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Consent Management (CMP)

Real Cookie Banner

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 devowl.io GmbH · devowl.io

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Real Cookie Banner: AI-assisted analysis on whats-best.ai Real Cookie Banner: 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.

Real Cookie Banner at a glance

Vendor
devowl.io GmbH
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 Real Cookie Banner 3/5, the mean of 6 judges. Real Cookie Banner is a consent-management plugin from devowl.io GmbH (HRB 5100, Amtsgericht Deggendorf), Grafling, Germany, that runs inside the customer's own WordPress: the banner is served from the customer's webspace and every consent record sits in the customer's database. how scores are made
As of
Vendor pages captured 29 Oct 2026; evaluated by the panel 30 Oct 2026. all sources

Real Cookie Banner alternatives, European ones first →

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

The Skeptic

Weighted verdict

Has opened the browser's network tab on sites with a "certified" banner and watched the ad pixels fire before anything was clicked. Reads "consent rate optimisation" as a hint that reject will be grey and small, "auto-blocking" as a claim until the test steps are published, and "EU hosting" next to a US script CDN — and asks what leaving would cost: the consent logs, and every visitor asked again.

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

Scored by The Skeptic

Panel median The Skeptic 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 Skeptic
Banner & choice architecture 3.5 of 5 3.5 of 5
Prior blocking & script control 3.5 of 5 3 of 5
Scanning & cookie classification 2 of 5 2 of 5
Consent records & proof 3.5 of 5 3.5 of 5
Frameworks, signals & platforms 3 of 5 3 of 5
European sovereignty 3.5 of 5 3 of 5
Pricing transparency 3.5 of 5 3.5 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 Skeptic

Consent is taken per service and per service group, down to TCF vendor level, with per-country geo rules resolved locally through a MaxMind database, country-specific age gates, Do Not Track handling, 20+ templates, 200+ design options and 19 languages; the banner is stated as WCAG 2.2 Level AA with keyboard control, screen-reader support and a live accessibility score, plus aggregated consent statistics. We found no public information stating that reject carries the same weight as accept on the first layer, on a persistent way for visitors to change their choice later, or on A/B testing of the banner. 1 3 6 10

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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 Skeptic

Blocking before consent rests on 130+ content-blocker templates, granular blocking of inline fonts, lazy-loaded embeds after consent, a documented Google Tag Manager integration that forwards consents and additional consent types, and a JavaScript and REST API for further mechanisms, with a knowledge-base article on testing that cookies are really set only after consent. The vendor itself says the scanner will not find everything and a manual check is always recommended, and we found no public information on server-side tagging support or on an automated monitor of the live site. 1 4 6 13 14

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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 Skeptic

This is a service scanner, not a cookie scanner, and the vendor says so plainly: it crawls the site's sitemap, inspects iframes, script and link tags, font-face embeds, installed plugins and HTTP headers, then suggests manually researched service templates, while listing what it misses (unknown plugins without templates, services embedded after page load via JavaScript) and advising a manual check every time. The cookie policy is generated from the banner configuration rather than from scan results, and we found no public information on scheduled rescans or alerts when trackers change. 1 2 13 14

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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 Skeptic

TCF is supported and off by default, with the Global Vendor List auto-downloaded weekly, non-conformant options hidden once TCF is on, and a vendor management tab; Google Consent Mode v2 is documented in depth with its consent types, additional consent types passed to Google Tag Manager and per-country behaviour, and a REST API, multisite operation and consent forwarding cover several sites. The captured pages give different figures for Google CMP certification — the homepage claims certification for AdSense and IAB Europe while the Consent Mode documentation states the product is not part of the Partner Program — and we found no public information on a registered IAB CMP ID, Microsoft UET consent mode, GPP or GPC, or app SDKs; the product runs on WordPress. 1 3 4 8 18

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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 Skeptic

The contracting entity is proven German — devowl.io GmbH, registered at Amtsgericht Deggendorf under HRB 5100, in Grafling — and the self-hosted model keeps the banner script and every consent log on the customer's own server, with the vendor stating no data is loaded from its servers for visitors, geolocation resolved locally so the IP never leaves the server, and the scanner working through a browser job queue. The residual chain — a licence server and download server that receive system data on activation, an endpoint serving the Global Vendor List, and telemetry that includes the number of documented consents with opt-out only by deactivating the licence — is disclosed but its hosting is not stated; the vendor takes the position that no data processing agreement is needed for operation and offers one only for support access, and we found no public information on subprocessors or security certifications. 1 6 7 8

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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 Skeptic

Five tiers are published with gross annual prices scaling cleanly per website — 59 € Brutto for one site up to 299 € Brutto for 25 — all including every feature, updates and premium support, with VAT included, cancellation at any time without notice, free staging licences equal to the site count, a free version and a free sandbox, so the annual cost is computable for anyone running 25 sites or fewer. Above 25 websites the Enterprise tier is unpriced and the expert setup service carries no published price; we found no public information on traffic or consent limits, consistent with a plugin licensed per site. 1 14

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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 ⚠ unverified — 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 Real Cookie Banner

Is Real Cookie Banner European?

Yes. whats-best.ai classifies Real Cookie Banner as EU-Made.

Where does Real Cookie Banner store data?

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

Does Real Cookie Banner have a free plan?

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

What are the best alternatives to Real Cookie Banner?

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: Real Cookie Banner 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.

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Sources (18)

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

  1. 1 Vendor homepage (product page with prices) devowl.io Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  2. 2 Documentation (service scanner) devowl.io Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  3. 3 Documentation (IAB TCF) devowl.io Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  4. 4 Documentation (Google Consent Mode) devowl.io Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  5. 5 Documentation (consent forwarding across sites) devowl.io Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  6. 6 Documentation (data processing) devowl.io Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  7. 7 Legal notice devowl.io Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  8. 8 Privacy policy devowl.io Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  9. 9 Banner & choice architecture — found from sitemap devowl.io Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  10. 10 Banner & choice architecture — found from sitemap devowl.io Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  11. 11 Prior blocking & script control — found from sitemap devowl.io Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  12. 12 Prior blocking & script control — found from sitemap devowl.io Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  13. 13 Scanning & cookie classification — found from sitemap devowl.io Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  14. 14 Scanning & cookie classification — found from sitemap devowl.io Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  15. 15 Consent records & proof — found from sitemap devowl.io Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  16. 16 Consent records & proof — found from sitemap devowl.io Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  17. 17 Frameworks, signals & platforms — found from sitemap devowl.io Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →
  18. 18 Frameworks, signals & platforms — found from sitemap devowl.io Checked 29 Oct 2026 Details →