Platforms
Supported Consent Management Platforms (CMPs)
All CMPs that properly support the Google Consent Mode, are compatible with our platform. The Pixel Manager listens to the consent mode updates sent through the CMP to Google and blocks or unblocks the tracking scripts accordingly.
Many CMPs are certified by Google (certified CMPs). For the certification it is a requirement for the CMP to seamlessly support the Google Consent Mode.
However, we noticed that some of the certified CMPs are listed as certified, but don't actually support the Google Consent Mode updates the way they should.
For you this means that you probably can use any CMP that is certified by Google. But we recommend at least testing the CMP with the Pixel Manager before you start using it in production and if possible use one of the CMPs that we have tested and listed below.
The Pixel Manager does not support Borlabs Cookie or Real Cookie Banner, and we never recommend either of them. Direct support for both was deprecated with version 1.41.1 and has since been removed entirely. Neither appears in the Pixel Manager's interface, and we provide no updates or fixes for them.
Both rely on proprietary consent interfaces instead of implementing any of the three standards the Pixel Manager supports out of the box: Google Consent Mode, the WP Consent API, or our own Consent API. If either of them is in use on your site, switch to one of the CMPs in the table below. The full reasoning is in Borlabs and Real Cookie Banner direct support deprecation notice.
| CMP | PMW score | supported | wp.org | website | * update on save | manual setup required |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookiebot | 103 | ✔️ | link | link | ✔️ | no |
| Cookie Script | 92 | ✔️ | link | link | ✔️ | no |
| CookiePro (by OneTrust) | 90 | ✔️ | link | link | ✔️ | no |
| Iubenda | 89 | ✔️ | link | link | ✔️ | no |
| Complianz Cookie | 88 | ✔️ **** | link | link | ✔️ | no |
| FAZ Cookie Manager | new | ✔️ | link | na | ✔️ | no |
| Cookiefirst | 79 | ✔️ | na | link | ✔️ | no |
| Termly | GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner | 73 | ✔️ | link | link | ✔️ | no |
| CookieYes, GDPR Cookie Consent (Cookie Law Info) | 66 | ✔️ | link | link | ✔️ | no |
| Beautiful and Responsive Cookie Consent | 66 | ✔️ | link | link | ✔️ | no |
| Cookie Compliance | 63 | ✔️ | link | link | ✔️ | no |
| Cookie Confirm | 57 | ✔️ | na | link | ✔️ | no |
| Usercentrics | 55 | no ***** | na | link | ✔️ | no |
| WP Cookie Consent | 50 | ✔️ | link | link | no | no |
| WP Consent API | 33 | ✔️ | link | link | ✔️ | no |
| GDPR Cookie Compliance Plugin by Moove Agency | 20 | ✔️ | link | link | no | no |
| WP AutoTerms | 0 | ✔️ | link | link | no | no |
| EU Cookie Law for GDPR/CCPA | not yet ** | link | na | |||
| GDPR | not yet ** | link | link | |||
| The GDPR Framework By Data443 | not yet ** | link | link | |||
| WF Cookie Consent | not yet ** | link | link | |||
| Responsive Cookie Consent | not yet ** | link | na | |||
| Surbma | GDPR Proof Cookie Consent & Notice Bar | not yet ** | link | link | |||
| DigitalControlRoom | not yet ** | na | link |
* Update on save: The CMP provides an API that allows us to activate all scripts the moment the visitor accepts cookies. That is not possible with all CMPs. This matters when a visitor only visits one page and accepts the cookies. Then we will be able to measure that single page visit. CMPs that don't provide such an API don't allow to measure the first page visit.
** Send us a message if the CMP that you're using is missing on the list or if you want to prioritize the implementation of one of those that have not been implemented yet.
*** Removed from this list: Borlabs Cookie and Real Cookie Banner. Direct support for both was deprecated with version 1.41.1 and has since been removed entirely, so they are not supported and we do not recommend them. See Borlabs and Real Cookie Banner direct support deprecation notice.
**** Complianz Cookie is only supported if category-based consent is enabled (which is the default). Vendor-based consent is not supported.
***** Usercentrics is not supported because it is buggy. Everything explained in this support ticket.
How the Pixel Manager detects your CMP
There are two independent places where the Pixel Manager looks for a CMP, and they answer different questions.
On the storefront, where consent actually gates the tracking scripts, the Pixel Manager runs in the visitor's browser. It reads the consent cookie the CMP writes and listens for the event the CMP fires when the visitor decides. This works for every install mode of the CMP, whether it is a WordPress plugin, a script pasted into the theme, or a snippet loaded from the CMP's console, because the cookie and the event come from the CMP's own code. The per-CMP guides above list the cookie and event for each platform.
In the admin, the "Consent Management Platforms" card in the Pixel Manager settings is built on the server. It checks whether one of a fixed list of WordPress plugins is active: Cookiebot, Complianz, Cookie Notice, Cookie Script, GDPR Cookie Consent, GDPR Cookie Compliance (Moove), CookieYes, Termly and FAZ Cookie Manager. A CMP that is loaded as a script rather than a plugin, and any CMP not on that list (OneTrust and iubenda among them), makes the card read "None detected on this site" even though the storefront integration works. The card is informational and has no effect on tracking.
Order of precedence on a page load. A consent decision the Pixel Manager stored itself, for example one given through the Consent API, is read first. Then the CMPs are checked, and the first one that reports a decision wins. Since version 1.66.0 a decision relayed from a CMP is not stored by the Pixel Manager, so it is read fresh from the CMP on every page load, and records written by earlier versions are cleared.
Defaults before a decision. In Explicit Consent Mode the statistics, marketing and preferences categories are denied until the CMP reports a decision. In implicit mode they are granted until the visitor opts out. Google Consent Mode defaults follow the same rule.
When the consent module cannot load, most often because a caching plugin serves a stale bundle after an update, the Pixel Manager denies everything and logs Consent module failed to load - falling back to deny-by-default. That is deliberate: without a reliable consent signal we would rather lose data than fire tags.
Your CMP shows as "None detected"
Work through this list before contacting support.
- Is your CMP loaded as a script or from a console rather than as a WordPress plugin? Then "None detected" in the admin card is expected. The storefront integration does not depend on the plugin. Confirm it with step 3.
- Is your CMP OneTrust or iubenda? The admin card never lists them. Confirm with step 3.
- Check the storefront with the Console Logger. Open the shop in a private window, logged out of WordPress (tracking is off for administrators by default), append
?pmwloggeronto the URL and open the browser console. The line<CMP name> CMP consent detectedfollowed byCMP consent applied from: <CMP name>confirms detection. See the Console Logger guide. No CMP consent detected. Consent categories remain at defaults.means the banner on your site is not one the Pixel Manager knows. Custom or theme-built banners fall into this group. Either connect the banner through the Consent API, or switch to one of the CMPs in the table.CMP consent applied from: PMW cookie/storagemeans an older decision saved by the Pixel Manager is being used instead of the CMP. Update to 1.66.0 or newer, which no longer stores relayed decisions, or runlocalStorage.removeItem('_pmw_persistent_data')once in the console of your test browser.- Script optimisation and caching. Plugins that delay, defer or combine JavaScript can run the Pixel Manager before the CMP has written its cookie, and "Remove Query Strings" options can serve a stale Pixel Manager bundle after an update. Disable them for the test, purge all caches, and follow Caching and Optimization Exclusions.
- Autoblockers. Some CMPs block scripts until consent. The Pixel Manager protects its own configuration script against Cookiebot, Complianz and iubenda when their WordPress plugin is active. For other CMPs, or script-only installs, add the Pixel Manager to the CMP's allowlist. The Pixel Manager blocks and unblocks the tracking scripts itself.
If the console still shows no detection line, open the CMP's guide above for platform-specific checks and the information to send to support.
The PMW score
The PMW score is a score that we assign to each CMP based on a number of criteria that we listed in our blog post A 2024 Ranking of Top Cookie Banner (Consent Management Platform) Solutions.
Our ranking is based mostly on how well a CMP technically works and how well it sets and follows standards. We don't evaluate the look and feel of the CMPs, their pricing, or their support.
