CookieRay – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (GDPR/CCPA Compliant) vs WPConsent – Cookie Banner & Cookie Consent for Privacy Compliance (GDPR / CCPA / EU Compliance Cookie Notice)

CookieRay is a cookie consent and privacy tooling plugin for WordPress. It stores data on your hosting account and runs in your environment. There is no external SaaS dashboard for site operation. CookieRay helps website owners manage cookie consent settings for GDPR, CCPA, ePrivacy, and other privacy-related requirements. Legal compliance depends on your website setup, third-party tools, region, and how the plugin is configured. CookieRay provides a visitor-facing consent experience, configurable script blocking, cookie discovery from your site, detailed consent records, and a setup dashboard to help you manage cookie consent records and support privacy-related workflows. Cookie consent banner A customizable consent surface with card and bar layouts, live preview in the admin, and nine placement positions. Visitors can Accept All, Decline All, or open a Preferences modal to choose which categories to allow (Necessary, Analytical, Functional, and Marketing). Banner text, colors, buttons, and fonts are editable without writing code. Script blocking Choose Log Only recording or Strict blocking in Settings. In Strict mode, CookieRay delays known tracking scripts until the visitor agrees to categories that match those trackers. Common patterns for services such as Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, Hotjar, HubSpot, TikTok Pixel, and many others are included out of the box. Google Consent Mode v2 When enabled, CookieRay outputs consent state in the visitor’s browser for Google tags (such as GA4, Google Ads, or Google Tag Manager) that you have already placed on your site. Google Consent Mode v2 lets Google tags adjust their behavior based on visitor consent choices while supporting privacy-conscious measurement modes when consent is withheld. CookieRay itself does not open separate server-side uploads of visitor payloads to Google; instead it surfaces JavaScript so tags you load can read consent signaling. Behavior of those downstream tags depends on how you configured Google products. Further reading: Google’s Consent Mode documentation (linked under External Services). Cookie scanner Run a cookie scan from the WordPress admin to detect cookies surfaced on responses from your own site. When an administrator starts a scan, CookieRay queues work on your server and uses the WordPress HTTP API to request public URLs belonging to your site domain (for example the homepage, published content URLs, WooCommerce storefront pages where applicable, and related routes depending on plugins). Cookie names surfaced in responses can be merged with your inventory for categorization alongside the plugin’s bundled tracking-cookie reference data. CookieRay also runs deeper script-discovery passes that analyze HTML fetched from a bounded set of URLs (the embeddable deep scan inspects up to 50 URLs on the same domain, chosen from the XML sitemap when available or from the home page plus recent posts and pages). Scan coverage still depends on plugins, caches, authenticated-only flows, and what responses your site serves to CookieRay’s unauthenticated crawler. There is no recurring unattended scan timetable built into CookieRay. You start scans from CookieRay screens (background processing completes those runs without another manual click). Cookie inventory View, edit, and categorize cookies discovered on your site. Assign cookies to Necessary, Analytical, Functional, or Marketing categories. Bulk-categorize or delete entries. Custom cookies can be added manually, with regex pattern support where appropriate. Consent logs Consent events can be logged with identifiers, statuses, granted categories, page URL, banner version, and timestamp fields available for review. Entries are searchable and filterable in the admin. You can export records as CSV, and export individual receipts as PDF for your record-keeping process. Dashboard See a summarized score guided by configurable checks (blocking mode, categorized cookies, policy link usage, consent expiry and scan recency reminders, whether Google Consent Mode output is enabled, and related items). Use it as onboarding guidance alongside your legal or compliance review. Scan history Review past scans: timing, URLs covered, counts, and summaries of results to track changes over time. Settings Configure consent behavior (Log Only vs Strict blocking), consent expiry, consent log retention, Google Consent Mode v2 toggle, optional data portability export flows, and related options. Banner and behavior settings are stored through WordPress options alongside plugin metadata. Privacy and data handling CookieRay does not send usage data, telemetry, or visitor payloads to CookieRay-operated servers. Consent logs and inventories stay in your site’s database unless you export them elsewhere. Third-party trackers you integrate yourself (such as Google Analytics, Google Ads, Google Tag Manager, Meta Pixel, marketing pixels, embedded chat widgets, and similar vendors) may still collect information according to their own tags, configurations, vendor accounts, regions, and published policies, even when CookieRay delays or respects categories for scripts it recognizes. A WordPress Cron task deletes consent records older than the retention period configured in Settings, whenever WordPress Cron runs normally on your host. Pro Features Scheduled automatic cookie scans Geo targeting – show or hide the banner by country Integration with Google Tag Manager, Meta Pixel, Adobe Experience Platform Trust Badge – “Privacy Protected” badge displayed in the site footer Premium support and priority updates Upgrade to CookieRay Pro Support For questions, bug reports, or help with configuration, visit the CookieRay support page. External Services CookieRay does not send analytics, telemetry, or visitor data to CookieRay-operated servers. 1. Same-site cookie scanner When an administrator runs a cookie scan, CookieRay uses the WordPress HTTP API (wp_remote_get) to fetch public URLs belonging to the same WordPress site — for example the homepage, published post URLs, WooCommerce storefront pages, and sitemap entries. What is sent: Standard HTTP GET requests to your own site’s public URLs. When: Only when an administrator triggers a scan from CookieRay admin screens. Who receives the requests: Your own web server. No data is sent to CookieRay or any third party. Source file: includes/class-scanner.php 2. Google Consent Mode v2 (optional, admin-enabled) When enabled in Settings, CookieRay outputs JavaScript on visitor pages that signals consent state to Google tags you have independently installed (e.g. GA4, Google Ads, Google Tag Manager). CookieRay does not make server-side HTTP calls to Google. What is sent: Browser-side consent signals read by locally loaded Google tags you control. When: When Consent Mode is enabled in CookieRay Settings and visitors load pages that include your Google tags. Who receives downstream data: Google, per your Google account and tag configuration. Google Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy Google Terms of Service: https://policies.google.com/terms Google Consent Mode documentation: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9976101

Easiest Cookie Consent Banner & Cookie Consent Management Plugin for WordPress WPConsent is the easiest cookie consent banner plugin for WordPress. Add a customizable cookie banner, automatically block third-party cookies and tracking scripts, scan your website for cookies, and comply with GDPR, CCPA / CPRA, ePrivacy, DSGVO, TTDSG, LGPD, POPIA, APA, RGPD, PIPEDA, and other global privacy regulations – all without writing a line of code. Unlike SaaS cookie consent tools that charge per pageview and store your consent records on their servers, WPConsent is a fully self-hosted cookie consent management plugin (CMP). Every cookie consent record lives in your own WordPress database, so you own your consent data with no monthly cookie consent platform fees and no pageview caps. WPConsent Pro This plugin is the Lite version of WPConsent Pro, which comes with smart geolocation cookie banners, automatic translations, IAB TCF v2.3 consent framework, automatic cookie scanning, eCommerce auto-configuration, “Do Not Sell” CCPA addon, and more. Click here to purchase the best premium WordPress cookie consent plugin now! Fully Customizable GDPR Cookie Banner & Cookie Popup Your cookie consent banner is often the first thing a visitor sees, so it should look like part of your brand – not a generic cookie notice bolted on. WPConsent gives you a fully customizable cookie consent banner that matches your WordPress site’s design while still meeting GDPR cookie consent and CCPA notice requirements. Pick from multiple cookie banner layouts and positions (including cookie popup, cookie modal, & consent banner), adjust every color and text string, drop in your logo, and choose button styles that match your theme. WPConsent’s cookie banner is built for performance, so adding cookie compliance won’t slow your WordPress site down or hurt Core Web Vitals. Inside the preferences panel, visitors can accept or reject cookies by category – essential, statistics, and marketing cookies – with granular cookie control they actually understand. Per-service consent toggles let privacy-conscious visitors approve or block individual tracking services. Automatic Script Blocking for True Cookie Compliance The hardest part of real cookie consent compliance isn’t the cookie popup banner, it’s stopping third-party cookies from firing before visitors say yes. A cookie notice that only warns users while Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel still drop cookies underneath is not GDPR compliance, it’s a liability. WPConsent handles true cookie & script blocking automatically. You don’t need to change how you install your tracking scripts. WPConsent’s automatic script blocking detects the most common third-party cookies and blocks them until the user grants cookie consent, so no tracking cookies are set without consent – as required by GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy regulations. Automatically detected and blocked scripts include: Google Analytics and Google Ads Facebook Pixel (Meta Pixel) Microsoft Clarity (with Clarity Consent Mode) Pinterest Tag Google Tag Manager Stripe, Convert.com, and many more WPConsent integrates with Google Consent Mode v2, so your Google Analytics and Google Ads tags keep working in consent-denied mode, and you still get modeled conversions without breaking GDPR cookie consent compliance. Whether you add your tracking using WPCode, MonsterInsights, or Google Tag Manager, WPConsent’s script blocking just works. Website Cookie Scanner & Cookie Inspector You can’t get GDPR cookie consent compliance right if you don’t know what cookies your WordPress site is actually setting. WPConsent includes a full website cookie scanner that crawls your site, detects running services, and builds a complete cookie inventory automatically. Our smart cookie scanner API gives you detailed information about each service and cookie it finds, so your cookie policy and consent banner always match what’s really happening on your site: Service Name and Service Description Service Category (essential, statistics, marketing) Service Privacy/Data URL for third-party services Full list of cookies with description, purpose, and duration Our new WordPress Cookie Inspector goes further. It walks your site as a fresh visitor, shows each cookie as it’s set in real time, and guides you through documenting every cookie with category, service, description, and an auto-filled duration. Cookie compliance auditing built right into WordPress. Smart Content Blocking for Embedded Cookies Embedded content is one of the biggest sources of silent third-party cookies on WordPress sites. WPConsent automatically blocks embedded content like YouTube, Vimeo, DailyMotion, Google Maps, and reCAPTCHA from loading until visitors grant cookie consent. For YouTube, Vimeo, and DailyMotion, WPConsent shows dynamic placeholder images loaded from your own website, so the content blocking experience feels branded and intentional, not broken. Choose which embedded cookies content is blocked and customize the placeholders from the WPConsent admin area. Google Consent Mode v2 & IAB TCF v2.3 Consent Framework Modern cookie consent means integrating with the signals advertisers and analytics tools actually use. WPConsent ships with Google Consent Mode v2 and Microsoft Clarity Consent Mode out of the box, and WPConsent Pro adds the full IAB TCF v2.3 Transparency and Consent Framework for programmatic advertising compliance. WPConsent also supports Global Privacy Control (GPC), so visitors sending a GPC signal have their cookie consent preferences respected automatically with a clear message displayed to meet updated CCPA regulations. WPConsent integrates with the official WordPress Consent API, so other privacy-aware plugins can read your cookie consent state. Smart Geolocation for Regional Cookie Banners Different regions have different cookie consent rules. GDPR requires prior opt-in consent in the EU and UK, while CCPA and CPRA focus on opt-out rights in California. WPConsent Pro includes smart geolocation features, so you can show the right cookie consent banner to the right visitor. Serve a strict GDPR cookie banner to EU traffic, a CCPA-style “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” notice to California residents, and a lighter cookie notice elsewhere – all from one WordPress cookie consent plugin. GDPR Cookie Consent Logs & Records of Consent GDPR and similar cookie laws don’t just ask you to collect consent, they ask you to prove it. WPConsent stores searchable, exportable cookie consent logs directly in your WordPress database, so you always have records of consent when regulators, customers, or auditors ask. Every cookie consent record stays self-hosted on your WordPress site. No third-party consent servers, no external consent APIs, no consent data leaving your server for another SaaS tool. You own your consent logs. Automatic Cookie Policy Generator WPConsent includes a built-in cookie policy generator that creates a WordPress cookie policy page from the services your website scanner detected. One click configures a complete cookie policy page with a working template, a live cookie table grouped by category, and editable descriptions – fully translatable. Who Uses WPConsent WPConsent works for any WordPress site that needs cookie consent management, from solo blogs to multi-site agencies: Bloggers & Publishers – GDPR cookie consent banner for WordPress blogs and news sites that run Google Analytics and display ads. eCommerce & WooCommerce Stores – Cookie compliance for WooCommerce with Facebook Pixel, Google Ads, and checkout tracking. Membership & Online Course Sites – Cookie consent records for every registered member in one searchable log. Agencies & Freelancers – Deploy consistent cookie consent management (CMP) across dozens of client WordPress sites. SaaS & Startups – Professional GDPR cookie banner without expensive Cookiebot or OneTrust subscriptions. News & Media Sites – IAB TCF v2.3 consent framework for programmatic advertising revenue. Supports Every Major Global Privacy Regulation WPConsent is a flexible cookie consent plugin built for global privacy compliance. Our WordPress consent management platform (CMP) is designed to help you address cookie law, data protection, and privacy regulations around the world, including: GDPR – General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), ePrivacy Directive, ePrivacy Regulation (European Union) UK GDPR and PECR – Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (United Kingdom) CCPA / CPRA – California Consumer Privacy Act and California Privacy Rights Act (United States) VCDPA, CPA, CTDPA, UCPA – state privacy laws for Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and Utah LGPD – Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (Brazil) PIPEDA – Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (Canada) DSGVO and TTDSG (Germany), RGPD (France, Spain, other French-speaking regions) APA – Australian Privacy Principles (Australia) POPIA – Protection of Personal Information Act (South Africa) and many other international cookie law and privacy standards Free Cookie Consent Features The free WPConsent plugin comes loaded with everything most WordPress sites need to add a cookie consent banner and pass basic GDPR and CCPA cookie compliance checks: Customizable cookie consent banner with multiple layouts and positions including cookie popup Automatic script blocking for Google Analytics, Google Ads, Facebook Pixel, Microsoft Clarity, Pinterest Tag, and more Website cookies scanner with full cookie inventory Cookie Inspector for fresh-visitor cookie auditing Smart content blocking for YouTube, Vimeo, DailyMotion, Google Maps, reCAPTCHA Google Consent Mode v2 and Microsoft Clarity Consent Mode integration Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal support Automatic cookie policy page generator Self-hosted cookie consent management (no third-party consent servers) Compliance score dashboard with one-click feature activation Shadow DOM banner for theme-safe styling WP Consent API compatibility Pro Cookie Consent Features WPConsent Pro adds advanced cookie consent management (CMP) features designed for agencies, ecommerce stores, and WordPress sites with international traffic: Smart Geolocation Cookie Banners – Show different cookie consent banners by visitor country or region. Automatic Translations – Translate your cookie consent banner automatically for multilingual WordPress sites. IAB TCF v2.3 Consent Framework – Full Transparency and Consent Framework for programmatic advertising. Automatic Cookie Scanning – Schedule recurring website cookie scans with auto-scan alerts. eCommerce Auto-Configuration – Pre-configured cookie consent rules for WooCommerce and online stores. “Do Not Sell” Addon – Full CCPA / CPRA opt-out workflow with Do Not Sell page. Cookie Consent Logs – Searchable, exportable records of consent stored in WordPress. Priority Support – Faster help from the WPConsent cookie consent experts. Full WPConsent Feature List Customizable Cookie Consent Banner – Fully customizable cookie banner with layouts, colors, logos, and button styles that match your WordPress site. Automatic Script Blocking – Automatically block Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Microsoft Clarity, Pinterest, and more until visitors give cookie consent. Website Compliance Scanner – Scan your WordPress site to detect cookies, tracking scripts, and third-party services automatically. Easy Cookie Configuration – Point-and-click cookie category assignment with automatic service detection and pre-filled cookie data. Cookie Policy Generator – Auto-generate a compliant WordPress cookie policy page in one click, complete with a live cookie table. GDPR Compliance – Built-in workflow for GDPR, ePrivacy Directive, DSGVO, and UK GDPR cookie consent requirements. CCPA Compliance – CCPA and CPRA cookie banner with Global Privacy Control and “Do Not Sell” support. Fully Self-Hosted Consent – Keep all cookie consent data on your own WordPress site – no third-party consent servers or SaaS tracking. Smart Geolocation – Show region-specific cookie consent banners based on visitor country or IP (Pro). User Consent Logs – Searchable and exportable records of consent stored natively in WordPress (Pro). Automatic Translations – Multilingual cookie consent banners without manual translation work (Pro). Google Consent Mode v2 – Native Google Consent Mode v2 integration for Google Analytics 4 and Google Ads. IAB TCF v2.3 Framework – IAB Transparency and Consent Framework v2.3 for programmatic advertising (Pro). Global Privacy Control – Automatic GPC signal detection and handling for CCPA compliance. Google Analytics Cookie Consent – Block Google Analytics cookies until consent and pass consent signals through Consent Mode. Facebook Pixel Cookie Consent – Block Facebook Pixel (Meta Pixel) until visitors give cookie consent. WooCommerce Cookie Consent – Cookie consent compliance for WooCommerce stores out of the box. WordPress Cookie Consent – Deep WordPress integration with Gutenberg, classic editor, and popular page builders. Cookie Inspector – Track cookies as they’re set during a fresh-visitor session with guided documentation. Compliance Score Dashboard – See what cookie compliance features are configured and enable them in one click. Smart Content Blocking – Block YouTube, Vimeo, DailyMotion, Google Maps, and reCAPTCHA embeds until cookie consent. Granular Cookie Preferences – Per-service consent toggles inside the preferences panel for precise cookie control. Microsoft Clarity Consent Mode – Block Microsoft Clarity until cookie consent is granted. Shadow DOM Cookie Banner – Banner styles isolated from your theme for perfect WordPress compatibility. WP Consent API Integration – Works with the official WordPress Consent API standard for cross-plugin consent sharing. Import / Export Settings – Move WPConsent cookie consent configuration between WordPress sites quickly. Keyboard-Accessible Banner – Accessibility-first cookie consent banner with keyboard navigation and screen reader support. RTL Language Support – Right-to-left language support for Arabic, Hebrew, Farsi cookie consent banners. Built by the Team whose software powers over 30 million websites WPConsent is brought to you by the team behind some of the biggest names in WordPress including WPBeginner, WPForms, All in One SEO, MonsterInsights, WPCode, and OptinMonster. Our plugins are trusted by over 30 million websites worldwide. When you install WPConsent, you get the same engineering, support, and long-term product investment that powers our WordPress plugin suite. Better Than Cookiebot, CookieYes, OneTrust & Other SaaS Cookie Consent Tools If you’ve researched cookie consent management platforms (CMP), you’ve probably seen Cookiebot, CookieYes, OneTrust, Iubenda, Termly, Usercentrics, TrustArc, Complianz, Didomi, Osano, Enzuzo, Quantcast Choice, Secure Privacy, Clym, Ketch, Piwik PRO Consent Manager, Real Cookie Banner, Cookie Notice & Compliance, and GDPR Cookie Compliance by Moove Agency. Capable tools, but most come with tradeoffs: rising subscription fees, pageview caps, external consent servers, or enterprise pricing. WPConsent is a true WordPress-native cookie consent plugin. Your consent data lives on your WordPress database, pricing is flat (no per-pageview surprises), and the team behind WPBeginner stands behind it. If you’ve been searching for a Cookiebot alternative, a CookieYes alternative, a better Iubenda or Termly replacement, or a self-hosted OneTrust alternative for WordPress, WPConsent is built for you. Branding Guidelines WPConsent™ is a trademark of WPConsent LLC. When writing about our WordPress cookie consent plugin, please use the correct spelling: WPConsent (correct) WP Consent (incorrect) wpconsent (incorrect) Wp Consent (incorrect) WpConsent (incorrect) Cookie Consent Resources Learn more about cookie consent, GDPR cookie compliance, and WordPress privacy: WPConsent Documentation – Setup guides and feature walkthroughs. WPConsent Blog – Privacy news, GDPR guides, and cookie compliance tips. Beginner’s Guide to WordPress and GDPR Compliance – Honest comparisons with other cookie consent plugins. Disclaimer This plugin is not a guarantee of website compliance. It is your responsibility to ensure your website meets all applicable cookie law, data protection, and privacy regulation requirements including GDPR, CCPA, CPRA, LGPD, PIPEDA, and other global privacy laws. …