Magento 2 GDPR Extensions Comparison (Aheadworks vs. Amasty)

Chances are, your e-commerce store isn’t yet ready for GDPR, and if you still don’t know, how to fix the problem, you’ve come to the right place. In the following post, we compare two robust Magento 2 GDPR extensions developed by Amasty and Aheadworks respectively. Prepare for the detailed description of what both modules can.

DOWNLOAD / BUY AHEADWORKS GDPR MAGENTO 2 EXTENSION

DOWNLOAD / BUY AMASTY GDPR MAGENTO 2 EXTENSION

Magento 2 GDPR Extensions: Core Features

Below, you will find a list of core features for each Magento 2 GDPR extension. We describe opportunities provided by Aheadworks and then proceed to the Amasty’s tool.

Aheadworks

Aheadworks provides the ability to make your store GDPR-compatible due to the following features.

GDPR compliant personal data

Right after installing the Magento 2 GDPR extension by Aheadworks, you make your customers’ legitimate and your web store compliant with the latest GDPR regulations. Store visitors get the ability to:

• access their data and view it in PDF and XML;
• approve its usage;
• give consent for data access and processing;
• request to delete their details.

Besides, the Magento 2 GDPR module by Aheadworks simplifies management of massive databases with customer information. It offers a user-friendly way of tracking customer consents to data processing and requests for erasing the data.

Data protection policy consents

One of the most critical aspects of GDPR is to provide customers with the ability to give their permission to data protection policy on various pages. The Aheadworks GDPR Magento 2 extension offers this opportunity on registration and checkout page, as well as via individual popups. The following image displays the improved registration form with a link to the GDPR policy.

Customer access to personal information

Another vital aspect of GDPR is the ability to access personal data. With the Magento 2 GDPR extension by Aheadworks, your clients will quickly obtain a copy of it via PDF or XML. As a Magento administrator, you can get the necessary files in the backend section as follows:

Enhanced customer account

Of course, customers get not only a new registration form but also an improved customer account with the Magento 2 GDPR extension by Aheadworks. The plugin allows users to request access to their data and delete their accounts. Note that data erasure leads to the deletion of all incomplete orders and abandoned carts.

It is also necessary to mention that the extension reduces helpdesk workload. Customers’ requests are collected directly from their accounts. Next, you can quickly filter them out and handle appropriately within the admin area.

The following image illustrates the improved customer account of the Aheadworks GDPR extension for Magento 2:

Email Verification & Data Retrieving

It is also worth mentioning that the extension offers a safe verification mechanism designed to protect customer data from fraudulent activity. As a store owner, you can filter out malicious requests via email.

Another significant opportunity is related to data retrieving. Due to the current API, you can effortlessly retrieve data from the related third-party apps.

Convenient backend management

As a store administrator, you also get several new mechanisms. There is a grid that lets you track customers’ consents and export them as a list. Besides, you can process the requests for data access and erasure in a user-friendly manner. Everything is available within three independent sections: Consent Relevance, Data Access Requests, and Removal Requests.

The Magento 2 GDPR module by Aheadworks enables you to:

• segment customers by consent statuses;
• manage requests for data access and data removal;
• delete selected customers.

The following image shows how to erase customers in bulk

Advanced flexibility

GDPR requirements are not eternal, so you should be ready to modify your store according to new changes and rules. With the Magento 2 GDPR extension by Aheadworks, you won’t have to collect consents once again. Instead, the module provides the ability to reset current statuses in one click and ask customers to agree to the modified data protection policy version. Thus, you avoid multiple headaches related to all further GDPR updates.

Amasty

Now, let’s focus on what Amasty offers to make your store suitable for the GDPR standards.

Adaptable privacy policy

The GDPR Magento 2 extension by Amasty lets you create multiple privacy policies depending on the area of your business ensuring that your data privacy policy complies with the local requirements. Thus, you can provide GDPR-suitable policy for EU websites and at the same time create store views that do not support the new regulations. Use the module to create as many policy versions and texts as you need. The example of the privacy policy is shown below:

Advanced customer consents management

The Magento 2 GDPR module by Amasty adds a dedicated checkbox to two areas of your e-commerce website – a registration form and a checkout page. Consequently, both new customers and guest visitors can give their consent to the data privacy policy. And while Aheadworks offers popups to inform your customers about the new privacy policy, Amasty allows creating mailing lists and use them to send consent requests or policy updates in bulk. The corresponding configuration page looks as follows:

Furthermore, the collected consents can be used for remarketing campaigns, marketing automation, A/B testing, etc.

Convenient backend management

The Magento 2 GDPR extension by Amasty splits all customers into two grids. The first one contains with the privacy policy consent. The second one – without them. As a store administrator, you can send email requests to customers from the second grid as well as export customers lists from both. Below, you can see a grid with customers without consents:

Delete requests

Another grid provided by the GDPR module by Amasty contains delete requests. As a Magento 2 administrator, you can decide whether to approve or decline such requests.

Extended customer account

As for the customer account area, it includes three new options:

• Download personal information via CSV;
• Anonymize personal data;
• Request to delete personal details.

Note that data anonymization is only represented with the Magento 2 GDPR extension by Amasty. Aheadworks doesn’t provide any similar opportunities. Take a look at the following image for more details:

Magento 2 GDPR Extensions: Backend

Now, when you know about the core differences between the two significant GDPR extensions for Magento 2, we can explore them in more detail, starting from the backend section.

Aheadworks

The backend section of the Magento 2 GDPR extension by Aheadworks is admin-friendly and intuitive. Below, we explore its core areas.

Configuration

The corresponding configuration section of the Magento 2 GDPR extension by Aheadworks is divided into two subsections: General & Email Settings. The first one allows you to select a data protection policy page displayed to customers. In Email Settings, you can specify a sender as well as select templates for removal confirmation and data access confirmation emails. These are all configuration settings:

Consent Relevance

The Consent Relevance grid allows you to see customers with relevant consents. You can view such parameters as a customer ID, name, email, website, latest consent date, and relevant consent. You can erase customers individually or in bulk. Besides, it is possible to export the grid in CSV or XML.

Data Access Requests

All data access requests are gathered in a grid as well. The grid displays a customer name and email, a request status and time of creation, as well as a resolution time. The available actions allow changing the request status to processing, canceled, or complete. Besides, it is possible to download data in PDF or XML for each request individually. Mass actions provide the ability to change statuses in bulk.

Removal Requests

The similar grid is available for removal requests. It provides the ability to remove data by changing statuses. If an admin changes the request status to ‘Complete,’ the corresponding customer’s personal data is erased. Note that this action is unrestorable and the status of a completed request cannot be changed.

Amasty

Now, let’s take a look at the corresponding admin section of the Magento 2 GDPR extension by amasty.

Configuration

The configuration section of the GDPR Magento 2 module by Amasty is divided into two parts: Geo Ip Data and GDPR. The first one allows downloading and importing the Geo IP database to identify the location of your visitors. Next, you can use it to provide customers with their local privacy policy.

The GDPR section itself is divided into the following tabs:

• Anonymisation Notifications;
• Account Deletion Notifications;
• Consent Request Notifications;
• Privacy Checkbox.

The first three tabs are designed to configure email notifications by specifying such parameters as an email sender and email template.

Next, you can configure the Privacy Checkbox tab. It allows enabling display of the privacy policy consent checkbox only for EU countries, specifying the text shown next to the checkbox, and deciding whether to display the checkbox on the registration and checkout pages.

Privacy Policy

Now, let’s say a few words about the Privacy policy grid. As mentioned above, this grid allows you to create and manage multiple privacy policies. The grid contains numerous columns providing the information about the policy creation date, version number, last edit time and author, comments, status, etc. And you can always apply filters and sorting to find the necessary documentation. At the same time, it is possible to delete documents in bulk. An existing privacy policy can be displayed and modified here.

To create a new policy, the Amasty GDPR Magento 2 extension offers a convenient WYSIWYG editor. Specify the title of the document in the Comment field, add the policy version, enable/disable the policy, and create the content just as follows:

Customers With Consents

To simplify the management of customer consents, the Magento 2 GDPR extension by Amasty provides two separate grids for customers with and without consents. The first one gathers data regarding customers who accepted the privacy policy. It shows the following customer’s data:

• Name;
• Email;
• Date of giving consent;
• A version of the policy he or she agreed.

The grid provides the ability to send requests for accepting new policy version to selected customers in bulk. Use the Email Consequent Request action.

Customers Without Consent

Another grid that simplifies the management of consents is Customers Without Consent. It displays customers’ names, emails, and country. The grid offers the same opportunity: you can ask customers to accept your privacy policy by sending emails in bulk.

Customers Consent Email Queue

Another supplementary grid is Customers Consents Email Queue. Here, you can check statuses of sent emails.

Delete Requests

The Magento 2 GDPR extension by Amasty provides an intuitive way to manage delete requests which are collected in a grid as well. You can view the date when a request was submitted, customer name and email, and quantity of completed and pending orders. Next, the module provides the ability to approve or deny account removal requests in bulk just as shown below:

Action Log

To improve the monitoring of customers’ actions, the module provides the Action Log grid. It includes all the activity of your website visitors related to GDPR. The grid shows a customer ID, name, and IP address, as well as action and its date. Anonymous users are displayed encrypted.

As you can see, Amasty provides a more complex backend section with multiple additional grids that simplify backend processes related to the GDPR management. Let’s proceed to the frontend section of each module.

Magento 2 GDPR Extensions: Frontend

Below, we explore how both Magento 2 GDPR extensions change the appearance of your store according to the new requirements.

Aheadworks

Registration

The Magento 2 GDPR extension by Aheadworks enhances the default registration form with a checkbox. When registering on the site, a visitor can get acquainted with the privacy policy you offer by clicking on the link next to the checkbox. Note that it is impossible to create a new account until consent for personal data processing is given.

Checkout

As for guests, they get a privacy policy confirmation popup on the checkout page. They can proceed to the privacy policy terms page and then give their consent to these terms, reject them, or postpone the consent provision. No order is placed if a user rejects the new policy.

Popup for existing customers

Note that previously registered users will be asked to provide the consent on the dedicated popup as soon as they log in. The popup looks as follows:

Customer account

The GDPR extension by Aheadworks adds an enhanced tab to a customer account. Thus, registered customers can request data access and data erasure or delete their account in the ‘Account Information’ section.

Amasty

Amasty offers similar opportunities. Let’s take a look at the same sections.

Registration

As you can see, the GSPR module by Amasty also adds a checkbox and a link to the private police to the registration form.

Checkout

Alternatively, the privacy policy can be accepted on a checkout page:

To view a privacy policy document, a customer should click the “privacy policy” link next to the checkbox.

Customer account

The Magento 2 GDPR module enhances a customer account area with a new section – Privacy Settings. It provides customers with the ability to:

• download personal details via CSV;
• anonymize personal data;
• send requests to delete the account.

Anonymization

The critical difference between the two modules is anonymization of personal data. Amasty allows customers to change how it looks among the account information. The extension replaces customer’s contact and address details with the random sequence of symbols. The same sequence is displayed in the backend section of your store.

Magento 2 GDPR Extensions: Price

Now, we should compare the prices of both modules. You can purchase GDPR for Magento 2 by Aheadworks for $199. Amasty charges the same rate for its Magento 2 GDPR module.

Honorable Mention

If neither Amasty nor AheadWorks satisfy your business needs regarding GDPR, there is one more reliable extension we’d like to draw your attention to. Meet the Mageplaza GDPR Magento 2 extension. Below, we highlight its core features and then return to the comparison.

Delete accounts. The Mageplaza GDPR Magento 2 extension provides one of the required frontend improvements. After installing the module, you let your customers ask you to delete their accounts. It is required by GDPR, and you can get the missing functionality right after the plugin is installed. All related information including private data will be completely wiped out along with customers’ accounts. Thus, the customers’ data is completely protected if they want to delete an account.

Delete default addresses. Another vital feature of the Mageplaza GDPR Magento 2 extension is the ability to delete default addresses including Billing and Shipping information. Both are considered private data according to GDPR. Thus, by allowing buyers to delete this information, you prove that your store is a safe place where users are protected from data exploitation. The process is performed in just a few easy and clear steps.

Manage billing information. In addition to the ability to delete billing data, the Mageplaza GDPR Magento 2 extension provides customers with the ability to edit it including information featured in customers’ orders, invoices, credit memos, and shipments. Your online shoppers can manage it themselves. Furthermore, it is possible to anonymize it. They can hide names, phone numbers, or addresses. The data is replaced by a random string. The same behavior is possible for information regarding subscribing requests and abandoned carts.

Cookie restriction. Chances are, your e-commerce store incorporates cookies to enhance customer experience. Since a customer can be identified due to this improvement, you need to concern about that point. With the Mageplaza GDPR module, store admins can create the cookie message via HTML and specify its position on a page. Also, note that Cookie can be restricted in specific countries. You can specify corresponding settings in the backend.

The price of the module is $99 and you can get it here:

Get Mageplaza GDPR Magento 2 Extension

Magento 2 GDPR Extensions Comparison (Aheadworks vs. Amasty)

Final Words

As you can see, both extensions have the same price. $200 is quite a budget-friendly price tag when you want to make your e-commerce store GDPR-compatible. If you want a more simple and intuitive tool, choose GDPR for Magento 2 by Aheadworks. If you need some additional features and extra backend control, than Amasty’s Magento 2 GDPR extension will satisfy your needs.

DOWNLOAD / BUY AHEADWORKS GDPR MAGENTO 2 EXTENSION

DOWNLOAD / BUY AMASTY GDPR MAGENTO 2 EXTENSION