Cookiebot vs CookieYes for a Small Site: What the Price Actually Buys
A visitor clicks Reject All, and your analytics setup faces a question it was never designed to answer: what do you still get to know about someone who said no. In Consent Mode v2 the answer is specific. With analytics_storage denied, Google Analytics 4 stops setting cookies and stops collecting identifiers, but in advanced mode it still sends cookieless pings: the page, the timestamp, the conversion event, no identity attached. In basic mode it sends nothing at all. The difference between those two sentences is the difference between a reporting gap and a reporting hole.
Consent Mode v2 has been mandatory for EEA and UK advertisers since March 2024, and it runs on four signals: ad_storage, analytics_storage, ad_user_data, and ad_personalization. The analytics question is about one of them, and it is the one most sites misunderstand.
Cookiebot and CookieYes both cover GDPR consent, TCF 2.2 and Google Consent Mode v2, and both start under 10 euros a month. The difference is the meter: Cookiebot charges per domain and per subpage tier, with a free tier of one domain and 50 subpages, while CookieYes charges per domain with a free tier up to 100 pages. The right pick depends on how many pages and domains you actually have.
What each one actually does
Cookiebot, owned by Usercentrics, is the most widely deployed CMP in Europe, with deep EU regulatory coverage, automatic cookie scanning and categorisation, TCF 2.2 certification, and a mature Consent Mode v2 integration. Its free tier covers one domain and 50 subpages, and paid plans start around 7 to 9 euros a month per domain, with typical pricing of 15 to 30 euros per domain once the site grows. The August 2025 price increase roughly doubled previous rates, which is worth knowing before budgeting.
CookieYes grew by aiming at small businesses that need a banner cheaply. It reports over 1.5 million active websites, starts around 9 to 10 euros a month per domain, and its free tier covers up to 100 pages. It also holds TCF 2.2 certification and Consent Mode v2 support on every tier. The scan and the banner are the product. It does less on data subject requests and vendor risk, which is fine for a site that does not need those.
Where the bill diverges
The divergence is the subpage count. A small site with 40 pages fits either free tier. A blog with 400 posts blows past Cookiebot free at 50 subpages and CookieYes free at 100 pages, and then the question is what the next tier costs per domain. Cookiebot costs compound per domain and per subpage count, so a portfolio of small sites adds up fast. CookieYes per-domain pricing is simpler to predict, but the per-domain charge still multiplies across a portfolio.
The second divergence is features behind paywalls. Cookiebot charges extra for A/B testing on the banner. Both charge more for geo rules beyond the basics and for data subject request handling. The demo shows everything working, and the invoice shows which parts were in the tier you bought. Read the tier table, not the feature list.
Picking for the site you have, and the one you will have
Count pages first. Open the sitemap and count the URLs. If the site is under 100 pages and staying there, CookieYes free or its cheapest tier is hard to beat. If the site is growing, or if it needs the deeper EU regulatory coverage and the scanning depth, Cookiebot earns its higher price. Either way, check the Google CMP certification: both are Google certified for Consent Mode v2, which is non-negotiable for any site running Google Ads or Analytics in the EU.
And remember the switching cost. Consent is tied to the CMP that collected it, so changing platforms later means re-prompting the audience. The cheapest first year is not the cheapest choice if it forces a migration in year two. Pick the meter that fits the site you are building toward.
Keep reading: Consent Renewal: How Often to Re-Ask, and What Resets the Clock, Consent Mode and Analytics: What Breaks When Users Say No, and Your Banner Keeps Coming Back Because the Consent Cookie Died cover the nearby cases in this series.
Frequently asked questions
Do Cookiebot and CookieYes both support TCF 2.2?
Yes. Both are TCF 2.2 certified and both support Google Consent Mode v2, which is mandatory since March 2024 for sites using Google Ads or Analytics in the EU.
What is the real difference in pricing?
Cookiebot charges per domain with subpage tiers, starting around 7 to 9 euros a month, and costs compound across domains. CookieYes charges per domain from around 9 to 10 euros a month, with a more generous free tier of 100 pages.
Can I use the free tier for a blog?
Only if the blog is small. Cookiebot free covers 50 subpages and CookieYes free covers 100 pages. A blog archive of several hundred posts exceeds both, so check the sitemap count first.
Which one is better for multiple small sites?
CookieYes per-domain pricing is easier to predict across a portfolio, but neither is cheap at scale. For ten or more domains, a vendor with a domain bundle, like Enzuzo Pro covering 10 domains, is usually cheaper than either.