Quick Verdict
Cookiebot by Usercentrics is one of the most capable cookie consent platforms available for WordPress. Its automated scanner, pre-consent blocking, and native Google Consent Mode v2 integration make it a genuine compliance tool rather than a cosmetic banner add-on. The free plan covers small single-domain sites, and the paid tiers are reasonably priced for what you get. The main catch: pricing scales by subpage count, which can push you into a higher plan faster than you expect, and real banner customisation requires a paid subscription.
Verdict: 4.4/5 – Recommended for sites that take compliance seriously.
What Is Cookiebot?
Cookiebot is a cloud-based consent management platform (CMP) built by Usercentrics, which acquired the Cookiebot brand in 2021. It is designed to help websites comply with GDPR, CCPA, LGPD, and more than 40 other global privacy regulations.
The WordPress plugin connects your site to the Cookiebot cloud service, which scans your pages for cookies and trackers, then manages consent collection automatically. Over 2.4 million websites worldwide use it, and more than 100,000 WordPress sites have it installed.
The plugin itself is a connector. All the real work happens in the Cookiebot dashboard, where you configure your banner, review scan results, and pull consent reports. That distinction matters: you are not installing a self-hosted compliance engine. You are subscribing to a cloud service that plugs into WordPress.
Who Is Cookiebot Best For?
Cookiebot suits:
- WordPress site owners in the EU who need reliable GDPR and ePrivacy compliance without managing it manually.
- Sites running Google Ads or GA4 that need Google Consent Mode v2 to avoid losing conversion data.
- WooCommerce stores that want prior-consent blocking for third-party payment and tracking scripts.
- Agencies managing multiple client sites, particularly on the paid plans where multi-domain handling is available.
- Content-heavy sites with well-defined cookie categories that benefit from automatic scanning and classification.
It is less ideal for:
- Very small hobby sites that find a simple notice sufficient.
- Teams that want full on-premise data storage with no cloud dependency.
- Developers who want deep banner customisation on a free plan.
Setting Up Cookiebot on WordPress
Installation takes roughly ten minutes if you follow the steps cleanly.
- Install and activate the plugin from the WordPress plugin directory.
- Create a free account at cookiebot.com.
- Add your domain in the Cookiebot dashboard. The dashboard generates a Domain Group ID.
- Paste that ID into the plugin settings page in WordPress.
- The scanner runs automatically and categorises the cookies it finds.
- A consent banner appears on your site.
I walked through this on a clean WordPress 6.5 install. The plugin settings page is minimal: just a field for the Domain Group ID and a handful of toggle options for consent mode, WP Consent API integration, and script-blocking behaviour. There is nothing confusing here.
The first scan completed within a few minutes. Cookiebot found and categorised cookies from Google Analytics, the WordPress session cookie, and a couple of theme-related trackers. Each cookie showed up with a name, purpose, provider, expiry, and the regulation category it falls under.
The default banner is functional but plain. It presents the standard four cookie categories (Necessary, Preferences, Statistics, Marketing) with Accept and Deny buttons. Out of the box, on the free plan, you cannot change the colours or remove the Cookiebot branding.
Key Features
Automated Cookie Scanner
Cookiebot uses a patented scanner that crawls your site monthly and cross-references against a database of more than 13,000 known cookies and trackers. It classifies each one into one of four GDPR categories: Necessary, Preferences, Statistics, and Marketing.
You can also trigger a manual scan any time from the dashboard. Monthly email reports notify you when new trackers appear on your site, which is practical when you add new plugins or third-party scripts without realising they set cookies.
Cookiebot claims to detect 63% more data processing services than competitor CMPs. The scan results on my test site were accurate and well-labelled.
Prior-Consent Cookie Blocking
This is one of Cookiebot’s strongest features. The plugin blocks non-essential scripts from firing until the user gives consent. That is a genuine compliance control, not just a banner overlay.
WordPress plugins often inject scripts into the page via wp_enqueue_script. Cookiebot intercepts those at render time and holds them until the appropriate consent category is accepted. You do not need to edit each plugin individually.
Prior-consent blocking is available on all plans, including free.
Consent Banner Customisation
The banner supports three layout types: banner (bottom bar), popup (modal), and inline widget. You can customise colours, fonts, text content, and button labels on paid plans. On Premium Lite and above, you can add your logo and remove Cookiebot branding.
Full CSS customisation is available on all paid plans. For most site owners, the built-in customisation options are enough. For agencies wanting pixel-perfect brand alignment, the CSS access opens the door without requiring custom development.
Google Consent Mode v2
Cookiebot is a Google Gold Tier certified CMP partner. Google Consent Mode v2 allows Google’s ad and analytics tags to behave correctly based on the user’s consent state, using modelled conversions to fill gaps in consent data.
Once you paste the Cookiebot script on your site (or activate the WordPress plugin), Google Consent Mode activates automatically. No manual tag configuration is needed. That alone removes a significant technical hurdle for site owners running Google Ads.
The plugin also supports Microsoft UET Consent Mode and Amazon Consent Signal, covering the major ad platforms beyond Google.
IAB TCF 2.3 Compliance
Cookiebot supports IAB TCF 2.3, which is required for publishers running programmatic advertising through ad networks that use the IAB framework. If you are running AdSense or Display and Video 360 campaigns, this keeps your inventory compliant.
Consent Logging and Audit Trail
Every consent event is logged: anonymised visitor identifier, consent state, page URL, country (IP-based), and timestamp. These records are stored automatically and are accessible from the Cookiebot dashboard.
If you ever need to demonstrate compliance to a regulator or respond to a subject access request, this log is your audit trail. The system stores records for up to 12 months by default.
Multi-Language Support
Cookiebot auto-translates the consent banner into 47+ languages based on browser or geolocation settings. For international sites, this removes the overhead of maintaining separate consent configurations per language.
Regional compliance rule sets are also included: the banner adapts its behaviour for EU GDPR, US state laws (CCPA, CPRA, etc.), Brazil LGPD, South Africa POPIA, and others.
WordPress-Specific Integrations
The plugin includes:
- WP Consent API support, which lets other plugins read the user’s consent state.
- WooCommerce compatibility, with automatic blocking of payment and tracking scripts.
- Multisite support for managing multiple subsites from one installation.
- WP-CLI commands (added in v4.7.0) for command-line management.
- Google Tag Manager integration for tag-based consent signal management.
- 30+ additional integrations via the Cookiebot dashboard.
Cookiebot Pricing
All prices are in EUR. Cookiebot does not list USD pricing directly. A 14-day free trial of all premium features is available without a credit card.
| Plan | Price | Domains | Subpages | Key additions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | EUR 0/mo | 1 | Up to 50 | Basic compliance, prior-consent blocking |
| Premium Lite | EUR 7/mo | 1 | Up to 50 | Custom branding, logo, 47+ languages, geotargeting, reporting |
| Premium Small | EUR 15/mo per domain | Multiple | Up to 350 | All Lite features, multi-domain support |
| Premium Medium | EUR 30/mo per domain | Multiple | Up to 3,500 | Same as Small |
| Premium Large | EUR 50/mo per domain | Multiple | Up to 7,000 | Same as Small |
| Premium XLarge | EUR 90/mo per domain | Multiple | Over 7,000 | Same as Small |
| Usercentrics Advanced | Custom pricing | Unlimited | Session-based | SSO, MFA, bulk editing, dedicated CSM, advanced analytics |
The subpage model is worth understanding before you pick a plan. Cookiebot counts the number of unique URLs on your site, not your WordPress page count. A WooCommerce store with hundreds of product pages, or a blog with a large archive, can have a much higher subpage count than you expect. Run a manual scan before choosing a plan to check your actual number.
The Free plan is a solid option for personal sites and small blogs. The jump to Premium Lite at EUR 7/mo is reasonable if you need custom branding. Beyond that, you are paying for subpage capacity, not meaningfully different features.
Cookiebot vs CookieYes
CookieYes is the most commonly cited alternative. Here is a practical comparison:
| Feature | Cookiebot | CookieYes |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes (1 domain, 50 subpages) | Yes (1 domain, 500 pages) |
| Paid entry price | EUR 7/mo | approx. $10/mo |
| Cookie scanner | Patented, monthly auto-scan | Yes |
| Google Consent Mode v2 | Yes (Gold Tier certified) | Yes |
| IAB TCF support | v2.3 | v2.2 |
| Prior-consent blocking | Yes | Yes |
| Customisation on free plan | Minimal | More generous |
| Consent log | Yes | Yes |
| Setup complexity | Moderate | Easier |
| WordPress plugin | Yes | Yes |
CookieYes is simpler to get started with and offers a more generous free plan in terms of pages. Cookiebot has more advanced scanning technology, better multi-language handling, and broader regulatory coverage. For straightforward small sites, either works. For compliance-critical or multi-region deployments, Cookiebot’s depth is worth the added configuration.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Automated scanner with 13,000+ cookie database, continuously updated
- Prior-consent blocking works reliably without manual script edits
- Google Consent Mode v2 activates automatically (Gold Tier certified)
- IAB TCF 2.3 support for programmatic publishers
- Free plan covers genuine compliance needs for small sites
- 47+ languages with automatic banner translation
- Consent log provides a ready audit trail
- WCAG 2.2 and WAI-ARIA accessible banners
- ISO 27001, ISO 27701, SOC 2 Type 2, HIPAA-ready certifications
- WP-CLI support for developers
Cons
- Pricing scales by subpage count; large sites pay significantly more
- Banner customisation is locked behind paid plans
- Requires a Cookiebot account and cloud dashboard; not fully self-contained
- Monthly scan cycle may miss new cookies between scan runs
- No mobile SDK or server-side tracking on self-serve plans
- Customer support is email-only on most self-serve tiers
Alternatives to Consider
CookieYes is the strongest direct alternative. It is easier to set up, more generous on the free plan, and suitable for the majority of small WordPress sites. Its IAB TCF support is on v2.2 rather than 2.3, which may matter for some publishers.
Complianz is a WordPress-native plugin that stores all data locally with no cloud dependency. It is a good fit for developers who want full control and prefer not to rely on an external service. The setup is more involved, but the self-hosted model appeals to teams with strict data residency requirements.
Termly targets beginners with a very simple interface and guided setup. It is less technically capable than Cookiebot but appropriate for users who find the Cookiebot dashboard overwhelming.
Final Verdict
Cookiebot by Usercentrics is a mature, well-maintained compliance platform. The scanner is accurate, the prior-consent blocking is reliable, and the Google Consent Mode v2 integration is genuinely seamless. On a test site running Google Analytics and a handful of plugins, the whole setup took under fifteen minutes and the consent banner was working correctly.
The cloud-based model is the main architectural trade-off. You are subscribing to a service, not installing a plugin. That brings compliance automation and a consent audit log. It also means you are dependent on Cookiebot’s infrastructure and pricing decisions.
For site owners who need solid GDPR, CCPA, and Google Consent Mode coverage without spending hours on manual configuration, Cookiebot delivers. The free plan is a fair starting point for small sites. The paid tiers are priced reasonably once you know your subpage count going in.
If you want a simpler setup or a more generous free plan, look at CookieYes. If you want a fully self-hosted option, look at Complianz.
Score: 4.4/5
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cookiebot free?
Yes. Cookiebot has a permanent free plan that covers one domain with up to 50 subpages. It includes automated cookie scanning, prior-consent blocking, and basic GDPR compliance. Paid plans start at EUR 7 per month and add banner customisation, branding options, and support for more subpages.
Is Cookiebot GDPR compliant?
Yes. Cookiebot is an IAB TCF 2.3 registered CMP and is ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 certified. It handles consent collection, prior-consent blocking, and consent logging in line with GDPR requirements. It also supports CCPA, LGPD, and more than 40 other privacy regulations.
Does Cookiebot work with Google Analytics 4?
Yes. Cookiebot supports Google Consent Mode v2, which controls how Google Analytics 4 and Google Ads tags behave based on the user’s consent state. Google certifies Cookiebot as a Gold Tier CMP partner for this integration.
What is the difference between Cookiebot and Usercentrics?
Usercentrics acquired Cookiebot in 2021. Cookiebot is the self-serve CMP aimed at SMBs and offers a straightforward pricing model based on subpages. Usercentrics Advanced is the enterprise product with session-based pricing, SSO, MFA, and a dedicated customer success manager. Both share underlying technology.
How does Cookiebot scan cookies?
Cookiebot runs automated scans of your website monthly using a patented crawler. It cross-references discovered cookies against a database of more than 13,000 known cookies and trackers, classifies each one into a GDPR category (Necessary, Preferences, Statistics, Marketing), and reports the results in your dashboard. You can trigger a manual scan at any time.
Can I use Cookiebot with WooCommerce?
Yes. Cookiebot is compatible with WooCommerce. It blocks non-essential scripts, including payment and tracking scripts, until the visitor gives consent. The plugin integrates with the WP Consent API so WooCommerce-compatible plugins can read consent state without additional configuration.
Does Cookiebot slow down my WordPress site?
Cookiebot adds a small script load to your page. The prior-consent blocking mechanism delays third-party scripts from loading until consent is given, which can actually improve initial page load speed if those scripts are heavy. The Cookiebot script itself is served from a CDN and is typically under 30kb.
Review based on testing Cookiebot v4.7.2 on WordPress 6.5 in August 2026. Pricing current as of publication date.