The 5 Best WordPress GDPR Cookie Plugins in april 2023 (update)

3. DGSVO Pixelmator

Price: €39 for one website, €89 for 3 websites, €199 for 10 websites, €349 for any number of websites (all prices are unique)

GDPR Pixelmator  is also a very good plugin.

It is mainly intended to integrate Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel into its own privacy-respecting website.

It’s quick and easy because you don’t have to include the full tracking code.

Google Tracking ID or Facebook Pixel ID is enough:

You can configure the plugin as both opt-out and opt-in:

Additionally, Google Tag Manager and any other scripts can be integrated:

Like Borlabs Cookie, DSGVO Pixelmate has an option to block external resources and make them available after click. So far, unfortunately, it only works for YouTube, Vimeo, Google Maps and Twitter.

An embedded Vimeo video looks like this:

Overall, DSGVO Pixelmate is a quick and easy way to integrate an opt-in into your website.

Big advantage over Borlabs Cookie and Cookiebot:

It costs €39 once and you don’t have to complete a monthly or annual subscription.

However, it fails to keep up with the functionality of Borlabs Cookie or Cookiebot, which is why it is only in third place in my ranking.

4. Cookie notification for GDPR from dfactory

Price: free

Cookie Notification for GDPR is by far the most popular free cookie plugin with over 1 million downloads.

You can either use it as a simple cookie hint (to inform users about cookies) or as an opt-in.

For the opt-in, you can enter scripts in the plugin settings, which are then loaded after accepting cookies:

In addition, the cookie notice for GDPR still offers additional settings, eg. For example, for cookie banner design, tip and button text or cookie runtime:

It is particularly useful for private websites or smaller blogs that only use one or two scripts that set cookies.

Unfortunately, it does not offer advanced settings options. Even a content blocker, like other cookie plugins, is not included.

Official site

5. CookieYes from WebToffee

The full name of the plugin is CookieYes GDPR Cookie Consent & Compliance Notice , which already indicates that the plugin covers quite a bit.

The free version of the plugin allows you to add a cookie banner to your website. The banner informs users that you use cookies. The various cookies are only placed if visitors consent to them.

However, it is not possible to set your own preferences with the plugin (at least not in the free version).

I deployed it on 2 sites to see what happens. So far, no big difficulties to configure it.

Here is a clickable comparison chart:

Types of banners

There are three types of cookie banners which treat cookies differently:

Single cookie notification

Here is a simple banner informing you that cookies are used on your website.

You can simply click on the banner without affecting the configuration of cookies.

opt-in

An opt-in is the most privacy-friendly type of cookie banner.

Cookies are only installed if the user has explicitly consented.

Unsubscribe

Externally, the opt-out often differs little from an opt-in.

Nevertheless, its operation differs significantly:

Because, with opt-out cookies and associated scripts already by calling the loaded website .

By clicking on refuse the user then has the possibility of opposing the configuration of the cookie thereafter.

Is the acceptance of cookies mandatory?

The legal situation regarding the processing of cookies in France was spongy for years.

Clarity was to be adopted by the European Parliament in 2009 Directive 2009/136 / EC (Cookie Policy) in which an acceptance of cookies is required.

However, this directive was never transposed into German law, which created a legal gray area in this country.

Those who hoped that the DSGVO (General Data Protection Regulation), implemented in the European Union since May 25, 2018, would provide legal certainty in this regard have once again been disappointed.

Because strong Recital 30 of the GDPR Cookies as well as IP addresses can be personal data, their processing is also not clearly regulated.

Because as a legal basis for the use of cookies, both Article 6, lit. a GDPR (explicit consent, e.g. via a cookie plugin) as well Article 6, lit. f DSGVO (legitimate interest on the part of the site operator) are called into question.

This left the question unanswered:

Which cookies require acceptance?

However, this is no longer the case since two judgments of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) of July and October 2019, respectively.

As regards the authorization referred to in Article 2(h) and 7(a) of Directive 95/46, it must be declared before the data of the data subject is collected and disclosed by transfer. Therefore, it is up to the website operator and not the provider of the social plug-in to obtain such consent, as the processing of personal data is triggered by a visitor who calls up this website.

Which cookies are technically necessary and which are not?

Marketing and statistics cookies are not necessarily technically necessary and therefore require consent.

In addition to these cookies, there are other types of cookies which are not affected in the same way by the judgments of the ECJ. Article 5, paragraph 3 of the 2002 “privacy and electronic communications” directive:

This does not preclude technical storage or access if the sole purpose is to facilitate or facilitate the transmission of a message over an electronic communications network or, where applicable, to provide a service of the company of the information expressly requested by the subscriber or user. provide.

In other words:

• Cookies to store cookie settings (sort of logical, right?)
• Cookies to hide pop-ups or banners
• Cookies to save font size or language chosen
• Session cookies (Cookies deleted when closing the browser, for example to save a shopping cart)

But here, too, the legal situation is not entirely clear.

For simplicity :

For cookies for which you do not know whether they are technically necessary or not, obtain consent.

FAQs

Here are some common questions and answers about cookie plugins and cookies in general:

What cookies are set by WordPress?

Also, if no plugins are installed or scripts added, WordPress will set cookies. These include:

For registered users:

1. wordpress_ (hash) : In this cookie, your WordPress user data is saved during login (as a hash, i.e. encrypted)
2. wordpress_logged_in_(hash): Cookie to identify a logged in user. Will be set after login.
3. wp-settings-{time} – (UID) : Cookie, where the settings of the administration area and the website are stored. Contains the user ID of your WordPress user.

For unregistered users:

1. comment_author_ {} HASH: This cookie stores the name of a commentator (as an encrypted hash).
2. comment_author_email_ {} HASH: In this cookie, a commenter’s email address is stored (as an encrypted hash).
3. comment_author_url_ {} HASH: In this cookie, the URL of a commentator’s website is stored (as a hash, i.e. encrypted).
4. wordpress_test_cookie: Cookie that WordPress uses to check if cookies can be set in the browser.

The first three comment cookies are only set when someone submits the comments to the Save my name, email and website checkbox in this browser until I comment again.

The length of cookies can be determined using the auth_cookie_expiration hook to be adapted. Please read the Developer section of wordpress.org for more information.

Do I need consent for Google Analytics to activate IP anonymization?

Yes, even then, permission is required.

How do I know which cookies are used by my website?

The simplest tool to find out which cookies are used by your site: Webbkoll .

It’s in German, of course, but it does the job!

Along with other information about HTTPS, HTTP headers, etc., it also shows you a list of first-party cookies (from your own domain) and third-party cookies (from third-party domains).

When will the ePrivacy regulation be implemented?

The ePrivacy Regulation, which aims to make the inclusion of cookies mandatory across Europe, will not come until 2020 at the earliest, and probably even in 2021 or 2022.

However, following the two judgments of the ECJ, the regulation will no longer change the legal situation.

Can I include a cookie in WordPress without a plugin?