Membership & community plugin with user profiles, registration & login, member directories, content re...
Free
200k+ installs 4.4★ (1,444)
Buddy Notification Bell
Real-time notification bell for BuddyPress & BuddyBoss with sound alerts, LinkedIn-style dropdown, and floating bell shortcode.
The facts
- Rating
- 4.7★ from 14
- Active installs
- 100+
- Price
- Free
- Last updated
- 21 May 2026
- Added
- Mar 2017
- Requires WP
- 5.5
- Tested up to
- WP 7.0.4
- Requires PHP
- 7.4
- Downloads
- 9,385
Our analysis
AI-assistedBuddy Notification Bell is a WordPress plugin designed for BuddyPress and BuddyBoss sites, providing a real-time notification system. It uses the WordPress Heartbeat API to detect new notifications without requiring a page reload. The plugin features a dropdown panel for notifications, a sound alert option, and a customizable floating bell button.
This plugin is suitable for community or forum sites that want to enhance user engagement through notifications. It allows users to manage notifications easily, with options to mark all as read and display notifications in various styles.
Best for: This plugin is best for community sites using BuddyPress or BuddyBoss that require real-time notifications.
What it does well
- ✓Real-time notification detection via WordPress Heartbeat API
- ✓Sound alert for new notifications
- ✓Customizable dropdown panel with user avatars
- ✓Shortcode available for flexible placement
- ✓Full compatibility with BuddyBoss Platform
Where it falls short
- •Limited information on additional features or support
- •No details on compatibility with specific themes
Verdict
Buddy Notification Bell offers a straightforward solution for adding notifications to community sites. It provides essential features for user engagement, though details on support and additional functionalities are limited.
From the developer
1naveengiri's own description of Buddy Notification Bell, lightly tidied.
Buddy Notification Bell adds a real-time notification bell to your BuddyPress or BuddyBoss site. New notifications are detected automatically using the WordPress Heartbeat API — no page reload needed.
Key features:
- Real-time detection of new notifications via WordPress Heartbeat API
- Sound alert on new notification (enable/disable in settings)
- LinkedIn-style dropdown panel with avatar, text, and time
- Unread count badge on the bell icon
- Floating bell button option (great for block/FSE themes)
- Place the bell anywhere with the
[buddy_notification_bell]shortcode - Auto-injects into the primary navigation menu (classic themes)
- Mark all notifications as read with one click
- Individual or grouped notification display style
- Full BuddyBoss Platform compatibility — including an option to trigger BuddyBoss’s own notification panel on bell click
- Secure: all AJAX endpoints nonce-verified, all output properly escaped
Demo
Tagged as
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