I have been here also looking for the best cookie notice popup plugin. I wanted one that was free, easy to use, has the needed features, meet the legal requirements and most importantly just worked so I did not have to think about it again. Welcome to my research, findings and recommended cookie popup, so keep reading to for the answers.
What are the best WordPress Cookie Notice Popup Plugins? A good WordPress Cookie Notice popup plugin will be easy to use, allow you to add a link to your privacy policy or cookie use policy, allow users to acknowledge or accept the use of cookies, allow you to specify when and where the notice popups and how often it should popup again for users who return to your site. In addition to the above technical requirements, ideally, it is free and works seamlessly so that you can focus on your site and not worry about a plugin.
If this is what you are looking for then we have researched and reviewed the most popular cookie notice popup plugins so you can know which is the best solution for your website.
Table of Contents
Best WordPress Cookie Notice Popup Plugins
We will take a look at the best cookie popup plugins. I have pulled a lot of the basic information so that it makes it easy to get a feel for the features and how popular the plugin is.
Information for each plugin
- Plugin Name
- WP Plugin Directory Link
- Plugin Developer
- Plugin Homepage Link
- Number of installs (as of January 2020)
- Free Version
- Paid or Premium Version
- Key Free Features
- Paid Version Features
Once we have all of the basics for each plugin, I will give you our take on it.
Let’s get started!
Cookie Notice for GDPR
Plugin Name: Cookie Notice for GDPR
Plugin Developer: dFactory (Digital Factory)
WP Plugin Directory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/cookie-notice/
Active Installs: 1+ million (as of January 2020)
Plugin Homepage: https://dfactory.eu/products/cookie-notice/
Free Version: Yes
Paid Version: Free Only
Key Free Features:
- Add link for more info on Cookie or Privacy Policy
- Customizable Text
- Options to block, refuse and revoke cookies
- Select the position of the message
- Ability to set the cookie duration
- Translation Capable
With over 1 million installs this plug has to be doing something right. It is free only which is nice because you get all of the options you need without having to pay for an upgrade.
If you are looking for a fully-featured cookie notification popup this dFactory plugin is a great way to go.
GDPR Cookie Consent Banner
Plugin Name: GDPR Cookie Consent Banner
WP Plugin Directory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/uk-cookie-consent/
Plugin Developer: termly
Plugin Homepage: https://pluginrepublic.com/cookie-consent/
Active Installs: 200,000+ (as of January 2020)
Free Version: Yes
Paid Version: Free Only
Key Free Features:
- Can be closed with “On Click”, “On Scroll” or “Timed”
- You can set the link to your privacy policy
- Multilanguage capable
- 5 translations available
- Ability to set the cookie duration
- Update styles from inside the customizer
GDPR Cookie Consent Banner is an excellent option. It was initially created in 2012 and is still actively developed 8 years later.
This plugin uses implied consent, meaning users who visit the site are informed that your site uses cookies. This plugin will not do explicit consent, meaning that visitors can disable cookies on your site.
This is a true notification option and if you need advanced cookie features this may not be the best option but for 90% of the WordPress sites. This approach is all that is needed.
LuckyWP Cookie Notice (GDPR)
Plugin Name: LuckyWP Cookie Notice (GDPR)
Plugin Developer: LuckyWP
WP Plugin Directory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/luckywp-cookie-notice-gdpr/
Active Installs: 1,000+ (as of January 2020):
Plugin Homepage: https://theluckywp.com/product/cookie-notice-gdpr/
Free Version: Yes
Paid Version: Free Only
Key Free Features
- Accept or Reject Options
- Link to Privacy Policy
- Show Again Link
- Responsive
- Ability to set cookie duration
- Option to Reload page after the user selects Accept or Reject
- Caching Plugin Support
LuckyWP is a new player and they have created some very good and modern plugins. This is their entry for the cookie notice popup plugin.
This plugin has the “Accept” or “Reject” cookies as opposed to just the “Accept Only” banner that other plugins do.
One nice feature is the ability to display the support type tab where users can see the cookie options again. This is a very nice feature for those sites that use more or have bigger requirements for cookies.
The Lucky WP Plugin is a very good but still new option. It is well designed and looks great. If you are looking to try something new this could be a good option to explore.
GDPR Cookie Consent
Plugin Name: GDPR Cookie Consent
Plugin Developer: WebToffee
WP Plugin Directory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/cookie-law-info/
Plugin Homepage: https://www.webtoffee.com/product/gdpr-cookie-consent/
Active Installs: 600,000+ (as of January 2020):
Free Version: Yes
Paid Version: Yes – $49/site for 1 year of updates, discounts for multiple sites
Key Free Features
- Accept or Reject Options
- If you click Reject, the cookies are not rendered
- Shortcode for displaying cookies
- Fully customizable look to the banner
- Notification Banner can go away as a timed option or upon scroll
- Cooke Audit Module included
Paid Version Features
- Manage List of Cookies
- Manage Cookie Categories
- Autoblock scripts
- Location-Based Exclusions
- Import / Export Key information
- Cookie Policy Generator
- Banner Preview in Admin Backend
If you or your client needs to have the ability to accept or reject cookies, display exactly what cookies are being used then you may want to step up to this plugin and may want to consider the paid version.
One of the reasons the plugin is more expensive is that you are also getting a cookie policy along with the plugin. The cookie banner has a very stylish and professional look to it.
If you do need a cookie policy they can be purchased for around $30 from a stand-alone service. Here is our guide to the Best Cookie Policy Generators, there is some good information. I should know it took lots of effort to create the article and test the services.
GDPR is a more advanced and involved plugin. If you need this level of functionality this is a great option.
GDPR Cookie Compliance
Plugin Name: GDPR Cookie Compliance
Plugin Developer: Moove Agency
WP Plugin Directory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/gdpr-cookie-compliance/
Active Installs: 90,000+ (as of January 2020):
Plugin Homepage: https://www.mooveagency.com/wordpress-plugins/gdpr-cookie-compliance/
Free Version: Yes
Paid Version: Yes £49 for one site/year. Discounts available for multiple sites.
Key Free Features
- Both Accept and Reject Options
- Link to Privacy Page
- Fully customizable
- Cookie expiration settings
- Responsive Design
- Multilanguage capable
- Support CDN and Caching Servers
Paid Version Features
- Full-Screen Layout
- Export and Import Settings
- Accept on Scroll
- Location-Based Display exclude countries that do not have cookie requirements
- Shortcodes Enabled
- Analytics
GDPR Cookie Compliance is another full-featured Accept or Reject Cooke plugin. This is compared to some that just say: Our site uses cookies and the visitor clicks accept.
If you need this advanced functionality then the GDPR Cookie Compliance plugin is a good option. It does not have as many installs as the web toffee option which could be a consideration.
EU Cookie Law (GDPR)
Plugin Name: EU Cookie Law (GDPR)
Plugin Developer: Alex Moss and Marco Milesi
WP Plugin Directory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/eu-cookie-law/
Active Installs: 100,000+ (as of January 2020):
Plugin Homepage: None that we can find
Free Version: Yes
Paid Version: Free Only
Key Free Features
- Customizable Settings
- Can be closed with “On Click”, “On Scroll” or “Timed”
- Ability to set cookie duration
- Multilanguage compatible
- Shortcode to revoke cookie consent
- Link to Privacy Policy
EU Cookie Law is a plugin created by two developers and does not appear to have the backing of a plugin development company. They are well established and have over 100,000 active installs.
This plugin does not appear to be as full-featured as the other option. If you are looking for a basic cookie policy plugin this should work but I would consider one of the other options before using this one. If you have tried the others and they did not work then give this one a try.
Italy Cookie Choices (for EU Cookie Law)
Plugin Name: Italy Cookie Choices (for EU Cookie Law)
Plugin Developer: Enaa Overclokk, Andrea Pernici, and Andrea Cadinale
WP Plugin Directory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/italy-cookie-choices/
Active Installs: 30,000+ (as of January 2020):
Plugin Homepage: None that we can find
Free Version: Yes
Paid Version: Free Only
Key Free Features
- Customizable Banner
- Block scripts
- Multilanguage Compatible
- On Scroll Acceptance
This plugin like the EU Cookie Law Plugin is created by developers and not a plugin company. It has been at least 1 year since the code has been updated.
Unless you know for sure this is the best option for you I would look at one of the other cookie notification options.
If you are one of the developers of this plugin and I have some of the information incorrect please get in touch so I can update this section of the post.
Conclusion
There a quite a few cookie notice popup plugin options to choose from. They vary by features with the biggest difference being some are banners where your visitors just accept the fact that your site uses cookies and the other allows users to accept or reject cookies.
If your site or the area where you live does not require the advanced functionality it may be best to steer clear of the extra configuration.
If your site does require this type of configuration then there are a couple of good paid option to choose from.
In addition to these actively developed plugins, there are quite a few that have not been updated for several years. It is our advice to avoid these plugins unless you absolutely need a feature they provide. In general, plugins that have not been updated for a year could be security risks or not have the modern features web browsers have come to expect.
We hope you have found this article helpful. If you have any question please leave them in the comments and feel free to share this post on the social networks.
Thanks! — Steven
Steven Johnson, a WP Hosting Reviews senior editor, works from Atlanta and covers all things related to WordPress and Hosting.
He graduated from Georgia Tech in Chemical Engineering, has managed hosting companies and now builds WordPress and Joomla Websites for small to medium companies full time.
