jQuery Script Blog

10 Best Sticky Header Navigation Systems In JavaScript (2021 Update)

by jQueryScript,
sticky navigation

What Is Sticky Navigation

Sticky navigation (navbar, header navigation) is a modern site navigation design concept to improve the navigation experience on your long web page.

A sticky header navigation system will be always be fixed on then top no matter how your visitors scroll down or up the web page.

Sticky Navigation In Pure CSS

The simplest way to implement a sticky navigation on your webpage is to using the CSS position: sticky propery, which can be used to position the navigation based on the user's scroll position.

.navbar {
  position: -webkit-sticky; /* Safari */
  position: sticky;
  top: 0;
}

However, if you'd like apply more features (e.g. shrink effects, responsiveness, dropdown sub-menus, etc) to the sticky navigation, you might need a jQuery or JavaScript plugin as shown below:

The Best Sticky Navigation Plugin

In this list, you'll find the 10 best and top downloaded jQuery and/or Vanilla JavaScript plugins to create advanced sticky header navigation for your websites. Enjoy.

Originally Published Oct 2019, updated May 01 2021

Table of contents:

jQuery Sticky Navigation Plugins:

Sticky Header Navigation With Smooth Scroll

A sticky, responsive, mobile-friendly header navigation concept that automatically shrinks itself on scroll down and features smooth scroll functionality which makes it possible to scroll through page sections by clicking on nav links.

Sticky Header Navigation With Smooth Scroll

[Demo] [Download]

Sticky Responsive Mega Menu Plugin - jQuery megaMenu

A lightweight jQuery plugin which generates a responsive, sticky, customizable, mobile-compatible, SEO-friendly, multi-column mega menu from nested HTML lists.

Sticky Responsive Mega Menu Plugin - jQuery megaMenu

[Demo] [Download]

Sticky Mobile-compatible Navigation - GRT Responsive Menu

The GRT Responsive Menu jQuery plugin lets you create a fully responsive, mobile-friendly navigation system for your cross-platform web app.

Sticky Mobile-compatible Navigation - GRT Responsive Menu

[Demo] [Download]

Animated Sticky Header On Scroll with CSS3 and Javascript

In this tutorial we're going to create a position fixed header that will changes its size on scroll. The idea is to decrease header's size and the inner elements will adjust their font-size/line height while a certain amount of the page gets

Animated Sticky Header On Scroll with CSS3 and Javascript

[Demo] [Download]

Smart Sticky Header Hamburger Navigation Plugin - jQuery mhead

mhead is a jQuery plugin used to create a sticky header hamburger navigation for your web application that auto shows/hides as you scroll/swipe the page down or up.

Smart Sticky Header Hamburger Navigation Plugin - jQuery mhead

[Demo] [Download]

Vanilla JavaScript Sticky Navigation Plugins:

Smart Responsive Sticky Navbar In JavaScript

A smart responsive sticky navbar that automatically slides down and hides as you scroll down or up the webpage.

Smart Responsive Sticky Navbar In JavaScript

[Demo] [Download]

Smart Fixed Top Navigation In Pure JavaScript

Just another JavaScript solution to create a smart site navigation that auto hides on scroll down and reveals itself again on scroll up.

Smart Fixed Top Navigation In Pure JavaScript

[Demo] [Download]

Pure JavaScript Sticky Header On Scroll – header-on-scroll.js

header-on-scroll.js is a native JavaScript library used to create a responsive sticky header navigation which reveals on scroll down and hides on scroll up.

Pure JavaScript Sticky Header On Scroll – header-on-scroll.js

[Demo] [Download]

Performant Sticky Header Navigation In Pure JavaScript

A high performance and pure JavaScript solution to make your header navigation sticky on scroll using CSS position: sticky property.

Performant Sticky Header Navigation In Pure JavaScript

[Demo] [Download]

Smart Sticky Header Navigation with Vanilla JavaScript – Shrinking Header

Shrinking Header is a vanilla JavaScript library for creating a sticky header navigation that will auto shrink itself as you scroll down the page.

Smart Sticky Header Navigation with Vanilla JavaScript – Shrinking Header

[Demo] [Download]

Conclusion:

Want more jQuery plugins or JavaScript libraries to create awesome Sticky Header Navigation on the web & mobile? Check out the jQuery Sticky Navigation and JavaScript Sticky Navigation sections.

See also: