Cookie Control vs FlowConsent: which CMP to choose in 2026?

Our verdict: Cookie Control is a solid, proven CMP and very affordable for a single high-traffic site, especially in its Premium edition. FlowConsent stands out on different ground: instead of only inventorying cookies, it verifies what actually fires after a refusal, monitors your pages over time and archives the proof. Add a free plan up to 25,000 sessions and 3 domains for €14.99/month, and it is the more relevant choice for SMEs and agencies that need to demonstrate compliance.

What is a CMP and why do you need one?

A Consent Management Platform (CMP) is the tool that lets a website comply with the GDPR, the ePrivacy Directive and, in the United Kingdom, UK GDPR and PECR. It is used to:

• Display a compliant consent banner
• Collect and record visitors' choices
• Block non-essential cookies and trackers until consent is given
• Keep proof of consent in case of an audit
• Pass those choices on to third-party tools such as Google Ads or Google Analytics

An installed banner proves nothing on its own, though. What matters to a regulator is what really happens when a visitor refuses: a pixel added by the marketing team or a site-builder setting switched back on is enough to leak data. Without a reliable CMP, a site risks fines of up to €20 million or 4% of global turnover.

Cookie Control and FlowConsent both handle the banner and consent collection. They differ in pricing model and, above all, in how they check that the banner is actually respected.

FlowConsent overview

What is FlowConsent?

FlowConsent is a French consent management solution positioned as an accessible alternative to premium CMPs. It combines a compliant banner with compliance verification and monitoring tools.

FlowConsent's philosophy

For FlowConsent, the question is not just "is my banner in place?" but "what happens when a visitor refuses?". The tool therefore loads your pages while refusing consent, lists what still runs, then monitors those pages and alerts you the day one of them starts leaking.

FlowConsent's strengths

Post-refusal verification

• Pages loaded in a real browser, from the EU (eu-central-1), while refusing consent
• List of what still fires: tracker domains contacted, non-essential cookies and storage, including on a second navigation
• Verdict per page: Compliant, Warnings or Violations
• Cookieless Google Consent Mode pings recognised as compliant, never counted as violations
• Up to 5 representative pages suggested per run, one per template (home, product page, article)

Monitoring over time

• Pages re-verified automatically, every 7 days by default
• Email and webhook alert as soon as a compliant page regresses
• Every verification archived and dated: verdict, screenshot, request log

Guided setup

• Setup assistant that checks your live page
• Google Consent Mode v2 in one click, Microsoft UET Consent Mode supported
• Official MCP server to drive FlowConsent from an AI assistant

Simple pricing

• Free up to 25,000 sessions per month, deployed through your Cloudflare account
• €14.99/month excl. VAT up to 100,000 sessions, 3 domains included
• Monthly billing in euros, no commitment

Cookie Control overview

What is Cookie Control?

Cookie Control is the consent management solution from CIVIC (Civic Computing Ltd), a company founded in 2001 in Edinburgh. CIVIC describes itself as the first vendor to bring a solution for the EU cookie law to market. Cookie Control runs on more than 200,000 websites, including those of Mozilla, Channel 4, Volkswagen Group, the NHS and the University of Oxford.

Two distinct editions

Cookie Control v9

• Explicit consent model: optional cookies are not set before consent, but blocking depends on your configuration
• Configuration in the user area and in code, changes deployed with your site's code
• Built-in scanner limited to individual pages, on paid licences
• Full-website scanner as an add-on, from £50 + VAT per year
• No extra cost for traffic or subdomains

Cookie Control Premium

• Auto-blocking of third-party cookies, scripts and iframes until consent
• Visual configuration wizard, no JavaScript file to maintain
• One-click publishing with preview
• Automated scanning with audit reports and suggested configuration, capped by tier
• Unlimited page views, sessions and subdomains, 2 staging domains included
• Privacy policy generation
• Priority support

Cookie Control's strengths

• Price independent of traffic: unlimited page views and sessions on Premium, no traffic surcharge on v9
• Recognised standards: Google-certified platform (TCF ID 259), registered with IAB Europe, WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility in both editions
• A downloadable consent log in both editions
• A free option with v9 Community, for those who can configure blocking themselves
• Useful integrations: Google Tag Manager template, WordPress and Drupal plugins
• Strong credibility with the UK public sector

Cookie Control's limitations

• Auto-blocking and site scanning are Premium-only. On v9, your configuration decides what is blocked, and full-site scanning is a paid add-on.
• Scan volume depends on what you pay: 700 URLs on SM, 4,000 on MD, 8,000 on LG, unlimited only on Enterprise.
• The scan inventories, it does not test refusal: it lists cookies and suggests a configuration, without a report on what still fires after a refusal.
• No monitoring with regression alerts is mentioned on the pricing page.
• Annual licences in pounds sterling, excluding VAT, with no monthly option.

Detailed pricing comparison

FlowConsent pricing

FlowConsent bills by session. Full details are on the pricing page.

Free plan (€0)

• Up to 25,000 sessions per month, deployed through your Cloudflare account
• 1 domain, FlowConsent branding visible
• Google Consent Mode v2 and Microsoft UET Consent Mode
• 13-month consent log
• 1 cookie scan per week

Pro plan (€14.99/month excl. VAT)

Everything in Free, plus:

• Up to 100,000 sessions per month
• 3 domains and subdomains
• 90-day consent analytics
• 1 cookie scan per day
• Up to 5 languages, 3 banners and 10 users per workspace

Enterprise plan (custom quote)

• Sessions billed according to your traffic
• Domains on request
• Unlimited banners, scans and users
• Priority support with a dedicated CSM

Cookie Control pricing (October 2026)

All prices are in pounds sterling, excluding VAT, per licence per year.

Every Premium plan includes unlimited page views, sessions and subdomains, 2 staging domains, the visual wizard, one-click publishing, privacy policy generation and priority support.

Pricing scenarios

The two solutions bill in different currencies and over different periods. Here is the cost in a few concrete situations (FlowConsent prices excl. VAT), without percentages that would depend on the exchange rate.

Scenario 1: small site (15,000 sessions per month, 1 domain)

• FlowConsent: free, with auto-blocking
• Cookie Control: free on v9 Community (blocking per your configuration, no scanner), or £75 + VAT per year on Premium SM for auto-blocking
• FlowConsent advantage: auto-blocking included at no cost

Scenario 2: mid-sized site (60,000 sessions per month, 1 domain, under 700 pages)

• FlowConsent: €14.99/month excl. VAT, or €179.88 per year (Pro)
• Cookie Control: £45 + VAT per year (v9 PRO) or £75 + VAT per year (Premium SM)
• Cookie Control advantage on price, if yearly payment suits you

Scenario 3: agency with 3 separate sites (90,000 sessions per month in total)

• FlowConsent: €14.99/month for all 3 domains (Pro)
• Cookie Control: £249 + VAT per year (v9 Multi-site), or 3 × £75 = £225 + VAT per year if one Premium licence per site is needed
• FlowConsent advantage: one monthly subscription, verification and monitoring included

Scenario 4: large site (500,000 sessions per month, 3,000 pages)

• FlowConsent: Enterprise plan on quote
• Cookie Control: £185 + VAT per year (Premium MD, unlimited traffic)
• Cookie Control advantage: its price does not depend on traffic

In short, Cookie Control is cheaper for a single high-traffic site. FlowConsent wins below 25,000 sessions, for several sites managed together, and whenever you want to prove that refusal is respected.

Inventory scan or refusal verification: the real difference

This is the point that sets the two tools apart the most.

Cookie Control scans to inventory. On Premium, the scan crawls your site, lists cookies and suggests a configuration, with audit reports. Its reach depends on the tier: 700, 4,000 or 8,000 URLs, unlimited only on Enterprise. On v9, the built-in scanner is limited to individual pages on paid licences, and full-site scanning is an add-on from £50 + VAT per year.

FlowConsent verifies what runs after a refusal. The verification loads your pages in a real browser, from the EU, while refusing consent, then lists what still fires: tracker domains, non-essential cookies and storage, including on a second navigation, where a badly stored choice typically leaks. Each page gets a verdict, and cookieless Consent Mode pings are not penalised.

To be precise: FlowConsent does not scan every URL. Each run covers up to 5 representative pages, one per template. Because tags usually fire per template (a pixel on the checkout page, an embedded video on articles), this approach catches leaks without crawling the whole site.

FlowConsent monitors over time. Pages added to monitoring are re-verified automatically, every 7 days by default. If a compliant page regresses, you get an email and a webhook event. Every verification is archived with its verdict, a screenshot and the request log: the dated proof you hand to your DPO or an auditor.

In theory the two approaches complement each other, but if your priority is to demonstrate that refusal is respected, FlowConsent answers that question directly.

Installation and setup

Installing FlowConsent

Step 1: create your account (2 minutes)

• Sign up and create your project

Step 2: configure the banner (5 minutes)

• Pick a template, adjust colours and copy
• Turn on Google Consent Mode v2 in one click

Step 3: install and check (3 minutes)

• Paste the script into your site's <head>
• The setup assistant checks your live page
• Run a refusal verification on your representative pages

Total: about 10 minutes, with no Google Tag Manager.

Installing Cookie Control

On v9

• Configuration in the user area and in code
• Changes deployed with your site's code
• Integration through Google Tag Manager, WordPress, Drupal or JavaScript

On Premium

• Site scan, then approval of the suggested configuration
• Visual configuration wizard, no JavaScript file to maintain
• Preview, then one-click publishing

The Premium edition makes setup much simpler. On v9, configuring blocking correctly requires technical skills.

Using Cookie Control? Check what actually runs on your site. FlowConsent scans your website to detect every active third-party service, then turns the result into a compliant cookie banner in one click. Scan my site for free: no installation, no commitment, results in 1 to 3 minutes.

Feature comparison

Verdict: Cookie Control leads on certifications, accessibility and unlimited traffic. FlowConsent stands out with post-refusal verification, monitoring with alerts and archived proof, plus auto-blocking from the free plan.

Use cases: who should choose what?

Choose FlowConsent if...

• You need to prove that refusal is respected. Verdict per page, screenshot and request log archived.
• Your site changes often. Monitoring alerts you when a new tag leaks.
• Your site gets fewer than 25,000 sessions per month. Auto-blocking included, at no cost.
• You manage up to 3 sites. One subscription at €14.99/month.
• You prefer paying monthly in euros.

Typical profiles: SMEs, startups, agencies, e-commerce, Webflow and no-code sites, DPOs who want evidence.

Choose Cookie Control if...

• Your single site has high traffic. The price does not depend on page views.
• You are a UK public body. Cookie Control is a reference in that sector.
• Accessibility is a requirement. WCAG 2.2 AA in both editions.
• You need a staging environment. 2 domains included on Premium.
• You can configure blocking yourself and want a free or very cheap option with v9.

Typical profiles: UK councils and public services, universities, high-traffic media.

Final verdict: our recommendation

To prove compliance: FlowConsent

• Post-refusal verification in a real browser from the EU, verdict per page
• Recurring monitoring with email and webhook alerts
• Dated proof: verdict, screenshot, request log
• Free up to 25,000 sessions, then €14.99/month for 3 domains

For high traffic at a low price: Cookie Control

• Premium from £75 + VAT per year, unlimited traffic
• Auto-blocking, visual wizard and one-click publishing on Premium
• Google-certified, registered with IAB Europe, WCAG 2.2 AA
• More than twenty years of experience

Cookie Control is a reliable, well-priced solution, especially Premium for a high-traffic site. FlowConsent meets a different requirement: knowing, with evidence, that your banner is really respected, today and in the weeks that follow.

Try FlowConsent for free and verify your compliance.

Summary table

Conclusion

Choose FlowConsent if you want a banner that is free up to 25,000 sessions, 3 domains for €14.99/month, and above all the certainty that nothing fires after a refusal, with monitoring and dated proof.

Choose Cookie Control if your priority is a fixed price for a high-traffic site, WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility or UK GDPR compliance in the public sector. In that case, go for the Premium edition to get auto-blocking and scanning.

Ready to get started?

• Try FlowConsent for free: free up to 25,000 sessions per month, no credit card required.
• See the Cookie Control editions on cookiecontrol.com: free v9 Community, Premium from £75 + VAT per year.

Need help choosing? Book a demo for a free audit of your site and a personalised recommendation.