RecommendedEditors Choice
Add cookie scanning, consent banners, automatic blocking and policy tools to WordPress through CookieYes’s managed CMP platform.
Table of contents
- Cloud account vs local WordPress ownership
- Traffic limits vs site licenses
- Consent Mode and advertising frameworks
- Templates reduce setup time, not accountability
- Agency handoff works differently
- Choose based on operational ownership
- High traffic makes the billing model part of architecture
- Local records need the same controls as other sensitive data
- Switching architecture can require asking visitors again
- WordPress updates can still break the consent layer
- Content blockers deserve mobile testing
- FAQs
CookieYes and Real Cookie Banner both handle cookie scanning, script blocking and consent collection, but CookieYes centers the workflow around a hosted CMP account while Real Cookie Banner keeps far more configuration and consent documentation inside WordPress.
Decision snapshot
CookieYes suits teams that want centralized cloud scanning, hosted reporting and a pageview-based service. Real Cookie Banner suits teams that prefer WordPress-native service configuration, local consent records and flat site-based licensing. The difference becomes important for agencies, privacy-sensitive organizations and high-traffic sites.
| Compare |  CookieYesFree; Basic $10/month/domain; Pro $25/month; Ultimate $55/month |  Real Cookie BannerFree; Pro €59/year for 1 site |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | Free; Basic $10/month/domain; Pro $25/month; Ultimate $55/month | Free; Pro €59/year for 1 site |
| Free version | Yes | Yes |
| Sites included | 1 domain per plan | 1 Single; 3 Starter; 5 Professional; 10 Business; 25 Agency |
| Lifetime option | No | No |
| Refund policy | 14-day free trial on paid plans | No standard withdrawal right for digital goods; verify terms before purchase |
| Setup level | Beginner-friendly | Intermediate |
| WordPress.org rating | 4.8/5 (3,231) | Not available |
| Active installs | 1M+ | Not available |
| Best for | Sites that want a cloud-managed CMP with automated scanning, cookie auto-blocking, consent logs, Google integrations, and a central dashboard. | WordPress sites that want local consent storage, detailed service-level control, content blocking, and a per-site license with unlimited pageviews. |
| Not ideal for | Sites that want consent data and configuration fully self-hosted in WordPress or want to avoid pageview-based plan limits. | Teams that need a cloud CMP dashboard across many platforms or a broader privacy/legal-document suite beyond consent management. |
| Tested version | 3.5.6 | 5.3.6 |
| Last reviewed | 2026-09-24 | 2026-09-24 |
| Features | ||
| Cookie consent banner | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic script / cookie blocking | Yes | Yes |
| Cookie / tracker scanner | Yes | Yes |
| Consent records / proof | Yes | Yes |
| Regional / geo targeting | Paid plan | Paid plan |
| Google Consent Mode v2 | Yes | Yes |
| IAB TCF support | Paid plan | Paid plan |
| Global Privacy Control | Paid plan | Yes |
| Cookie / privacy policy generator | Yes | Yes |
| Broader legal-document suite | Limited | Limited |
| Third-party content blocking | Yes | Yes |
| Multisite / cross-domain consent | Paid plan | Limited |
| Self-hosted consent data | No | Yes |
| Consent analytics / A-B testing | Yes | Paid plan |
| Multilingual consent experience | Paid plan | Yes |
Cloud account vs local WordPress ownership
CookieYes uses a hosted account for scans, reports, consent logs and organization management. That can simplify access for non-WordPress privacy staff and centralize multiple domains.
Real Cookie Banner is designed as a WordPress plugin with consent documentation stored on the website server. Local ownership reduces dependence on a separate CMP dashboard but increases responsibility for database security, backups and retention.
Traffic limits vs site licenses
CookieYes Basic is $10/month per domain with 100,000 monthly pageviews, Pro is $25 with 300,000, and Ultimate is $55 with unlimited pageviews.
Real Cookie Banner Pro starts at €59/year for one site and scales by site count, not pageviews. For a high-traffic single site, that billing difference can outweigh many small feature differences.
Consent Mode and advertising frameworks
CookieYes offers Google Consent Mode v2 across current plans and IAB TCF on higher tiers. Real Cookie Banner also supports Google Consent Mode and TCF in its paid feature set.
For advertising sites, test consent signals with the actual tag manager and ad stack. A banner can look correct while tags receive the wrong default state or update too late.
Templates reduce setup time, not accountability
Real Cookie Banner provides service and content-blocker templates designed for common third-party tools. CookieYes relies more on automated scans and categorized trackers in its cloud workflow.
Templates and automated classification are starting points. Review the purpose, provider, retention information and blocking behavior for services that materially affect privacy. Custom scripts and server-side tracking often need extra attention.
Agency handoff works differently
With CookieYes, handoff includes the vendor account, organization access and billing relationship. With Real Cookie Banner, the critical configuration lives primarily with the WordPress site and license.
Agencies should document who owns consent records and who is responsible for renewing the service or plugin. A client should not discover after handoff that its compliance banner depends on an inaccessible agency account.
Choose based on operational ownership
Consider CookieYes when centralized cloud operations and hosted reporting matter. Consider Real Cookie Banner when local WordPress control, predictable site-based licensing and detailed service configuration are stronger priorities.
Whichever you choose, maintain a first-visit QA checklist and repeat it after tag, theme, cache and optimization changes. Consent failures are often introduced outside the consent plugin itself.
High traffic makes the billing model part of architecture
A high-traffic site can make CookieYes plan thresholds a recurring operational concern, while Real Cookie Banner’s site-based annual license is easier to budget regardless of pageviews. This does not make one model inherently cheaper; it changes what the team has to monitor.
For CookieYes, add pageview usage to renewal planning. For Real Cookie Banner, add site/staging license allocation. Agencies should avoid discovering license pressure only after a new campaign or traffic spike.
Local records need the same controls as other sensitive data
Real Cookie Banner’s local consent documentation gives the site owner direct custody of evidence. That requires database access controls, secure backups and retention decisions. CookieYes moves more of that custody to a hosted service, which shifts rather than removes the governance work.
List who can view or export consent records, how long they are kept, and what happens during a data-subject request. Consent evidence should have a defined lifecycle just like customer or order data.
Switching architecture can require asking visitors again
Moving from CookieYes to Real Cookie Banner, or the reverse, changes how consent is stored and how services are mapped. Old browser consent should not be assumed equivalent to the new configuration.
During migration, compare category definitions, vendor lists and proof-of-consent formats. If equivalence cannot be demonstrated, plan a fresh consent request rather than trying to preserve continuity cosmetically.
WordPress updates can still break the consent layer
A local plugin can be affected by optimization, caching, page builders and theme JavaScript. After major WordPress, theme or performance-plugin changes, verify that blocked content placeholders, banner interactions and consent updates still work before assuming the privacy layer is untouched.
Content blockers deserve mobile testing
Third-party video, maps and embeds can behave differently on mobile layouts. Test placeholders, consent buttons and lazy-loaded content on small screens so privacy controls do not create unusable blank sections or hidden controls.
FAQs
Which is self-hosted?
Real Cookie Banner keeps consent documentation and much of its operation inside WordPress. CookieYes is more SaaS-backed.
Which uses pageview limits?
CookieYes plans use monthly pageview allowances. Real Cookie Banner licenses are primarily based on site count.
Do both support Google Consent Mode?
Yes. Verify the exact setup and plan requirements for your site before deployment.
Compare before you choose
Use structured feature, pricing, and editorial research to compare these WordPress plugins side by side.