Head-to-head · October 2026
Cool fade popup vs Simple Banner
Simple Banner comes out ahead, winning 6 of 7 head-to-head checks against Cool fade popup.
Cool fade popup
Sometimes its useful to add a popup to your site to show your announcement.
Simple Banner
This plugin makes it easy to display a simple announcement banner or bar at the top of your website. You can…
| Metric | Cool fade popup | Simple Banner |
|---|---|---|
| Active installs | 30+ | 50K+ |
| Downloads (30 days) | 141 | 14.5K |
| Download trend | +30.6% | -77.2% |
| Rating | 2.5/5 | 4.8/5 |
| Reviews | 2 | 45 |
| Health score | 24/100 | 75/100 |
| Last updated | 4 years ago | 1 month ago |
| Tested up to | WP 6.1.14 | WP 7.1.0 |
| Support resolved | — | 0% |
| Requires PHP | Any | Any |
| First released | Jan 2011 | Jul 2015 |
Daily downloads, last 90 days
Cool fade popupSimple Banner
Choose Cool fade popup if…
You care most about download trend.
- Small user base (30+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 3 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.1 (latest is 7.1)
Choose Simple Banner if…
You care most about active installs, downloads (30 days) and reviews.
- Proven at scale on 50K+ active sites
- Loved by users — 4.8/5 from 45 reviews
- Tested with the latest WordPress (7.1)
Both compete in: announcement
FAQ
Cool fade popup vs Simple Banner: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 1, 2026
Which is better, Cool fade popup or Simple Banner?
Simple Banner comes out ahead, winning 6 of 7 head-to-head checks against Cool fade popup. Choose Cool fade popup if you care most about download trend. Choose Simple Banner if you care most about active installs, downloads (30 days) and reviews.
Is Cool fade popup more popular than Simple Banner?
Simple Banner is the more popular of the two with 50K+ active installs, compared with 30+ for Cool fade popup.
Can I use Cool fade popup and Simple Banner together?
Both plugins cover announcement, so most sites only need one. Running two plugins that do the same job can cause conflicts and slow your site down — pick the one that fits best and remove the other.
Are Cool fade popup and Simple Banner free?
Yes. Both are free to download from the official WordPress.org plugin directory. Either may also offer paid upgrades from its developer.
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