Borlabs Cookie Alternative: Six Questions Before You Switch

A consent plugin sits on every page and is the first thing a visitor sees. Switching it is therefore more than a simple plugin swap: texts, categories, and proof records all move with it. These six questions clarify in advance whether the alternative is worth the effort.

1. Does it really block before asking?

The test takes one minute: open the page in a private window, open the developer tools, go to the “Network” tab, and watch what loads before you click anything. Whatever already gets through there isn't blocked by the alternative either.

2. Can it handle individual cookies, not just groups?

Groups are convenient but coarse: anyone who rejects “Statistics” also rejects what they might have allowed. Kakapo Consent allows consent per individual cookie — that's more work during setup and fewer disputes afterward.

3. Does it notice when something new is added?

A scanner that ran once during installation is a snapshot. What you need is a movie. Ask: does the scan run on a schedule, and does it report what's new since the last run?

4. What does the visitor see when something is blocked?

A blank white area where a video should be costs more visitors than the banner itself. Check whether the alternative uses placeholders that explain what's missing — and that can be unlocked individually without consenting to everything.

5. Can you get the proof out?

Not “is there a log,” but: can you export it, and is the export readable? For each consent, Kakapo Consent records what was consented to and which text was in effect at that time.

The proof has to show which text was in effect back then — not today's. If the banner text changes, what someone consented to doesn't change retroactively.

6. Who is allowed to maintain the banner?

If only administrators can touch the banner, every text change ends up with the person who has the most permissions. Kakapo Consent comes with its own capability that can be given to other roles — only granting that access stays with the administrator.

Switching in five steps

1. Export the old plugin's log and file it away for the retention period.
2. Install the new plugin, run the scanner, and look at what it finds.
3. Recreate the categories and texts — don't copy them over, check what's still accurate.
4. Test in a private window what loads before consent.
5. Only then deactivate the old plugin; two banners at the same time confuse both visitors and the log.

Frequently asked questions