Small Business Guide to CookieYes: Affordable CMP That Actually Works

I’ve been prompted for the longest time by Google to set up a proper cookie consent banner (CMP) that meets their requirements. For a while I got by with the basic one my Wix website offered, but eventually Google’s persistent reminders — and the reality of GDPR, GA4, and Ads — made it clear I needed to upgrade.

I’ll be honest: price was the biggest factor in choosing a CMP. Most of them are in the same ballpark cost-wise, but the monthly visit allowances can vary wildly. As a small business, you need to know your estimated daily traffic all year round before looking for a CMP and always allow for growth when choosing a CMP platform.

I looked for recommendations on Google and got a list of 5 top choices.

After trying a couple of those platforms, I found CookieYes to strike the right balance of affordability and practicality for my small business. It might not look quite as polished as Usercentrics, but it does the job. I’ve been running it for a while now, so I thought I’d share what worked, the hiccups I ran into, and why I’d still recommend it.

First, a Warning

If you own a website, you now need to be 100% compliant when it comes to cookies and consent. Basic cookie notices are no longer enough under GDPR. And if you want to keep using Google’s tools and ad services, you’ll need to run an approved CMP (Consent Management Platform).

Failure to do so may result in losing access to Google Ads, limited data in Analytics, or even regulatory penalties under GDPR.

With that out of the way, here’s what I actually liked about using CookieYes.

The Good

CookieYes is straightforward to set up, especially if you’re using platforms like WordPress, Wix, or Shopify. You can get a banner live quickly, and it’s easy to customise the design so it fits the look of your site.

The pricing is also reasonable compared to some of the bigger names, which makes it much more attractive if you’re a solo business owner or blogger keeping an eye on costs.

One small job I had was tidying up a few scripts to make sure they were properly categorised. CookieYes flagged these for me after the first site scan, and it only took a couple of minutes to sort them out.

The Great

CookieYes offers a 14 day free trial so you can see for yourself if it is a good fit or not.

The Workaround I Needed

Not everything was smooth sailing. When I first connected it with Google Analytics 4 and my Meta Pixel, I ran into an issue:

Google’s scripts were loading before CookieYes had the chance to tell them whether consent was granted.
That meant GA4 showed errors and risked firing before a visitor had actually agreed to cookies.

The fix was simple enough once I figured it out. Using an AI for help, I added a custom HTML snippet directly into the <head> of my website to set Google’s consent defaults, and I changed the order so CookieYes was read first, and Google second.

This was just my personal fix, so if you’re not comfortable editing code, I’d recommend checking the CookieYes support docs or asking a developer for help.

That little swap made the difference however – CookieYes could block or allow tags at the right moment, and Google saw the correct consent state straight away. Since then, everything has worked as it should. Google Analytics took a further 24 hrs or so to catch up and now says I have no issues.

I have no problem with having to do a little work in the beginning as long as the monthly rate is reasonable and in this case with CookieYes, it is.

CookieYes vs Usercentrics

For me, CookieYes wins on price, simplicity, and the way their visitor counter lines up with my other analytics. Usercentrics has a slicker interface, no setup issues and may be easier to use if you don’t mind paying more, but for most small businesses, CookieYes does the job without the heavy overhead.

When I tested Usercentrics, I noticed the visitor numbers didn’t always seem to tally with my other analytics tools on a daily basis. It’s possible I had something misconfigured, but in my case, the bill jumped from around €7 to €30 in the second month, which I couldn’t sustain as a small business.

By contrast, I’m quite happy now with CookieYes at $10 per month — affordable, predictable, and it works for my needs.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I’ve had a positive experience with CookieYes. It wasn’t perfect out of the box, but with one small tweak it’s been running smoothly ever since. If you need a GDPR-compliant cookie banner and don’t want to spend a fortune, it’s a solid option.

I have signed up to the CookieYes referral program and I'd be grateful for anyone to use it and help out a fellow small business owner. It won't cost you a penny unless you continue your subscription after the free trial and if you are a small business or website developer you won't want to quit.

👉 Here’s my affiliate link if you’d like to give CookieYes a try.

Affiliate link – I may earn a small commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you.

Thanks for Reading

David,

Disclaimer

Affiliate disclosure: I’ve signed up to the CookieYes affiliate programme. If you sign up through my link, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Everything in this post is based on my own experience running CookieYes on my site. If you’re not comfortable editing code, always consult the CookieYes support docs or a developer before making changes.

About the Author

I’m David Condon, a blog writer and small business owner based in Tralee, Co. Kerry. After years of working for myself in woodcraft and teaching woodturning, I started this blog to share ideas, experiences, and finds that go beyond the workshop. From tech gadgets to life in Ireland, you’ll find a mix of personal stories, reviews, and opinions — all grounded in real day-to-day life.

If you'd like to know more, you can follow the link in the Note from the Author section below.

💬 Note from the Author
This is a brand new post, written specially for Blogger. If you’ve enjoyed it, feel free to explore some of the other posts here — or check out my main site, David Condon Woodcraft, where I focus more on woodturning and handmade pieces.
If you’d like to support the blog, you can do so via the Buy Me a Coffee button below. It helps keep this little side project going — thank you!

Search This Blog

David Condon Finds