Do Capterra review badges require visitor consent?

Yes. Capterra widgets track impressions and badge clicks, transmitting visitor data to Gartner's infrastructure for attribution analytics. Because this tracking serves the vendor's and Capterra's marketing needs rather than a visitor-requested function, consent is required under the ePrivacy Directive.

What does the Capterra widget script do beyond displaying star ratings?

Each widget load fires an impression event to Capterra's servers, capturing visitor IP address and browser metadata. Clicks that redirect to the Capterra marketplace are tracked for referral attribution. Depending on the implementation, Capterra may set cookies for session identification.

How does ConsentStack handle Capterra badges?

ConsentStack treats Capterra as a marketing vendor and blocks its widget scripts until consent is obtained. This stops impression tracking and visitor data transmission to Gartner's servers. Once consent is granted, ConsentStack releases the script and Capterra badges render with full tracking.

What tracker domains does Capterra use?

ConsentStack has catalogued tracker domains for Capterra including capterra.com. These are the network destinations Capterra's scripts contact, which a consent platform blocks until a visitor agrees.

Capterra - Review Badges & Marketing Consent Profile

Back to Vendor Library

Overview

Capterra is a software review and comparison marketplace owned by Gartner Digital Markets. Software vendors embed Capterra review badges and comparison widgets on their websites to display ratings, review counts, and awards sourced from their Capterra listings. These widgets serve as third-party social proof, commonly placed on marketing pages to build trust with potential buyers researching software purchases.

Capterra is part of the broader Gartner Digital Markets portfolio alongside GetApp and Software Advice, all of which connect software buyers with vendors through review content and lead generation.

What This Script Does

When Capterra widgets are embedded on your website, the following activity occurs:

Badge rendering: Capterra's JavaScript loads and renders review badges displaying star ratings, review counts, and award icons sourced from the vendor's Capterra listing.
Impression tracking: Each widget load is reported back to Capterra's servers, allowing the platform to measure badge visibility and provide impression analytics to the vendor.
Click attribution: Clicks on Capterra badges that redirect visitors to the vendor's Capterra listing page are tracked for referral attribution, measuring the widget's effectiveness at driving marketplace traffic.
Network requests: Widget scripts make requests to Capterra's domains, transmitting the visitor's IP address and standard browser metadata (user agent, referrer, screen resolution).
Potential cookie use: Depending on the widget implementation, Capterra may set cookies for attribution tracking or session identification to measure conversion paths from widget impression to marketplace engagement.

The widgets are marketing tools — they display social proof to influence purchasing decisions and create a measurable channel between the vendor's website and Capterra's marketplace.

Consent & Compliance

Capterra widgets are marketing assets that include tracking capabilities. The impression and click tracking serves Capterra's and the vendor's marketing analytics needs, not a function requested by the visitor. Under the ePrivacy Directive, tracking these interactions — particularly if cookies are involved — requires prior consent.

As a Gartner subsidiary, Capterra's data processing falls under Gartner's privacy framework. Visitor data transmitted to Capterra's servers during widget loads is subject to Gartner's data handling practices, which should be reviewed and disclosed in the site operator's privacy policy.

The marketing nature of these widgets (social proof for conversion optimization) clearly distinguishes them from functional or essential site features.

Should You Block This Without Consent?

Yes. Capterra widgets are marketing tools that track impressions and clicks, transmitting visitor data to Gartner's infrastructure for attribution analytics. They should be loaded only after consent is obtained.

Is Capterra GDPR compliant?

Capterra typically loads marketing trackers, which are not strictly necessary for your site to work. Under the GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive, non-essential cookies and trackers must stay blocked until a visitor gives clear opt-in consent. So Capterra can be fully GDPR compliant, but only if your site holds its scripts until consent is granted and lets visitors decline just as easily. Compliance depends on how your site loads Capterra, not on Capterra itself.

Visit website