Scan any website for cookies
Check GDPR, CCPA & PIPEDA compliance in 30 seconds
How Our Cookie Audit Tool Works
Our cookie audit tool uses advanced browser-based scanning technology to detect cookies exactly as your visitors experience them. Unlike basic cookie scanners that only check HTTP headers, our tool executes JavaScript, loads dynamic content, and captures cookies set by third-party scripts after page load -- giving you a complete picture of your site's cookie footprint.
What Makes Our Cookie Scanning Technology Different
Many free cookie scanning tools only perform a superficial scan -- checking the initial HTTP response headers for Set-Cookie directives. This misses a significant portion of cookies on modern websites, where JavaScript-based analytics platforms, advertising pixels, and consent management platforms set cookies dynamically after the page loads.
Our web cookie scanner takes a different approach. It uses a full headless browser environment that:
- Executes all JavaScript on the page, including deferred and async scripts
- Waits for dynamic content to load, capturing late-firing tracking pixels
- Detects cookies from embedded iframes and third-party domains
- Identifies localStorage and sessionStorage usage alongside traditional cookies
- Checks for fingerprinting scripts that track users without cookies
This browser-based approach ensures our cookie checker catches what simpler tools miss -- giving you confidence that your cookie audit is truly comprehensive.
What Our Cookie Scanner Finds
Comprehensive cookie analysis covering every aspect of compliance
All Cookies Detected
Identifies first-party and third-party cookies, including session cookies, persistent cookies, and secure cookies set by any script on your pages.
Cookie Categorization
Automatically categorizes cookies into necessary, analytics, marketing, and functional categories -- essential for building an accurate consent banner.
Compliance Analysis
Performance Impact
Identifies cookies and scripts that may slow down your website, with optimization suggestions to improve both compliance and page speed.
Security Assessment
Evaluates cookie security settings including HttpOnly, Secure, and SameSite attributes -- flagging any cookies vulnerable to cross-site attacks.
Detailed Audit Report
Generates a comprehensive cookie audit report with prioritized recommendations you can share with your development team or compliance officer.
Cookie Types Explained: What the Scanner Detects
Understanding what each cookie category means is essential for configuring your consent banner correctly. Here is what our cookie scanner looks for in each category:
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are essential for your website to function. They handle session management, authentication, shopping cart functionality, and security features. Under GDPR, CCPA, and PIPEDA, strictly necessary cookies do not require user consent because the website cannot operate without them. Examples include session IDs, CSRF tokens, and load balancer cookies.
Functional Cookies
Functional cookies remember user preferences like language selection, theme (dark/light mode), and region settings. They improve the user experience but are not strictly required for the site to work. Most privacy laws require consent before setting functional cookies, though PIPEDA allows implied consent for non-sensitive functional cookies when clear notice is provided.
Analytics Cookies
Analytics cookies track how visitors interact with your website — page views, scroll depth, click patterns, and session duration. Google Analytics (_ga, _gid), Hotjar, Mixpanel, and similar tools use these cookies. Under GDPR, analytics cookies require explicit opt-in consent. Under CCPA, they generally do not trigger the "Do Not Sell" requirement unless the data is shared with third parties for cross-context advertising.
Marketing & Advertising Cookies
Marketing cookies track users across websites to build advertising profiles. These include Facebook Pixel (_fbp), Google Ads (IDE, _gcl_*), and programmatic advertising cookies. Marketing cookies always require explicit opt-in consent under GDPR and trigger the "Do Not Sell or Share" disclosure under CCPA. These are typically the highest-risk cookies on any website and should be blocked by default until consent is granted.
Why You Need a Website Cookie Scanner
If your website has any visitors from the EU, California, Canada, or the UK, you are subject to cookie consent laws. A website cookie scanner is not just a nice-to-have -- it is a fundamental compliance requirement. Here is why every website owner needs to perform regular cookie scans:
Legal Compliance Requirements
Under the GDPR, websites must obtain informed, specific consent before setting non-essential cookies. To provide informed consent, you need to know exactly which cookies your site uses -- their names, purposes, durations, and whether they share data with third parties. A cookie scan gives you this information.
The CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) requires businesses to disclose the categories of personal information they collect, including data gathered through cookies. If your cookie scanner reveals marketing or advertising cookies, you must provide a "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link on your website.
Canada's PIPEDA and Quebec's Law 25 impose similar requirements, with fines for non-compliance reaching up to CAD $10 million. Regular cookie audits using a cookie scanning tool help you stay compliant as your website evolves and third-party scripts change.
Hidden Cookies You Do Not Know About
Most website owners are surprised by the results of their first cookie scan. Websites commonly have 20 to 50 or more cookies, yet only a handful are intentionally placed by the site owner. The rest come from:
- Analytics platforms like Google Analytics, Hotjar, or Mixpanel that set multiple tracking cookies
- Advertising networks including Google Ads, Facebook Pixel, and programmatic ad scripts
- Social media widgets such as share buttons, embedded posts, and comment systems
- Live chat tools like Intercom, Drift, or Zendesk that track visitor behavior
- CMS plugins and themes that include third-party scripts you may not be aware of
- CDN and hosting providers that sometimes set their own performance cookies
Accurate Cookie Consent Banners
Your cookie consent banner is only as good as the data behind it. If your banner lists four categories of cookies but your site actually sets cookies in categories you have not disclosed, your consent mechanism is technically non-compliant. Running a cookie audit ensures your banner accurately reflects reality. After scanning, you can use the results to build a properly configured cookie banner that matches your actual cookie usage.
Free vs Paid Cookie Scanning Tools
When choosing a cookie scanning tool, you will find both free and paid options available. Here is an honest comparison of free cookie scanners versus paid alternatives like Cookiebot, OneTrust, and CookieYes.
Free Cookie Scanners
Like our tool -- best for auditing and awareness
- +On-demand website scanning at no cost
- +Cookie detection and categorization
- +Compliance scoring for GDPR, CCPA, PIPEDA
- +No account or signup required
- +Instant results in under 30 seconds
- +Downloadable audit reports
- -Manual re-scanning required for updates
Paid Cookie Scanning Tools
Cookiebot, OneTrust, CookieYes, etc.
- +Automated scheduled scanning
- +Integrated consent management platform
- +Multi-site and enterprise management
- +Continuous monitoring and alerts
- -Monthly fees from $10 to $500+/month
- -Page limits on lower tiers
- -Account creation and setup required
For most small to medium websites, a free cookie scanner provides all the auditing capability you need. If you are looking for an affordable alternative to Cookiebot, our platform offers cookie scanning plus a full consent management solution at a fraction of the cost.
Cookie Scanning Best Practices
Running a cookie scan is just the first step. Follow these best practices to maintain ongoing compliance:
1. Scan Before and After Every Website Change
Any change to your website can introduce new cookies. Adding a new analytics tool, installing a WordPress plugin, or embedding a video player can all result in additional cookies being set. Run a cookie scan before and after deployment to catch any new cookies.
2. Schedule Regular Quarterly Audits
Even without intentional changes, cookies on your website can change. Third-party services update their tracking scripts, and CMS platforms push updates that may include new tracking. Set a calendar reminder to run a comprehensive cookie audit at least every quarter.
3. Test Multiple Pages
Different pages on your website may set different cookies. Your checkout page might load payment processor scripts, your blog might embed social media widgets, and your contact page might load a third-party form builder.
4. Update Your Cookie Policy After Every Scan
Your cookie policy must accurately reflect the cookies your website actually uses. After each cookie scan, compare the results against your published cookie policy and update it. You can use our cookie policy template to get started.
5. Verify Your Consent Banner Blocks Cookies
Simply having a cookie consent banner is not enough -- you need to verify that non-essential cookies are actually blocked until the user provides consent. After configuring your banner, run a cookie scan without interacting with the consent prompt to confirm it works.
Cookie Scanner FAQ
Common questions about cookie scanning, cookie audits, and compliance
What is a cookie scanner?
A cookie scanner is a tool that automatically crawls and analyzes a website to detect all cookies and tracking technologies in use. It categorizes cookies (necessary, analytics, marketing, functional), evaluates their security settings, and checks compliance with privacy laws like GDPR, CCPA, and PIPEDA.
Is this cookie scanner really free?
Yes, our cookie scanner is 100% free with no hidden costs. You can run unlimited cookie scans without creating an account or providing any personal information.
What privacy laws does the cookie scanner check against?
Our cookie scanning tool checks compliance against GDPR (European Union), CCPA/CPRA (California), PIPEDA (Canada), and Quebec's Law 25.
Do I need a cookie banner if the scanner finds tracking cookies?
Yes. If your website cookie scanner reveals non-essential cookies, you are legally required to implement a cookie consent banner that blocks these cookies until users explicitly opt in. You can create a free cookie banner using our platform.
What should I do after running a cookie scan?
Review the detected cookies, remove unnecessary ones, update your cookie policy, implement or update your cookie consent banner, and set a reminder to re-scan in 3 months. Read our GDPR cookie consent guide for detailed steps.
Does the cookie scanner work with any website platform?
Yes, our cookie scanner works with any publicly accessible website — WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, custom-built sites, and any other web platform.
What is the difference between first-party and third-party cookies?
First-party cookies are set by your own domain and typically handle sessions, authentication, and user preferences. Third-party cookies are set by external services embedded on your site — like Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or advertising networks. Third-party cookies are more heavily regulated because they can track users across multiple websites.
How do I fix compliance issues found by the cookie scanner?
After identifying compliance issues: (1) install a cookie consent banner that blocks non-essential cookies until consent is given, (2) update your privacy policy to accurately list all cookies, (3) remove unnecessary tracking scripts, and (4) configure Google Consent Mode v2 for proper analytics handling.
Is a cookie scan the same as a privacy audit?
A cookie scan is one component of a broader privacy audit. It focuses specifically on cookies and tracking technologies. A full privacy audit also covers data processing agreements, privacy policies, data retention practices, and security measures. However, a cookie scan is often the most actionable first step because it reveals concrete, fixable issues.
Cookie Compliance Resources
Guides and tools to help you achieve full cookie compliance after your scan
Ready to Get Started?
Start free with no credit card required. Upgrade to Pro for a one-time $99 payment — no subscriptions, no hidden fees.
Start free, upgrade when you're ready. See pricing details