CookieStart – CMP Banner & Cookie Consent
Connect WordPress with CookieStart CMP to scan cookies and scripts, manage consent categories, monitor compliance, and block scripts until consent.
Solid choice
CookieStart is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 8 hours ago, and scores 68/100 on our health check.
- Actively developed — last update 8 hours ago
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- Needs PHP 8.1 or newer
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where CookieStart stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| CMP | #24 |
| consent mode | #98 |
| cookie consent | >100 |
| cookies | >100 |
| GDPR | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
About CookieStart
From the official readme · v1.2.2Description
CookieStart is a consent management platform for WordPress websites and WooCommerce stores.
The plugin connects your website to the CookieStart service and provides access to CMP configuration directly from the WordPress administration panel. It can display the CookieStart consent banner, detect scripts and cookies, classify them into consent categories, scan website URLs, review consent history, and control script behavior before consent is granted.
Main features:
- Cookie consent banner provided by the CookieStart platform.
- CookieStart account registration directly from WordPress.
- Connection of an existing CookieStart account using an API key and domain ID.
- Website status dashboard with integration status and scan information.
- Website compliance score and audit summary.
- Manual and automatic website scans.
- Scan progress, scanned URL list, errors, and scan history.
- Detection and classification of scripts used by the website.
- Detection and classification of cookies.
- Manual category overrides for scripts and cookies.
- Consent categories: necessary, preferences, statistics, and marketing.
- Consent records and consent change history.
- Automatic processing and transformation of supported scripts.
- Optional automatic blocking of scripts before consent.
- Optional blocking of unknown scripts.
- Script allowlist and blocklist rules.
- Default category for unrecognized scripts.
- Optional grouping of first-party scripts.
- Google Consent Mode v2 support.
- Local preview of scripts detected in WordPress output.
- Runtime configuration cache management.
- Debug mode and integration logs.
- Usage statistics and scan limits available in the dashboard.
- Support for WordPress and WooCommerce websites.
An active CookieStart account and a website configuration in the CookieStart platform are required. You can create or connect an account from the plugin administration panel.
The plugin requires PHP 8.1 or newer.
Important: Installing and configuring this plugin does not by itself guarantee compliance with GDPR, ePrivacy, or any other law. The website owner is responsible for the correct configuration of the service, classification of cookies and scripts, legal notices, and compliance with applicable laws.
Learn more:
https://cookiestart.pl/
CookieStart panel:
https://panel.cookiestart.pl/
Privacy policy:
https://cookiestart.pl/polityka-prywatnosci/
External services
This plugin connects to external CookieStart services that are required for account management, website configuration, scanning, consent management, and delivery of the consent banner.
On a fresh installation, CookieStart processing is enabled. The frontend SDK is not loaded and the plugin does not send frontend visitor requests to CookieStart until an administrator connects a domain and configures its CookieStart credentials.
The plugin does not contact Google, Facebook, Google Maps, or other third-party providers whose scripts it can recognize. References to those providers are local detection and classification patterns for scripts already present on the website. The plugin does not use administrator or visitor data for its own analytics or advertising and does not independently track administrators or visitors.
The plugin may connect to the following services:
https://identity.cookiestart.eu– account registration, login, authentication, and token renewal.https://parameter.cookiestart.eu– website configuration, runtime settings, script and cookie classification, statistics, integration status, and related CMP configuration.https://crawler.cookiestart.eu– website scans, scan status, scanned URLs, and scan results.https://consent.cookiestart.eu– consent records and consent history.https://cdn.cookiestart.eu– delivery of the CookieStart consent runtime SDK used on the website frontend.
The same services remain available at the previous cookiestart.pl host names, which stay as aliases.
Depending on the action performed and the enabled features, the following data may be transmitted:
- CookieStart account email address and password when the administrator registers or logs in through the plugin.
- The administrator’s IP address during account registration.
- Authentication tokens and the CookieStart user identifier.
- Website URL, domain name, allowed domain, CookieStart domain identifier, and public API key.
- Plugin version, integration type, and website URL in an integration heartbeat sent approximately every six hours after the website has been connected.
- Detected script patterns, script assignments, cookie rules, consent categories, and manual category overrides.
- Website scan requests, scan identifiers, scan status, scanned URLs, and scan results.
- Consent records and consent history requested by an authorized website administrator.
- Standard technical request data processed by the service infrastructure, such as IP address, request headers, browser information, timestamps, and server logs.
The frontend loads the CookieStart runtime SDK from cdn.cookiestart.eu. After CookieStart credentials are configured, the SDK receives the connected website identifier and public API key and retrieves the consent configuration required to display and operate the banner.
These external services are provided by CookieStart and are required for the plugin’s core functionality.
Service website:
https://cookiestart.pl/
Privacy policy:
https://cookiestart.pl/polityka-prywatnosci/
Terms of service:
https://cookiestart.pl/regulamin/
Privacy
The plugin stores CookieStart configuration and authentication tokens in the WordPress database. Account passwords are transmitted only when the administrator registers or logs in and are not stored by the plugin. Session renewal uses a rotating access and refresh token pair.
The website administrator is responsible for:
- Informing website visitors about the use of CookieStart.
- Maintaining an accurate privacy policy and cookie policy.
- Correctly classifying cookies and scripts.
- Configuring consent categories and legal bases.
- Reviewing the data processing terms applicable to the CookieStart service.
- Testing the website after activation and after configuration changes.
For details about processing performed by CookieStart, see:
https://cookiestart.pl/polityka-prywatnosci/
Installation
- Upload the plugin folder to
/wp-content/plugins/or install the ZIP file through the WordPress Plugins screen. - Activate CookieStart through the Plugins screen in WordPress.
- Open CookieStart in the WordPress administration menu.
- Create a CookieStart account or connect an existing account.
- Add or connect the current website.
- Configure the consent banner, consent categories, script processing, and runtime settings.
- Run a website scan and review the detected scripts and cookies.
- Assign or verify the appropriate consent categories.
- Test the consent banner and blocked scripts on the frontend.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a CookieStart account?
Yes. The plugin connects WordPress to the external CookieStart consent management service.
Can I create an account from WordPress?
Yes. The plugin includes an account registration and website onboarding flow. Registration data is sent to the CookieStart identity service after you submit the registration form.
Can I connect an existing CookieStart account?
Yes. You can connect an existing website configuration by entering the CookieStart API key and domain ID.
Does the plugin work with WooCommerce?
Yes. CookieStart can be used on WordPress websites and WooCommerce stores.
Does the plugin block scripts before consent?
The plugin can process the generated HTML, detect supported script elements, assign consent categories, and transform selected scripts so they can be activated after the relevant consent is granted. Automatic blocking and blocking of unknown scripts can be enabled in the settings.
Can I exclude or completely block selected scripts?
Yes. The plugin provides an allowlist and a blocklist based on one pattern per line.
Does CookieStart scan my website?
A website scan can be started from the WordPress administration panel. The scan is performed by the external CookieStart crawler service. Scan availability and limits depend on the connected CookieStart plan.
Can I review detected scripts and cookies?
Yes. Detected scripts and cookies are displayed in dedicated administration views. Their consent categories can be reviewed and changed.
Can I review consent history?
Yes. The plugin displays consent records and the history of consent changes retrieved from the CookieStart service.
Does the plugin support Google Consent Mode v2?
Yes. Google Consent Mode v2 can be enabled in the CookieStart runtime settings.
Does installing CookieStart guarantee GDPR compliance?
No. CookieStart provides consent management and auditing tools, but the website owner remains responsible for configuration, legal content, cookie classification, and compliance with applicable laws.
Where can I review CookieStart’s privacy policy?
https://cookiestart.pl/polityka-prywatnosci/
Changelog
Lets you reconnect the plugin with a one-time code from CookieStart support when the stored session can no longer be refreshed.
1.2.2
- Added “Connect with code” in Settings: reconnect the plugin to the CookieStart account with a one-time code from CookieStart support, without the account password.
- The “Reconnect the account in Settings” message now points to the new option.
1.2.1
- Fixed a race in which several simultaneous dashboard requests refreshed the CookieStart session at once and showed “The token has expired and could not be refreshed” although the session had already been renewed.
- Refreshes the session after HTTP 401 only when the access token is actually expiring, and requests category audit data with the site API key.
- Sends the integration heartbeat from the dashboard less often and retries a failed heartbeat after 15 minutes.
- Pauses refresh attempts for a rejected session instead of retrying on every page load.
1.2.0
- Pointed CookieStart API and CDN addresses used by the plugin at cookiestart.eu. The previous cookiestart.pl service addresses remain available as aliases.
1.1.5
- Blocked inline scripts before consent by matching the whole script family instead of a single stored example, so page-specific variants of the same tracker are held back as well.
- Recognized WooCommerce Google Listings & Ads and Meta Pixel inline script families when deciding what to block before consent.
- Limited the runtime adapter to entitlement fail-open, restoring remaining WordPress placeholders when the banner is disabled because a plan is over quota, suspended, or inactive.
- Prevented stale scan history from restarting dashboard status polling and stopped overlapping AJAX status requests.
- Synchronized script blocking and Google Consent Mode settings from the CookieStart dashboard when opening WordPress settings.
1.1.4
- Kept WordPress authentication sessions alive by rotating expiring tokens during the scheduled integration heartbeat.
- Retried the heartbeat once with a refreshed access token after an authorization failure before using API-key fallback.
- Reduced the size of onboarding illustrations while preserving high-density display quality.
1.1.3
- Separated and domain-scoped runtime settings and runtime configuration caches to prevent incompatible cached responses.
Screenshots
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FAQ
CookieStart: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 18, 2026
Is CookieStart free?
Yes. CookieStart is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is CookieStart safe to use in 2026?
CookieStart is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 8 hours ago, and scores 68/100 on our health check.
How many websites use CookieStart?
CookieStart is active on 10+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 407 times since it launched in August 2026. It was downloaded 164 times in the last 30 days.
Does CookieStart work with WordPress 7.1?
CookieStart is officially tested up to WordPress 7.0.7, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does CookieStart need?
CookieStart requires PHP 8.1 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was CookieStart last updated?
The latest version, 1.2.2, was released on October 17, 2026 (8 hours ago).
Who makes CookieStart?
CookieStart is developed and maintained by cookiestart.
What are the best alternatives to CookieStart?
The most popular alternatives to CookieStart are tarteaucitron.io (10K+ installs), UniConsent Cookie Consent C… (2K+ installs) and USERCENTRICS CMP (900+ installs).
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