5 Best Third-Party Cookie Alternatives For Advertisers

For years, Google’s phaseout of third-party cookies in Chrome loomed over the digital advertising industry. Now, that threat has eased, but the lesson remains clear: advertisers who diversified their data strategies are better positioned for long-term success.

While Google's plan to eliminate third-party cookies has changed, privacy-first thinking isn’t going anywhere. Other major browsers, such as Safari, Firefox, Edge, and Brave have found workarounds like blocking third-party cookies by default, giving consumers a choice on how they prefer their information to be used, and public demand for data transparency continues to grow.

Stats show users aren’t universally anti-cookie, though:

• 40% accept cookies when prompted
• 18% reject them outright
• 44% explore cookie settings (Source: AllAboutCookies)

Even as cookies stay in play, for now, savvy advertisers are embracing more sustainable, privacy-compliant strategies. Below are five of the best alternatives to third-party cookies that are already powering smarter, safer, and more effective advertising today.

What Are Third-Party Cookies?

Third-party cookies are tiny data files stored on a user's device by a domain other than the one they are visiting. These cookies track a user’s browsing behavior across different sites collecting data on interests, demographics, shopping habits, and more. Cookies are set by user actions on a site, like clicking on a link to other site areas or requesting or embedding an image. 

The generated data offers brands personalized advertising options for targeting relevant ads and broader analytic data, like tracking impressions. They've powered much of digital advertising for the last two decades by enabling:

• Ad targeting and personalization
• Cross-site tracking and retargeting
• Measurement and attribution
• Behavioral analytics

But as regulations like GDPR and CCPA tighten, and user sentiment shifts, third-party cookies are no longer the default solution. 

5 Alternatives To Third-Party Cookies

While third-party cookies dominated for years, many adtech platforms and marketers have already transitioned to better, and sometimes more effective, alternatives. These strategies are designed to work with consumer privacy expectations, not against them, and can bring both advertisers and publishers top ROI on their advertising investments.

1. First-Party Data

One of the main differences between data types is where and how the data is collected. First-party data is gathered straight from the source—your customers. Data is collected, sorted, and categorized for targeting whenever they land and interact on owned channels like websites, apps, social platforms, or email. The data is built on a direct relationship with a customer, with user consent, and aligns with global privacy regulations.

First-party data gives advertisers and publishers valuable insights into customer behavior, preferences, and intent. Advertisers can use this high-quality data to create personalized, cost-effective campaigns that reach engaged users, leading to better performance and ROI.

This data set is highly reliable because it’s:

• Consent-based
  
• Privacy-compliant
• Highly accurate

This data includes purchase history, on-site behavior, CRM data, and engagement across owned platforms. Because the relationship is direct, first-party data is rich, relevant, and trustworthy, which makes it ideal for personalized marketing.

Benefits of first-party data for advertisers:

• Better campaign ROI

• Reduced reliance on opaque data sources

• Smarter segmentation and targeting

Ultimately, first-party data helps advertisers deliver more relevant, personalized experiences without relying on third-party sources. By tailoring messaging to users' real interests across owned sites and platforms, brands can drive higher engagement and conversions.

The result: more effective advertising, less wasted spend, and better outcomes for both advertisers and consumers.

2. Contextual Targeting

Contextual Targeting analyzes the content of a webpage, not the user and not the tracking third-party cookies, to serve relevant ads. Instead of tracking behavior, AI and natural language processing identify contextually aligned ad placements based on:

• Keywords
• Page themes
• Metadata

For example, an ad for hiking boots might appear next to an article about trail recommendations.

Contextual targeting differs from behavioral targeting, which uses visitor information from browsing history over time, like online preferences, profiles, and behaviors. Behavioral targeting requires access to consumers’ data that they may not want to opt-in to give. Contextual advertising operates independently of user personal data and only leverages content information, making it a viable alternative to privacy concerns with third-party data.

Contextual targeting allows advertisers to create personalized ad experiences, enhancing and improving user experience. It’s a scalable and privacy-respecting solution that doesn’t require personal data, and it’s proven to work:

• Contextual ads boost memory recall by 40% compared to non-contextual (IAS)
• Click-through rates (CTR) often outperform behavioral targeting

Best of all, contextual ads are brand-safe by design as they only appear in relevant environments.

3. Combined Data Sets

Blending data from different sources enhances targeting accuracy and eliminates guesswork. Each data type offers more to the customer profile, giving businesses a more holistic audience view and improving the effectiveness of their campaigns. Privacy laws are respected, user concerns addressed, and advertisers and publishers have an opportunity to get back to business, so to speak, connecting with customers and growing revenue.  

One of the most effective strategies is blending multiple data sources such as first-party data, contextual signals, and second-party partnerships to build a more complete customer profile.

For example:

• Loyalty programs collect first-party purchase history
• Contextual insights guide where to reach users
• Survey or zero-party data deepens audience understanding
  

Using Data Management Platforms (DMPs) or Content Data Platforms (CDPs), brands can create enriched targeting segments that comply with privacy regulations while driving measurable performance.

Bonus: You’re less reliant on any single data source so you are future-proofing your strategy.

4. Google Privacy Sandbox

Web browsers play a pivotal role in the Privacy Sandbox. They act on behalf of the user, using Privacy Sandbox APIs to protect their identifying information while they navigate the web. Browsers offer specific tools for specific use cases, ensuring privacy while enabling essential online functions. All associated tools support advertisers and publishers by providing new ways to reach audiences and measure ad performance without compromising privacy.

Privacy Sandbox tools include:

• Topics API – groups users by broad interest categories
• Protected Audience API – for on-device retargeting
• Attribution Reporting API – measures conversions without user-level data
• Trust Token API – helps combat fraud

While Chrome is holding onto third-party cookies (for now), the Privacy Sandbox continues to evolve. It offers a set of privacy-preserving APIs that aim to serve personalized ads and measure performance without exposing personal data. For more information on Google’s approach read Google’s Privacy Sandbox updates on next steps.

Browsers act as the intermediary, protecting user identity while enabling core advertising functions.