Open Source Consent Management: 8 Tools for GDPR + a Guide for Event Video
Consent management has two very different problems hiding under the same name. The first is the one most guides cover: cookie banners and GDPR compliance for websites. The second is one most guides ignore entirely: collecting consent from real people at live events when you want to use their video, photos, or personal data for marketing.
If you run a website, you need a cookie consent tool. If you run events and want to legally collect and use attendee-generated video, you need something different — and most open source tools weren't built for it.
This guide covers both. We'll walk through eight open source consent management tools for website GDPR compliance, then explain what consent for event video actually requires and where the standard tools fall short.
1. Klaro
Klaro stands out as one of the most lightweight and developer-friendly open source consent management solutions available. Built with vanilla JavaScript, this tool requires no external dependencies and weighs in at under 20KB when minified, making it ideal for performance-conscious websites. You can deploy Klaro on your site in minutes, and its straightforward configuration means you don't need to be a legal expert to get started with GDPR compliance.
What it is
Klaro is a customizable consent manager that gives you complete control over how your website handles cookies and third-party services. The platform lets you block scripts and tracking tools until users explicitly grant permission, ensuring you meet GDPR's core requirement for affirmative consent. You can define different service categories (analytics, marketing, functional) and let visitors choose which types of tracking they'll accept. The interface displays in over 20 languages automatically, which simplifies compliance for international audiences.
Best for
This tool works particularly well for small to mid-sized websites and organizations with technical teams who want granular control. You'll appreciate Klaro if you're building custom applications or managing multiple sites that need consistent consent workflows. Developers who prefer writing configuration files in JSON or YAML will find Klaro's approach intuitive, though it does require some coding knowledge to implement properly.
Klaro's lightweight footprint and dependency-free architecture make it one of the fastest-loading consent solutions you can deploy.
Setup and integrations
You install Klaro by including a single JavaScript file on your pages and creating a configuration object that defines your services. The platform integrates with Google Tag Manager, Matomo, and most analytics platforms through its service definitions. You can host the files yourself or load them from a CDN, giving you flexibility in your deployment strategy. The GitHub repository includes detailed documentation and example configurations to speed up implementation.
Pricing
Klaro is completely free under the BSD 3-Clause licence. You can modify the source code, use it commercially, and deploy it across unlimited domains without paying licensing fees.
2. Silktide Consent Manager
Silktide Consent Manager takes a different approach to open source consent management by offering a fully hosted solution that handles the technical infrastructure while keeping the source code accessible. This platform bridges the gap between self-hosted tools and managed services, letting you audit and modify the code while avoiding server maintenance headaches.
What it is
The platform provides a customizable cookie banner and preference centre that automatically detects and categorizes cookies on your website. Silktide Consent Manager blocks third-party scripts and trackers until users make their consent choices, ensuring you meet GDPR requirements from day one. The system maintains detailed consent records that you can export for compliance audits, and it updates automatically when privacy regulations change.
Best for
This tool suits organizations that want open source flexibility without managing hosting infrastructure. You'll find it valuable if your team lacks deep technical expertise but still needs to verify how consent data gets processed. Marketing teams appreciate the visual configuration interface, while legal departments value the audit trails and documentation features.
Silktide combines the transparency of open source with the convenience of a managed service, making it accessible to non-technical teams.
Setup and integrations
You implement Silktide by adding a JavaScript snippet to your website header. The platform integrates with Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and popular advertising platforms through pre-built service templates.
Pricing
Silktide offers a free tier for small websites with basic features. The open source code remains available on GitHub under an MIT licence, though the hosted service requires a subscription for larger sites.
3. tarteaucitron.js
TarteAuCitron.js brings a distinctly French approach to GDPR compliance, offering a lightweight consent manager that emphasizes transparency and user control. This open source tool gained popularity in Europe for its strict adherence to GDPR requirements, particularly the principle that cookies should not load until users explicitly consent.
What it is
This platform provides a comprehensive consent management system that automatically detects common tracking services and blocks them by default. TarteAuCitron.js gives you pre-configured integrations for over 80 popular services including Google Analytics, Facebook, YouTube, and advertising networks. The system displays clear descriptions of what each service does, helping visitors make informed choices about their privacy.
Best for
You'll benefit from tarteaucitron.js if you operate websites serving European audiences or need multilingual consent interfaces. Organizations that prioritise privacy-first design appreciate the tool's default-deny approach to third-party services.
TarteAuCitron.js stands out for its extensive library of pre-configured service integrations, saving hours of technical setup time.
Setup and integrations
You implement this solution by including the JavaScript library and initializing it with your service configuration. Setup typically takes less than an hour if you use the default service definitions.
Pricing
TarteAuCitron.js remains completely free under the MIT licence. You can deploy it across unlimited domains, modify the source code, and use it commercially without restrictions.
4. CookieConsent by Orestbida
CookieConsent by Orestbida represents a modern approach to open source consent management with its focus on accessibility and customization. This JavaScript library gained traction among developers who wanted a consent solution that looks polished out of the box while remaining simple to configure.
What it is
This platform delivers a fully customizable consent banner that supports multiple languages and automatically manages cookie categories. CookieConsent blocks third-party scripts until users grant permission, maintaining compliance with GDPR's requirement for affirmative consent. The library includes built-in accessibility features like keyboard navigation and screen reader support, ensuring your consent interface works for all visitors.
Best for
You'll find CookieConsent valuable if you need complete design control over your consent interface while maintaining accessibility standards. The tool suits front-end developers who want to integrate consent management into their existing design system.
CookieConsent's emphasis on accessibility ensures your consent workflow meets both GDPR requirements and WCAG guidelines simultaneously.
Setup and integrations
You implement this tool by including the JavaScript and CSS files in your project and initializing the library with your configuration. The platform integrates with Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and custom services through callback functions.
Pricing
CookieConsent remains entirely free under the MIT licence.
What cookie consent tools don't cover: event video and UGC
The four tools above — and the four that follow — all solve the same problem: managing cookie and tracking consent on websites. They're the right tool for that job. But if you're an event organiser collecting video from attendees, they don't cover what you actually need.
When an attendee uploads a clip from your festival, conference, or sports event, you're not dealing with cookies. You're dealing with:
- Intellectual property rights — the attendee owns the footage they shot
- Image and likeness rights — other people appear in that video without having consented specifically to that clip
- Commercial usage rights — using footage in ads, social media, or sponsor deliverables requires explicit permission beyond basic GDPR compliance
- Real-time consent at scale — you need hundreds of people to consent during the event itself, not after
A cookie banner handles none of this. You need a system that captures content licensing agreements at the point of upload, tracks who submitted what, and gives you documented proof of usage rights for every clip in your library.
This is what SureShot was built for. When attendees upload video through the platform, they accept content licensing terms as part of the submission flow — before the clip enters your library. Every upload is tagged with consent status, usage permissions, and contributor identity, so you can publish and repurpose footage without chasing permissions after the event.
If you run events and want to understand how this works in practice, book a 30-minute demo — we'll show you exactly how the consent and licensing flow works end to end.
5. Cookie Consent by Osano
Cookie Consent by Osano started as a simple open source library and evolved into one of the most widely adopted consent management tools on the web. This platform powers consent interfaces on millions of websites globally, offering a battle-tested solution that balances simplicity with robust GDPR compliance features.
What it is
This tool provides a customizable consent banner that you can implement through a single script tag. Cookie Consent by Osano handles cookie blocking and user preference storage automatically while giving you control over the interface design and messaging. The platform supports multiple consent models including opt-in, opt-out, and notice-only configurations depending on your regulatory requirements.
Best for
You'll appreciate this tool if you need a quick implementation that works reliably across different browsers and devices. Organizations without dedicated development resources find the straightforward setup appealing, while the customization options satisfy teams with specific brand guidelines.
Cookie Consent by Osano's widespread adoption means you benefit from years of real-world testing and community-driven improvements.
Setup and integrations
You implement this solution by adding a JavaScript snippet to your website and optionally configuring it through data attributes or a configuration object. The tool integrates with Google Tag Manager and analytics platforms through callback functions that execute after users accept cookies.
Pricing
The basic open source version remains free under the MIT licence. Osano offers a commercial platform with additional features, though you can use the open source library indefinitely without upgrading.
6. c15t
c15t (Consent 1st) delivers a minimalist approach to open source consent management that prioritizes transparency and user privacy above all else. This platform emerged from the privacy-conscious developer community as a response to bloated consent managers that create friction in the user experience.
What it is
This tool provides a lightweight consent interface that focuses on clear communication about data collection practices. c15t implements a strict opt-in model where no tracking occurs until users explicitly grant permission. The platform maintains detailed consent logs that document when users made their choices and what they agreed to, giving you the audit trail needed for compliance verification.
Best for
You'll benefit from c15t if you value minimalist design and want to avoid overwhelming visitors with complex consent interfaces. The platform suits privacy-focused organizations that want their consent process to reinforce their privacy commitments.
c15t's minimalist philosophy means your consent interface loads faster and creates less friction in the user experience.
Setup and integrations
You implement this solution by including the JavaScript library and defining your service configuration. Documentation provides examples for common services.
Pricing
c15t remains completely free under an open source licence.
7. Open Consent by Visible Privacy
Open Consent by Visible Privacy takes a community-driven approach to solving consent management challenges for small organizations and developers. This platform emerged from the recognition that many open source tools focus on enterprise needs while leaving smaller projects without accessible compliance solutions.
What it is
This tool provides a consent collection interface that integrates with your existing privacy infrastructure. Open Consent manages cookie preferences and user choices through a customizable banner that explains data practices in plain language. You configure the interface through JSON files that define your tracking services and their purposes.
Best for
You'll find this platform valuable if you run smaller websites or applications where compliance matters but budgets limit your options. The straightforward configuration suits teams without dedicated compliance specialists.
Open Consent prioritizes accessibility for smaller organizations that need GDPR compliance without enterprise-level complexity.
Setup and integrations
You implement this solution by including the JavaScript library and configuring your consent categories. The platform integrates with common analytics tools through standard callback patterns.
Pricing
Open Consent remains free under an open source licence.
8. Complianz GDPR Cookie Consent
Complianz GDPR Cookie Consent brings WordPress-specific expertise to open source consent management with a plugin that handles the technical complexity of GDPR compliance for content management systems. This platform specializes in automatically detecting and categorizing cookies that your WordPress site uses, eliminating the manual configuration work that other solutions require.
What it is
This tool provides a complete consent management solution designed exclusively for WordPress installations. Complianz automatically scans your website to identify tracking scripts, analytics tools, and third-party services that place cookies on visitor browsers. The platform generates customizable consent banners that block cookies until users make their choices, maintaining strict GDPR compliance through its opt-in framework.
Best for
You'll appreciate this platform if you run WordPress websites that need GDPR compliance without custom development work. Organizations managing multiple WordPress sites benefit from the consistent implementation across their web properties.
Complianz eliminates hours of manual cookie auditing by automatically detecting and categorizing tracking scripts on your WordPress site.
Setup and integrations
You implement this solution by installing the WordPress plugin through your site's admin dashboard. The platform integrates with Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and popular WordPress plugins through automatic detection and pre-configured service definitions.
Pricing
Complianz offers a free version with basic features under the GPL licence. Premium versions include additional compliance features and priority support.
Which consent problem do you actually have?
If your primary need is GDPR cookie compliance for a website, any of the eight tools above will do the job. Klaro and CookieConsent by Orestbida are the strongest choices for developers who want control. Silktide and Complianz suit teams who want something that mostly runs itself.
If you run live events and want to legally collect, license, and use attendee-generated video, cookie consent is a separate problem from the one you actually need to solve. You need consent that covers content rights, image and likeness, commercial usage, and real-time collection at scale — none of which a cookie banner handles.
SureShot was built specifically for that second problem. The platform handles consent as part of the video upload flow, so every clip in your library comes with documented permissions attached. No chasing attendees after the fact, no legal grey areas around usage rights.
If that's the problem you're trying to solve, book a demo and we'll walk you through exactly how it works.
