Plugin-Native vs Platform
Complianz is a WordPress plugin first. It installs from the WordPress repository, configures itself through a wizard inside wp-admin, and keeps your consent settings and records inside your own WordPress site. Over a million sites run it, and on WordPress it's one of the most thorough privacy plugins you can get. It also has a Shopify version.
CookieBeam is a hosted consent platform. It works on WordPress but isn't tied to it, so the same banner, scanning, and consent logging run on any stack, and the heavy lifting (scanning, server-side tagging, analytics) happens on CookieBeam's infrastructure rather than inside your CMS. If your whole world is WordPress, that plugin-native approach has real appeal. If you run multiple stacks or want server-side depth, a platform fits better. This guide compares both. If you're weighing WordPress consent options generally, start with our WordPress cookie consent guide.
What Complianz Does Well
Complianz is genuinely strong on WordPress, and its model has advantages a hosted tool can't fully match.
It lives inside your site. Consent records, configuration, and the banner all sit in your WordPress install, so your data stays on your own infrastructure. For teams that prefer not to route consent through a third-party host, that's a meaningful design choice.
It's a certified, feature-complete privacy suite. Premium adds Records of Consent, Google Consent Mode v2, Geo-IP region detection, and Google-certified IAB TCF 2.2 (it's a registered CMP, ID 332). It also includes a hybrid cookie scan that combines WordPress-integrated scanning with simulated visits, a Data Leak Report wizard, a Processing Agreement wizard, and consent statistics with A/B testing built in.
Pricing is a one-fee-per-year license rather than a monthly SaaS charge. As of mid-2026 the WordPress plans are roughly Personal EUR 59/year for one site, Professional EUR 179/year for five sites, and Agency EUR 399/year for 25 sites, with a free plugin on WordPress.org covering the basics and a 30-day money-back guarantee. The Shopify version is free or about $5.99/month Premium. For an agency running many WordPress sites, that per-year, many-sites license can be very cost-effective.
Where CookieBeam Is Different
CookieBeam trades plugin-native integration for platform reach and blocking depth.
It isn't tied to WordPress. The same consent setup runs across WordPress, custom sites, and other stacks, so a team with a mixed estate manages one banner everywhere instead of one plugin per platform.
5-layer automatic script interception. CookieBeam doesn't rely on manual tagging. Its blocking engine intercepts scripts automatically using scan-derived script maps: it overrides document.createElement to catch script, iframe, img, and embed creation, hooks DOM insertion methods (appendChild, insertBefore, replaceChild), runs a MutationObserver fallback across the document tree, blocks Worker and SharedWorker constructors, and applies anti-tamper protection so neutralized scripts can't be reverted to an executable state. In Learning mode (the default), unknown scripts run while the inventory builds. Switch to Strict mode and everything unclassified is blocked by default.
Connection-level blocking. Beyond scripts, CookieBeam wraps five browser APIs to block unconsented network requests: fetch(), XMLHttpRequest, navigator.sendBeacon(), WebSocket, and EventSource. That catches tracking via API calls, not script loading. This goes beyond what most CMPs enforce. It's category-aware per connection, with first-party bypass and infrastructure host exclusion built in.
Continuous drift detection. Client-side monitoring watches for three types of drift: unknown cookies, new scripts, and unexpected network connections appearing between scans. It runs in every visitor's browser, not during periodic scans. New items auto-promote to the inventory after 5 sightings.
GPC and DNT enforcement. The blocking engine detects Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track signals with per-region overrides. In the EU, GPC sets a default deny that explicit opt-in overrides. In US opt-out states, it follows CPRA 7025(b)(3): a privacy signal opt-out requires a deliberate, right-specific in-banner opt-in to reverse.
Shield placeholders. Blocked iframes get visual placeholder overlays explaining why the content isn't available. When a visitor gives consent, the placeholder is replaced with the real content.
It hosts server-side tagging. CookieBeam can host your server-side Google Tag Manager as a metered add-on and gate tags by consented purpose. That's how measurement survives browser restrictions on third-party cookies, and it's not something a WordPress plugin provides. See server-side consent enforcement and, for WordPress specifically, server-side tagging on WordPress.
Both tools offer A/B testing and Consent Mode v2, so that's not the dividing line. The dividing line is platform reach, the blocking engine's depth, and server-side hosting versus deep, self-contained WordPress integration.
CookieBeam vs Complianz (as of mid-2026)
| Aspect | CookieBeam | Complianz |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery model | Hosted platform, any stack | WordPress (and Shopify) plugin, runs in your site |
| Where data lives | On CookieBeam's hosted infrastructure | Inside your own WordPress install |
| Pricing model | Flat per domain (a few euros/domain/month), EUR | Annual license: EUR 59 (1 site) / 179 (5) / 399 (25); free plugin |
| TCF 2.2 | TCF 2.2 integration | Google-certified TCF 2.2, registered CMP ID 332 (Premium) |
| Consent Mode v2 | Supported | Supported (Premium) |
| Script blocking | 5-layer automatic interception from scan-derived script maps; Learning mode (allow unknown) or Strict mode (block unknown) | Tag-based blocking via WordPress integration |
| Connection-level blocking | Wraps fetch, XHR, sendBeacon, WebSocket, EventSource per consent category | Not available |
| Scanning | Cookies + scripts + outbound connections; continuous client-side drift detection (auto-promote at 5 sightings) | Hybrid cookie scan (WordPress-integrated + simulated visits) |
| GPC / DNT enforcement | Built-in with per-region overrides (GDPR default deny, CPRA right-specific opt-in) | Do Not Track respect option |
| Shield placeholders | Visual overlays on blocked iframes, replaced on consent | Content blocking notices (Premium) |
| A/B testing | Built-in, with purpose-level analytics | Consent statistics with A/B testing (Premium) |
| Server-side tagging | Hosted server-side GTM as a metered add-on | Not a server-side tagging host |
Pick Complianz If...
Complianz is the right call when WordPress is your whole world:
- Everything you run is on WordPress. The plugin's native integration, in-site records, and wizard-driven setup are hard to beat when there's no other stack to worry about.
- You want your consent data on your own site, not routed through a hosted third party.
- You're an agency with many WordPress sites. The annual multi-site license (five or 25 sites) can cost far less than per-domain SaaS at that volume.
- You need certified TCF for ad partners. Complianz is a registered CMP (ID 332) with Google-certified TCF 2.2.
The trade-off: it's WordPress-and-Shopify-bound, and it doesn't host server-side tags, block at the network-connection level, or enforce GPC signals with per-region overrides.
Pick CookieBeam If...
CookieBeam fits when WordPress isn't the whole picture:
- You run more than WordPress. One consent setup across every stack beats one plugin per platform.
- You want connection-level blocking. CookieBeam wraps fetch, XHR, beacon, WebSocket, and EventSource at the browser API level to stop unconsented tracking. Drift detection catches new scripts and connections between scans, auto-promoting after 5 sightings.
- Server-side tagging is in your plan. Hosted server-side GTM tied to consent is built in, which a plugin can't provide. See server-side vs client-side GTM.
- You want purpose-level consent analytics alongside A/B testing to tune consent rates.
Where CookieBeam isn't the pick: a pure-WordPress shop that wants consent data kept inside its own site and an agency license across many WordPress installs, Complianz is built exactly for that.
The Fast Answer
All-WordPress, want data on your own site, or an agency license across many sites? Complianz.
Mixed stacks, connection-level blocking, or hosted server-side tagging? CookieBeam.
Whichever you pick, verify the banner blocks non-essential scripts before consent, plugins and platforms both get this wrong when misconfigured. Our GDPR compliance checklist shows how to test it.
The Bottom Line
Complianz is one of the best privacy tools you can run on WordPress, with deep native integration, in-site consent records, certified TCF, and an annual multi-site license that agencies love. CookieBeam trades that plugin-native model for platform reach, 5-layer script interception, connection-level blocking, GPC enforcement, and hosted server-side tagging that a plugin can't offer. If your estate is entirely WordPress and you value keeping data in-house, Complianz. If you run multiple stacks or need server-side depth, CookieBeam.
Primary sources: Complianz pricing, Complianz features, and the Complianz plugin on WordPress.org. License tiers and feature gating change; confirm current pricing on Complianz's own site.