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Legal · head to head

Cookiebot vs ExpressVPN

Cookiebot logo

Cookiebot

Legal

Automated cookie scanning and consent banner for websites, owned by Usercentrics

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
ExpressVPN logo

ExpressVPN

Cybersecurity

Consumer VPN registered in the British Virgin Islands, owned by Kape Technologies since 2021, with repeated third-party audits.

From
$6.67/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Cookiebot has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Cookiebot pricing is per domain and banded by subpage count, so an organisation with many brand domains or a large content site pays many multiples of the 7 euro headline, and the bands are counted from the scan rather than from what you think you publish.; ExpressVPN ownership passed in 2021 to Kape Technologies, formerly Crossrider, whose earlier browser extension platform was widely used to distribute adware, and Kape also owns VPN review publications, so nominally independent rankings a buyer consults may originate inside the same corporate group.
  • They diverge on capability: Cookiebot covers Automated cookie scanning, ExpressVPN covers TrustedServer.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cookiebot and ExpressVPN actually diverge.

Attributes where Cookiebot and ExpressVPN differ
AttributeCookiebotExpressVPN
Starting priceFree$6.67/month
Pricing modelPer domain per month by subpage countsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, Desktop, Mobile, Api
CategoryLegalCybersecurity
FoundedUnknown2009

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Cookiebot

  • Automated cookie scanning
  • Prior blocking
  • Google Consent Mode v2
  • IAB TCF support
  • Consent logging
  • Cookie declaration
  • Multi-language banners
  • Geotargeting

Only in ExpressVPN

  • TrustedServer
  • Lightway protocol
  • Repeated external audits
  • Network Lock
  • Split tunnelling
  • Aircove router
  • Threat Manager
  • Private DNS

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Cookiebot

  • A marketing team that needs a defensible consent record for European visitors without adding privacy engineering headcountnot ExpressVPN
  • A site using Google Ads and Analytics that must send Consent Mode v2 signals or lose conversion measurement in the EEAnot ExpressVPN
  • An agency managing many small client sites that wants per-domain billing it can pass through at costnot ExpressVPN
  • A content-heavy publisher needing IAB TCF signals passed to advertising partnersnot ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN

  • A buyer who wants the largest available body of published third-party audit evidence behind a no-logging claimnot Cookiebot
  • Households wanting whole-network coverage through a router without configuring firmware by handnot Cookiebot
  • Frequent travellers who need connections that survive switching between mobile data and hotel Wi-Fi without droppingnot Cookiebot
  • Non-technical users who want the kill switch and DNS handled correctly by default rather than configurednot Cookiebot

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Cookiebot

  • Pricing is per domain and banded by subpage count, so an organisation with many brand domains or a large content site pays many multiples of the 7 euro headline, and the bands are counted from the scan rather than from what you think you publish.
  • Enterprise features such as single sign-on, banner A and B testing and a dedicated account manager sit on Usercentrics Web CMP rather than on Cookiebot, so growing out of Cookiebot means migrating to a sibling product with its own dashboard and contract.
  • Prior blocking depends on Cookiebot recognising the script, and custom or first-party tags frequently need manual tagging, which means a site can believe it is blocking trackers when it is not until someone audits it.
  • Scans crawl a limited number of subpages per band, so trackers that only appear on deep or gated pages can go undiscovered and unblocked between scans.
  • The free tier carries Cookiebot branding and is limited to one domain and 50 subpages, which makes it a demonstration rather than a workable option for anything but a brochure site.

ExpressVPN

  • Ownership passed in 2021 to Kape Technologies, formerly Crossrider, whose earlier browser extension platform was widely used to distribute adware, and Kape also owns VPN review publications, so nominally independent rankings a buyer consults may originate inside the same corporate group.
  • In 2021 the company's then chief information officer was named in a United States Department of Justice deferred prosecution agreement over work for a foreign government's offensive cyber programme and remained in post, which is a governance fact that sits uncomfortably alongside a product sold entirely on trust.
  • Audits are point-in-time engagements against an agreed scope, so they establish that specified servers and code matched the stated policy when examined, not that the infrastructure behaves the same way today or under different ownership.
  • Several country locations are virtual, meaning the hardware physically sits elsewhere, and after India's 2022 directive requiring VPN providers to retain subscriber data ExpressVPN withdrew its Indian servers, so an Indian connection is routed through hardware in another country, which matters if you need genuine in-country routing.
  • There is no port forwarding and no dedicated IP option, so seeding torrents, hosting a service behind the tunnel and any inbound connection do not work, and users who need those capabilities have to use a different provider.

Pricing, plan by plan

Cookiebot

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 domain, up to 50 subpages
    • Automated scanning
    • Google Consent Mode
  • Premium Lite$7/month
    • 1 domain, up to 50 subpages
    • Custom banner design and logo
    • Multi-language banners
  • Premium Small$15/month
    • Per domain
    • Up to 350 subpages per domain
    • Multiple domains supported
  • Premium Medium$30/month
    • Per domain
    • Up to 3,500 subpages per domain

ExpressVPN

$6.67/month
  • 1 Month$12.95/month
    • 8 devices
    • 94 countries
    • Unlimited bandwidth
  • 12 Months$6.67/month
    • All features
    • 3 months free
    • Best value
  • 6 Months$9.99/month
    • All features
    • 30-day guarantee

Which should you pick?

Choose Cookiebot if

  • You need automated cookie scanning.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want prior blocking.
Cookiebot review

Choose ExpressVPN if

  • You need trustedserver.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile, Api.
  • You also want lightway protocol.
ExpressVPN review

Questions people ask

Is Cookiebot or ExpressVPN better?
Neither clearly leads. Cookiebot starts at Free and ExpressVPN at $6.67/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cookiebot or ExpressVPN?
Cookiebot has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Cookiebot and $6.67/month for ExpressVPN.
Does Cookiebot or ExpressVPN run on more platforms?
Cookiebot runs on Web. ExpressVPN runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile, Api.
Can I use Cookiebot for free?
Yes. Cookiebot has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ExpressVPN starts at $6.67/month.
What is Cookiebot best used for?
Cookiebot is most often used for a marketing team that needs a defensible consent record for european visitors without adding privacy engineering headcount, a site using google ads and analytics that must send consent mode v2 signals or lose conversion measurement in the eea, an agency managing many small client sites that wants per-domain billing it can pass through at cost, a content-heavy publisher needing iab tcf signals passed to advertising partners. Of those, a marketing team that needs a defensible consent record for european visitors without adding privacy engineering headcount and a site using google ads and analytics that must send consent mode v2 signals or lose conversion measurement in the eea are not what ExpressVPN is typically brought in for.
What can Cookiebot do that ExpressVPN cannot?
Cookiebot covers Automated cookie scanning, Prior blocking, Google Consent Mode v2, IAB TCF support. ExpressVPN covers TrustedServer, Lightway protocol, Repeated external audits, Network Lock.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cookiebot: Who owns Cookiebot?

Usercentrics, which acquired the Danish developer Cybot in September 2021. It is sold as Cookiebot by Usercentrics alongside the separate Usercentrics Web CMP.

ExpressVPN: Who owns ExpressVPN?

Kape Technologies, which acquired it in 2021. Kape was previously named Crossrider and also owns CyberGhost, Private Internet Access and Zenmate, along with the review sites vpnMentor and Wizcase.

Cookiebot: What does a real deployment cost?

Between 7 and 90 euros per domain per month depending on subpage count. Ten domains on the medium band is 300 euros a month, not 7.

ExpressVPN: Is the British Virgin Islands jurisdiction actually useful?

It has no mandatory data retention law and is outside the Five, Nine and Fourteen Eyes arrangements, which is the reason it was chosen. It also means limited practical legal recourse for a subscriber, so the jurisdiction protects the company's ability to hold no data rather than protecting you against the company.

Cookiebot: Does it support Google Consent Mode v2?

Yes, and Cookiebot is in Google CMP partner programme, which matters if you run Google advertising into the EEA.

ExpressVPN: Has the no-logs claim been audited?

Yes, repeatedly. PwC and KPMG have examined the no-logging claims and the TrustedServer architecture, and Cure53 has reviewed the applications, extension and protocol. The reports are published.

Cookiebot: Is the free plan usable in production?

Only for a single very small site. It caps at one domain and 50 subpages and shows Cookiebot branding on the banner.

ExpressVPN: Can I torrent with it?

Yes, peer-to-peer traffic is permitted on the network, but there is no port forwarding, so you can download but you cannot accept inbound connections and seeding performance suffers as a result.

ExpressVPN: Does it work in China or similar networks?

Sometimes, using obfuscated connection modes, but no provider can guarantee this and availability changes without warning. Treat it as best effort and have a fallback.

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