SKT Cookie Consent vs SureCookie – GDPR Cookie Consent Banner, Cookie Scanner & Script Blocking

SKT Cookie Consent is a lightweight, 100% self-hosted WordPress cookie consent plugin built to help your website comply with global privacy laws including GDPR (EU), CCPA / CPRA (California), LGPD (Brazil), and the ePrivacy Directive. No third-party SaaS account, no monthly fees, and no consent caps – all data stays on your own server. Whether you run a blog, business site, WooCommerce store, or multilingual website, the plugin lets you display a customizable cookie banner, block third-party scripts before consent, log proof of consent, and manage cookie declarations from one clean admin dashboard. Documentation: SKT Cookie Consent – Documentation Key features Banner designer – Banner, Popup, or Widget mode with multiple positions, full color, typography, and button controls. Mobile-responsive. Privacy law presets – GDPR, CCPA / CPRA, LGPD, or combined GDPR + CCPA mode with automatic banner text adjustments. Geo-targeting – Show the banner only in regions where it is required (Worldwide, EU + UK, US only, or custom country list) with cached IP lookups. Real script blocker – Blocks 22+ tracking scripts (GA4, GTM, Meta Pixel, Hotjar, YouTube, Vimeo, Google Maps, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, HubSpot, reCAPTCHA, AdSense, Matomo, Tawk.to, SlideShare, SoundCloud, ShareThis, AddToAny, and more) BEFORE consent is given. Cookie categories – Necessary, Marketing, Analytics, Preferences, Unclassified. Fully editable. Cookie declaration list – Document each cookie’s name, provider, duration, category, storage type, and purpose. Displayed in the “Manage Preferences” view. Consent log – Searchable record of every consent decision with anonymized IP (last octet removed), country, date, status, and proof-of-consent string. Indexed for performance. Dashboard insights – Total consents, acceptance rate, rejection rate, and activity charts. Developer friendly – Translation-ready (.pot included), WPML / Polylang / TranslatePress / Loco compatible, no jQuery on the frontend, works with WP Rocket / W3 Total Cache / LiteSpeed, and major page builders (Elementor, Divi, Gutenberg). Compliance disclaimer: This plugin provides the technical tools to help you meet GDPR, CCPA / CPRA, LGPD, and ePrivacy requirements. Installing it alone does NOT make your website automatically compliant – you are responsible for configuring it correctly, classifying your cookies accurately, and reviewing legal language with your own counsel. External services This plugin may connect to the following third-party services. These services are only loaded if explicitly enabled by the site administrator and/or after the visitor provides consent via the cookie banner. No data is sent to these services without user consent, except where strictly required for functionality (for example, IP-based geolocation used to determine whether the cookie banner should be displayed). ipapi.co (IP geolocation) This plugin connects to an external API to determine the visitor’s country based on their IP address. This is required to support geo-targeting rules (for example, displaying the cookie banner only in specific regions such as the EU or UK). It sends the visitor’s IP address to the ipapi.co service only when geo-targeting is enabled and the visitor’s country has not already been resolved. This request is performed server-side. The result is cached locally on the site (as a WordPress transient) for up to 24 hours per IP address to minimize repeated external requests. This service is provided by “ipapi.co”: terms of use, privacy policy. Instagram embeds This plugin connects to Instagram to load post embeds, it is needed to display Instagram posts that the admin has embedded on the site. It sends data as transmitted by the Instagram embed script itself (typically including IP address, user agent, and referring URL) only after consent to the matching category. This service is provided by “Meta Platforms, Inc.”: terms of use, privacy policy. Pinterest widget This plugin connects to Pinterest to load share / save widgets, it is needed to display Pinterest save and share buttons on the site. It sends data as transmitted by the Pinterest widget itself (typically including IP address, user agent, and referring URL) only after consent to the matching category. This service is provided by “Pinterest, Inc.”: terms of use, privacy policy. Tawk.to live chat This plugin connects to Tawk.to to load the live-chat widget, it is needed to display the live-chat box so visitors can chat with the site operators. It sends data as transmitted by the Tawk.to widget itself (typically including IP address, user agent, page URL, and any chat messages the visitor sends) only after consent to the matching category AND the admin has entered a Tawk.to ID. This service is provided by “tawk.to ltd.”: terms of use, privacy policy. HubSpot tracking This plugin connects to HubSpot to load the analytics / tracking script, it is needed to power HubSpot analytics and CRM tracking for the site administrator. It sends data as transmitted by the HubSpot tracking script itself (such as page URL, referrer, IP address, device/browser information, and visitor interaction events) only after consent to the matching category AND the admin has entered a HubSpot account ID. This service is provided by “HubSpot, Inc.”: terms of use, privacy policy. Google reCAPTCHA This plugin connects to Google’s bot-detection service, it is needed to protect forms on the site from spam and abuse. It sends standard reCAPTCHA telemetry (such as IP address, user agent, mouse and keyboard interaction signals, and a hardware/software identifier) only after consent to the matching category AND the admin has enabled reCAPTCHA blocking. This service is provided by “Google LLC”: terms of use, privacy policy. Google AdSense This plugin connects to Google’s ad-serving service, it is needed to display AdSense ads on the site. It sends standard AdSense telemetry (such as page URL, referrer, IP address, user agent, and ad interaction events) only after the visitor consents to the “Marketing” category AND the admin has enabled the corresponding script blocker. This service is provided by “Google LLC”: terms of use, privacy policy. Google Publisher Tag (GPT) This plugin connects to Google’s ad-management service, it is needed to deliver ads through Google Ad Manager on the site. It sends standard GPT telemetry (such as page URL, referrer, IP address, user agent, and ad interaction events) only after the visitor consents to the “Marketing” category AND the admin has enabled the corresponding script blocker. This service is provided by “Google LLC”: terms of use, privacy policy. Matomo analytics (self-hosted or cloud) This plugin connects to a Matomo analytics endpoint, it is needed to collect website analytics through the open-source Matomo platform configured by the site administrator. It sends standard Matomo telemetry (such as page URL, referrer, IP address, user agent, screen resolution, and visitor interaction events) only after consent to the “Analytics” category AND the admin has entered a Matomo URL and Site ID. This service is provided by “InnoCraft Ltd. (Matomo)”: terms of use, privacy policy. SlideShare embeds This plugin connects to SlideShare to load presentation embeds, it is needed to display SlideShare presentations that the admin has embedded on the site. It sends data as transmitted by the embedded SlideShare player itself (typically including IP address, user agent, and referring URL) only after consent to the matching category. This service is provided by “Scribd, Inc.”: terms of use, privacy policy. SoundCloud embeds This plugin connects to SoundCloud to load audio player embeds, it is needed to display SoundCloud tracks and playlists that the admin has embedded on the site. It sends data as transmitted by the embedded SoundCloud player itself (typically including IP address, user agent, and referring URL) only after consent to the matching category. This service is provided by “SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG”: terms of use, privacy policy. ShareThis widget This plugin connects to ShareThis to load the social sharing widget, it is needed to display ShareThis share buttons on the site. It sends data as transmitted by the ShareThis widget itself (typically including IP address, user agent, referring URL, and share interaction events) only after consent to the matching category AND the admin has entered a ShareThis Property ID. This service is provided by “ShareThis, Inc.”: terms of use, privacy policy. AddToAny This plugin connects to AddToAny to load the social sharing widget, it is needed to display AddToAny share buttons on the site. It sends data as transmitted by the AddToAny widget itself (typically including IP address, user agent, and referring URL) only after consent to the matching category. This service is provided by “AddToAny LLC”: terms of use, privacy policy. Google Maps This plugin connects to Google Maps to load embedded maps, it is needed to display maps that the admin has embedded on the site. It sends data as transmitted by the embedded Google Maps iframe itself (typically including IP address, user agent, and referring URL) only after consent to the matching category. This service is provided by “Google LLC”: terms of use, privacy policy. Bundled third-party library (no network calls) This plugin also bundles the open-source library “Chart.js” (version 4.5.1, MIT License, https://www.chartjs.org/) inside ‘assets/js/chart.umd.js’. It is loaded only on the plugin’s admin dashboard screen to render local charts of your own consent log. It does not call out to any external server. The library’s full license text is included in ‘THIRD-PARTY-LICENSES.txt’ shipped with the plugin.

SureCookie is a WordPress cookie consent plugin that helps you scan cookies, display a customizable cookie banner, block non-essential scripts before consent, and store consent logs inside your WordPress database. It is built for site owners, E-commerce stores, agencies, bloggers, and WordPress professionals who want more than a basic cookie notice. SureCookie helps you understand what cookies and third-party services are running on your site, lets visitors manage their choices, and gives you a practical consent workflow without visitor-based pricing. 👉 Try the live demo of SureCookie. Not Just a Cookie Banner A cookie notice can tell visitors that your site uses cookies, but that alone does not manage consent. If analytics scripts, marketing pixels, video embeds, maps, or tag manager scripts run before visitors choose, the banner is only cosmetic. SureCookie connects the banner to the rest of the workflow: scan the site, review detected cookies, block non-essential scripts before consent, store consent logs locally, and keep your cookie policy easier to maintain. How SureCookie Works SureCookie follows a simple WordPress cookie consent workflow: Scan selected pages with the real browser cookie scanner. Review detected cookies, scripts, resources, and third-party domains. Organize cookies into consent categories such as Essential, Functional, Analytics, and Marketing. Enable script blocking so non-essential scripts wait for consent. Show the cookie consent banner and preference modal to visitors. Store consent logs locally in WordPress for review and export. Generate or connect a cookie policy page that reflects your cookie setup. This makes SureCookie more than a WordPress cookie banner. Many cookie plugins focus only on the visitor-facing notice, while SureCookie focuses on what happens before and after it: cookie detection, script blocking, consent records, and policy support. Free Features Included The WordPress.org version of SureCookie includes the core consent workflow: Cookie consent banner: Show a clean banner or notice for visitors. Preference modal: Let visitors review and manage cookie categories. Accept, Accept All, Decline, and Preferences buttons: Control the button text and order. Real browser cookie scanner: Scan selected pages using a browser-based scanning service. Cookie categories: Use Essential, Functional, Analytics, Marketing, and Uncategorized categories. See managing cookie categories. Custom cookies: Add and manage cookies manually when needed. Script blocking: Block non-essential scripts before consent is given. Resource blocking: Manage scripts, iframes, embeds, and objects found during scans. Consent logs: Store visitor choices inside your WordPress database. Consent log filters: Search and filter logs by action, country, IP, and session ID. Consent PDF export: Export individual consent records for documentation. Consent retention settings: Control how long consent logs are kept. Monthly automatic scanning: Schedule recurring scans on the free plan. Scan history and change detection: See what changed between scans, including newly detected cookies and domains. Rule-based category suggestions: Get suggested categories for newly detected cookies. Cookie policy page: Generate a page with dynamic cookie tables. Re-consent controls: Add a Cookie Preferences link through a shortcode or menu item. Re-request consent: Ask all visitors to review choices again when needed. Google Consent Mode support: Send consent states to supported Google services. WP Consent API support: Share consent state with compatible WordPress plugins. Multilingual support: Work with WPML and Polylang for banner and admin text. RTL support: Display frontend cookie policy content correctly for RTL languages. MCP and WordPress Abilities support: Enable AI assistant access to SureCookie management actions when supported. No visitor-based limits: SureCookie does not charge by traffic or monthly visitors. Free vs Pro Clarity Everything listed above is in the free plugin. Advanced workflows are reserved for SureCookie Pro: weekly automatic scans, email scan digests, auto-apply behavior, compliance guard workflows, geographic targeting (which applies CCPA-style opt-out rules per region), and consent forwarding. Compare on the features page or see plans and pricing. Real Browser Cookie Scanner SureCookie uses a browser-based scanning service at https://library.surecookie.com/ to inspect selected pages. See how the cookie scanner works. Instead of only reading static HTML, the scanner loads your pages in a real browser environment. This helps detect cookies and resources that appear after page load, through tag managers, or through third-party scripts. The scanner can help identify: Analytics, marketing, advertising, functional, and preference cookies WooCommerce and WordPress session cookies Third-party domains and resources Tag manager loaded and dynamically injected scripts Monthly Automatic Scanning When enabled, SureCookie runs scheduled monthly scans through WP-Cron. The scan uses the same scanner engine, respects the configured scan scope, and records the latest scan history. Full setup is in the automatic scheduled scanning guide. The scan history can show: Newly detected cookies Removed cookies Recategorized cookies Newly detected third-party domains Whether the scan was manual or automatic The last scan date and cookie count Script Blocking Before Consent SureCookie can block non-essential scripts before the visitor gives consent. When blocking is enabled, SureCookie processes the frontend HTML and converts matching resources so they do not execute until the relevant cookie category is allowed. It can handle scripts as well as embedded content such as iframes, embeds, and objects. This matters because a banner alone does not stop tracking. SureCookie is designed to connect consent choices with technical enforcement. The script blocker also includes safeguards so it skips admin pages, REST requests, AJAX requests, feeds, JSON responses, XML responses, and scanner bypass requests. The resource and script blocking guide covers how scripts, iframes and embeds are matched. Customizable Banner and Preferences SureCookie gives you control over the visitor-facing consent experience. You can customize: Banner message and description Rich text banner content Accept, Accept All, Decline, and Preferences button labels Button order Banner position and width Banner logo Banner animation Background overlay Preference modal heading and description Cookie category labels and descriptions Custom CSS Visitors can accept all cookies, decline non-essential cookies, or open the preferences modal and choose specific categories. See customizing banner content and banner layout for every option, and custom CSS for banner styling if you need finer control. Consent Logs Stored Locally SureCookie stores consent records inside your WordPress database. This is different from many SaaS consent management platforms where consent records live on an external platform. With SureCookie, your consent logs stay on your WordPress site and can be reviewed from the admin area. Consent logs can include: User session ID Consent action, such as accepted, declined, or partially accepted Cookie category preferences Masked IP address Timestamp Country Admins can view, search, filter, delete, and export logs from WordPress. SureCookie also includes retention settings so you can control how long logs are kept. See understanding consent logs and exporting consent logs to PDF or CSV. Cookie Policy Page and Generator SureCookie includes a cookie policy generator that can create a Cookie Policy page for your website. The generated page uses native WordPress blocks and includes a dynamic shortcode that displays cookie tables grouped by category and provider. The cookie policy content can include: Cookie categories Cookie names Purpose or description Duration Domain Last updated timestamp A table of contents when multiple categories are available You can edit the generated policy page in the WordPress editor and keep the dynamic cookie table connected to your scanned and manually added cookies. Walkthrough: how to generate a cookie policy page. Re-Consent and Re-Request Consent Visitors should be able to change their choices later. SureCookie includes a re-consent shortcode: [surecookie_reconsent_button] You can use it to add a Cookie Preferences button on your site. SureCookie can also add a virtual Cookie Preferences item to a selected WordPress navigation menu. Admins can also re-request consent from all visitors. This is useful after updating your cookie policy, adding new tracking tools, changing categories, or making a major consent workflow change. See the re-consent guide. Google Consent Mode When enabled, SureCookie sends consent states for supported Google services and updates them when visitors change their preferences. Setup steps: setting up Google Consent Mode v2. It maps SureCookie categories to Google consent signals, detects Google services from enqueued scripts or the page HTML, and hides block toggles that Google Consent Mode already manages. WP Consent API SureCookie reads its consent cookie and syncs the visitor’s consent state so compatible WordPress plugins can check consent using the standardized WP Consent API flow. Default category mapping includes: Essential to functional Functional to preferences Analytics to statistics Marketing to marketing Developers can customize mappings through filters. Multilingual and RTL Support SureCookie includes multilingual compatibility for WPML and Polylang. It can register and translate banner text, button labels, preference modal text, category labels, and related frontend strings. It also includes RTL support for cookie policy layouts. MCP and WordPress Abilities When enabled, AI assistants and compatible tools can use structured SureCookie abilities to manage settings, cookie categories, consent logs, cookie management, and site scanner actions. Scanner start actions still require care because they contact an external scanning service. Who Should Use SureCookie? SureCookie is a good fit for: WordPress site owners and agencies who need a cookie consent banner across client sites E-commerce stores and publishers using analytics, ads, pixels, embeds, or marketing tools Businesses running tag managers, heatmaps, video embeds, maps, forms, or CRM and conversion tracking Developers who want a WordPress-native consent workflow with hooks and APIs, and consent logs kept inside WordPress Important Legal Note SureCookie provides technical tools for cookie scanning, script blocking, consent collection, consent logging, and cookie policy management. No WordPress plugin can guarantee legal compliance on its own. Privacy and cookie requirements depend on your website, visitors, region, policies, data processing practices, and legal obligations. For legal advice, consult a qualified legal professional. External Services SureCookie uses external services for cookie scanning, site verification, and geolocation. Cookie Scanning SureCookie connects to https://library.surecookie.com/ to provide real browser-based cookie scanning and smart categorization. When you run a scan, SureCookie sends the selected page URLs to the scanning service. A browser-based scanner visits those pages and detects cookies, scripts, resources, and third-party domains. Scanner Registration and Authentication Before the first scan, SureCookie performs a one-time registration handshake with library.surecookie.com/api/register. The request sends: Site URL WordPress admin email SureCookie version A temporary installation nonce (one-time, random) The scanning service verifies the site through a temporary REST endpoint, then returns site-specific credentials and a verification token. These credentials are stored locally in a non-autoloaded WordPress option and are used for authenticated scan requests. Consent IP Logs and Region Detection For consent logging and country detection, visitor IP addresses may be processed through MaxMind-backed region detection through SureCookie’s service. This helps SureCookie record the country in the consent log. IP addresses are masked before being stored in your WordPress database. MaxMind attribution: https://www.maxmind.com Service URLs SureCookie scanning and geolocation service: https://library.surecookie.com/ SureCookie privacy policy: https://surecookie.com/privacy-policy/ MaxMind: https://www.maxmind.com Data Stored Locally SureCookie stores plugin settings and consent data in your WordPress database. This can include: Banner and preference modal settings Cookie categories Custom cookies Scanned cookies Scanned resources Scan history Consent logs Cookie policy page ID Automatic scan settings Scanner credentials Consent logs and scan results can be viewed, exported, or deleted from the WordPress admin. Privacy and Data Processing SureCookie processes data through its API service at library.surecookie.com for cookie scanning, scanner authentication, and region-aware consent logging. Here is what happens and why. What We Send to SureCookie Services During the one-time scanner registration and site verification flow, SureCookie sends the site URL, the WordPress administrator email, the SureCookie version, and a temporary installation nonce. The scanning service uses these to verify your site and issue credentials, then returns a verification token that SureCookie exposes at a temporary REST endpoint for domain verification. After registration, scan requests use site-specific credentials stored locally in WordPress and do not resend the admin email. When a scan runs, SureCookie sends selected page URLs to the scanning service so a real browser can detect cookies, scripts, resources, and third-party domains. What Is Processed and Why Cookie scanning: Selected page URLs are scanned in a real browser environment to detect cookies, scripts, resources, and third-party domains. Cookie categorization: Detected cookie details, such as names, domains, and durations, are used to help categorize cookies. Region detection: Visitor IP addresses may be processed through MaxMind-backed region detection to determine country-level location for consent logs. IP addresses are masked before being stored in your WordPress database. Consent records: Consent choices, timestamps, category preferences, and session details are logged locally in your WordPress database. Where Data Lives Consent logs, scan results, settings, and scanner credentials are stored in your WordPress database. Data sent to library.surecookie.com for scanning and geolocation may be temporarily processed for those features. SureCookie does not sell this data or use it for advertising. Data Retention and Control Consent logs and scan results can be viewed, exported, or deleted from your WordPress admin. Consent log retention periods are configurable in plugin settings. Scanner credentials are stored locally in a non-autoloaded WordPress option. Security API communication uses HTTPS. Scan requests use authenticated site credentials after the registration flow. Site credentials are used to sign later scan requests. Because visitor data and selected page URLs can be processed through SureCookie services, you should mention this in your site’s privacy policy where appropriate. Full details: https://surecookie.com/privacy-policy/ For questions about data processing, visit https://surecookie.com/support/. Useful Links SureCookie Website Documentation Support Forum Privacy Policy Live Demo About Brainstorm Force SureCookie is built by Brainstorm Force, the team behind Astra and other widely used WordPress products.