PopupBuilder.io

Comparison

Privy vs Hello Bar

The verdict

Privy is the store tool. Hello Bar is the bar. If you run Shopify and need the follow-up email, pick Privy. If you need a top-of-page announcement on a content site, pick Hello Bar. Do not buy Privy for a bar.

Published January 25, 2023 · Last reviewed August 23, 2026

Privy and Hello Bar at a glance

Privy

$24

Pop-ups & Displays, per month

Free tier
Free trial only
Metered on
Contacts

OverviewPricingReview

Hello Bar

$39

Growth, per month, billed annually

Free tier
Free plan
Metered on
Monthly pageviews

OverviewPricingReview

Privy checked August 2026; Hello Bar checked August 2026. Both vendors change prices without notice — confirm on their own pages before you buy.

Who each one is for

Reasons to pick one over the other, taken from each tool's profile — not a feature-by-feature scorecard.

Choose Privy if

Shopify stores that want popups plus the follow-up email and SMS in one bill, and do not already run Klaviyo or Attentive as the sending stack.

  • Popups, email and SMS ship from one Shopify app
  • Unlimited email sends on paid Email plans; 15-day trial needs no card
  • 4.5 stars from 3,969 Shopify App Store reviews as of 23 Aug 2026
  • Convert targeting covers cart value, exit intent, device and URL

Skip Privy if

  • No free plan for accounts opened after 8 July 2025
  • Price steps up with mailable-contact count as the list grows
  • SMS sending is live in the US and Canada only
  • Shopify reviews still flag billing surprises and thin reporting

Choose Hello Bar if

Sites that mainly need a top-of-page bar or a simple popup, not a personalisation stack.

  • A bar or modal can go live in minutes with no developer
  • Paid plans include A/B tests, geo rules and date/time targeting
  • Free forever Starter plan exists, though it caps at 5,000 lifetime views

Skip Hello Bar if

  • Starter views never refresh; 5,000 is a lifetime cap, not monthly
  • G2 score sits on 25 reviews and an unmanaged profile
  • The vendor's own pricing page still prints two different price lists
  • Analytics and design depth lag OptiMonk, Wisepops and Sleeknote

What G2 reviewers mention

Pulled from each product's G2 reviews page. We do not turn these into a score.

Privy

Reviewers like

  • Users value the responsive customer support of Privy, appreciating the helpful and knowledgeable assistance provided. (4 mentions)
  • Users find Privy to be extremely easy to use, allowing quick creation of marketing elements with minimal effort. (4 mentions)
  • Users value the helpful support team of Privy, enhancing their experience with effective marketing strategies and automations. (4 mentions)
  • Users commend effective email marketing tools of Privy, highlighting exceptional customer service and increased engagement rates. (3 mentions)
  • Users appreciate the user-friendly interface of Privy, making email marketing effortless within the Shopify dashboard. (3 mentions)

Reviewers push back

  • Users express frustration over limited templates, facing loss of work and inadequate support after updates. (3 mentions)
  • Users find the reporting limitations in Privy frustrating, wishing for more detailed insights into email engagement. (2 mentions)
  • Users desire more campaign templates due to confusion with existing options, impacting their email creation experience. (2 mentions)
  • Users find the reporting features lacking, desiring more detailed insights into email subscriber engagement. (1 mention)
  • Users face significant delays in updates impacting templates, often resulting in lost work and frustration. (1 mention)

From G2 reviews of Privy, collected August 2026. These are G2's own words, not our ranking.

Hello Bar

Reviewers like

  • Hello Bar’s template library is a treasure mine! I find it so resourceful on days when my creative wheels just aren’t turning. But most importantly, Hello Bar is ridiculously easy to use. I bet even my kids could use it
  • It's super easy to use, even for someone like me who's not exactly tech-savvy. It has a ton of pre-designed templates to choose from, so I didn't have to spend hours fiddling with code. In just a few minutes, I had a sle
  • I’ll always rave about Hello Bar’s easy implementation. No need to bore yourself with complex setups that will leave you with a headache. On top of that, it has user-friendly features that make it easy to integrate with
  • While Hello Bar offers well-rounded features, it’s its targeting capabilities that take the trophy for me. I can easily deliver the right message to the right person at the right time.
  • Nothing amazes me more than the simplicity and effectiveness of Hello Bar. It's incredibly user-friendly and has such a gentle learning curve that I had no trouble using it. Previously, I sent generic popups to all my we

Reviewers push back

  • I admit that Hello Bar gives me so many marketing features, and I’m so grateful for that. However, at the risk of sounding greedy, it would be nice to get more targeting functions. Besides that, everything else is perfec
  • One thing I wish Hello Bar offered was more advanced targeting options. Right now, I can target by page, but segmenting by visitor behavior would be a game-changer. Still, for the price, it's a great value.
  • If I had the opportunity, I’d ask for more built-in integrations, but even without that, Hello Bar is still effective.
  • I feel the design customization options might feel a bit limited compared to more feature-rich competitors, especially with the free version.
  • Hello Bar has revolutionized my marketing ecosystem by integrating seamlessly with Shopify and HubSpot, two of my favorite eCommerce platforms. Although this integration can occasionally be a bit challenging, I've always

From G2 reviews of Hello Bar, collected August 2026. These are G2's own words, not our ranking.

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.

the banner of Privy and Hello Bar to compare and the logos on the fair background

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

Emel Dalabasmaz
Emel Dalabasmaz

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