Free cookie banners: 10 questions to ask before you choose

A useful free cookie banner combines clear visitor choices with the tools to manage the setup behind them. A long list of ticks tells you less than a few precise answers about limits, control and cost.

The table sums up each question with Passiro’s current answer. The sections below explain what to check and link to the detail where a topic needs more room.

1. Is it a plan or a trial?

Ask whether the offer ends, whether a payment card is required and what happens afterwards. A trial can be a good way to evaluate software, but it is not the same as an ongoing cost of zero.

Passiro Free is not a trial. It needs no credit card and does not turn into a paid subscription. Free plan vs free trial explains the difference between the two offer types.

2. What happens when traffic grows?

Find the definition of a billable visitor or page view. Ask whether exceeding an allowance changes the bill, disables the banner or triggers another limitation.

Passiro includes unlimited visitors on every plan, with no traffic-based fees. That describes traffic, not every part of the product: scanning, consent history and exports have defined allowances. Unlimited visitors and scan limits explains how traffic and scanning differ.

3. What does the scanner actually cover?

A page limit, a scan frequency and an on-demand allowance are three different things. Compare all three: a weekly scan of 100 pages is not interchangeable with a monthly scan of 500.

Passiro Free includes monthly automatic scans of up to 500 pages. Weekly scans, larger scans and on-demand scans start with Pro. A scan shows what was found on the pages and under the conditions checked; it is not proof that every visitor journey was tested.

4. Does it control tags as well as show a banner?

Check what stops optional scripts before permission and how categories are assigned. Ask how manually embedded tools and unknown scripts are handled.

Passiro includes automatic script and cookie blocking on every plan. To compare providers, use the same test website with the tools you actually use and follow our Reject all test. Seeing the intended behavior tells you more than a feature name.

5. Is Consent Mode v2 included?

If you use GA4 or Google Ads, examine how the banner communicates consent choices and how you will verify the mapping. Ask about both defaults and updates.

Passiro includes Google Consent Mode v2 on every plan, including Free. For what it means for your reporting, start with our Consent Mode guide for marketers.

6. Can the banner fit the website?

Look beyond a color picker. Check the mobile layout, readable controls, translated text and the preference panel. Try a long business name and longer button labels before deciding.

Passiro Free includes the visual banner editor and 25 banner languages. Your own logo and removing Passiro branding need Pro or above, so include them in the comparison if they matter to your brand.

7. What evidence can you retrieve?

Consent history, lookup and exports are not the same thing. Ask how long records remain available, how you find a single record and which dates you can export on each plan.

Passiro Free includes up to 13 months of consent history and exports of the last 30 days in CSV, JSON or PDF. Pro and Business extend both periods. Consent history and export periods compares them plan by plan.

8. Which regional and advertising requirements apply?

A small service business using analytics has different needs from a publisher monetizing advertising inventory. Identify the signals, frameworks and vendor integrations you need before comparing plans.

Every Passiro plan includes geo-targeting and Global Privacy Control (GPC) handling. IAB TCF v2.4 and GPP are included on Pro and above, not on Free, and neither is the same as Google Consent Mode v2. If you serve Google ads as a publisher, check Google’s EU User Consent Policy separately.

9. Who handles changes and support?

Decide who reviews new trackers, investigates a failed test and maintains the cookie information. Software can reduce the work; someone still needs to own the result.

Then check the support channels. Passiro Free includes the Support Center and community support. Email support starts with Pro, and Business adds priority email support.

10. What would make an upgrade worthwhile?

Write down an actual trigger: your own logo, IAB TCF, more scan capacity, a longer export window or API access. “We might grow” is too vague to justify paying for everything now.

As a guide, Pro adds your own logo, removal of Passiro branding, IAB TCF v2.4 and GPP, weekly scans of up to 750 pages and email support. Business adds scans of up to 5,000 pages, a 36-month export window and API access.

Pro costs $10 and Business $30 per domain per month, billed monthly. Compare the current plan features and allowances before choosing. If Free does the job, stay on Free.