpose. Details: Hello Bar integrations.
How do prices compare?
Privy 23 August 2026: Displays $24/month at 10,000 pageviews, Email $30 at 1,500 contacts, Email + 1,250 SMS credits $45. No free plan for new accounts. Privy pricing.
Hello Bar, 23 August 2026: free Starter (5,000 lifetime views), then Growth $39/month billed annually. Full notes: Hello Bar pricing. A content site that needs a bar should not be on Privy's contact meter.
Frequently asked questions
Can Hello Bar send abandoned-cart emails?
No. Pair it with Mailchimp, Kit or whatever you already use. Privy can send those emails itself on the Email plan.
Is Privy overkill for a blog?
Yes. Use Hello Bar or Poptin. Privy's email product assumes a catalog.
More: Privy, Hello Bar, Privy review.
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Written and reviewed by
SEO Executive at Flatart
Emel Dalabasmaz graduated in Advertising and Public Relations from Anadolu University. She began in social media and carried that grounding — content, brand communication and performance — into SEO. For more than ten years she has worked on growth for brands across a range of industries, pairing a communications perspective with data and technical analysis to build a digital presence that holds up over time.
- Education
- Advertising and Public Relations, Anadolu University
- Writes about
- Popup builders, Conversion rate optimization, On-site messaging, SaaS pricing research, SEO, Technical SEO, Content strategy, Digital marketing