Navigating data privacy laws can feel overwhelming, especially for small teams as global regulations and privacy requirements from tech platform partners continually evolve.
However, choosing the right WordPress cookie consent plugin doesn’t have to be daunting. By selecting a plugin tailored to your website’s audience and privacy compliance needs, you can create a seamless experience that safeguards user privacy while boosting user trust. This enables you to gather the needed data and continue full marketing campaign activities.
Whether you’re a small business or an enterprise company, this guide will compare 5 highly rated WordPress cookie consent plugins. We’ll analyze features, customization options, and pricing to help you make an informed choice. This will enable you to meet business requirements for marketing campaigns and achieve compliance with various global cookie laws.
What to look for in a WordPress cookie consent plugin
5 top WordPress cookie plugins – free and paid
We’ve compared 5 top WordPress cookie consent plugins to help you make an informed decision. We have selected these plugins based on their review count and their average rating out of 5. Furthermore, we include advantages, disadvantages, pricing, and how well they facilitate regulatory compliance.
Complianz
Complianz is a highly rated and feature-rich cookie consent plugin that supports compliance with several regulations, including the GDPR, CCPA, and COPPA.
This plugin provides a detailed compliance wizard that guides you through the setup process, making it ideal for those new to privacy regulations and compliance efforts. Complianz also includes built-in features for creating a cookie policy and consent banner that can comply with legal requirements in different regions.
Key features
- Comprehensive compliance wizard that simplifies the setup process
- Region-specific consent options (including the GDPR, CCPA, COPPA, etc.)
- Regular cookie scanning with automatic updates to your policy
- Integration with Google Tag Manager and supports Do Not Track
Limitations
- Limited customization options for banner appearance in the free version
- The premium version is required for advanced features
- Some technical knowledge is required for correct setup, making it a less user-friendly option for teams with limited technical resources
Pricing
Complianz offers a free version, which includes the essential compliance features. Premium plans start at EUR 49/year for a single site license. The paid plan also provides additional options, such as A/B testing for banners, geotargeted consent options, and additional customization.
Cookie Notice
Cookie Notice is a straightforward and user-friendly cookie consent plugin ideal for beginners or smaller websites. With an intuitive setup and minimal configuration required, it’s a good option for those who need a simple yet effective consent solution. Although it doesn’t offer some of the advanced compliance features of other plugins, it covers the basics well and provides a seamless experience.
Key features
- Quick setup with minimal configuration required
- Lightweight with no impact on website speed
- Supports basic customization for banners (colors, positioning, etc.)
Limitations
- Limited compliance coverage (best for the GDPR)
- Lack of advanced features like geolocation or consent logging
Pricing
The Cookie Notice plugin for WordPress is free to use. However, the plugin can be integrated with Cookie Compliance, which offers both free and paid plans depending on the features needed.
The Cookie Compliance free plan allows up to 1,000 monthly visits and includes limited features, such as consent storage for 30 days. The paid plans include additional privacy compliance features, such as automatic script blocking and consent record storage. Pricing starts at USD 14.95/month or USD 149/year for a premium subscription.
CookieYes
CookieYes is another strong contender, popular among users for its simple but effective consent management. This WordPress cookie plugin offers support for various data privacy laws, including the GDPR, CCPA, and LGPD, making it a good choice for companies targeting multiple regions. CookieYes also provides regular website scanning and enables periodic policy updates for maintaining compliance.
Key features
- Periodic cookie scanning to keep policy updated
- Multi-region compliance (GDPR, CCPA, and LGPD)
- Highly customizable consent banner to match branding
- Multilingual support and integration with Google Consent Mode
Limitations
- Limited options for smaller websites on the free plan
- Analytics and advanced reporting only available in paid versions
- Does not block all third-party service scripts automatically, requiring manual setup to block some specific technologies
Pricing
CookieYes offers a free version of their plugin, which is ideal for smaller sites. Pricing for their WordPress plugin option starts at USD 10/month for startups and small businesses, with additional features included in higher-tier plans.
Usercentrics Cookiebot CMP
Usercentrics Cookiebot CMP provides a cloud-based Consent Management Platform (CMP) that integrates seamlessly with WordPress. It supports compliance with the GDPR, ePrivacy Directive, TCF v2.2, LGPD, POPIA, and various US state privacy laws, making it a powerful solution for international companies. Additionally, Usercentrics Cookiebot’s automated cookie scanner detects all cookies and trackers on your website regularly, keeping your cookie policy up to date without manual effort.
Usercentrics Cookiebot CMP also provides extensive banner customization options to align with your branding. This WordPress cookie consent plugin supports dozens of languages, providing a seamless experience for international users.
Key features
- Regular automatic cookie scanning
- Extensive integrations with Google tools, such as Consent Mode and Google Tag Manager
- Supports compliance with multiple regulations and frameworks worldwide
- Customizable banner templates and multilingual support
Limitations
- Free plan is limited to sites with fewer than 50 subpages
- Pricing can become expensive for larger sites
Pricing
Usercentrics Cookiebot CMP offers a free plan for websites with up to 50 subpages, with a banner template enabling limited customization. The Premium plan, which includes more advanced features, like analytics and geotargeting, starts at EUR 7/month per domain. The plugin also offers a 14-day free trial of premium features, so you can try it before committing.
iubenda
iubenda offers a customizable WordPress cookie consent plugin that focuses on creating detailed privacy and cookie policies in addition to cookie management. It supports various regulations, including the GDPR, CCPA, LGPD, and more, and features advanced policy management options.
In addition, iubenda’s interface is clean and user-friendly, and it allows for automatic updates to your policy to keep up with legal changes.
Key features
- Automatic updates for privacy and cookie policies
- Region-specific compliance support (GDPR, CCPA, LGPD)
- Customizable banners and cookie policies
- Additional features for terms of service and privacy policies
Limitations
- Requires a subscription for regular updates to policies
- Somewhat complex setup for new users
Pricing
iubenda’s WordPress cookie plugin is free for basic privacy compliance needs, catering to websites with under 5,000 monthly page views. This plan provides essential features like privacy and cookie policies. Paid tiers start at USD 5.99/month to unlock advanced features, such as Cookie Consent Paywall and detailed analytics.
5 WordPress cookie plugins compared
| Software provider | User rating | Pros | Cons | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complianz | 4.9 | – Offers a compliance wizard – Region-specific consent – Auto-updates – Google Tag Manager integration | – Limited customization on free version – Premium plan required for advanced features – Technical knowledge is required for correct setup | – Offers a free plan – Premium plans start at EUR 49/year |
| Cookie Notice | 4.9 | – Quick setup – Lightweight – Offers customizable cookie banners | – Limited compliance coverage – No advanced features | – Offers a free plan – Price starts at USD 14.95/month or USD 149/year |
| CookieYes | 4.8 | – Periodic cookie scanning – Multi-region compliance – Enables highly customizable cookie banners | – Limited free plan features – Reporting only available in paid versions – Does not automatically block all third-party service scripts | – Offers a free plan – Paid plan starts at USD 10/month |
| Usercentrics Cookiebot CMP | 4.5 | – Automatic scanning – Enables compliance with all major data privacy laws – Integrates with Google Tag Manager and Google Consent mode – Provides multilingual support – Enables customizable cookie banners | – Limited free plan for small sites – Higher cost for large sites | – Offers a free plan – Pricing starts at EUR 7/month per domain |
| iubenda | 4.5 | – Auto-updated policies – Multi-region compliance – Customizable banners | – Paid subscription is needed for updates – Complex setup for beginners | – Offers a free plan – Paid plan starts from USD 5.99/month |
How to pick the best WordPress cookie consent plugin?
Your choice of a WordPress cookie consent plugin depends on the needs of your website, including its size, audience, and privacy compliance requirements.
For example, smaller companies with simpler websites may be required to comply with only one regional privacy law. Therefore, a straightforward plugin with a simple consent banner could work well. Most plugins offer free versions that enable basic privacy compliance, making them useful for small businesses or personal blogs with minimal data handling.
For sites that are expanding or targeting multiple regions, plugins that support compliance with several privacy laws (such as the GDPR and CCPA) and offer automatic cookie scanning would be the best choice. Moderate customization options can help align the banner’s look with your branding.
If your site handles complex data operations or targets a global audience, a robust, enterprise-ready plugin is best. Look for features like global compliance coverage, extensive customization, detailed analytics, and seamless integration with analytics and tag management tools.
By matching your WordPress cookie plugin choice to your website’s size and compliance needs, you can find an option that helps you meet regulatory and business requirements, such as those for Google services. This approach prevents overspending on features you don’t need.
Usercentrics does not provide legal advice, and information is provided for educational purposes only. We always recommend engaging qualified legal counsel or privacy specialists regarding data privacy and protection issues and operations.
The information presented in this article is accurate based on publicly available sources as of the date of publication. Details about products, features, pricing, etc. may change over time.