Let’s talk about “Cookie Consent“. What is it? And why do we need to respect it? And how and why do you need to have this implemented on your website?
What are Cookies?
Cookies are a collection of small text files containing important and private data such as usernames, passwords, user settings, time spent, metadata, etc.
Who Collects Cookies and Why?
Cookies are collected by websites and applications connected to servers. This collective of data is primarily stored on the client-side, with the option of websites and applications having access to their own copies, called first-party cookies.
Cookies get saved and exchanged between the client-side and server-side to ensure a more user-friendly web experience. These cookies help websites, applications, and service providers provide a better user experience by recording and calculating users’ surfing habits and adapting to cater to their needs.
This process benefits both parties, with one getting better service and the other getting information to grow and improve their performance and services.
Are Cookies Dangerous?
No, cookies are not harmful, nor can they carry out any malicious activities on their own. So, cookies are safe.
Most websites, applications, and service providers are secure, keeping the data they collect from you safe and under strict privacy guidelines, but there have been instances of data breaches, hacks, and cyber attacks that result in the loss and leak of user data.
For these reasons, governments, websites, applications, and service providers are hard at work, preventing these bad actors, all the while trying to provide the same level of user experience.
What Is the Importance of Cookie Consent?
Growing concerns around the world due to data breaches and leaks have led to many public and private reforms. Due to this, many countries and powerful organizations now advocate for better data and privacy protection.
The most notable example will be the European Union’s implementation of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which took into effect from May 2018. This reform assures EU-based internet users of better regulatory controls over their collected data.
Now, web services active/serving in the EU region are required to ask for explicit user consent to collect their cookies.
Following the European Union‘s implementation, other parts of the world are adopting similar regulatory resolutions to better protect user data.
How to add Cookie Consent in WordPress?
Over 38%–43% of all websites are built with WordPress inside. And like any other web service, websites created with WordPress must comply with the regulations and must ask for user consent before any sort of data collection.
Unlike others, it’s very easy to add user consent banners, forms, and buttons to WordPress using the cookies plugin. There are a lot of awesome cookie plugins available for WordPress websites to help users create consent forms, banners, and buttons with minimal effort.
Here we’ve listed some of the best WordPress cookie plugins, and all the plugins listed here comply with all the major regulatory bodies-
Cookiebot
First up on our list is Cookiebot. This is a simple yet popular cookie consent solution for GDPR/EPR and CCPA compliance. With Cookiebot, users can create and customize cookie banners to handle user consent with the necessary information, links, and the chance to opt-in and out of cookie categories.
Key Highlights:
- Highly Customizable
- GDPR/ePR/CCPA Compliant
- Automatically Generated and Updated Policies
- Supports 45 Languages
CookieYes | GDPR Cookie Consent & Compliance Notice (CCPA Ready)
CookieYes GDPR Cookie Consent & Compliance Notice (CCPA Ready) is another highly recommended plugin that offers a freemium plan. With CookieYes, users can create stunning, complex cookie consent banners, all the while being super easy to use.
Key Highlights:
- Fully Customisable
- Cookie Audit Shortcode
- WPML Compatible
- Automatically Close/Accept Cookie Policy
GDPR Cookie Compliance
GDPR Cookie Compliance WordPress Cookies Plugin lets websites comply with GDPR and CCPA related data regulations, by creating an eye-catching cookie consent banner.
Key Highlights:
- Fully Customisable
- SEO Friendly
- Optimized for PHP 7 and 8
- Accept & Reject Buttons
Cookie Notice & Compliance
This counts as one of the best WordPress Cookie Notice plugins. Cookie Notice & Compliance allows users to create elegant cookie consent prompts to comply with all the major regulatory bodies. This plugin comes with rich features like customizing, option to accept cookies on scroll, option to refuse cookies, cookie message position, WPML, and Polylang compatibility, and many more to be explored.
Key Highlights:
- Customizable Notice
- SEO Friendly
- Click, Scroll & Close Consent
- Consent Analytics
Get Cookie Notice & Compliance →
Easy Cookie Law
Easy Cookie Law helps users create compliant cookie consent forms with the European Cookie Law regulations. This plugin lets users customize notice banners for cookies on their WordPress website. It lets users create a cookie popup WordPress message, change text position, and add a style to notice that can be modified further through the plugin menu.
Key Highlights:
- Minimal Layout
- SEO Friendly
- Choose & Change Color
- Change Notice position
Asesor de Cookies
Asesor de Cookies is a Spanish cookie plugin alternative that prompts new visitors with the cookie consent popup message every time a new visitor visits your website.
Moreover, this plugin provides auto-generated legal and technical texts to better prepare your cookie policies. Asesor de Cookies also provides customization options to edit the text, style, position, etc.
Key Highlights:
- European Regulations Compliance
- ACCEPT Button
- Easy to Set Up
- Customization Options
EU Cookie Law
EU Cookie Law is a lightweight cookie plugin that complies with all the regulatory laws and guidelines of the European Union. Aiding customers with privacy-related cookie information, popup messages, and so much more.
Key Highlights:
- GDPR compliant
- Lightweight
- Consent by Clicking, Scrolling, and Navigation
- Customization Options
- Shortcodes for Various Functions
Italy Cookie Choices
Italy Cookie Choices WordPress cookies notice plugin lets users block third parties from collecting cookies. Italy Cookie Choices plugin complies with all the Italian cookie laws/European cookie laws and regulations, showing the visitors all the necessary cookie and privacy information.
Key Highlights:
- Display Banner in Front-end
- 3 Templates
- Change Position
- Banner Customization
- Add Custom Scripts
WF Cookie Consent
This amazing cookie consent WordPress plugin lets users create informative and transparent cookie consent banners, forms, and messages with ease, to comply with all the international regulatory bodies.
The WF Cookie Consent WordPress plugin is multi-language ready with Polylang-plugin or WPML-plugin. With a wide array of settings and customization options, WF Cookie Consent can help WordPress websites immensely.
Key Highlights:
- Complies with EU Cookie Law
- Change Position
- Banner Customization Options
- Multi-language Ready with Polylang or WPML
BST GDPR Cookie
BST is a simple, easy-to-use, responsive cookie consent plugin that helps websites remain transparent with regulatory guidelines and compliance according to different regions of the world.
Key Highlights:
- Easy to Configure
- Change Position
- Modern and Customizable
- Lightweight
- Default Language German
Conclusion
If you enjoyed our roundup of the best free WordPress cookie plugins, then please share this article with someone who might find it interesting. And if you think you know a better plugin that deserves a shoutout, feel free to mention it below in the comment section.
