Do I need a cookie banner for analytics?

What a banner is for

No cookie, no storage in the browser, a daily hash on the server, IP discarded. There is nothing on the client to consent to for this script’s pageviews. How the count works is on /methodology. Counsel decides.

A banner is for storage or access that needs consent — typically a cookie used to recognise someone, or a tag that feeds an ads graph. Google Analytics is built that way. Cookie Free Analytics is not. Longer version: the consent gap.

What we will not say

We will not stamp “GDPR compliant” on the homepage. We will not tell you to delete your banner if you still load Meta, Google Ads, or a heatmap. Those tags are a different conversation. This page is about the counter.

Close cousins

Plausible does not need a banner either. Same for Fathom and Simple Analytics. We compete on price and Frankfurt, not on pretending they set cookies. See analytics without cookies.

Do I need a cookie banner for Cookie Free Analytics?

No cookie banner for this script. If you still load Google Ads, Meta, or GA4, keep the banner for those tags. Your counsel owns the final call.

Does Google Analytics need a cookie banner?

In the EU, almost always. GA4 uses a client id and an ads graph. Consent mode still waits. That is why the reject pile disappears from the report.

What if I also run ads?

Keep the banner for the tags that need it. Cookie Free Analytics sits beside them and still counts the HTML that loaded. Do not pretend one banner covers Google Ads.