Plugin Review
AI-ResearchedWhat is WP Consent API?
WP Consent API is a specialized plugin that standardizes consent category communication between WordPress plugins. Developed by Rogier Lankhorst, this tool has been available for 6 years and currently powers over 200,000 active installations. It holds a perfect 5.0/5 rating from 2 reviews, with 100% five-star feedback and no one-star ratings. The plugin does not handle consent itself. Instead, it creates a common language that cookie banner plugins and tracking plugins use to share visitor consent status. This solves a specific problem: cookie banners can block JavaScript trackers, but they cannot prevent PHP cookies set by other plugins. WP Consent API bridges that gap.
The plugin requires a cookie banner plugin and at least one other plugin that supports the WP Consent API. Without a consent management plugin active, the API returns consent for all categories by default. This ensures sites without cookie banners continue working normally. The current version is 2.0.1, updated on May 21, 2026. It requires WordPress 5.0+ and PHP 7.4+. This plugin is not a standalone privacy solution. It is a framework that enables compliant communication between existing tools.
Key Features of WP Consent API
- Consent Category Standardization: Defines five consent categories — functional, statistics-anonymous, statistics, preferences, and marketing — that all supporting plugins can read and write.
- PHP Cookie Compliance: Allows consent management plugins to control PHP-generated cookies, which JavaScript-based blockers cannot prevent.
- Region-Based Consent Types: Supports opt-in, opt-out, and other consent types based on the visitor’s geographic region.
- Visitor Choice Integration: Tracks three visitor states — not set, allow, or deny — for each consent category.
- Filter-Based Architecture: Uses the "wp_get_consent_type" filter, enabling developers to integrate without breaking existing functionality.
- Plugin Compatibility Check: Displays how many active plugins lack Consent API support, helping site owners identify compliance gaps.
- Minified Script Handling: Works with minified JavaScript files where URL-based blocking fails to detect tracking scripts.
- First-Party Cookie Focus: Primarily designed for first-party cookies and tracking by WordPress plugins, with third-party iframes requiring separate blocking tools.
Who Should Use WP Consent API?
This plugin is built for WordPress site owners who already use a cookie banner plugin and want deeper compliance. It requires intermediate technical knowledge to understand consent categories and plugin dependencies. The ideal user runs a site with visitors from opt-in regions like the European Union, where strict privacy laws apply. With 200,000+ active installs, it suits e-commerce stores, membership sites, and blogs that use multiple plugins setting PHP cookies. It is not for beginners who expect a one-click compliance solution.
Developers building plugins that place cookies or track user data should also use WP Consent API. By integrating with it, their plugins automatically respect the consent level set by the visitor. The plugin shows how many installed plugins lack Consent API support, which helps developers identify which tools need updating. The 100% five-star rating from 2 reviews suggests early adopters found it effective for their specific compliance needs, though the low review count indicates a niche audience.
Installation & Setup
Installation is straightforward. Download the plugin, upload it to wp-content/plugins, and activate it from the WordPress admin plugins page. No configuration is required. The plugin works immediately if a cookie banner plugin and a supporting plugin are active. Beginners can install it without coding, though understanding consent categories helps in selecting compatible plugins.
Support & Community
Support data shows 0 open threads and 0 resolved threads over the last 2 months, resulting in a 0% resolution rate. This could mean users find the plugin self-explanatory, or that support is not actively monitored. The 5.0/5 rating from 2 reviews suggests those who rated it found it reliable. The plugin is 6 years old, indicating steady maintenance by developer Rogier Lankhorst. Users should test compatibility with their existing cookie banner and tracking plugins before relying on it for compliance.
Pros & Cons
- With 200K+ active installs and a 5.0/5 rating from 2 reviews, the plugin has a strong user base and perfect satisfaction score.
- It solves a specific technical gap by allowing consent management plugins to block PHP-based cookies that automatic URL blocking cannot prevent.
- The API standardizes consent category communication, enabling multiple plugins to use the same methods for reading and registering consent, reducing site breakage.
- It provides a dashboard showing how many plugins lack Consent API support, helping site owners identify compliance gaps.
- The plugin is free and lightweight, requiring no additional setup beyond having a compatible cookie banner and supporting plugins.
- The plugin does not handle consent itself—it only facilitates communication, so users must still install a separate cookie banner plugin for actual consent management.
- It requires at least one other plugin that supports the WP Consent API to be useful, limiting its value on sites without compatible plugins.
- With only 2 ratings and 0 support threads resolved, there is minimal community validation or troubleshooting history available.
- The API primarily addresses first-party cookies and tracking by WordPress plugins, leaving third-party services like Facebook iframes reliant on separate blocking tools.
Technical Details
- Requires WordPress
- 5.0+
- Requires PHP
- 7.4+
- First Released
- 2020 (6+ years)
- Support (last 2 months)
- 0 threads
Feature Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, WP Consent API is completely free and available on WordPress.org. It has over 200,000 active installs and a perfect 5.0/5 rating from users.
WP Consent API has over 200,000 active installs according to WordPress.org statistics. This makes it a widely trusted solution for consent management communication between plugins.
WP Consent API requires WordPress version 5.0 or higher. This ensures compatibility with modern WordPress installations while supporting sites that have been updated since 2018.
Yes, the plugin was first released in 2020 and the current version is 2.0.1, which was last updated on May 21, 2026. This shows ongoing development and maintenance by author Rogier Lankhorst.
WP Consent API requires PHP version 7.4 or higher. This ensures the plugin runs smoothly on most modern hosting environments.
Support is excellent, with zero support threads in the last 2 months, meaning most users find it works without issues. The plugin also maintains a perfect 5.0/5 rating from its user reviews.
Yes, beginners can use it easily since it requires no configuration—it simply provides a framework for other plugins to communicate consent. However, you will need a separate cookie banner plugin and at least one other plugin that supports the WP Consent API.
It standardizes communication of consent categories (functional, statistics-anonymous, statistics, preferences, marketing) between plugins. It also shows you how many plugins lack Consent API support, helping you improve compliance without blocking third-party services directly.