Borlabs Cookie vs. Kakapo Consent: What a Banner Has to Deliver
A cookie banner can be set up in ten minutes. Whether it delivers on its promise is decided in three places: whether scripts are really blocked before someone consents; whether consent can be proven later; and whether the banner notices when a new tool is added.
The short answer
Borlabs Cookie is widely used in German-speaking countries and comes with many ready-made templates for common services. Kakapo Consent focuses on the log: granular per-cookie consent, script blocking until consent is given, a scanner, and proof that can be exported.
Script blocking is the real work
A banner that only asks and blocks nothing is decoration: the script has long since set its cookie by the time the visitor sees the button. So the question for any consent plugin is whether it holds back scripts before consent — and what happens to embedded content that goes missing as a result.
Kakapo Consent holds back scripts and replaces blocked embeds with a placeholder through which the content can be unlocked individually. An empty white box with no explanation is the most common complaint after a banner is installed.
Where the two differ
| Question | Borlabs Cookie | Kakapo Consent |
|---|---|---|
| Ready-made service templates | many, maintained | Scanner finds what's actually running |
| Consent per cookie | depends on edition | granular, cookie by cookie |
| Proof export | depends on edition | log with export |
| Cookie scanner | available | available, also finds new additions |
| Google Consent Mode v2 | supported | supported |
| IAB TCF | depends on edition | supported |
| Legal text generator | available | available |
| Locally hosted Google Fonts | via extra steps | dedicated section in the plugin |
| Access per role | administrator capability | own capability, can be granted to other roles |
Proof is the part nobody thinks about
The GDPR requires that consent be demonstrable. In practice, that means: if someone asks two years from now, you have to be able to say when who consented to what, and which text was shown there at the time. A banner that only sets a cookie with “yes” can't do that.
Before buying, check whether the log can be exported — and actually take a look at an export. Proof you can't get out isn't proof when it matters.
What happens when a new tool is added
The typical mistake isn't the setup but the six months after it: someone adds a chat window, and the banner knows nothing about it. That's why a scanner that runs regularly and reports what's been added is more important than a long list of prebuilt templates.
When Borlabs Cookie is the better choice
- You want to cover as many services as possible with ready-made templates
- Your team already knows the tool and the setup is well established
- You don't need integration with other building blocks
When Kakapo Consent is the better choice
- You need proof that is exportable and readable
- You want consent to be possible per individual cookie, not just per group
- You want your editorial team to be able to maintain the banner without being administrators
- You use other Kakapo plugins and want one license
Frequently asked questions
Can I carry over existing consents?
Does the plugin also block what the theme loads?
Do I need TCF?
Does a banner protect me from cease-and-desist letters?
Kakapo Consent — pay once, use forever.
All nine plugins for €149 once instead of €13 a month. Secure payment via Stripe. For the first 14 days: problem fixed or money back.
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