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Consent Management (CMP)

Cookiebot

EU-Made Report an error

Panel rating · 6 judges · How to read the stars

Category median

Sovereignty: not determined

0–5 in half steps. 5 means the rubric's top anchor is met on the evidence.

by Usercentrics A/S · www.cookiebot.com

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Cookiebot: AI-assisted analysis on whats-best.ai Cookiebot: AI-assisted analysis on whats-best.ai (dark)

Add ?theme=dark to the image address for dark backgrounds. The badge shows the category and the month of the latest evaluation, and EU-Made where that is the product’s provenance. It never shows a score.

Cookiebot at a glance

Vendor
Usercentrics A/S
Headquarters
Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 29 Oct 2026
Data hosting
Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 29 Oct 2026
Free plan
Yes, per the vendor’s own page source, captured 29 Oct 2026
Panel verdict
The AI panel rates Cookiebot 3/5, the mean of 6 judges. Cookiebot, a consent management platform from Usercentrics A/S of Denmark (reg. how scores are made
As of
Vendor pages captured 29 Oct 2026; evaluated by the panel 30 Oct 2026. all sources

Cookiebot alternatives, European ones first →

Read this page as one judge. Each weighs the same scores by what they care about.

The Agency Developer

Weighted verdict

Lead developer at a web agency that maintains forty client sites on WordPress, TYPO3 and Shopify. Wants one account for every client, blocking that works without rewriting each theme, content blockers for YouTube and Maps, a Tag Manager template, a scanner that flags the tracker a client added on Friday, and a JavaScript API documented well enough that forms and plugins can ask for consent.

Same scores as the panel view — this lens weights them the way this judge cares.

Scored by The Agency Developer

Panel median The Agency Developer This judge’s scores over the panel median. Each label opens its reasoning below.
Scores per criterion, in stars out of 5
Criterion Panel median The Agency Developer
Banner & choice architecture 3.5 of 5 3.5 of 5
Prior blocking & script control 3 of 5 2.5 of 5
Scanning & cookie classification 3.5 of 5 3.5 of 5
Consent records & proof 3 of 5 3.5 of 5
Frameworks, signals & platforms 3.5 of 5 3.5 of 5
European sovereignty 2 of 5 2 of 5
Pricing transparency 3 of 5 3 of 5

Banner & choice architecture

How this is scored

What the visitor is asked and how: a reject option on the first layer with the same prominence as accept, consent by category and by vendor, withdrawal and changed choices as easy as the first consent (a persistent button or link), banner texts and layouts the site owner controls, languages, rules per country or regulation (GDPR, Swiss FADP, US state laws), accessibility of the banner itself, and consent-rate analytics or A/B tests that stay within the rules.

0 — Not a consent banner; the product shows a notice that cannot record a choice, or is a different kind of product.

3 — A banner with accept and a settings layer; whether reject sits on the first layer, how consent is withdrawn and how far the design can be changed are basic or not described.

5 — Accept, reject and settings on the first layer, consent by category, a way for visitors to change or withdraw their choice later, customisable texts, colours and layout, the banner in several languages, and a basic consent-rate statistic.

8 — Choice architecture documented in depth: reject and accept of equal weight stated as a default, consent per vendor or service as well as per category, geolocation rules that show a different banner per country or regulation, the banner stated as accessible (WCAG level named), dozens of languages with automatic detection, and consent-rate analytics or A/B testing with the limits on what may be tested explained.

10 — The choice is designed to stand up to a supervisory authority: templates mapped to named regulator guidance (for example the German DSK, CNIL or EDPB cookie banner report), dark patterns the product prevents listed, every banner version kept with its texts so the choice shown can be reconstructed, and consent-rate figures reported without nudging defaults.

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The Agency Developer

The three-button banner documents accept, reject and manage-preferences on the first layer with category toggles on both layers, withdrawal at any time via the cookie declaration, opt-in versus opt-out rules set per region, WCAG 2.2 and WAI-ARIA named, and 47+ languages with automatic browser detection, plus a consent-rate benchmark add-on. Vendor-level choice only appears inside the IAB Ad Settings panel, and we found no public information on keeping every banner version for reconstruction or which dark patterns are prevented. Close to what I need for client rollouts, but not regulator-proof depth. 8 2 9 13 11 5 3

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Prior blocking & script control

How this is scored

What happens before the visitor decides: automatic blocking of scripts, pixels, cookies and embedded content until consent is given, content blockers with placeholders for videos, maps and social embeds, integration with tag managers (Google Tag Manager, Matomo Tag Manager) and server-side tagging, consent passed to forms and plugins, and a documented way for the site owner to check that nothing loads too early.

0 — No blocking of any kind; the product only shows a banner and leaves every script running.

3 — Blocking by hand: the site owner changes script tags or tag-manager triggers using the consent state; automatic blocking, embeds and testing are basic or not described.

5 — Automatic blocking of known scripts and cookies before consent, placeholders for embedded videos and maps, a Google Tag Manager template or integration, and the blocking method documented in the help centre.

8 — Blocking described in depth: an auto-blocking mode and a manual mode with their limits explained, content blockers for named services that the vendor maintains, consent passed to forms, CAPTCHAs and plugins through a JavaScript API or events, server-side tagging supported, and instructions to test in the browser or a tag-manager preview that nothing loads before consent.

10 — Prior blocking the site owner can verify: an automated check or monitor that reports scripts and cookies set before consent on the live site, alerts when a new tracker bypasses the banner, blocking covering local storage, fingerprinting and pixels as well as cookies, and the method published so an auditor can follow it.

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The Agency Developer

Automatic blocking of non-necessary cookies until consent, blocking mapped into functional groups by the scanner, and a Google Tag Manager template with a documented cookie consent update custom event for triggers are all public. We found no public information on placeholder content blockers for YouTube and Maps embeds, a JavaScript API that forms and plugins can call, server-side tagging, or instructions to verify in the browser that nothing fires before consent. The auto-blocking and GTM story is real; the embeds and API documentation are exactly what I would still need. 2 10 11 5 9

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Scanning & cookie classification

How this is scored

How the product knows what the site sets: a scanner that crawls the site for cookies, local storage, pixels and third-party requests, scheduled rescans, a maintained database that classifies cookies and services by purpose, provider and lifetime, alerts on new or changed trackers, and a cookie declaration or policy section that updates itself from the scan.

0 — No scanning and no cookie list; every service is entered and described by the site owner from scratch.

3 — A one-off scan or a list of services the site owner fills in, with some predefined templates; scheduled scans, classification and the declaration are basic or not described.

5 — A scanner that finds cookies and third-party services on the site, regular rescans, automatic classification into categories from a vendor database, and a cookie declaration generated from the result and kept on the site.

8 — Scanning described in depth: scheduled scans with a stated depth or page count, scanning behind logins or in different regions, local storage and pixels as well as cookies, a large maintained database of services with purposes, providers and lifetimes, email alerts on new or changed trackers, and the declaration updated automatically in several languages.

10 — The cookie list stays true without manual work: continuous monitoring of the live site with a change history, unknown trackers flagged for review rather than silently classified, the classification sources and update process published, and scan reports exportable for an audit.

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The Agency Developer

The scanner is documented broadly: patented deep scanning of first- and third-party cookies plus third-party requests, covering local storage, IndexedDB, pixel tags and even ultrasound beacons, monthly rescans with a daily option at +99 € /Mon., automatic categorisation into named categories, and a cookie declaration published on the site that even carries an Unclassified bucket rather than hiding unknowns. We found no public information on email alerts for new or changed trackers, a stated scan depth or page count, or scanning behind logins. A tracker a client added on Friday gets caught at the next monthly pass, or daily if they pay for the add-on. 12 3 5 13 10

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Frameworks, signals & platforms

How this is scored

Where the consent goes and where the product runs: the IAB Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF, current version) with a registered CMP ID, Google Consent Mode v2 and Google's CMP certification, Microsoft UET consent mode and other ad-platform signals, the Global Privacy Platform and Global Privacy Control for US laws, plugins and apps for WordPress, Shopify, TYPO3 and other systems, iOS and Android SDKs, connected TV, multi-domain and agency accounts, and an API.

0 — No consent signal is passed on; other tools cannot read the visitor's choice.

3 — Consent readable through a cookie or a JavaScript variable, perhaps one CMS plugin; TCF, Consent Mode, app SDKs and multi-site management are basic or not described.

5 — Google Consent Mode v2 supported with the vendor named as a Google-certified CMP, IAB TCF supported, plugins or integrations for several named CMS and shop systems, a JavaScript API, and several domains manageable from one account.

8 — Signals and platforms described in depth: a registered IAB Europe CMP ID and the current TCF version, Google Consent Mode v2 in basic and advanced mode, Microsoft UET consent mode and other named ad signals, GPP and GPC for US states, iOS and Android SDKs documented, agency or partner accounts managing many client sites, and a REST API for configuration.

10 — One consent across every channel: web, apps and connected TV under one configuration, consent shared across domains and logged-in devices, every signal (TCF, Consent Mode, GPP, ad platforms) documented with its mapping to the banner choices, and configuration exportable or managed as code.

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The Agency Developer

Google certification (Gold Tier, Golden Badge) with Consent Mode v2 in basic and advanced mode, Microsoft UET and Clarity consent modes, Amazon consent signals and GPC are all documented, alongside TCF support — the captured pages give different figures for the TCF version, 2.3 on the features page and 2.4 on the IAB and pricing pages — a WordPress plugin, Wix and Shopify apps, guides for TYPO3 and nine other systems, multi-domain management and a partner/reseller programme. We found no public information on a registered IAB CMP ID, GPP, dedicated iOS or Android SDKs, or a REST API for configuration. It covers the three systems I run; the app and API side stays vague. 2 3 5 14 11 4 13

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European sovereignty

How this is scored

Who the contracting entity and the parent company are, where the banner script is served from, where consent logs and scan results are stored, and who the subprocessors are (hosting, CDN, geolocation, scanner infrastructure, app SDK telemetry, email and support). Independently sourced by the sovereignty pipeline; a CMP runs on every page of the customer's site and sees every visitor, so the whole chain counts, not only the database. For a plugin that runs on the customer's own server, the vendor's licence, update and scanner services are the chain.

0 — Non-EU vendor and contracting entity, hosting unstated, subprocessors unnamed, and no data processing agreement offered.

3 — A privacy policy and a data processing agreement exist, but hosting location is unstated or non-EU and the subprocessors are not listed.

5 — EU hosting available and an EU contracting entity or EU representative, but parts of the chain (CDN for the banner script, geolocation, scanner, analytics, support) run through non-EU providers without a stated safeguard.

8 — EU hosting on named infrastructure, EU contracting entity, banner script and consent logs served and stored in the EU, subprocessors listed with their locations, a data processing agreement published, and security certifications (ISO 27001, SOC 2) stated.

10 — Sovereign end to end and evidenced: European ownership, entity, hosting, CDN and every subprocessor, or a self-hosted option that keeps the banner and the logs on the customer's own server; data export and deletion documented, and certifications published with their scope rather than implied.

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The Agency Developer

The contracting entity is clearly European — Usercentrics A/S, Havnegade 39, Copenhagen, with the company registration number stated — and a data processing agreement plus ISO 27001, ISO 27701 and SOC 2 Type 2 certifications are published, with EU standard contractual clauses named as the safeguard for transfers inside a group that includes Usercentrics Inc. We found no public information on where the banner script is served from, where consent logs and scan results are stored, or any named subprocessors such as CDN, geolocation or scanner infrastructure. Entity and safeguards are proven; the rest of the chain is not, which matters when the script sits on every page of every client site. 6 7 2 10

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Pricing transparency

How this is scored

Whether a buyer can compute the real annual cost from public pages alone: price per domain or site licence, the page-view, session or consent limits of each tier and what happens above them, the free tier's limits, which features (TCF, app SDKs, A/B testing, multi-domain, white label) cost extra, agency or reseller terms, minimum term, and setup.

0 — No public prices at all; every customer is a sales call.

3 — A starting price or a free tier exists, but how cost scales with domains, traffic or features is unclear.

5 — Tiers are public with their price per domain or licence and their main inclusions, but at least one commonly needed piece (traffic overage, extra domains, TCF, app SDKs, agency use) is unpriced or "on request".

8 — Every tier priced publicly with its scaling rule (per domain, per page view or session band, per site licence), overage and extra domains priced, add-ons listed with prices, minimum term and VAT treatment stated.

10 — Complete price computability: annual cost derivable for a given number of domains, traffic and apps, with every add-on, setup, support, overage and agency fee and the cancellation and data-return terms published.

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The Agency Developer

The scaling basis is public — price per domain plus subpages, tier bands at under 50, 350, 3,500 and 7,000 subpages, automatic upgrade when the monthly scan finds more pages — with Premium Lite at 7€ /Monat, a daily-scan add-on at +99 € /Mon., VAT treatment, no minimum term, and a free tier limited to one domain and 50 subpages. We found no public prices for the Small through Extra-Large bands, extra domains, TCF licensing beyond "paid from the entry paid tier", or agency and reseller terms. I can price a single small site; I cannot compute the annual cost for a forty-domain portfolio from these pages alone. 5 4 15

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European sovereignty — proven facts

0 of 6 dimensions proven

Built only from facts shown on the vendor's own pages. A dimension we could not prove is left open, not scored as zero.

Hosting location Not determined — uncited Report an error
Hosting options Not determined — uncited Report an error
Open source Not determined — uncited Report an error
Data processing agreement Not determined ⚠ unverified — uncited Report an error
Transfer impact assessment Not determined — uncited Report an error

Questions about Cookiebot

Is Cookiebot European?

Yes. whats-best.ai classifies Cookiebot as EU-Made.

Where does Cookiebot store data?

Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 29 Oct 2026.

Does Cookiebot have a free plan?

Yes. Cookiebot has a free plan, per the vendor’s page captured 29 Oct 2026.

What are the best alternatives to Cookiebot?

As of 3 Nov 2026, the panel rates Usercentrics CMP (3.5/5), Didomi (3.5/5) and CCM19 (3.5/5) highest among the other 19 Consent Management (CMP) products evaluated. Ratings that look equal are rounded to half stars; the order uses the unrounded rating, then the name. The highest-rated European alternative is Usercentrics CMP (EU-Made). Ratings are the AI panel’s opinion, formed from public evidence: how scores are made. The full list, with European products first: Cookiebot alternatives.

Where this could be wrong

What we left out

A claim that does not survive our checks costs us the claim, not the page. This is what was taken off this one.

Do you know more about Cookiebot? Tell us Report an error on this page

Sources (15)

The pages every claim on this page was read from — each one checked, dated, and kept verifiable.

  1. 1 Vendor homepage www.cookiebot.com Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  2. 2 Features page (cookie consent) www.cookiebot.com Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  3. 3 Features page (IAB TCF) www.cookiebot.com Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  4. 4 Features page (Google Consent Mode) www.cookiebot.com Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  5. 5 Pricing page www.cookiebot.com Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  6. 6 Legal notice www.cookiebot.com Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  7. 7 Privacy policy www.cookiebot.com Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  8. 8 Banner & choice architecture — found from sitemap www.cookiebot.com Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  9. 9 Banner & choice architecture — found from sitemap www.cookiebot.com Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  10. 10 Prior blocking & script control — found from sitemap www.cookiebot.com Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  11. 11 Prior blocking & script control — found from sitemap www.cookiebot.com Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  12. 12 Scanning & cookie classification — found from sitemap www.cookiebot.com Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  13. 13 Scanning & cookie classification — found from sitemap www.cookiebot.com Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  14. 14 Frameworks, signals & platforms — found from sitemap www.cookiebot.com Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  15. 15 Frameworks, signals & platforms — found from sitemap www.cookiebot.com Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →