When building your website, you’ll want to think about how you store your visitors’ browsing data. Because data is such a sensitive matter, some rules go along with it. Using a cookie plugin on your WordPress website can help you meet and manage the requirements effortlessly. In this post, we’ll share the 7 best cookie plugins out there, so you can easily find the plugin that best matches your needs!
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Cookie plugins help website owners comply with cookie laws and regulations. When a cookie plugin is enabled, it will notify visitors about the use of cookies on a website. This usually happens in the form of a banner or corner popup. This banner or popup will allow your visitor to accept or reject cookies. Cookie plugins can also track user behavior, personalize content, and perform other actions.
Here are some benefits of using a cookie plugin on your website:
- Legal Compliance: Cookie plugins can ensure websites comply with these regulations (Ex: GDPR.)
- Improved User Experience: Cookies can provide personalized content and recommendations based on browsing history.
- Analytics and Insights: Cookie plugins can provide website owners insight into user behavior. This can include pages they visit, the time they spend on the site, and their actions.
- Customization: Many cookie plugins for WordPress offer customization options, allowing website owners to tailor the plugin’s functionality to their specific needs.
Ensuring your website uses cookies properly is super important, especially considering the rules and regulations behind them. So let’s look at the best cookie plugins available in 2023.
The Best WordPress Cookie Plugins Listed In Order
CookieYes is a WordPress plugin with over a million active users and a 5-star rating. Its primary purpose is to enable website owners to comply with GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy regulations. In addition, the plugin provides a range of customizable cookie consent banner templates, automatic cookie scanning, and support for popular cookie consent solutions.
Key Features for CookieYes:
- Customizable cookie consent banner templates
- Automatic cookie scanning and categorization
- Cookie blocker for third-party cookies
- Cookie expiration settings
- Support for popular cookie consent solutions
Additionally, CookieYes provides website owners with a comprehensive cookie consent solution, a range of customizable consent banner templates, and support for multiple languages. In addition, you can customize the font, color, and position of the banner on your page.
The plugin also automatically scans and categorizes cookies, making managing and controlling them easy. Additionally, website owners can set granular cookie settings and permissions to ensure compliance with all applicable regulations.
Best For:
CookieYes is an excellent option for customizing your cookie banner. It also allows you to choose from more than 30+ languages. With CookieYes, you get pretty good control over the cookies you collect through your website. You can also easily access a detailed cookie report and schedule regular cookie scanning.
Pricing: Free. Pro version starts at $100/yr.
2. Complianz
Complianz is a WordPress plugin for cookie consent developed by the same company behind the popular Really Simple SSL plugin (which helps migrate WordPress sites from HTTP to HTTPS.)
This plugin supports GDPR, CCPA, and other cookie consent regulations. Moreover, it allows visitors to apply different consent behaviors based on location, ensuring compliance and optimal user experience for each location.
Key Features for Complianz:
- Automatic cookie scanning and categorization
- Customizable cookie consent banner templates
- Granular control over cookie settings and permissions
- Support for a wide range of privacy regulations
- Integration with popular third-party services
My favorite feature of this plugin is its comprehensive and easy-to-use setup wizard, which guides users through ensuring privacy compliance, making it an excellent choice for those new to privacy compliance.
Best For:
Complianz is an excellent choice for website owners who want to provide visitors with a transparent and secure browsing experience while ensuring compliance with privacy regulations.
Pricing: Free. Pro version starts at $49.00/yr
GDPR Cookie Compliance is a widely used cookie plugin available for free with the option to upgrade to a premium version offering additional features (Like most other plugins on the list.) Although named after the GDPR, the plugin is compatible with other cookie regulations, including CCPA, PIPEDA, and LGPD.
The free version of the plugin focuses primarily on creating a cookie consent banner that can be triggered based on user actions, such as scrolling or clicking on a link. However, the premium version provides more advanced compliance management features, such as consent logs and cookie blocking until acceptance.
Key Features for GDPR Cookie Compliance:
- Customizable cookie consent banner
- Blocking scripts and cookies until consent is obtained
- Automatic cookie scanner
The key feature of this plugin is its customizable cookie consent banner, which can be styled to match your website’s design and branding. The banner can be triggered based on user actions, such as scrolling or clicking on a link, and can include options for accepting or rejecting cookies.
The plugin also provides the option to block scripts and cookies until consent is obtained, which can help ensure compliance with cookie regulations. GDPR Cookie Compliance includes an automatic cookie scanner that detects cookies on your website and generates a cookie declaration, making it easy to provide transparent information about the cookies used on your site.
Best For:
GDPR Cookie Compliance is best for website owners who want a simple and effective way to comply with cookie regulations. It’s particularly well-suited for small businesses and bloggers who want a lightweight solution that won’t slow down their website. For those who wish for additional features, such as lead generation tools, OptinMonster is a great choice.
Pricing: Free. The premium version starts at $59/yr
Cookie Notice & Compliance for GDPR / CCPA is a well-known WordPress cookie plugin with a nearly perfect 4.9-star rating from almost 2,900 reviews. The plugin is divided into two main parts, Cookie Notice and Cookie Compliance.
First, Cookie Notice is a straightforward banner that informs website visitors about the usage of cookies on your site and allows them to provide consent in various ways. On the other hand, Cookie Compliance is a full-featured Consent Management Platform (CMP) that adheres to guidelines from more than 100 countries and offers users detailed options for managing their privacy. For instance, users can permit some cookies but block others.
Still, Cookie Notice features are fully self-contained within the plugin, while the Cookie Compliance features require a connection to the developer’s web application. However, the plugin provides the flexibility to use only the Cookie Notice features if you prefer,
Key Features for Cookie Notice & Compliance for GDPR / CCPA:
- Easy to set up cookie consent banner
- Customizable banner designs
- Advanced consent management features
- Supports CCPA, LGPD, PECR, and other regulations
One of the standout features of Cookie Notice & Compliance for GDPR / CCPA is its advanced consent management functionality. The plugin allows website owners to block cookies until users provide consent, and it also offers options for revoking consent and managing user preferences.
Best For:
First, Cookie Notice & Compliance for GDPR / CCPA is best for website owners who need a comprehensive cookie compliance solution that supports multiple regulations. However, the plugin’s basic features are suitable for those looking for a free solution.
Pricing: Free, with premium licenses starting at $13.00/yr.
Get Cookie Notice and Compliance For GDPR / CCPA
5. Iubenda
Iubenda is an all-in-one solution that streamlines compliance for your website by providing cookie consent banners and notices, as well as privacy and cookie policy pages. In addition, it allows you to create terms and conditions pages.
The main aim of this plugin is to simplify the process of ensuring your website complies with different regulations, including the GDPR, the ePrivacy directive, the LGPD, the CCPA, and more.
Key Features for Iubenda:
- Privacy and cookie policy generator
- Legal guidance and support for compliance with data protection laws
- Customizable cookie consent banner
- Policy update management and tracking
To begin, regarding cookie consent, Iubenda enables you to customize your cookie banner fully. For example, you can adjust its location, design and include your logo. Additionally, Iubenda empowers users to choose what data they want to share, providing you with more opportunities for obtaining user consent.
The plugin also allows you to determine the duration of cookies and block third-party scripts for services such as Facebook and Google Analytics.
Best For:
Iubenda is best for website owners who want an all-in-one compliance solution that covers not only cookie consent but also privacy policy, terms and conditions, and more.
Pricing: Free. The pro version starts at $29/year
6. WP AutoTerms
As a free plugin for WordPress, WP AutoTerms offers a straightforward method to generate essential legal pages, including privacy policies, terms of service, and cookie consent pages. Boasting over 100,000 active installations and a solid 5-star rating on WordPress.org, this plugin has gained popularity among website owners.
Moreover, WP AutoTerms is regularly updated, ensuring website owners can stay up-to-date with the latest legal requirements. The plugin offers a range of templates and layouts, and customization options to tailor the legal pages to your website’s specific needs. Additionally, WP AutoTerms supports multiple languages, making it an excellent choice for website owners with a global audience.
Key Features for WP AutoTerms:
- Generates privacy policy, terms and conditions, and cookie policy pages with just a few clicks.
- Automatically updates policies when laws and regulations change, ensuring your website stays compliant.
- Customizable policy templates to match the look and feel of your website.
First and foremost, WP AutoTerms allows users to generate legal policies specific to their website needs. In addition, the plugin keeps up-to-date with legal changes and updates policies accordingly, ensuring that websites remain compliant with relevant laws and regulations.
Best For:
WP AutoTerms is best for website owners who need legally compliant policies without navigating the complexities of legal language and regulation. In addition, it is an excellent fit for those who want to automate the process of generating privacy policies and other legal documents for their websites.
Pricing: Free. The premium version is $39/lifetime
7. MonsterInsights
MonsterInsights is a popular WordPress plugin providing comprehensive tracking and analytics capabilities for website owners. But besides that, it also offers an add-on focused on EU compliance. Enabling this add-on will help you make your Google Analytics compliant with GDPR.
The add-on will, for instance, allow you to anonymize IP addresses and limit demographic collection. It’s important to mention that to use this add-on, you must connect it to a Cookie plugin. Amongst other cookie plugins, MonsterInsight integrates with the following plugins that are mentioned in this post:
Key Features for the EU Compliance Add-on MonsterInsights:
- Quick and easy setup.
- Fully compliant with EU regulations and guidelines for cookies.
- Integrates with popular cookie consent plugins.
- Easy option to integrate Google Analytics in a GDPR-compliant way.
MonsterInsights Google Analytics plugin that gives website owners easy access to their traffic stats. You’ll be able to view all the data you need in your WordPress dashboard without worrying about EU regulations.
Best For:
MonsterInsights is perfect for website owners who want to use Google Analytics in a GDPR-compliant manner and get access to Google Analytics stats in their WordPress dashboard. To use this plugin on your website, you will need an additional Cookie plugin, such as CookieYes.
Pricing: Free, Pro version starts at $99.50/yr
Adding a cookie plugin to your WordPress website is essential for complying with privacy regulations and providing a transparent user experience. After evaluating the plugins available, let’s take a deeper look at the plugins on our list before we give our final remarks.
Before we round up our best cookie plugins list, let’s see how each plugin stacks up in regard to price:
| Plugin | Price | Free Option | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | CookieYes | $100.00 per year | ✔️ | Visit |
| 🥈 | Complianz | $49.00 per year | ✔️ | Visit |
| 🥉 | GDPR Cookie Compliance | $59.00 per year | ✔️ | Visit |
| 4 | Cookie Notice and Compliance For GDPR / CCPA | $13.00 per year | ✔️ | Visit |
| 5 | Iubenda | $29.00 per year | ✔️ | Visit |
| 6 | WP AutoTerms | $39.00 for lifetime license | ✔️ | Visit |
| 7 | MonsterInsights | $99.50/yr | ✔️ | Visit |
Our top three cookie plugins have some really great things going for them! See how they stack up when compared to each other:
| 🥇 CookieYes | 🥈Complianz | 🥉GDPR Cookie Compliance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $100/yr | $49/yr | $59/yr |
| Free Version | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Customizable Branding | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Automatic Cookie Scanning | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Automatic Cookie Categorization | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Consent Logs and Analytics | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Cooking Blocking till User Acceptance | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Multiple Cookie Consent Regulations | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Privacy and Cookie Policy Generator or Templates | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Cookie Blocker for 3rd Party Cookies | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Integration with 3rd Party Services | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Active Installations | 1,000,000+ | 600,000+ | 300,000+ |
| Community Rating | 4.8/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Read Reviews | 4.9/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Read Reviews | 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Read Reviews |
| Get CookieYes | Get Complianz | Get GDPR Cookie Compliance |
Our top cookie plugins are CookieYes and Complianz. These are our top choices and we highly recommend them to handle your cookies and user privacy tasks on your WordPress website.
Regardless of which plugin you choose, it’s essential to prioritize transparency and user privacy when implementing cookies on your website. While CookieYes offers a comprehensive solution for cookie compliance with customizable cookie banners and consent management, MonsterInsights provides an add-on focusing on GDPR compliance.
When choosing a cookie plugin, it’s crucial to prioritize transparency and user privacy above all else. Always ensure your website visitors know the cookies used and provide them with options to manage their preferences. And as a final note: remember to regularly review your website’s cookie usage and update your cookie policy accordingly to comply with any changes in privacy regulations.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Before we wrap up this post, let’s answer some of your most common questions about WordPress cookie plugins. Do you have a question that we missed? Leave a comment below, and we’ll reply.
What is cookie compliance?
Does WordPress use cookies?
Which WordPress plugins use cookies?
Is WordPress GDPR compliant?
What is the best WordPress cookie plugin?
What is the best free WordPress cookie plugin?
How do you create a cookie notice without a WordPress plugin?
Does my WordPress site need a cookie policy?
Looking for more great plugins? Check out this list of the best WordPress plugins from every category.
Featured Image via Aygun Ali / shutterstock.com
CookieYes
Complianz
GDPR Cookie Compliance
I use and recommend a free plugin called “Cookies and Content Security Policy” (by Jonk @ Follow me Darling). I had tried more cookie plugins, but I have found this one to be the easiest one to set up and use.