What is CookieYes?
CookieYes is a consent management platform (CMP) used by over 1.5 million websites worldwide as of 2026. It puts a configurable banner on your site that asks visitors which categories of cookies they consent to — analytics, marketing, functional — and then blocks the matching trackers until consent is given.
Under the hood, CookieYes does three things: it scans your site for cookies and tracking scripts, it shows a banner that records each visitor's choices, and it integrates with Google's Consent Mode v2 so your analytics and ad pixels respect those choices.
Pricing — the real numbers
| Plan | Price | Monthly visits | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 25,000 | Small blogs, side projects, MVPs |
| Basic | $10/mo | 50,000 | Most small businesses |
| Pro | $25/mo | 100,000 | Multi-language sites, agencies |
| Ultimate | $55/mo | 500,000 | Ecommerce, larger SaaS |
Pricing is per domain, billed monthly or annually (annual = ~20% off). The free tier shows a small "Powered by CookieYes" label in the banner — for most people this is a fair trade. The Basic plan at $10/month is where the actual sweet spot is.
Try CookieYes on your site in under 5 minutes
The free tier covers most small sites and gives you the full GDPR/CCPA/PIPEDA banner with Google Consent Mode v2.
Setup experience
On WordPress, the install path is:
- Install the CookieYes plugin from the WP repo
- Click "Connect to CookieYes" — opens a sign-up flow
- Choose a banner template from the starter designs
- Run the initial cookie scan
- Toggle Google Consent Mode v2 on
- Save and publish
Realistic time from plugin install to a live, consent-respecting banner: under 10 minutes for WordPress, around 10–15 minutes for non-WordPress sites where you install the script tag manually (Shopify, Webflow, custom HTML).
Regulatory coverage
- GDPR (EU + UK) — Full opt-in mode, granular categories, consent log export.
- CCPA / CPRA (California) — Auto-switches to opt-out mode for US visitors with a "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" link.
- PIPEDA (Canada) — Implied + express consent modes available. Note: Quebec Law 25 requires express consent only — make sure you switch the Quebec geo-rule on.
- LGPD (Brazil) — Portuguese-language banner template, opt-in mode.
- Australia Privacy Act — Not required by current law but supported preemptively.
What we liked
- The free tier is actually free. No 14-day trial trick — you can run a banner indefinitely under 25k visits/month.
- Geo-targeting works out of the box. EU visitors see opt-in GDPR mode, US visitors see opt-out CCPA mode, automatically.
- Google Consent Mode v2 is one toggle. Several competitors require GTM template imports or custom JS for the same result.
- The cookie scanner is thorough. CookieYes' own scanner inventories first- and third-party cookies on your domain so you can match each one to a consent category before going live — a step most banner tools skip.
- Consent log export is included on the $10 plan. This is what you'll need if a regulator ever asks "show me proof of consent for visitor X on date Y."
Where it falls short
- No privacy policy generator. You'll still need iubenda or Termly for that. CookieYes does generate a basic cookie policy, but not a full privacy policy.
- Custom CSS requires the $25/mo Pro plan. The Basic plan limits you to template choices.
- IAB TCF v2.2 certification on Pro tier only. If you run ad-tech inventory through Google AdSense or programmatic auctions, this is mandatory and worth the upgrade.
- Multi-domain pricing is per-domain. Agencies managing 20+ client sites will find the cost adds up.
Who CookieYes is for
- Small business owners with one website
- Bloggers and content creators with EU traffic
- Ecommerce stores on Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce
- SaaS landing pages, especially pre-revenue stage
- Anyone who wants to be compliant without reading 12 pages of legal copy
Who should look elsewhere
- Sites that need a custom privacy policy generated automatically → iubenda
- Agencies managing 10+ client domains → Osano enterprise tier
- European publishers with programmatic ad inventory → Usercentrics
- US-only freelancers under 5 pages with no budget → Termly free tier
The verdict
Across vendor documentation, the live free-tier dashboard, and the verified-user reviews we sampled on G2 (4.6/5, 200+ reviews), Capterra (4.5/5), and Reddit threads in r/webdev and r/GDPR, CookieYes consistently lands as the most-recommended consent banner for small-to-mid sites in 2026. We have no compliance, pricing, or integration findings that would change the recommendation.
The 4.8/5 rating reflects: full multi-regulation coverage, a free tier that actually works, one-toggle Google Consent Mode v2, and a thorough cookie scanner. The missing 0.2 is for the lack of an integrated privacy policy generator, which forces a second tool into the stack.
CookieYes — our top pick for 2026
Start on the free tier today, upgrade to Basic ($10/mo) when you outgrow it. Most sites never need to go higher.