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Cookiescript Vs Enterprise Cmps

CookieScript vs. Enterprise CMPs: When Do You Really Need to Spend Thousands on Compliance?

All major data privacy laws require businesses and websites to inform users about their data collection practices and obtain user consent for the collection and processing of their data. A Cookie Banner is the most common mechanism to obtain user consent.

Consent Management Platforms (CMPs) help businesses and website owners to provide cookie banners and obtain and store user consent. Implementing a CMP on your website is essential. CMPs ensure you manage user consent effectively while remaining compliant with global privacy laws.

There are many CMPs available, making it challenging to choose the right one for your business. Should you use enterprise CMPs, costing thousands of dollars each month, or stick to a simpler solution like CookieScript CMP that costs just a few dollars a month?

If you run a small website or a large enterprise, you may ask: what are the differences between CookieScript vs. enterprise CMPs and are these differences worth thousands of extra dollars each month?

Do you need a whole enterprise CMP? Is CookieScript enough?

Let’s compare CookieScript vs. enterprise CMPs to see their differences and key benefits.

What Is a CMP and Why Do Businesses Need One?

A Consent Management Platform (CMP) is software that helps websites and apps collect, manage, and store user consent for cookies and personal data collection, ensuring compliance with privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA. CMPs display consent banners to users, allowing them to accept or decline the collection of their data.

CMPs record user consent, which can be used for user tracking, advertising purposes, or similar, both by the website itself or third parties.

Implementing a CMP on your website is crucial for effectively managing user consent while ensuring compliance with global privacy laws. It increases transparency for users and helps organizations avoid legal penalties by demonstrating adherence to data protection regulations.

A CMP allows websites and apps to perform these functions:

  1. Delivery of cookie notice
    A Cookie Banner delivers a cookie notice, where you can clearly explain what data is being collected, for what purposes, and other relevant details.
  2. Cookie categorization
    CMPs automatically sort cookies into categories such as strictly necessary, functional, and marketing.
  3. Implementation of user choices
    Users can accept or reject cookies, local storage, and other website trackers.
  4. Storage of consent preferences
    CMPs store consent preferences that could be needed for audits by relevant authorities.
  5. Website configuration
    Your site adapts based on the user’s choices. Some cookies are loaded on users’ devices, while other categories of cookies are blocked, depending on whether consent was given or not.

The Role of Consent Management in GDPR, CCPA, and Global Privacy Laws

The first comprehensive data privacy law, the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), came into force in 2018. It is one of the strictest online privacy laws globally, regulating how businesses handle user data. Since then, the GDPR has influenced many privacy laws in different countries.

Privacy regulations aren’t limited to Europe anymore, now practically every major market has its own privacy framework:

  • Europe (GDPR & eprivacy Directive) 
    Sets requirements such as transparency, legitimate interest, purpose limitation & data minimization principles, as well as data safety. The laws require explicit consent before placing cookies that track users.
  • California (CCPA/CPRA)
    Demands transparency, opt-outs, and “Do Not Sell My Data” options.
  • Brazil (LGPD) 
    Largely influenced by the GDPR, with strong user rights and penalties for non-compliance.
  • China (PIPL)
    Requires obtaining clear, informed, and voluntary consent before collecting or using Personal Information of Chinese citizens. explicit consent is needed for the collection of sensitive Personal Information.
  • Canada (PIPEDA and Law 25)
    Federally, Canada still uses PIPEDA, which allows implied consent, meaning that it is enough to inform users about data management practices. Law 25, active in Quebec, requires explicit consent for cookies and other trackers, meaning that users have to actively agree with the use of cookies.
    Penalties for non-compliance with Law 25 could reach CAD 25 million or 4% of global revenue. It may sound complicated, but that’s the reality.
  • Other regions
    From South Africa’s POPIA and Australia's Privacy Act of 1988 to Japan's APPI, privacy laws are becoming the global norm, with different requirements and mandates for compliance.

A CMP helps unify compliance across jurisdictions. Instead of building custom banners for each law, you can implement one system that dynamically adapts based on visitors’ locations.

How CMPs Protect Your Business From Fines

Regulators around the world are cracking down on businesses that misuse personal data or fail to get proper consent. Recent examples include:

Even if you’re not a giant like Meta, Google, Amazon, or TikTok, the risk is real.

Actually, most of the fines for GDPR non-compliance are in the range of €600-1000 up to €20,000-100,000, that were issued against small or medium-sized businesses.

The GDPR Enforcement Tracker tracks publicly reported GDPR fines and enforcement actions across EU member states. There, you can check GDPR fines and enforcement by a country, a violation type, and other parameters.

CMPs protect businesses by:

  • Informing users about their data management practices.
  • Logging consent records for proof of compliance.
  • Preventing automatic script loading unless consent is granted.
  • Updating script behavior after users change their consent choices.
  • Reducing the chance of accidental data misuse.

For small businesses, fines can be devastating. For enterprises, the penalties are huge, and the reputational damage could hurt even more than the penalty itself. Either way, a CMP is cheaper than a lawsuit.

Not sure if your website uses cookies and tracks users without obtaining Cookie Consent, which could result in penalties. Scan your website for free to see all your website cookies and other trackers in use:

Advantages and Drawbacks of Enterprise CMPs

Enterprise CMPs are expensive. Why do some companies spend $20,000+ per year on enterprise CMPs?

Let’s evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of enterprise CMPs.

Advantages of enterprise CMPs

  1. Advanced compliance coverage
    Constant updates for regional privacy laws and their changes (e.g., each U.S. state has its own laws, some of which are already effective, while others will come into force independently).
    Have in-house legal and compliance teams.
    Built-in legal expertise and enforcement logic.
  2. Advanced customization and branding
    Fully customizable consent banners across multiple brands, regions, and languages.
    A/B testing of consent choices to optimize acceptance rates.
  3. Scalability
    Designed for global operations with millions of users and dozens of domains.
    Handles high-traffic websites and complex consent combinations.
  4. Deep integration
    Integrations with CRMs, CDPs, website agencies, marketing automation, and ad tech stacks.
    API access for syncing consent data across platforms.
  5. Enterprise-level support
    Dedicated account managers, training, and 24/7 support.
    SLAs (Service Level Agreements), guaranteeing up time and compliance response times.
    Multilingual support.
  6. Audit & Reporting
    Advanced dashboards, BI integration, and automated compliance documentation.
    Streamlined support for DSARs (Data Subject Access Requests).

Drawbacks of enterprise CMPs

However, enterprise CMPs also have some disadvantages:

  1. High cost
    Enterprise CMPs can cost anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.
    Often requires long-term contracts rather than flexible subscriptions.
  2. Complex setup
    Requires technical integration, onboarding, and consulting services.
    Slower and more expensive to implement compared to plug-and-play solutions like CookieScript.
  3. Complex maintenance
    Needs ongoing effort and training to use and manage the platform. This is unnecessary complexity if you only run several sites with moderate traffic.
    Needs ongoing effort and coordination between IT, legal, and compliance teams.
  4. Vendor lock-in
    Switching CMP providers is often difficult and costly once integrations are in place.
    Legal and operational reliance on one vendor can limit flexibility.

CookieScript: A Cost-Effective Consent Management Solution

Not every business needs a heavyweight enterprise CMP. CookieScript focuses on being lean, user-friendly, and budget-conscious, while still covering global compliance frameworks.

It’s an easy-to-implement tool that can be set up in minutes. You select the settings on a cookie banner through the CookieScript dashboard, insert a script on your site, run a Cookie Scanner to detect cookies, and launch a banner that complies with GDPR, CCPA, and other regulations.

CookieScript pricing plans start from as little as €8 per month/ per domain for basic features up to €19 per month/ per domain for a complete set of features for full GDPR compliance.

This budget-conscious and easy CMP implementation makes CookieScript especially attractive to:

  • Startups trying to stay compliant from day one.
  • Small e-commerce shops that need to comply and avoid fines.
  • Mid-sized SaaS companies looking for a reliable but affordable CMP.

Key Features of CookieScript for Small and Mid-Sized Businesses

CookieScript provides the essentials most companies need for full compliance with data privacy laws globally:

CookieScript is a Google-certified CMP Partner with Gold Status, reflecting its high standards in Cookie Consent management.

CookieScript- Google CMP partner

Note that many lean and budget CMPs offer basic features. However, only CookieScript CMP offers advanced features like geo-targeting, scanning of local storage and session storage, self-hosted code, cookie banner sharing, cross-domain cookie consent sharing, and the CookieScript API. Thus, while still remaining easy-to-implement and budget-conscious, CookieScript CMP offers most of same features as enterprise CMPs.

CookieScript CMP is evaluated by users on peer-review sites. In 2024, CookieScript CMP was ranked by users on G2 as the best CMP for small and medium-sized companies.

Pricing and Ease of Setup

One of CookieScript’s biggest advantages is its pricing model. Plans are transparent and scale based on traffic or the number of domains, making it tailored for businesses at different growth stages.

CookieScript offers one of the best pricing plans on the market, starting with just €8 /month/domain for the entry-level (Lite Plan). The Plus pricing plan includes all features and costs €19 /month/domain. It is best suited for small and medium-sized companies.

 

Setup is also easy to implement:

  1. Create an account.
  2. Customize your banner.
  3. Add a short script to your site.
  4. Scan your site and publish.

In less than an hour, most businesses can transition from “no compliance” to “fully covered.” Enterprise solutions often require long onboarding, developer involvement, and lengthy implementation timelines.

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CookieScript vs. Enterprise CMPs: A Feature Comparison

Let’s summarize the features of CookieScript vs. enterprise CMPs:

Compliance coverage

CookieScript: Covers all major global laws (GDPR, CCPA, LGPD, etc.). With the help of geo-targeting, it selects the right cookie banner based on user location and the relevant jurisdiction.

Enterprise CMPs: Covers all major global laws (GDPR, CCPA, LGPD, etc.). With the help of geo-targeting, it selects the right cookie banner based on the user’s location and the relevant jurisdiction.

 

User experience and branding

CookieScript: Good banner customization, available in 42 languages.

Enterprise CMPs: Fully brandable, multilingual, adaptive experiences.

 

Ease of implementation and use

CookieScript: Easy to implement and use.

Enterprise CMPs: Both setup and maintenance are complex, requiring technical integration, onboarding, and consulting services. Maintenance requires ongoing effort and training to use and manage the platform.

 

Integration

CookieScript: Offer integrations with CRMs, website agencies, marketing automation, and ad tech stacks with GTM manager and API access.

Enterprise CMPs: Offer integrations with CRMs, CDPs, website agencies, marketing automation, and ad tech stacks with GTM manager and API access.

 

Support

CookieScript: Instant support via email or chat.

Enterprise CMPs: Dedicated account managers, training, and 24/7 support, available in multiple languages.

 

Analytics and reporting

CookieScript: Reporting includes features like cookie scans completed, accept, reject, and ignore rates of your cookie banners, and other data. Additionally, CookieScript can be easily integrated with Google Analytics. 

Enterprise CMPs: Advanced analytics, consent performance testing, and integration with BI dashboards.

 

Cost

CookieScript: Plans cost a fraction of enterprise pricing. The Plus pricing plan includes all features and costs just €19 /month/domain.

Enterprise CMPs: Enterprise CMPs can cost anywhere from tens of thousands of dollars to hundreds of thousands annually and often require long-term contracts.

 

In conclusion, both CookieScript and Enterprise CMPs offer advanced features needed for full global compliance. Each of them has its advantages and drawbacks. CookieScript covers all major privacy laws, offers multiple integrations, is easy to set up, and has user-friendly cost, but it lacks 24/7 support. Enterprise CMPs offer 24/7 support with in-house legal and compliance teams and advanced analytics, but the setup and maintenance are complex and much more expensive than CookieScript CMP.

When to Choose a Lower-Cost CMP Like CookieScript?

Lower-cost CMPs like CookieScript come at a fraction of the price of enterprise CMPs. Still, it covers all major privacy laws, offers multiple functionalities and integrations, and is easy to set up and maintain.

CookieScript CMP is usually enough if you:

  • Operate several websites in one region or globally.
  • Don’t work in heavily regulated industries like finance, healthcare, or government.
  • Want a CMP that is easy to set up and maintain.
  • Want a budget-friendly CMP.
  • Are a marketing agency and want a customizable cookie banner with the banner sharing option.

In conclusion, if your business is small to mid-sized, CookieScript could be the best option for you.

In 2025, CookieScript received its fourth consecutive badge in a row as the leader on G2, a peer review site, and became the best CMP on the market for an entire year! 

When You Need a Dedicated Enterprise CMP?

Enterprise CMPs make sense if you:

  • Manage global operations with multiple websites, apps, and user bases.
  • Work in heavily regulated industries like finance, healthcare, or government.
  • Need deep integrations with marketing tech, CRMs, and analytics.
  • Require dedicated compliance support and formal SLAs.

In conclusion: If your risk exposure is high and your operations complex, it makes sense to spend thousands on an enterprise CMP instead of a couple of euros for a small CMP.

 

Conclusion: Choosing the Right CMP for Your Business Needs

The decision between CookieScript and an enterprise CMP comes down to scale, risk, and resources.

Not every company needs to spend thousands on consent management. The smarter move is to assess your actual compliance requirements and invest only as much as your business truly needs.

  1. For most SMEs, startups, and e-commerce businesses
    CookieScript delivers the right balance of compliance, speed, affordability, and ease of use. You’ll get a compliant consent management tool for as little as €8 per month/ per domain for basic features or for €19 per month/ per domain for full compliance.
  2. For global enterprises working in heavily regulated industries
    Even if it is much more costly, it is complex to set up and maintain, and you are locked-in on one vendor, enterprise CMPs could justify their cost and other drawbacks by reducing risk, offering scalability, and integrating into complex data ecosystems.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the advantages of an enterprise CMP over a budget CMP?

Both enterprise and budget CMPs have their advantages and drawbacks. A budget CMP like CookieScript covers all major privacy laws, offers multiple integrations, is easy to set up, and the cost is user-friendly, but lacks 24/7 support. Enterprise CMPs could offer 24/7 support with in-house legal and compliance teams and advanced analytics, but the setup and maintenance are complex and much more expensive than CookieScript CMP.

What to choose: a budget CMP or an enterprise CMP?

A budget CMP like CookieScript is usually enough for most SMEs, startups, and e-commerce businesses: CookieScript delivers full compliance, speed of implementation, affordability, and ease of use. Global enterprises working in heavily regulated industries like healthcare or government, should use enterprise CMP, even if they are much more expensive and more complex to implement and maintain.

Is a budget Consent Management Platform (CMP) reliable?

It depends. CookieScript CMP is a reliable CMP, offering a comprehensive solution that complies with multiple privacy laws, features multiple integrations, is easy to set up, and has a price starting from as little as €8 per month per domain. CookieScript CMP could be the optimal choice for most SMEs, startups, and e-commerce businesses. Global enterprises, working in heavily regulated industries like healthcare or government, should use enterprise CMP.

What are the drawbacks of enterprise CMPs?

Enterprise CMPs are expensive (can cost from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands annually), have complex setup and maintenance, and switching CMP providers is often difficult and costly once integrations are in place. A budget-friendly CMP like CookieScript does not have the above-mentioned drawbacks, and comes at a fraction of the price of an enterprise’s CMP.

How do CMPs protect your business from fines?

CMPs like CookieScript protect businesses by informing users about their data management practices, logging consent records for proof of compliance, preventing automatic script loading unless consent is granted, updating script behavior after users change their consent choices, and reducing the chance of accidental data misuse.

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