OneTrust vs. Zest
OneTrust is the enterprise choice: consent across web, mobile, and connected TV, IAB certified, sold by a sales team. Zest is an open-source consent toolkit for the web: one 16KB script, no contract.
Head to head
| OneTrust | Zest | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Enterprise contracts, reported entry around $1,100+/month for consent management | Free forever |
| Open source | No | Yes, MIT |
| Sales process | Sales-led, scoping calls, contract negotiation | Download and paste |
| Compliance coverage | IAB TCF certified, GDPR, CCPA, global frameworks, web + mobile + CTV | GDPR, UK GDPR, 19 US state laws, LGPD, PIPL and more via geo rules, Google Consent Mode v2, GPC (web) |
| Setup | Weeks to months, often with services involvement | Minutes: paste the script |
| Weight | Heavier script, tag-manager integration, template system | 16KB, self-hostable |
| Consent records | Enterprise audit-grade logging | On the visitor’s device, nothing leaves your site |
| Scale target | Hundreds of domains, privacy teams | One site to dozens |
Where OneTrust wins
- Cross-channel consent: web, mobile apps, and CTV in one system.
- IAB TCF certification for large EU publishers.
- Audit-grade records and governance for regulatory examinations.
- A full privacy program suite: DSARs, data mapping, vendor risk.
Where Zest wins
- Zero procurement: no sales call, no contract, no vendor review.
- Free forever on unlimited domains and traffic.
- Open source and self-hostable, no vendor to outlive.
Pick OneTrust if
You have a dedicated privacy office, run programmatic EU publishing needing TCF, or must orchestrate mobile and CTV consent under one roof.
Pick Zest if
You need web consent and nothing more. Paying enterprise money for a banner is procurement theater; Zest covers the web layer completely, free. A hundred-domain deployment is a hundred paste-ins, not a contract. Try the playground.
FAQ
Can Zest replace OneTrust’s web consent module? For the banner and script gating, yes: categories, blocking, Consent Mode v2, GPC, geo rules. It does not replace OneTrust’s cross-channel, audit, or program management.
Does OneTrust have a free plan? There is a limited free tier historically, but the product is sold through enterprise contracts quoted per deal.
Who is OneTrust for? Large organizations with privacy teams, audit requirements, and multi-channel consent needs. If none of that describes your site, it is more tool than the problem calls for.
* 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.