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Legal · head to head

Cookiebot vs Private Internet Access

Cookiebot logo

Cookiebot

Legal

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
P

Private Internet Access

Cybersecurity

Long-standing VPN service with a large server network and flexible multi-year plans

From
$11.99/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.; Private Internet Access monthly plan is priced noticeably higher than the discounted multi-year commitments, penalizing short-term users.
  • They diverge on capability: Cookiebot covers Automated cookie scanning, Private Internet Access covers Split tunneling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cookiebot and Private Internet Access actually diverge.

Attributes where Cookiebot and Private Internet Access differ
AttributeCookiebotPrivate Internet Access
Starting priceFree$11.99/month
Pricing modelPer domain per month by subpage countsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebwindows, mac, linux, ios, android
CategoryLegalCybersecurity

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 Private Internet Access

  • Split tunneling
  • Kill switch
  • Ad and tracker blocking
  • Dedicated IP add-on
  • Bundled antivirus add-on

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 Private Internet Access
  • A site using Google Ads and Analytics that must send Consent Mode v2 signals or lose conversion measurement in the EEAnot Private Internet Access
  • An agency managing many small client sites that wants per-domain billing it can pass through at costnot Private Internet Access
  • A content-heavy publisher needing IAB TCF signals passed to advertising partnersnot Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access

  • Encrypting traffic on public Wi-Fi with a kill switchnot Cookiebot
  • Blocking ads and trackers network-wide via MACEnot Cookiebot
  • Maintaining a consistent connection identity with a dedicated IP add-onnot Cookiebot
  • Committing to a long-term plan for a lower effective monthly ratenot 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.

Private Internet Access

  • Monthly plan is priced noticeably higher than the discounted multi-year commitments, penalizing short-term users.
  • Dedicated IP and antivirus are paid add-ons rather than included features.
  • Headquartered in a jurisdiction whose privacy reputation some competitors market against, despite audited no-logs claims.
  • App interface is less streamlined than some higher-priced premium VPN competitors.

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

Private Internet Access

$11.99/month
  • Monthly$11.99/month
    • Billed month to month
    • Full server network access
    • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • 1-Year$3.1/month
    • Billed annually at $37.19
    • Full server network access
  • 2-Year$2.19/month
    • Lowest advertised rate, billed every 2 years
    • Full server network access

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 Private Internet Access if

  • You need split tunneling.
  • You work on windows, mac, linux, ios, android.
  • You also want kill switch.
Private Internet Access review

Questions people ask

Is Cookiebot or Private Internet Access better?
Neither clearly leads. Cookiebot starts at Free and Private Internet Access at $11.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cookiebot or Private Internet Access?
Cookiebot has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Cookiebot and $11.99/month for Private Internet Access.
Does Cookiebot or Private Internet Access run on more platforms?
Cookiebot runs on Web. Private Internet Access runs on windows, mac, linux, ios, android.
Can I use Cookiebot for free?
Yes. Cookiebot has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Private Internet Access starts at $11.99/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 Private Internet Access is typically brought in for.
What can Cookiebot do that Private Internet Access cannot?
Cookiebot covers Automated cookie scanning, Prior blocking, Google Consent Mode v2, IAB TCF support. Private Internet Access covers Split tunneling, Kill switch, Ad and tracker blocking, Dedicated IP add-on.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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