vgdevsolutions

<p><strong>VGDev Cookie Banner for Consent Mode v2</strong> is a lightweight, self-hosted GDPR cookie consent solution that integrates natively with Google Consent Mode v2, Google Tag Manager (GTM) and Google Analytics 4 (GA4).</p>
<p>All consent signals start as <code>denied</code> and are updated in real time based on the visitor’s choices — fully compliant with Google’s requirements for EU markets.</p>
<h4>Key Features</h4>
<ul>
<li>✅ <strong>Google Consent Mode v2</strong> — all 7 consent signals managed automatically</li>
<li>✅ <strong>Google Tag Manager (GTM)</strong> — head snippet + body noscript injected automatically</li>
<li>✅ <strong>Google Analytics 4 (GA4)</strong> — standalone gtag.js support (when GTM is not used)</li>
<li>✅ <strong>GDPR Compliant</strong> — consent defaults to denied before any tracking occurs</li>
<li>✅ <strong>Multilingual Privacy Policy</strong> — set a different privacy policy URL per language</li>
<li>✅ <strong>29 built-in languages</strong> — auto-detected via WPML, Polylang or WordPress locale</li>
<li>✅ <strong>Performance Mode</strong> — lazy loads the banner after user interaction (boosts PageSpeed score)</li>
<li>✅ <strong>Force Consent</strong> — block the page until the user makes a choice</li>
<li>✅ <strong>Fully customizable</strong> — colors, layout, position, floating button, and more</li>
<li>✅ <strong>Self-hosted</strong> — no external consent management platform needed</li>
<li>✅ <strong>Lightweight</strong> — no jQuery dependency for the front-end script</li>
</ul>
<h4>Google Consent Mode v2 Signals</h4>
<p>The plugin manages all required consent signals:</p>
<ul>
<li><code>ad_storage</code></li>
<li><code>ad_user_data</code></li>
<li><code>ad_personalization</code></li>
<li><code>analytics_storage</code></li>
<li><code>functionality_storage</code></li>
<li><code>personalization_storage</code></li>
<li><code>security_storage</code></li>
</ul>
<h4>Consent Categories</h4>
<ul>
<li><strong>Necessary</strong> <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> <code>security_storage</code></li>
<li><strong>Functionality</strong> <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> <code>functionality_storage</code>, <code>personalization_storage</code>, <code>security_storage</code></li>
<li><strong>Analytics</strong> <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> <code>analytics_storage</code>, <code>security_storage</code></li>
<li><strong>Marketing</strong> <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> <code>ad_storage</code>, <code>ad_user_data</code>, <code>ad_personalization</code>, <code>personalization_storage</code></li>
</ul>
<h4>Multilingual Support</h4>
<p>Works out of the box with WPML, Polylang and WordPress locale. You can also set per-language privacy policy URLs so visitors always see the privacy page in their own language.</p>
<h4>Performance Mode</h4>
<p>Enable lazy loading to load the cookie banner only after the first user interaction (scroll, click, mouse move or touch). Since Google PageSpeed Insights does not simulate interactions, the banner will not appear in the performance audit — significantly improving your Core Web Vitals score.</p>
<h4>Built-in Languages</h4>
<p>English, Greek, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovenian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Finnish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Russian, Ukrainian, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic.</p>
<h3>External Services</h3>
<p>This plugin connects to external services provided by Google when the site administrator configures a Google Tag Manager (GTM) Container ID or a Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Measurement ID in the plugin settings.</p>
<h4>Google Tag Manager (GTM)</h4>
<p>When a GTM Container ID is entered in the plugin settings, the plugin loads the Google Tag Manager JavaScript snippet from Google’s servers. This happens on every front-end page load.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>What it does:</strong> Loads the GTM container script so that tags configured inside GTM (analytics, advertising, etc.) can fire according to consent status.</li>
<li><strong>What data is sent:</strong> The GTM Container ID and standard browser information (IP address, user agent, page URL, referrer) are sent to Google’s servers when the script is loaded. Additional data may be collected depending on the tags configured within GTM by the site administrator.</li>
<li><strong>When it is sent:</strong> On every front-end page load, after the consent defaults have been set.</li>
<li><strong>Service provider:</strong> Google LLC</li>
<li><strong>Terms of Service:</strong> <a href="https://www.google.com/analytics/terms/tag-manager/" rel="nofollow ugc">https://www.google.com/analytics/terms/tag-manager/</a></li>
<li><strong>Privacy Policy:</strong> <a href="https://policies.google.com/privacy" rel="nofollow ugc">https://policies.google.com/privacy</a></li>
</ul>
<h4>Google Analytics 4 (GA4) via gtag.js</h4>
<p>When a GA4 Measurement ID is entered and no GTM Container ID is configured, the plugin loads the Google Analytics gtag.js script from Google’s servers.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>What it does:</strong> Loads the GA4 measurement script to collect website analytics data (page views, events, etc.) according to consent status.</li>
<li><strong>What data is sent:</strong> The GA4 Measurement ID and standard browser information (IP address, user agent, page URL, referrer) are sent to Google’s servers. Analytics data (page views, session data, events) is only collected according to the visitor’s consent choices.</li>
<li><strong>When it is sent:</strong> On every front-end page load, after the consent defaults have been set. Actual analytics data collection depends on user consent.</li>
<li><strong>Service provider:</strong> Google LLC</li>
<li><strong>Terms of Service:</strong> <a href="https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/terms/us/" rel="nofollow ugc">https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/terms/us/</a></li>
<li><strong>Privacy Policy:</strong> <a href="https://policies.google.com/privacy" rel="nofollow ugc">https://policies.google.com/privacy</a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Note:</strong> No data is sent to any external service by this plugin unless the site administrator explicitly configures a GTM Container ID or GA4 Measurement ID. The cookie consent preferences are stored locally in the visitor’s browser and are not transmitted to any external server.</p>


VGDev Cookie Banner for Consent Mode v2

GDPR cookie consent banner with Google Consent Mode v2, GTM & GA4 integration. Lightweight, self-hosted, multilingual, fully customizable.

mariastellatech

<p>Stella Cookies is a WordPress cookie consent plugin for managing a cookie banner, consent categories, and third-party content controls for analytics, marketing, and embedded services.</p>
<p>The plugin includes support for Google Consent Mode v2, configurable consent categories, script blocking patterns, iframe blocking, cookie policy content, and a built-in shortcode for displaying your cookie policy and cookie declaration page.</p>
<p>It is built for site owners who need a configurable cookie banner and for developers who need flexible controls for consent-based script loading.</p>
<h4>Free Features 🚀</h4>
<ul>
<li>Enable or disable the cookie banner from one settings screen.</li>
<li>Support for Google Consent Mode v2 workflows.</li>
<li>Block analytics and marketing scripts until consent.</li>
<li>Optional strict prior blocking for uncategorized third-party scripts.</li>
<li>Configure statistics and marketing script patterns.</li>
<li>Configure allowlist patterns for trusted scripts.</li>
<li>Optional iframe blocking for embedded third-party content.</li>
<li>Consent version control for resetting consent after policy changes.</li>
<li>Cookie Policy content editor.</li>
<li>Cookie declaration list for transparency pages.</li>
<li><code>[stella_cookies_policy]</code> shortcode for policy and consent reset display.</li>
<li>Banner design templates and custom styling controls.</li>
<li>Button text, color, and font size customization.</li>
<li>Preference manager with necessary, statistics, and marketing controls.</li>
<li>Floating badge option to reopen consent controls.</li>
<li>Live admin preview for banner design changes.</li>
<li>In-admin help guide and system status summary.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Who It Is For</h4>
<ul>
<li>Website owners who need a configurable consent banner.</li>
<li>Agencies managing privacy compliance across client sites.</li>
<li>Developers who need finer control over script loading behavior.</li>
<li>Businesses that want a clean free plugin and an upgrade path to advanced compliance workflows.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Upgrade to Pro⚡</h4>
<p>Stella Cookies Pro extends the free plugin with advanced compliance tools including cookie scanning, staged scan review, scan history, email alerts, consent logs, analytics reporting, geo targeting, Global Privacy Control support, GTM sync, and additional banner branding controls.</p>
<h3>External services</h3>
<p>This plugin does not make direct HTTP requests to any external service or API on its own.</p>
<p>However, the plugin includes built-in script-blocking pattern lists that reference well-known third-party domain strings. These strings are used <strong>locally</strong> to match and block scripts loaded by your own site before consent is granted. No data is sent to these domains by the plugin itself.</p>
<p>The following third-party domains are referenced in the built-in blocking pattern defaults:</p>
<h4>Google Tag Manager / Google Analytics</h4>
<p>Pattern used: <code>googletagmanager.com/gtag</code>, <code>google-analytics.com</code></p>
<p>These patterns allow the plugin to identify and block Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager scripts until the visitor consents to the Statistics category.</p>
<p>If your site loads Google tags, those tags will connect to Google’s servers. Please refer to Google’s own terms and privacy policy:<br />
* Terms of Service: https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/terms/us/<br />
* Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy</p>
<h4>Meta (Facebook) Pixel</h4>
<p>Pattern used: <code>connect.facebook.net</code></p>
<p>This pattern allows the plugin to identify and block Facebook/Meta Pixel scripts until the visitor consents to the Marketing category.</p>
<p>If your site loads the Meta Pixel, it will connect to Meta’s servers. Please refer to Meta’s own terms and privacy policy:<br />
* Terms of Service: https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/businesstools<br />
* Privacy Policy: https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/</p>
<h4>Other built-in patterns</h4>
<p>The plugin also includes built-in blocking patterns for other common analytics and advertising services including <code>clarity.ms</code> (Microsoft Clarity), <code>hotjar.com</code>, <code>doubleclick.net</code> (Google Ads), <code>googleadservices.com</code>, <code>googlesyndication.com</code>, <code>ads-twitter.com</code>, <code>platform.twitter.com</code>, <code>tiktok.com</code>, <code>snap.licdn.com</code>, <code>ct.pinterest.com</code>, <code>matomo</code>, <code>plausible.io</code>.</p>
<p>All of these patterns are used solely to match and block third-party scripts on your own site. The plugin itself does not transmit any data to these services. Data transmission to these services only occurs after the visitor grants consent, or if the scripts are loaded by other means outside the plugin’s control.</p>
<h3>Developer API (Hardcoded Scripts)</h3>
<p>The safest and most WordPress-native way to load scripts is using <code>wp_enqueue_script()</code>. Stella Cookies will automatically detect and block these enqueued scripts based on your consent settings.</p>
<p><strong>Please do not paste raw <code><script></code> tags directly into your theme templates (<code>header.php</code>, <code>footer.php</code>, etc.).</strong> Hardcoded raw scripts cannot be reliably blocked without causing conflicts with other plugins.</p>
<p>If you are a developer and absolutely must output a script manually, please use the provided helper functions. These functions will automatically enforce the user’s consent choice without rewriting the whole page.</p>
<p><strong>For external scripts:</strong><br />
    stella_cookies_script( ‘https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’, ‘marketing’ );</p>
<p><strong>For inline scripts:</strong><br />
    <code>php<br />
stella_cookies_inline_script( "<br />
    window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];<br />
    function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}<br />
    gtag('js', new Date());<br />
    gtag('config', 'G-XXXXXXXXXX');<br />
", 'statistics' );</code></p>


Stella Cookies

Cookie banner plugin for GDPR and CCPA with Consent Mode v2, script blocking, iframe blocking, cookie policy shortcode, and banner design controls.

VGDev Cookie Banner for Consent Mode v2 vs Stella Cookies