Our verdict: TrustArc is a global privacy platform built for large enterprises that manage compliance across dozens of countries, on the web and on mobile. For an SME, a startup, an online store or an agency that needs a GDPR-compliant cookie banner, FlowConsent does the job with public pricing, instant sign-up and a ten-minute setup. Choose TrustArc if the IAB TCF, mobile SDKs or global data governance are essential.
What is a CMP and why do you need one?
A consent management platform (CMP) helps a website comply with the GDPR, the ePrivacy Directive and other privacy laws (CCPA, LGPD). It is used to:
- Show a banner that collects consent before any non-essential cookie
- Block trackers until the visitor accepts
- Make refusing as simple as accepting
- Record choices and keep proof of consent
- Pass consent signals to Google, Microsoft and ad partners
Without a CMP, your website risks fines of up to €20 million or 4% of worldwide annual turnover. Yet the right tool depends heavily on the size of the organisation: an SME and a multinational have neither the same needs nor the same budget.
FlowConsent at a glance
What is FlowConsent?
FlowConsent is a French consent management platform built to make GDPR compliance accessible to SMEs, startups, agencies and online stores. Everything is self-service: sign-up, banner configuration and installation, without talking to a salesperson.
The FlowConsent philosophy
FlowConsent focuses on cookie consent and does it well: a compliant banner, blocking before consent, automatic scanning, a consent log and Google Consent Mode v2. Prices are public and billing is per session.
FlowConsent strengths
Instant access
- Free online sign-up, no credit card
- No mandatory demo, no annual contract
- Up and running in about ten minutes, without Google Tag Manager
Transparent pricing
- Free plan up to 25,000 sessions per month
- €14.99/month excl. VAT up to 100,000 sessions, with 3 domains
- Enterprise plan on quote for high volumes
The essentials, automated
- Google Consent Mode v2 enabled in one click
- Microsoft UET Consent Mode
- Automatic cookie scanning and a catalogue of more than 7,000 services
- Automatic cookie policy updates
European roots
- French company
- Paid plans hosted on our European servers
- Free plan deployed through your own Cloudflare account
TrustArc at a glance
What is TrustArc?
TrustArc is one of the pioneers of data privacy. The company was founded in 1997 as TRUSTe, then known for its online privacy trust seals, and renamed TrustArc in 2017. Based in Walnut Creek, California, it reports more than 1,200 customers in over 25 countries, including very large technology and industrial groups.
On 3 October 2025, TrustArc was acquired by Main Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in The Hague that specialises in enterprise software. The company has said it plans to expand its product suite and grow its presence in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
The TrustArc philosophy
TrustArc does not sell a simple banner: it is a privacy and AI risk management platform, in which the Cookie Consent Manager is only one building block. Its approach targets the legal and compliance departments of large organisations that must handle many regulations at once, document their processing and prove compliance worldwide.
TrustArc strengths
Global regulatory coverage
- More than 100 jurisdictions supported
- Visitor location detection to apply the right rules
- Nearly thirty years of privacy expertise
Leading advertising compliance
- IAB TCF 2.2 and GPP supported
- Google-certified CMP, Gold partner for web and mobile
- Google Consent Mode supported
Advanced scanning technology
- Detection of first-party, third-party and piggybacking trackers
- Scanning behind login pages and in dynamic content
- Automatic categorisation and a proprietary tracker risk database
A complete ecosystem
- Mobile SDKs and integrations (Firebase, AppsFlyer, Singular, Airbridge)
- CMS and tag manager integrations (WordPress, Shopify, Drupal, Webflow, Tealium, Adobe, Segment)
- WCAG 2.2 Level AA accessibility advertised
- Other modules: data governance, subject rights requests, preference management, TRUSTe certifications
TrustArc limitations
Opaque pricing
- No public prices, quote required
- You go through the sales team before you can start
- No free plan advertised
Built for large enterprises
- A breadth of features often unnecessary for an SME website
- Setup that takes more time and expertise
- An interface and vocabulary designed for compliance teams
A US vendor
- Headquartered in California, which requires some European organisations to assess data transfers
- Documentation and support mainly in English
Detailed pricing comparison
FlowConsent pricing
FlowConsent charges per 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 included
- FlowConsent branding visible
- Google Consent Mode v2 and Microsoft UET Consent Mode
- 13-month consent log
- Cookie scanning (1 per week)
Pro plan (€14.99/month excl. VAT)
Everything in Free, plus:
- Up to 100,000 sessions per month
- 3 domains and subdomains included
- 90-day consent statistics
- 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
- Setup handled by our team
- Priority support with a dedicated CSM
TrustArc pricing (October 2026)
TrustArc publishes no prices on its website. The Cookie Consent Manager, like the rest of the platform, is sold on quote after contacting the sales team. The price depends in particular on:
- The modules selected (cookie consent, preferences, data governance, subject rights requests)
- The number of domains and mobile apps
- The geographical and regulatory scope
- The level of support required
What this means for you
Case 1: SME with a site of 20,000 sessions per month
- FlowConsent: free (Free plan)
- TrustArc: on quote
- With FlowConsent, you are compliant the same day, with no commitment
Case 2: online store with 80,000 sessions per month
- FlowConsent: €14.99/month excl. VAT, or €179.88 per year (Pro plan)
- TrustArc: on quote
- The FlowConsent cost is known in advance, with no annual commitment
Case 3: agency with 3 client sites
- FlowConsent: €14.99/month for all 3 domains (Pro plan)
- TrustArc: on quote, depending on the number of domains
Case 4: international group with dozens of sites and apps
- FlowConsent: Enterprise plan on quote, focused on the web (mobile SDK in beta)
- TrustArc: on quote, with mobile SDKs, IAB TCF and global governance
- At this level, TrustArc brings features FlowConsent does not offer
Since TrustArc has no public prices, we do not publish a savings percentage: compare against a real quote.
Installation and setup
Installing FlowConsent
Step 1: create your account (2 minutes)
- Free sign-up, no credit card
- Create your first project
Step 2: configure the banner (5 minutes)
- Automatic site scan
- Choose template, colours and texts
- Check cookie categories
- Turn on Google Consent Mode v2 with a toggle
Step 3: install the script (3 minutes)
- Copy the generated script
- Paste it in the head tag of your site
- Publish and test
Total: about 10 minutes.
Installing TrustArc
- Contact the sales team and attend a demo
- Scope the project, receive a quote and sign the contract
- Get platform access and configure your domains
- Scan your sites and review tracker categorisation
- Configure rules per jurisdiction and the banner
- Integrate the script on the site or through a tag manager
- Configure the IAB TCF, GPP and Google Consent Mode if needed
- Integrate the SDKs into your mobile apps where relevant
This process suits a global rollout led by a project team; it is measured in days or weeks rather than minutes.
Using TrustArc? Check what is really running on your site. FlowConsent scans your site to detect every active third-party service, then turns the result into a compliant banner in one click. Scan my site for free: no installation, no commitment, results in 1 to 3 minutes.
Feature comparison
GDPR and regulatory compliance
| Feature | FlowConsent | TrustArc |
|---|---|---|
| GDPR compliance | Yes | Yes |
| Consent log | Yes, 13 months | Yes |
| Google Consent Mode v2 | Yes (toggle) | Yes |
| Microsoft UET Consent Mode | Yes | Not specified |
| IAB TCF | Coming soon | Yes (2.2) |
| IAB GPP | No | Yes |
| Google-certified CMP | No | Yes (Gold) |
| Jurisdictions covered | GDPR and ePrivacy | More than 100 |
Verdict: TrustArc covers far more regulations and advertising standards; FlowConsent covers the essentials for a European website.
Functional scope
FlowConsent
- Banner and blocking before consent
- Automatic cookie scanning
- A catalogue of more than 7,000 services, classified automatically
- Consent log and statistics
- Automatic cookie policy updates
TrustArc
- Cookie Consent Manager for the web
- Mobile SDKs for apps
- Preference and consent management beyond cookies
- Data governance, impact assessments, subject rights requests
- TRUSTe certification and verification services
Verdict: TrustArc is a compliance platform; FlowConsent is a specialised CMP.
Cookie scanning and management
FlowConsent
- Scheduled automatic scanning (weekly on Free, daily on Pro)
- Automatic classification
- Automatic blocking before consent
TrustArc
- Scanning of first-party, third-party and piggybacking trackers
- Scanning behind login pages and forms
- Proprietary tracker risk database
Verdict: TrustArc goes further for complex sites with logged-in areas.
Ease of use
FlowConsent
- Simple interface for non-technical users
- Self-service configuration
- No training needed
TrustArc
- Rich interface designed for compliance teams
- Guided implementation
- Longer learning curve
Verdict: FlowConsent is quicker to pick up for a small team.
Hosting and sovereignty
FlowConsent
- French company
- Paid plans hosted on European servers
TrustArc
- US company, owned since 2025 by a Dutch investment firm
- European hosting options are mentioned publicly: check data location in your contract
Verdict: FlowConsent has the edge for organisations that prefer a European vendor.
Switching from TrustArc to FlowConsent
If you find that TrustArc goes beyond what you need, the switch takes a few simple steps:
- Check your contract. Note the end date and the notice period to avoid an automatic renewal.
- Export your consent records. Keep the TrustArc history to answer any audit covering past periods.
- Take stock of your trackers. Run a FlowConsent scan and compare it with the TrustArc categorisation.
- Configure the FlowConsent banner. Carry over your categories, texts and cookie policy.
- Swap the script. Replace the TrustArc script with the FlowConsent one in the head tag, then test your Google Consent Mode v2 signals.
If you rely on the IAB TCF or TrustArc's governance modules, do not move those uses to FlowConsent: there is no equivalent today. For mobile apps, the FlowConsent SDK is still in beta.
Use cases: who should choose what?
Choose FlowConsent if...
- You are an SME, a startup or an online store. You need a compliant banner, not a governance platform.
- You want to start today. Online sign-up, ten-minute setup, no demo.
- You want a predictable budget. Free up to 25,000 sessions, then €14.99/month.
- Your audience is mainly European. The GDPR and ePrivacy are your main framework.
Typical profiles: SMEs, startups, web agencies, online stores, Webflow and no-code sites.
Choose TrustArc if...
- You are an international group. Your sites and apps reach dozens of jurisdictions.
- You have mobile apps. SDKs and Google mobile certification are required.
- The IAB TCF is essential today. You monetise through programmatic advertising.
- You run a full privacy programme. Data inventory, impact assessments and subject rights in one tool.
Typical profiles: multinationals, large technology groups, international media publishers, structured legal and compliance departments.
Final verdict: our recommendation
For most sites: FlowConsent
- Public pricing: free up to 25,000 sessions, then €14.99/month up to 100,000 sessions
- Instant start: no demo, no annual contract
- Ten-minute setup: without Google Tag Manager
- A European vendor: paid plans hosted in Europe
For large international organisations: TrustArc
- Coverage of more than 100 jurisdictions
- IAB TCF 2.2, GPP and Google Gold certification
- Mobile SDKs and advanced scanning
- A complete privacy governance platform
Try FlowConsent for free and simplify your compliance.
Summary table
| Criterion | FlowConsent | TrustArc |
|---|---|---|
| Public pricing | Yes | No (on quote) |
| Free plan | Up to 25,000 sessions/month | Not advertised |
| Price for 100,000 sessions | €14.99/month excl. VAT | On quote |
| Getting started | Self-service, instant | Through the sales team |
| Setup time | About 10 min | Project of days to weeks |
| IAB TCF | Coming soon | Yes (2.2) |
| Google-certified CMP | No | Yes (Gold) |
| Mobile SDKs | Beta (Android, iOS) | Yes |
| Jurisdictions | GDPR and ePrivacy | More than 100 |
| Data governance | No | Yes |
| Vendor | French | American |
| Target | SMEs, startups, agencies, online stores | Large international enterprises |
Conclusion
TrustArc is a long-standing and respected privacy player, with a platform that covers far more than cookies: data governance, subject rights requests, certifications and compliance in more than 100 jurisdictions. For a large international group with mobile apps and a compliance team, it is a solid option.
For the vast majority of European websites, that level of sophistication is not needed. FlowConsent provides a GDPR-compliant banner, a consent log, automatic scanning and Google Consent Mode v2, with public prices, no demo and no commitment.
Ready to get started?
- Try FlowConsent for free: free up to 25,000 sessions per month, no credit card.
- Contact TrustArc for a demo and a quote tailored to your scope.
Need help choosing? Book a demo for a free audit of your site and a personalised recommendation.