ABConsent, cheap to start and funded two ways
ABConsent, from Sirdata, is one of the lowest-priced ways into a certified CMP. There is a free allowance, a 14-day trial, and its own site advertises from 23€ a month. Its documentation is clear about defaults too: no category is pre-selected except strictly necessary cookies, which is a more conservative default than some vendors ship. It is IAB Europe certified at TCF v2.2.
Two things deserve a careful read. The meter counts CMP loads — every time your banner is served — so published pricing runs 0€ up to 500 loads, 25€ a month to 50,000, 45€ to 100,000, then 45€ plus 6€ per 100,000 to a million, 100€ plus 5€ per 100,000 to ten million, and 550€ plus 4€ per 100,000 above that. Implementation help is charged by the day, from 450€ for junior to 2,000€ for partner-level. The second thing is the funding model: Sirdata's pricing page says the platform can be used with no direct costs under a data-collection-based arrangement. That may suit an ad-funded publisher perfectly well. If you are a brand whose reason for buying a CMP is to reduce the number of parties collecting data on your visitors, it is the first question to ask, in writing.
Conzent vs ABConsent at a glance
| Conzent | ABConsent | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per site, from a few euros per site per month — and the per-site price drops as you add sites. See current tiers | Per CMP load: free to 500 loads, 25€/mo to 50,000, 45€/mo to 100,000, then 45€ + 6€ per 100,000 to 1 million, 100€ + 5€ per 100,000 to 10 million, 550€ + 4€ per 100,000 above. Its own site advertises from 23€/mo. Implementation days run 450€–2,000€ |
| What happens when you grow | Nothing — no load allowance to exceed, no per-100,000 increment, no surprise line item | The meter runs — every 100,000 additional banner loads adds to the bill, so the cost of your consent banner moves with your traffic |
| GDPR / IAB TCF / Consent Mode v2 | ✓ GDPR, CCPA & 25+ regional laws ✓ IAB TCF v2.4 ✓ Consent Mode v2 (Basic & Advanced) — all included, every plan | IAB Europe certified at TCF v2.2 · nothing pre-selected except strictly necessary cookies · Google Consent Mode is supported, but the public materials don't state the v2 label, so confirm it directly |
| CMS & platform integrations | 6 native integrations: WordPress, Wix, Joomla, Drupal, TYPO3, Umbraco — plus a universal script tag for anything else | Documented tag-manager installation; no official CMS-by-CMS integration list is published |
| Self-hosted / open source | ✓ Yes — OCI, Apache 2.0, one-line installer, unlimited sites and pageviews | ✗ No — no self-hosted or open-source edition is published |
| EU data residency | ✓ Yes — managed cloud data hosted in Germany; self-host it and it never leaves your own server | No data residency statement is published — worth asking about alongside the funding model |
| Free tier | ✓ Free forever if self-hosted; free trial on managed cloud | Yes — 0€ up to 500 CMP loads, plus a 14-day trial. Sirdata also offers the platform with no direct costs under a data-collection funding model |
ABConsent figures are taken from Sirdata's public pricing pages, ABConsent's own site and its published pricing documents, all current in 2026. The amounts differ slightly between sources, and pricing changes — confirm with Sirdata before you switch. See Conzent's current plans.
Switching from ABConsent? Here's what to expect
Moving CMPs follows the same shape whichever vendor you leave: install the new script alongside the old one for a short test window, run a fresh scan to rebuild your cookie categories, configure and preview the banner, then switch the live script and remove the old one. Historical consent records stay with the vendor that collected them and don't transfer — that's normal for any CMP migration rather than anything specific to ABConsent, so plan to start your consent log fresh. One extra step here: if you were on the no-direct-cost arrangement, check what data collection it involved and whether anything needs updating in your privacy notice once it stops.
Why teams switch from ABConsent to Conzent
A bill you can predict
Counting banner loads means a campaign that works, a post that travels or a seasonal peak all land on the invoice in 100,000-load increments. Conzent charges for the number of sites you run, so the cost is the same in a quiet month and a record one.
One funding model, and it's the plain one
Conzent is paid for by subscriptions. There is no version funded by collecting data through your banner. Managed cloud data is hosted in Germany, and if you self-host, your consent data never leaves your own server at all.
An exit that doesn't cost anything
Conzent's core is open source under Apache 2.0. If the commercial relationship ever stops working for you, you can run the same platform on your own server for free instead of starting a vendor search.
Frequently asked questions
How much does ABConsent cost?
It is metered by CMP loads: free to 500 loads, 25€ a month to 50,000, 45€ to 100,000, then 45€ plus 6€ per 100,000 up to a million, 100€ plus 5€ per 100,000 up to ten million, and 550€ plus 4€ per 100,000 above that. ABConsent's own site advertises from 23€ a month, so the sources differ slightly — get your figure confirmed.
Is ABConsent really free?
There is a genuine free allowance of 500 CMP loads and a 14-day trial. Separately, Sirdata's pricing page says the platform can be used with no direct costs under a data-collection-based funding model. That is a real option, but it is a different arrangement from a free plan — ask exactly what data is collected before you choose it.
Which TCF version does ABConsent support?
Its documentation states IAB Europe certification at TCF v2.2, and it pre-selects nothing except strictly necessary cookies. Google Consent Mode is supported, though the public materials don't spell out the v2 label. Conzent runs IAB TCF v2.4 and Consent Mode v2 in both Basic and Advanced on every plan.
Can I self-host ABConsent, and what's the best alternative?
No self-hosted or open-source edition is published. If you want a CMP that is funded only by what you pay for it, priced by site rather than by banner loads, and that you can run on your own server, Conzent's core is Apache 2.0 licensed and free to self-host with unlimited sites and pageviews.