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Anyone who claims to know everything about cookie guidelines is either a genius or the complete opposite.
Online law has become highly complex – not least due to the DSGVO (General Data Protection Regulation or “GDPR” in English). As a web creator, however, you have to deal with this issue. After all, in addition to a beautiful design, you must also ensure that you’re using cookies correctly.
Disclaimer: This article does not replace legal advice. For more detailed information, please consult a lawyer that specializes in online law.
The Most Important Information about WordPress Cookies Guidelines in Terms of GDPR
Merely stating that your website uses cookies – and that visitors automatically agree to this by using the website – is definitely not enough! You are obliged to let your visitors choose to use the different cookies. At least for tracking cookies, there must be a voluntary opt-in.
There are four types of cookies:
- Essential cookies
- External media
- Statistics
- Marketing
Except for essential cookies, visitors must be able to specify their preferences. You better take the privacy of your website visitors seriously. Worst case, you could face high fines. For example, the Spanish data protection authority has issued a fine of € 30,000 – because of the incorrect use of a cookie banner – against the budget airline Vueling Airlines.
This is no joke. Penalty fees of €1,000 and higher are not uncommon. As you can see, it can get pretty damn expensive if you choose to ignore this important compliance topic.
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Opt-in and Opt-out Rules for the WordPress Cookie Banner
Every user must freely opt-in to the respective cookies for marketing etc. – or simply click “Accept all”.
If all variants are already preselected and the visitors have to uncheck them before they click on “Save selection”, this is called an opt-out. And that would be the wrong way around! The European Court of Justice has ruled on this in a case:
…that the consent required for the storage and retrieval of cookies on a website visitor’s device is not effectively given by a pre-set checkbox that the user must uncheck to refuse consent.
Press release of the ECJ
Simply put, you must not let visitors choose their preferences. Everyone must decide for themselves.
What is the Best Cookie Plugin for WordPress
Now that we’ve talked so much about the policies behind cookies, it’s time for a little practice.
These are the minimum requirements you want your WordPress cookie plugin to fulfill:
- GDPR and CCPA Compliance
- Cookie Consent Management
- Customizable Cookie Banners
- Third-Party Cookie Blocking
- Automatic Cookie Scanning
- Auto-Updates for Legal Documents
- Consent Revoke Option
- Performance Optimization
When choosing the best cookie plugin for your WordPress website, it all depends on your individual needs and requirements. So let’s take a look at some of our favorites:
Borlabs Cookie Plugin
Borlabs Cookie Plugin impresses with its user-friendliness, GDPR and ePrivacy compliance as well as powerful functions for cookie management. Some of them being:
- Customizable cookie banners and boxes
- Blocking of third-party scripts until consent is given
- Integration with Google Tag Manager
- Multilingual support
You can install it just via the WordPress backend and simply setup and configure using a drag-and-drop builder. In terms of price, Borlabs offers 4 different licenses:
- Personal: €49 for one website
- Business: €109 for up to 3 websites
- Agency: €229 per year for up to 25 websites
- Agency: € 499 for 99 websites
All licenses continue to receive updates and support for 1 year after purchase. After that, you have to renew your license for further updates and support. Since there is no free version, this is with this plugin, you get what you pay for.
The annual renewal fees can be expensive, especially for larger agencies or enterprises. Also while powerful, the plugin’s extensive features might be overwhelming for WordPress beginners.
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DSGVO Pixelmate
The WordPress plugin DSGVO Pixelmate is probably one of the strongest Borlabs Cookie alternatives for WordPress. As the name already suggests, it is compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation and ideal for tracking and marketing pixels.
The installation works via the WordPress backend and there is even a step-by-step instruction for setup given by the plugin. With DSGVO Pixelmate, you can choose between 4 different price packages:
- Single: €39 for a single website
- Advanced: €89 for up to 3 websites
- Pro: €199 for up to 10 websites
- Agency: €349 for up to 300 websites
There is no subscription to this plugin. You only have to pay once for your license and continue to get free updates and support from that moment on.
Some advanced features are only available in higher-tier plans, limiting functionality for smaller websites. Also compared to some competitors, the customization options for cookie banners and consent management might be more limited. But functions like automatic blocking of tracking scripts, import and export functions for settings or cookie banners and consent management make it an ideal option for web design agencies or web developers.
Complianz Plugin
Complianz offers an all-in-one solution for various compliance requirements. It claims to be the only WP cookie tool that covers GDPR, DSGVO, PIPEDA, CCPA and COPPA (which are all different privacy regulations).
From the range of functions Complianz offers you essentially no more than the previously mentioned WP Cookie plugins. So functions like cookie banners or consent management, A/B testing for banner designs and integrations for Google Analytics, Tag Manager, and more come for the following prices:
- Personal: €59 for a single domain
- Pro: € 159 for 5 domains
- Agency: €359 for 25 domains
With these plans you get one year of support and updates and you get to enjoy very extensive protection. The easy installation via the WordPress plugin directory, the automated setups and the customizable templates for different data protection requirements make this an appealing option.
But like Borlabs, the annual renewal cost can be a burden for long-term use. And keep in mind that, the extensive compliance options may be overkill for smaller websites, leading to a complex configuration process.
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Real Cookie Banner
Real Cookie Banner scores with its modern interface and performance optimization. And honestly, at Greyd, this is our preferred option. It has a modern and appealing user interface, extensive customization options as well as a high focus on performance and user experience. The functions include:
- GDPR and CCPA compliant
- Customizable cookie banners and settings
- Detailed consent logs
- Support for over 100 services and scripts
Concerning plans and prices, you have quite some options with this WordPress consent and cookie management plugin:
- Single: €59 for just one website
- Starter: €89 for 3 websites
- Professional: €129 for up to 5 websites
- Business: €229 for 10 websites
- Agency: €299 for up to 25 websites
What makes it special is that Real Cookie Banner is fully installed in your WordPress as a native plugin. This avoids legal issues with users because nothing needs to be downloaded from a cloud in the user’s browser.
Free WordPress Cookie Plugins
Of course, there are also free WordPress cookie message options available to you in WP’s plugin library.
However, we have to say that premium licenses usually include significantly more options. With a free WordPress plugin for cookies, essential features are often missing and you can never be sure if you have everything legally covered .
CookieYes from WebToffee
CookieYes GDPR Cookie Consent & Compliance Notice is a comprehensive plugin for managing cookie consent.
The free version of this cookie policy plugin allows you to add a cookie banner to your WordPress website to inform users about cookie usage. However, compared to an extensive plugin like e.g. Real Cookie Banner, it lacks some features:
| Feature | Real Cookie Banner | CookieYes |
| DSGVO- und CCPA-Konformität | yes | yes |
| Blockierung von Drittanbieter-Cookies | yes | yes |
| Automatische Cookie-Scans | yes | no |
| Detaillierte Einwilligungsprotokolle | yes | no |
| Automatische Updates für rechtliche Dokumente | yes | no |
| Leistungsoptimierung | yes | yes |
| Möglichkeit, die Einwilligung zu widerrufen | yes | yes |
| A/B-Tests für Banner Designs | yes | no |
| Geolocation für Einwilligungen | yes | no |
Free cookie plugins are attractive for newcomers or anyone with a small budget. But investing in a paid solution like Real Cookie Banner offers more comprehensive features and legal security.
WordPress Cookie Notice WITHOUT Plugin
For web creators with clients who prefer not to use plugins, Cookiebot CMP is a suitable alternative. A good way to add a cookie banner without a WordPress plugin is by using Cookiebot CMP. Cookiebot CMP (which stands for “Consent Management Platform”) says it automatically detects which cookies and trackers are used on your website.
Cookiebot CMP can be implemented on all websites with just a few lines of JavaScript code. It is a cross-platform cloud service. There is a limited free version and some more extended license packages:
- Premium Lite: €7 monthly per domain for websites with less than 50 subpages
- Premium Small: €15 monthly per domain for websites with up to 350 subpages
- Premium Medium: €30 monthly per domain for websites with up to 3,500 subpages
- Premium Large: €50 monthly per domain for websites with more than 3,500 subpages
Better Safe than Sorry
The topic of the proper use of WordPress cookie plugins and the GDPR has become so complicated that it is almost impossible to manage without professional expertise. Comprehensive premium cookie plugins for WordPress are, in a way, like insurance. Yes, they cost money. But in return, you’re on the safe side.
If you are interested in learning more about your WordPress website’s minimum requirements and how to enhance it with Greyd feel free to book a demo with one of our experts.
