Cookiebot vs. Zest
Cookiebot, by Usercentrics, is a long-running certified CMP that prices per domain by subpage count and is known for its automatic cookie scanner. Zest is an open-source consent toolkit: one 16KB script, no page-based pricing.
Head to head
| Cookiebot | Zest | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan (1 domain, up to 50 subpages), paid from $8/month scaling with subpage count up to $96/month | Free forever |
| Open source | No | Yes, MIT |
| Pricing basis | Subpages per domain | Nothing: no pages, no traffic, no domains metered |
| Compliance coverage | GDPR, ePrivacy, Google Consent Mode, IAB TCF options | GDPR, UK GDPR, US state laws, LGPD, PIPEDA and more via the geo gateway, Consent Mode v2, GPC |
| Setup | Account, dashboard, script paste or CMS plugin | Paste one script in your <head> |
| Weight | External script from cookiebot.com | 16KB, self-hostable |
| Cookie scanning | Automatic scanner with auto-generated cookie declaration | Manual: you list your trackers |
| Consent records | Server-side consent logs | On the visitor’s device, nothing leaves your site |
| Languages | 47+ | 12, auto-detected |
Where Cookiebot wins
- The automatic cookie declaration writes your policy documentation for you.
- Certified CMP for Google Consent Mode and IAB TCF options.
- CMS plugins for most platforms, including official directories.
Where Zest wins
- No page-count pricing: the more content you publish, the more you pay Cookiebot to stay compliant. Zest has no such incentive.
- Free on unlimited subpages, domains, and traffic.
- Open source, self-hostable, no phone-home.
Pick Cookiebot if
You want the scanner to document a site full of third-party tags, and your site fits inside the 50-subpage free plan.
Pick Zest if
You prefer that the price of compliance does not grow with your content. Beyond the free tier’s 50 subpages, Cookiebot is a monthly per-domain bill for as long as the site exists; Zest is the same job at the same size for nothing. Try the playground.
FAQ
How does Cookiebot’s subpage pricing work? Plans are priced per domain by the number of subpages scanned: free covers 50, paid tiers scale from $8 to $96 per month per domain.
Does Zest have a cookie scanner? No. You know your own stack; the policy generator drafts the policy from your answers, and the banner blocks what you list.
Can I migrate from Cookiebot to Zest? Yes: generate a snippet in the playground, replace the Cookiebot script, remove the plugin. Visitor choices reset once.
* Pricing and plan details for third-party products change often. This page reflects what we could verify on October 21, 2026 — check the vendor's current pricing before you decide.