GDPR Compliance Software for Small Business: What to Buy

GDPR compliance can involve a lot of moving parts. But it doesn't mean small businesses need a large privacy software stack. Some tasks are easier and more reliable when automated using dedicated software. However, others can either be managed with tools you already use or done manually.

So, what GDPR compliance software does a small business need and what can you manage without it? The answer depends on how your business processes personal data. For many smaller brands, the setup can be simpler than you might think.

Does the GDPR Apply to Small Businesses?

Yes, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) can apply to any business, even a very small one. What matters is what your business does with personal data, not how big the business is.

If your business is based in the EU/EEA and collects or uses personal information, such as names, email addresses, customer details, or IP addresses, you will generally need to follow the GDPR. 

The GDPR can also apply to businesses outside the EU that specifically offer goods or services to people in the EU or monitor their behaviour.

Can You Be GDPR-Compliant Without Buying Software?

Yes, you can meet GDPR requirements without buying dedicated software for every privacy compliance task. The GDPR sets requirements; it does not mandate that companies buy software.

For small-business GDPR compliance, the better question is: where does software make the work easier to manage?

A processing record might be simple enough to maintain in a spreadsheet. However, website consent can be harder to manage manually. Cookies and trackers change, visitors need appropriate choices, and consent needs to be documented.

Here is an overview of what’s worth automating vs what’s not:

For a small business, good GDPR compliance software should remove work that’s difficult to manage consistently by hand. It doesn't need to replace every document, record, or internal process.

What GDPR Compliance Software Does a Small Business Need?

There is no GDPR software that every small business is required to buy. The right setup depends on what personal data you process and how you collect and use it.

For many small businesses, that means keeping the software stack fairly limited. Rather than looking for a tool to cover every GDPR requirement, focus on the tasks that need ongoing management or would take too much time to handle reliably by hand.

Cookie and Tracker Scanning

Cookies and tracking tools can collect personal data. When they do, GDPR rules may apply to how that personal data is collected and used. EU cookie rules also require you to get a visitor’s consent before firing certain tracking cookies, This includes as those used for analytics or advertising. That means companies need to know which cookies and trackers their website actually uses. 

That’s not always easy to see. Analytics and advertising services, embedded content, social media integrations, and other third-party tools can all introduce their own tracking technologies. And whenever you add or update one of these services, what’s running on your site can change too.

For a small business, keeping track of this manually can quickly become a chore. Automatic cookie scanning takes much of that work off your plate. It regularly checks your site and shows you what’s in use. This makes it easier to spot what may require consent and keep the information you provide to visitors accurate.

Consent Collection and Management

After identifying cookies and trackers, you may find technology that requires consent. If so, your website is responsible for collecting consent in a GDPR-compliant manner. Those cookies should also respond to the visitor’s choice. For example, visitors might choose to accept all cookies or reject non-essential ones. They can also decide which types of cookies they’re comfortable with.

A consent management platform (CMP) is one way to manage this. It can display a cookie banner, the pop-up visitors see when they first arrive on a website. There they can accept, reject, or manage their cookie preferences. The CMP then runs only the cookies and trackers the visitor has consented to. Visitors can change or withdraw that consent later.. 

For a small business, using a CMP can bring the scanning and consent process together. Your team doesn’t need to identify technologies and manage visitors’ choices separately.

Consent Records

Collecting consent is only part of the process. You also need to be able to show that a visitor gave their consent. Art. 7 GDPR requires businesses that rely on consent to be able to demonstrate that a person consented.

However, keeping track of every visitor’s choice manually will quickly become difficult, even for a small website. A CMP can record these choices automatically as they’re made. This keeps consent and the records that prove it together, without creating another manual task for the business.

Cookie Declaration

When asking your website visitors for consent, you need to tell them what they are consenting to. This means they need clear information about the cookies and trackers present on your website and what each does.

A cookie declaration is a detailed overview of the cookies and trackers your website uses. It typically explains what each cookie does and who provides it. It also covers how long the cookie stays active on a user’s device, and its purpose.

The technologies on your website can change when you add or update services. So the declaration needs to stay up to date too. Regular scanning can help with this. A CMP can use its scan results to update the cookie information automatically. This reduces the need for a small business to check and maintain the list manually.

Overall, for many small businesses, this means their GDPR software stack can stay lean. Where website consent is required, a CMP can handle several connected tasks that would be difficult to manage manually. Other GDPR responsibilities can remain in your existing tools and processes.

Which GDPR Compliance Tools Can Small Businesses Skip?

Not every GDPR task needs its own software. Some privacy tools are designed for organizations handling large volumes of personal data or coordinating regulatory compliance across multiple teams. For a small business with relatively straightforward data processing, those tools can add more cost and complexity than value.

The important distinction is whether a task still works well with a simple process. If it does, there may be little reason to automate it yet.

Enterprise Privacy and GRC Platforms

Enterprise privacy and governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) platforms bring different areas of compliance into one system. They can help larger organizations coordinate multiple privacy programs from a central platform.

For a small business, however, these platforms can add more complexity than they remove. They may take time to set up and require people to learn new processes. They may also include features designed for larger teams and more complex compliance programs. That can mean paying for and maintaining a system when only a small part of its functionality is actually needed.

A single person or small team may already keep records and stay on top of GDPR responsibilities with simpler tools. If so, a full GRC platform may not add much value.

This can change as your business grows. Managing several markets or a more complicated privacy program may eventually make a centralized platform worthwhile. Until then, existing processes are likely enough.

Advanced Data Discovery Tools

As a business collects personal data, it needs to know what data it has and where it is stored. For a small business using only a few systems, this may be fairly straightforward to keep track of.

Advanced data discovery tools can automatically find and classify personal data across many different systems. This can be useful for larger organizations, but may be more than a small business needs. If you already know where your customer, employee, and other personal data is stored, that’s a good sign. There may be little benefit in paying for software to find it for you.

Instead, you may be able to keep a simple record in a spreadsheet. The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) also provides guidance and downloadable templates. Small businesses can use it as a starting point.

Dedicated Data Subject Request Software

Under the GDPR, people can ask a business to access, correct, or, in some cases, delete their personal data. So businesses need a way to receive and respond to these requests. However, you don’t necessarily need special software to do it.

For a small business that only receives requests occasionally, a simple process may be enough. For example, you could receive requests through an existing email address. From there, find the relevant information in your systems and keep track of each request internally.

Dedicated request management software becomes more useful when you’re handling lots of requests. It also helps when you need several teams to find and manage the data. Until then, it may add cost and complexity to a process. Your business can likely handle that process with the tools it already has.

Overlapping GDPR Tools

Even when privacy software is useful, you may not need a separate tool for every GDPR task. Before buying something new, check whether the tools you already use can handle the job.

Consent management is a good example. One CMP may already scan your website, collect consent, keep consent records, and update cookie information. Buying separate tools for each of these tasks could mean paying twice for features you already have.

The same applies to other GDPR tasks. A spreadsheet might be enough to keep track of your data processing. An existing task management tool could help you manage occasional privacy requests.

For a small business, the goal is to choose tools that solve a problem. If your current setup works and is easy to manage, leave it alone. Adding more software may simply mean adding more cost and unnecessary complexity.

How Much Should GDPR Compliance Software Cost for a Small Business?

There is no set amount a small business needs to spend on GDPR compliance software. Costs depend on which tasks need software and the size and complexity of the business. They also depend on whether existing tools can handle some of the work.

For a small business with straightforward data processing, the software budget may be fairly limited. Straightforward means personal data is collected for a limited number of purposes and stored across only a few systems. Website consent may be where some businesses need to spend. The cost of a CMP varies by provider. It can depend on factors such as website size, number of domains, or the features included in the plan.

For example, Cookiebot by Usercentrics Free plan is available for one domain with up to 50 subpages. Paid plans are available for larger websites or businesses that need additional features and start at USD 7 per month.

A small-business GDPR software budget could potentially look something like this:

Software is also only one part of the cost of GDPR compliance. Depending on your business, there may be costs for legal advice, staff training, or changes to internal processes.

The key is to first identify which GDPR tasks your business needs help managing. Then decide which tools are worth paying for. For a small business, that may mean using free or lower-cost options where they’re enough. It means investing in specialist software only when a task becomes too difficult or time-consuming to manage without it.

What Should You Look for in GDPR Compliance Software?

The best GDPR compliance software for a small business solves a clear privacy compliance problem without adding unnecessary complexity.

Start by identifying what you need help with. If website consent is the main challenge, for example, look for a tool designed to manage consent. Avoid a broad privacy platform with features you may never use.

Some factors to consider include:

Automation: Look for software that reduces repetitive work, such as scanning for cookies and trackers or recording consent choices.

Ease of use: Setup and ongoing management should be straightforward, especially if you don’t have a dedicated privacy or IT specialist.

Relevant features: Make sure the features match the tasks you actually need to manage.

Integrations: Check that the software works with your website platform and other tools you already use.

Clear pricing: Understand what’s included, what affects the price, and how costs might change as your business grows.

Room to grow: Look for software that can support more complex needs later without making you pay for them now.

Be cautious of claims that software can make your business “GDPR-compliant.” A tool can help with specific privacy compliance tasks. But it can’t account for every way your business collects, stores, and uses personal data.

For a small business, the right software should solve a specific problem, work with your existing setup, and be easy to manage.

How Can Cookiebot by Usercentrics Help With GDPR Compliance for Small Businesses?

For a small business, the right GDPR setup is often about automating the tasks that take the most effort to manage manually. It shouldn’t mean adding more tools than necessary.

Cookiebot by Usercentrics brings several of those tasks together. It scans for cookies and trackers and helps collect and manage consent where required. It also keeps records of consent choices. And it can generate a cookie declaration based on the technologies detected on the website.

This gives small businesses a way to manage several connected GDPR compliance tasks from one platform. The rest of their setup can stay as simple as their needs allow.