Setting up Usercentrics in a GDPR-compliant way

Usercentrics (usercentrics.com) is a consent management platform that is common above all on larger websites and with publishers. It offers A/B tests on the banner, TCF 2.2 and a data layer connection — GDPR effectiveness depends on the services being wired up correctly.

Usercentrics distinguishes two product lines: the “Web CMP” for classic websites and the app CMP for mobile apps. For websites a loader script is embedded that renders the banner and manages the consent states. The actual blocking of trackers does not happen through the loader itself, but through the way the individual scripts in the page code are coupled to Usercentrics.

There are several ways to couple them: marking <script> tags with a special type and a service ID, intercepting via Google Tag Manager with the Usercentrics template, or using the consent event in your own JavaScript. In all cases: whatever is not explicitly coupled runs unchecked. A common mistake is that the marketing and development teams mix different approaches and miss tags in the process.

Usercentrics is designed for larger setups and priced accordingly — there is no permanently free tier for commercial use as with Cookiebot or Real Cookie Banner. The range of features (A/B tests, granular analytics on consent behaviour, TCF 2.2, contract management) is worthwhile above all for publishers and companies with ad monetisation.

Is this a risk?

Usercentrics does not block scripts automatically simply by being embedded. Every service has to be created in the admin interface and wired up in the code via the “Data Processing Service” mechanism or Google Consent Mode. If the connection is missing, the tracker loads independently of the banner — and then consent under Section 25(1) TDDDG is missing.

What you can do

• Create every service in use in the Usercentrics admin as a “Data Processing Service” with complete mandatory details.
• Wire up scripts in the source code via the Usercentrics wrapper (uc-block or consent event), do not embed them directly.
• Enable Google Consent Mode v2 and check the category mapping.
• Test the banner after “Reject” in a private window and check the data layer for unwanted events.

Häufige Fragen

Does Usercentrics block trackers automatically?

No. The loader script only renders the banner and manages the states. Every tracker has to be explicitly coupled to Usercentrics in the page code, otherwise it loads independently of consent.

What is a “Data Processing Service” in Usercentrics?

The entry in the admin interface that describes a service with provider, purpose, legal basis, storage period and third-country transfer. It supplies the mandatory details for the banner and privacy policy and the ID via which scripts are coupled.

Is there a free version of Usercentrics?

Not permanently for commercial websites. For small projects, Cookiebot (up to 50 subpages) or Real Cookie Banner (free version) are the more obvious options.

Does Usercentrics support Google Consent Mode v2?

Yes, the integration is standard and can be enabled via the admin interface. It adds the consent signals to Google to the coupling of the scripts.

How consentglass helps

The free scan checks the delivered HTML and shows which services are embedded, whether a cookie banner is detected and whether privacy-policy and legal-notice links are present — with context for each finding. It is not a substitute for legal advice.