CookieBeam vs CookieYes (2026): Cheap Banner or More?

The Budget Banner, Compared

CookieYes is one of the most popular low-cost consent tools, especially on WordPress, where its plugin is a quick install. It's cheap, it's easy, and it does something most budget tools don't: it puts Google Consent Mode v2 on the free tier. For a small site that needs a working banner tomorrow, that's a strong offer.

CookieBeam sits a step deeper. It also has a free tier that actually enforces consent through automatic 5-layer script interception, and it adds connection-level blocking, continuous drift detection, hosted server-side tagging, per-country regional rules, and A/B testing on top. The question is whether your site needs that depth or whether a clean, cheap banner is enough. This guide compares the two honestly at each price point. For the wider market, see our comparison of cookie consent tools, and if you're on WordPress specifically, our WordPress cookie consent guide.

What CookieYes Does Well

CookieYes is easy to like at the low end. Its free plan gives you a working banner with basic customization on one domain, an automatic cookie scan, a consent log, and, notably, Google Consent Mode v2, which many competitors gate behind paid tiers. The free tier carries CookieYes branding and a monthly pageview cap.

Paid plans are cheap and simple. As of mid-2026 they run roughly $10/month for Basic, $20/month for Pro, and around $40/month for Ultimate, with higher pageview allowances and features as you climb. Paid tiers add automatic scheduled re-scans (the free and lowest tiers don't re-scan on a schedule, so new cookies can go undetected), plus auto-blocking of third-party scripts before consent and the ability to let visitors toggle categories.

For a small business, a blog, or a brochure site that mainly needs a compliant-looking banner with Consent Mode wired up, CookieYes gets you there with very little effort and very little money. That's a real strength, not a backhanded compliment.

Where CookieBeam Is Different

CookieBeam's free tier also enforces consent, with automatic 5-layer script interception, scanning, and consent logs. The platform is built to go further.

5-layer automatic script interception. CookieBeam doesn't rely on manual tagging or tag-based blocking. It uses scan-derived script maps to automatically intercept scripts through five layers: DOM element creation override, insertion hooks on appendChild/insertBefore/replaceChild, a MutationObserver fallback for anything that slips through, Worker/SharedWorker constructor wrapping, and anti-tamper protection that locks neutralized scripts so they can't be reverted. Blocked scripts are held in a queue and revived in original order when consent is granted. Two compliance modes are available: Learning mode (default) allows unknown scripts while building your inventory, and Strict mode blocks all unclassified scripts by default.

Connection-level blocking, a unique differentiator. Beyond script blocking, CookieBeam wraps five browser APIs to block unconsented network traffic at the connection level. fetch() calls return a 204 stub, XMLHttpRequest fires an error without making the request, sendBeacon() returns false, and WebSocket/EventSource constructors return closed stubs. This catches tracking via API calls that tag-based blocking can't touch. This goes beyond what most CMPs enforce. Same-site requests are always allowed, and infrastructure hosts can be excluded.

Drift detection. CookieBeam runs continuous client-side monitoring in every visitor's browser for three types of drift: new cookies appearing between scans, new scripts loading outside the inventory, and new network connections to unknown third parties. Drift reports feed back to the dashboard, and items auto-promote to your inventory after 5 sightings. This is real-time monitoring, not periodic scanning.

GPC and DNT enforcement. Privacy signal detection is built into the blocking engine with per-region overrides. In the EU, GPC sets default deny with explicit banner opt-in to override. 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 override, not a generic Accept All.

Shield placeholders. Blocked iframes display visual placeholder overlays explaining why content is blocked, then swap in the real content when consent is granted.

A real per-country regional engine. CookieBeam ships presets for GDPR, CCPA, the US opt-out states, LGPD, PIPEDA, and UK GDPR, and adapts the banner's text and behavior by visitor location. If you serve visitors across multiple regulations, that's the difference between one generic banner and the right banner per region. See running one banner across regions.

Hosted server-side tagging. CookieBeam can host your server-side Google Tag Manager as a metered add-on and gate it by consented purposes, which keeps measurement working as third-party cookies fade. CookieYes is a client-side banner and isn't a server-side tagging host. See server-side consent enforcement.

A/B consent testing. Built-in experiments and purpose-level analytics let you measure and lift consent rates instead of guessing.

Pick CookieYes If...

CookieYes is the right fit when simple and cheap is the whole brief:

• You run WordPress and want a five-minute setup. The plugin is quick, and the free tier gets you a banner with Consent Mode v2 at no cost.
• Your site is one domain with modest traffic. Basic and Pro cover a lot of small sites for $10 to $20 a month.
• You don't need server-side tagging or multi-region rules. If a straightforward GDPR/CCPA banner is enough, paying for more is wasted.

Watch two things: scheduled re-scans only kick in on higher tiers, so free and Basic sites can miss newly added cookies, and the free tier's pageview cap and branding are real limits.

Pick CookieBeam If...

CookieBeam fits sites that will outgrow a basic banner:

• You serve multiple regulations. The per-country engine shows the right banner and behavior per region instead of one generic version, with built-in GPC/DNT enforcement that follows CPRA 7025(b)(3) in US opt-out states.
• You need real blocking, not tag management. The 5-layer script interception works automatically from scan-derived script maps. No manual tagging. Strict mode blocks unclassified scripts by default.
• You want to block tracking connections, not just scripts. Connection-level blocking wraps fetch, XHR, sendBeacon, WebSocket, and EventSource. Few if any CMPs do this.
• You want continuous drift detection. Client-side monitoring catches new cookies, scripts, and connections between scans, with auto-promotion at 5 sightings.
• Server-side tagging is in your plan. Hosted server-side GTM tied to consent is built in.
• You want to improve consent rates with data, using A/B testing and purpose-level analytics. See consent-rate optimisation without dark patterns.

Where CookieBeam isn't the pick: if you truly just need the cheapest possible working banner on one small WordPress site, CookieYes is hard to beat on price.

The Bottom Line

CookieYes wins on price and simplicity, and its free-tier Consent Mode v2 is a genuinely good deal for a small site. CookieBeam's free tier also enforces consent with automatic 5-layer script interception, then adds connection-level blocking (fetch, XHR, beacon, WebSocket, EventSource), continuous drift detection, GPC/DNT enforcement with per-region overrides, a per-country regional engine, hosted server-side tagging, and A/B testing. Those are the things a growing or multi-region site eventually needs. If your site is small and single-region, CookieYes is enough and cheaper. If it's growing, multi-region, or serious about measurement, CookieBeam gives you room to scale without switching tools later.

Primary sources: CookieYes pricing. Free-tier pageview caps and the top Ultimate price are reported inconsistently across third-party trackers; confirm current limits and pricing on CookieYes's own pricing page before deciding.