Title: ReadBar &#8211; Smart Reading Time &amp; Dynamic Progress Bar
Author: NoorWork
Published: <strong>July 9, 2025</strong>
Last modified: July 9, 2025

---

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# ReadBar – Smart Reading Time & Dynamic Progress Bar

 By [NoorWork](https://profiles.wordpress.org/noorwork/)

[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/read-bar.1.0.0.zip)

 * [Details](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/read-bar/#description)
 * [Reviews](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/read-bar/#reviews)
 *  [Installation](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/read-bar/#installation)
 * [Development](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/read-bar/#developers)

 [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/read-bar/)

## Description

**ReadBar** is a smart and highly customizable plugin that improves user experience
by providing estimated reading times and a dynamic reading progress bar for your
posts and pages. Enhance content engagement, provide clear expectations, and help
your readers easily track their progress through your articles.

**Key Features:**
 * **Smart Reading Time Calculation:** Automatically estimates
reading time for posts/pages based on configurable words per minute. * **Dynamic
Reading Progress Bar:** Displays a smooth, animating progress bar that updates as
users scroll through content. * **Fully Customizable Design:** Control colors (text,
background, bar), text alignment, font size, margin, and padding to perfectly match
your site’s design. * **Flexible Positioning:** Place reading time above title, 
above content, or below content. The progress bar can be fixed at the top or bottom
of the viewport. * **Device Visibility Control:** Independently enable or disable
features for mobile, tablet, and desktop devices. * **Post Type Selection:** Choose
specific post types where the reading time and progress bar should appear automatically.***
Reading Time Shortcode:** Use `[read_bar_reading_time]` to insert reading time anywhere,
with optional parameters to override global settings for unique placements. * **
Lightweight & Optimized:** Built with clean, efficient code to ensure fast page 
load speeds and optimal performance. * **SEO-Friendly:** Designed to enhance user
experience without negatively impacting your search engine rankings. * **Translation
Ready:** Fully internationalized for easy translation into any language.

ReadBar helps you provide a better, more informative, and visually engaging reading
experience for your audience.

## Screenshots

 * [[
 * ReadBar Plugin Preview (Frontend display).
 * [[
 * ReadBar Reading Time Settings.
 * [[
 * ReadBar Progress Bar Settings.
 * [[
 * ReadBar Shortcode Guide.

## Installation

#### Via WordPress Dashboard (Recommended)

 1. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard.
 2. Go to `Plugins > Add New`.
 3. Click on the `Upload Plugin` button at the top of the page.
 4. Click `Choose File` and select the `read-bar.zip` file.
 5. Click `Install Now`.
 6. Once installed, click `Activate Plugin`.

#### Via FTP

 1. Unzip the `read-bar.zip` file on your computer. This will create a folder named`
    read-bar`.
 2. Connect to your web server using an FTP client (like FileZilla).
 3. Go to the `wp-content/plugins/` directory in your WordPress installation.
 4. Upload the entire `read-bar` folder into the `wp-content/plugins/` directory.
 5. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard, go to `Plugins > Installed Plugins`, 
    and click `Activate` under “ReadBar – Smart Reading Time & Dynamic Progress Bar.”

## FAQ

### Q: My reading time or progress bar is not showing. What should I do?

A: First, ensure that both the “Enable Reading Time” and “Enable Progress Bar” options
are checked in their respective settings tabs under the ReadBar menu in your WordPress
admin. Also, check the “Display on Post Types” and “Visibility” settings to ensure
they are configured for the content type and device you are viewing on. If you’re
using the shortcode, ensure the “Enable Reading Time” option is checked globally.

### Q: Can I use the reading time shortcode multiple times on one page?

A: Yes, you can. Each shortcode instance will display based on its own parameters
or fall back to global settings for non-overridden parameters. This allows for different
styles/visibility of the reading time on the same page.

### Q: Is the plugin compatible with [specific theme/page builder]?

A: ReadBar is built using standard WordPress APIs and should be compatible with 
most themes and page builders. If you encounter any conflicts, please reach out 
to support.

### Q: How accurate is the reading time calculation?

A: The reading time is an estimate based on the words per minute setting. It calculates
the word count of the main content and divides it by your configured WPM. Factors
like images, videos, and complex diagrams are not accounted for in word count, so
it’s always an approximation.

## Reviews

![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/8d2086f4a70c9f69a35e07dd2a7c61c1217460a305feaff4e7a56a4f29ae2b7f?
s=60&d=retro&r=g)

### 󠀁[Excellent Plugin – Smart, Lightweight, and Fully Customizable!](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/excellent-plugin-smart-lightweight-and-fully-customizable/)󠁿

 [Noor Alam](https://profiles.wordpress.org/coden/) July 10, 2025

I’ve been using ReadBar – Smart Reading Time & Dynamic Progress Bar, and I’m seriously
impressed. It adds a smooth, customizable progress bar and accurately estimates 
reading time on posts and pages. ✅ Easy to set up and works right out of the box
✅ Clean UI with powerful customization options (color, position, font, visibility
by device, etc.)✅ Love the shortcode feature and post-type selection✅ Doesn’t 
slow down my site – optimized and lightweight This plugin enhances user experience
and encourages engagement. Highly recommended for bloggers, content creators, and
publishers. Great job by the developer!

![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/44b581bbb57cb6ff70daa8648740d3ffe29e2bf268bdc5a9616d946ac6128904?
s=60&d=retro&r=g)

### 󠀁[Perfect Reading Time Plugin – Lightweight & Beautifully Designed!](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/perfect-reading-time-plugin-lightweight-beautifully-designed/)󠁿

 [NoorWork](https://profiles.wordpress.org/noorwork/) July 10, 2025

I’ve tried a few reading time plugins, but ReadBar stands out with its clean design,
smooth animation, and incredible customization options. ✅ I love how I can adjust
the progress bar color, reading speed, and where the reading time appears.✅ Works
perfectly across desktop, tablet, and mobile.✅ The shortcode is super handy for
custom placements. Also, the plugin is lightweight and doesn’t slow down my pages
at all. Highly recommended if you care about improving user engagement and time-
on-site. Great work by the developer! 👏

 [ Read all 2 reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/read-bar/reviews/)

## Contributors & Developers

“ReadBar – Smart Reading Time & Dynamic Progress Bar” is open source software. The
following people have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

 *   [ NoorWork ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/noorwork/)

[Translate “ReadBar – Smart Reading Time & Dynamic Progress Bar” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/read-bar)

### Interested in development?

[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/read-bar/), check out
the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/read-bar/), or subscribe 
to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/read-bar/) by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/read-bar/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).

## Changelog

#### 1.0.0 – 2025-06-06

 * Initial Release of ReadBar.
 * Introduced Estimated Reading Time feature.
 * Introduced Reading Progress Bar feature.
 * Added customizable settings for colors, positions, and device visibility for 
   both features.
 * Included `[read_bar_reading_time]` shortcode for flexible placement.

## Meta

 *  Version **1.0.0**
 *  Last updated **9 months ago**
 *  Active installations **Fewer than 10**
 *  WordPress version ** 5.0 or higher **
 *  Tested up to **6.8.5**
 *  PHP version ** 7.4 or higher **
 *  Language
 * [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/read-bar/)
 * Tags
 * [content engagement](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/content-engagement/)
   [estimated reading time](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/estimated-reading-time/)
   [progress bar](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/progress-bar/)[reading time](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/reading-time/)
 *  [Advanced View](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/read-bar/advanced/)

## Ratings

 5 out of 5 stars.

 *  [  2 5-star reviews     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/read-bar/reviews/?filter=5)
 *  [  0 4-star reviews     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/read-bar/reviews/?filter=4)
 *  [  0 3-star reviews     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/read-bar/reviews/?filter=3)
 *  [  0 2-star reviews     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/read-bar/reviews/?filter=2)
 *  [  0 1-star reviews     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/read-bar/reviews/?filter=1)

[Add my review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/read-bar/reviews/#new-post)

[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/read-bar/reviews/)

## Contributors

 *   [ NoorWork ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/noorwork/)

## Support

Got something to say? Need help?

 [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/read-bar/)

## Donate

Would you like to support the advancement of this plugin?

 [ Donate to this plugin ](https://buymeacoffee.com/noorwork)