Three SMB-Friendly Tools, Three Different Bets
If you run a small or growing business, you don't need an enterprise privacy platform. You need a consent tool that blocks trackers until consent, handles Consent Mode, and doesn't cost a fortune. CookieBeam, Osano, and Termly all target this segment, but they place different bets. Termly bundles legal-policy generators with a very cheap banner. Osano leans toward a broader data-privacy platform. CookieBeam focuses on consent mechanics, with a genuinely functional free tier and server-side depth.
The catch with SMB tools: the free and cheap tiers often strip out the features that make a banner actually compliant. This guide compares what each one really includes at each price point, as of mid-2026. For the wider market, see our honest comparison of cookie consent tools.
The Free-Tier Trap: What's Actually Included
Every tool here has a free plan, but "free" means very different things.
Termly free gives you a cookie banner, an auto script blocker, quarterly cookie scans, and 10,000 monthly banner views, plus one basic legal policy. What it doesn't include on free (or the cheap Starter tier) is IAB TCF or automatic regional consent rules, those are reserved for the higher Pro+ tier.
Osano free covers one user, one domain, and roughly 5,000 monthly visitors, but its free tier notably does not include automated script blocking or consent storage. Without blocking, a banner is largely decorative for compliance, so Osano's free plan is best seen as a trial rather than a working setup. Paid Osano jumps to a considerably higher price point (reported around $199/month for the Plus self-service tier as of early 2026).
CookieBeam free includes real script blocking, automated cookie scanning, and consent logging, the pieces that make a banner enforceable, along with 10,000 consent logs, 10,000 pageviews, and three cookie scans. It's designed so a small site can actually run compliantly on free, then add domains at a flat per-domain rate as it grows.
CookieBeam vs Osano vs Termly (as of mid-2026)
| Aspect | CookieBeam | Osano | Termly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Script blocking, scanning and consent logs included (10k logs, 10k pageviews, 3 scans) | 1 domain, ~5k monthly visitors; no script blocking or consent storage | Banner, auto blocker, quarterly scans, 10k banner views, 1 legal policy |
| Entry paid price | Flat per domain (a few euros/domain/month) | ~$199/month for Plus (reported); enterprise via sales | $10-$15/month (annual) for Starter / Pro+ |
| Script blocking | Tag-based hard blocking with dynamic detection and drift monitoring | Automated blocking on paid Data Privacy platform | Auto script blocker on all tiers including free |
| Regional consent rules | Per-country engine: GDPR, CCPA, US opt-out, LGPD, PIPEDA, UK GDPR presets | Multi-framework support on paid platform | Regional rules only on Pro+ (not free/Starter) |
| IAB TCF | TCF 2.2 integration available | Available on broader platform | TCF only on Pro+ tier |
| Server-side tagging | Hosted server-side GTM as a metered add-on | Not a server-side tagging host | Not a server-side tagging host |
| Signature extra | A/B consent testing + purpose-level consent analytics | Broader data-privacy platform (DSAR, vendor monitoring) | Bundled legal-policy generators (privacy, cookie, ToS) |
| Currency | EUR | USD | USD |
Pick Termly If...
Termly is the value pick, and it's genuinely good at what it does:
- You need legal documents too. Termly's real draw is bundling privacy policy, cookie policy, and terms generators with the consent banner. For a small US business that needs both, it's efficient and cheap.
- Your budget is tight and your needs are simple. Starter and Pro+ land at roughly $10-$20/month, hard to beat on headline price.
Just watch the tier lines: TCF and automatic regional rules only appear on Pro+, and free/Starter cap banner views. If you run programmatic ads or need multi-region behaviour, you're on the top tier regardless.
Pick Osano If...
Osano is less a cheap banner and more an entry into a broader data-privacy platform:
- You want privacy tooling beyond consent, such as DSAR handling and vendor monitoring, and you're willing to pay platform pricing for it.
- You're mid-market and the ~$199/month Plus tier fits your budget for three domains and modest traffic.
The caution: Osano's free tier lacks script blocking and consent storage, so it doesn't make you compliant on its own, and the jump from free to paid is a big one compared to the other tools here.
Pick CookieBeam If...
CookieBeam fits SMBs that want the banner to actually work on free and to scale predictably:
- You want a free tier that enforces consent, with real script blocking, scanning, and consent logs, not a decorative banner.
- You want flat, predictable pricing as you add domains, rather than banner-view caps or a steep jump to a platform tier.
- You care about consent rates. Built-in A/B testing and purpose-level analytics let you measure and improve, not guess. See consent-rate optimisation without dark patterns.
- You use server-side tagging or plan to. CookieBeam can host your server-side GTM and tie it to consent; see server-side consent enforcement.
Where CookieBeam is not the pick: if your main need is generating legal policy documents (Termly does that natively) or a broad privacy-GRC platform (Osano and enterprise tools go wider).
The SMB Decision Shortcut
Need a cheap banner plus legal policies? Termly, and budget for Pro+ if you need TCF or regional rules.
Want a broader privacy platform and can pay for it? Osano, but don't rely on its free tier for compliance.
Want a free tier that actually blocks trackers, flat scaling, and server-side depth? CookieBeam.
Whichever you choose, verify one thing above all: that the banner blocks non-essential scripts before consent. A pretty banner that doesn't enforce is worse than none. Our GDPR compliance checklist shows how to test it.
The Bottom Line
For SMBs, the deciding factor is rarely the headline price. It's what the free and cheap tiers actually include. Termly wins on bundled legal documents and rock-bottom pricing, but gates TCF and regional rules behind Pro+. Osano offers a broader privacy platform, but its free tier isn't compliant on its own and paid pricing steps up sharply. CookieBeam's free tier enforces consent out of the box, scales flat per domain, and adds server-side tagging and A/B testing the others don't. Match the tool to whether you most need legal documents, a broad platform, or a consent engine that works from day one.
Primary sources: Termly pricing, Osano plans, and Osano cookie consent. Osano's $199/month Plus figure is reported by third-party trackers; verify current pricing on Osano's own plans page.