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Free cookie banners: what you actually get

There are good free solutions, and there are free solutions that merely show a banner without stopping anything. The difference is not the price. Here is what to look for, and when free genuinely suffices.

Updated 2 September 2026 · 5 minute read

We sell a paid solution, so read this with that in mind. We have tried to write the guide we would have wanted ourselves: what to test, not why to buy from us. We have no free tier, and we say so up front.

What free solutions usually do well

Most free options, whether a WordPress plugin or a vendor's free tier, cover the visible layer well:

Show a banner with choices per category
Store the choice in the browser and remember it on the next visit
Let the visitor change their mind
Usually include some variant of Google Consent Mode

For a small website with little tracking, that can be enough. Do not let anyone tell you that you must pay to have your affairs in order.

Where the limits usually lie

Three things tend to separate them, and only the first is really about money.

1. Does it block before loading, or only after?

This is the most important, and it does not depend on price. A solution that shows the banner but lets tracking scripts load with the page gives you the choice in the interface without the effect behind it. The consent is then practically irrelevant, because the processing has already happened.

Some free solutions block properly. Some paid ones do not. You only find out by testing.

2. Is the website monitored over time?

A setup that was correct when you built it can be wrong three months later because a plugin updated or an agency added a new campaign snippet. Free solutions rarely retest, and rarely tell you.

You can solve this yourself by testing manually at intervals. That costs time instead of money, and it is an entirely legitimate trade-off.

3. Can you demonstrate the consent?

If you are asked to show that a visitor actually consented, it is not enough to say your website has a banner. Most free solutions store the choice only in the visitor's own browser, and you cannot retrieve it from there.

How much that matters depends on your business. For a small company site the risk is low. For health, finance or public services it is not.

The test that decides, at any price

Before judging any solution — free or paid — do this:

Open the website in a private window with developer tools open, Network tab.
Load the page without clicking the banner. If you see requests to google-analytics.com, doubleclick.net or facebook.com/tr, tracking loads before the choice.
Click “Reject all”, reload, and see whether the same requests return.
Check storage: if _ga, _fbp or _gcl_au appear after a no, tracking is not being blocked.

If the list is empty in both cases, your solution is doing its job — and then it makes no difference what it cost. Full walkthrough here.

When free is enough, and when it is not

Free usually suffices when you have little tracking, an overview of what is on the site, and time to test yourself after updates.
Consider paid when the website is business-critical, when your subject matter can reveal sensitive information, when several people make changes, or when you need to be able to demonstrate consents.

It is a trade-off between time and money, not between right and wrong.

Two things to look for in what is called free

Limits that bite later. Many free tiers cap page views or subpages. Pass the cap and the banner may stop appearing — leaving you without a consent solution without having done anything.
The vendor's own branding. Most free solutions display their logo in the banner. That is a reasonable trade, but worth knowing before you put it on your front page.

Common questions

Is a free cookie banner lawful?

Yes, if it does the job. The law sets requirements for the consent, not for what the solution costs. A free banner that genuinely blocks tracking before consent is better than a paid one that does not.

What is the most common problem with free solutions?

That they show the banner without blocking scripts sitting directly in the theme or loaded by another plugin. The banner registers the no, but tracking continues. It is also the most common problem with paid solutions installed without verification.

Does CookieHawk have a free tier?

No. We have a free check that shows what your website does, but the banner itself is a paid service. If you only need a banner and have the overview yourself, there are free options that do that job.

Can I switch later if I start with free?

Yes. A consent banner is usually one snippet, and switching is mostly about removing the old one properly and adding the new. The important part is testing afterwards that the new setup actually blocks.

Test the solution you have today — even if it is free

Our free check does not tell you which product to buy. It shows what your website does before the choice and after “Reject all”, so you can judge your solution on the result rather than the feature list.

Check your website free