A cookie banner can look finished while optional tracking still runs before a visitor chooses. The opposite problem is also common: a blocking configuration stops a map, checkout component, or video and nobody notices. Choosing a WordPress consent plugin means deciding how preferences control services, where records live, and what happens when a free plan reaches its limit.
Complianz, CookieYes, and Cookie Compliance all provide WordPress integrations, but their operating models differ. Complianz centers its workflow on a WordPress wizard and service integrations. CookieYes connects the site to a cloud management platform. Cookie Compliance offers an account-free banner mode plus connected consent-management plans. This comparison uses official sources checked October 13, 2026, without claiming hands-on compliance certification or legal approval.
What to compare before the banner design
Separate the visible notice from script blocking, consent signals, and evidence storage. A visitor-facing switch does not automatically stop a custom script embedded by a theme or tag manager. A consent signal tells an integrated service the user’s choice; it does not by itself establish that every network request follows your intended policy.
Inventory the services your site uses, including analytics, advertising, maps, video, forms, and payment tools. Then map each optional service to its category and verify the behavior before acceptance, after rejection, and after a visitor changes their mind. Product controls can support that workflow, but suitability for your jurisdictions depends on your configuration and data practices.
Three-plugin comparison
| Plugin | Operating model | Free boundary | Paid cost to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complianz | WordPress wizard, integrations, policy generation | Core banner and blocking; advanced region handling and records in Premium | Annual 1/5/25-site plans; no pageview cap; confirm currency at checkout |
| CookieYes | WordPress plugin with cloud scanning and management | 5,000 pageviews/month and 100 pages per scan | Monthly per-domain Basic $10, Pro $25, Ultimate $55; usage allowances differ |
| Cookie Compliance | Banner Only or connected Hu-manity.co platform | Connected Free: 1,000 visits/month and seven-day log history | Professional displayed at $14.95/month; domain selector and annual terms need confirmation |
Complianz
Complianz suits owners who want the consent workflow close to WordPress configuration. Its wizard asks about the site and services, scans for cookies, and helps create a cookie policy. The directory describes integrations for common analytics, forms, page builders, and embedded services, plus a Script Center for handling scripts and dependencies.
The free foundation includes a customizable notice, cookie-policy generation, and blocking integrations. The directory labels simultaneous regional targeting, geolocation-based behavior, advanced legal documents, records of consent, and Google Consent Mode among Premium capabilities. Do not confuse the free proof-of-consent configuration documentation with the more detailed user-consent registration offered in the paid product.
A useful distinction is the commercial unit. Complianz sells site licenses rather than metering banner pageviews. Its pricing page says pageviews and consent records are not subject to usage thresholds, and subscriptions renew annually. That can make forecasting simpler for a growing content site, although multi-region requirements may still move you to Premium.
The inspected USD cards displayed $59 for one website, $179 for five, and $399 for 25. Other currency-rendered elements and the FAQ contain differing amounts, so verify the selected currency, tax, and final annual charge at checkout. We did not establish a separate guaranteed renewal amount beyond the published annual subscription terms. Multisite requires the Agency offering’s dedicated Multisite license; a one-site license does not cover a whole network.
Strength: a coordinated WordPress setup with many documented integrations and no traffic-based plan ceiling. Limitation: wizard answers and cookie classifications still need review. The plugin sends scan information to its cookie database service, and advanced scanning has its own authentication and data handling; local administration does not mean every function is entirely offline.
CookieYes
CookieYes combines the WordPress banner with a connected web application. The directory describes cookie scanning, automatic blocking, categorization, policy generators, and consent logs. It also identifies cloud processing and EU-based consent-data storage. That model is attractive when someone manages banner settings centrally rather than separately inside each site’s dashboard.
The free plan currently allows 5,000 pageviews per month and 100 pages per scan. Those limits answer different questions: traffic determines banner usage, while scan depth determines how much of the site is inspected in one scan. A site can fit one limit and exceed the other, especially when it has many low-traffic archive or product pages.
The monthly pricing view shows Basic at $10 per domain with 100,000 pageviews and 600 pages per scan, Pro at $25 with 300,000 pageviews and 4,000 pages per scan, and Ultimate at $55 with unlimited pageviews and 8,000 pages per scan. Basic and Pro display $0.30 per 1,000 additional pageviews. The annual selector advertises two months free; confirm the actual billing total and renewal frequency when choosing that option.
The directory distinguishes Basic Google Consent Mode from advanced paid controls. Geotargeting, scheduled scanning, additional layouts, custom branding, and publisher-oriented frameworks are tier-sensitive. Check the feature matrix for the exact plan rather than assuming every premium capability is included in Basic. These are ongoing cloud subscriptions per domain, not a one-time unlimited WordPress license.
Strength: centralized scanning and record management with explicit usage allowances. Limitation: cloud availability, plan thresholds, and domain billing become part of your consent operations. Verify manually inserted tags and scripts loaded after navigation; a vendor compatibility list is not a substitute for checking your own implementation.
Cookie Compliance
The plugin at the historical cookie-notice directory slug is now named Cookie Compliance for WordPress. Its current description separates Banner Only mode from a connected account. Banner Only works without an account and provides the notice and its settings. Connected mode adds automatic blocking, categories, consent records, multilingual behavior, and platform management.
That distinction is essential when comparing free products. An account-free notice is not the same entitlement as the platform’s free consent-management plan. The plugin can also integrate with the companion WP Consent API to share preference states with cooperative plugins, but that does not make every arbitrary script consent-aware.
The platform pricing page lists Free at 1,000 visits per month with seven days of consent-log history and one additional language. Professional is displayed at $14.95/month, with unlimited visits and languages and broader consent-mode support. The page has monthly/yearly and domain selectors, so confirm the chosen domain count, annual total, and recurring charge before subscribing; we did not independently establish the full selector-based price schedule.
The official product explanation states that automatic blocking and new consent records stop on Free once the visit allowance is exceeded for the current cycle. It also describes limits around scripts inserted later by already allowed scripts. That makes the free threshold a functional boundary, not merely a reporting inconvenience. A site needing continuous blocking should plan its capacity accordingly.
Strength: a clear distinction between a standalone banner and connected management, with equal-choice consent presentation. Limitation: the free platform limit can change essential behavior. Connected mode communicates with Hu-manity.co; review its data-processing terms and account ownership when a developer configures it for a client.
Compatibility and cost questions
The directory currently declares Complianz tested through WordPress 7.1.3 with PHP 7.4 minimum, CookieYes through 7.1.3 with PHP 5.6 minimum, and Cookie Compliance through 7.0.7 with PHP 7.4 minimum. A published older PHP minimum is not an operational recommendation. Cookie Compliance’s testing declaration trails the other two, so verify your exact WordPress version on staging.
Check cached pages, JavaScript deferral, tag-manager templates, language switching, and keyboard access to the banner. Keep a visible way to revisit preferences. Compare visits with pageviews carefully: they are different billing measures. Also decide how long records are needed and who can export them. Our analytics comparison and caching comparison explain adjacent implementation choices.
Choose by operating model
Choose Complianz for a WordPress-centered workflow and site-based annual licensing. Choose CookieYes for cloud scanning and centralized administration with explicit pageview allowances. Choose Cookie Compliance when its standalone or connected model matches your needs, while budgeting around the free blocking limit. Decide on service behavior and capacity first; refine the banner’s appearance after those controls work.
Official sources
Checked October 13, 2026: Complianz directory, CookieYes directory, and Cookie Compliance directory, plus the official pricing and platform pages linked above. Recommendations describe implementation fit and do not certify legal compliance.