__hstc — HubSpot
By the OpenCookies team · published 2026-10-22 · updated 2026-10-22
- Service
- HubSpot
- Category
- Analytics
- Default duration
- 6 months
- Type
- First-party cookie (set by your own site)
- Consent required?
- Yes, in principle: only audience measurement meeting strict conditions can be exempt from consent in the EU.
What is it for?
HubSpot’s main tracking cookie: it records the domain, the visitor ID and the dates of the first, last and current visit.
What does it look like?
The value looks like 12345678.abcdef1234….1700000000000.1700000000000.1700000000000.1: domain, ID and dates.
How to see it in your browser
Open your site, press F12, then choose the “Application” tab (Chrome, Edge) or “Storage” (Firefox). Under “Cookies”, select your site’s address: the __hstc cookie appears in the list if present, with its value and expiry date.
What does the rule say?
Audience measurement in principle requires the visitor’s prior consent. The French CNIL accepts an exemption for some tools configured very strictly (statistical purpose only, no cross-referencing with other data and no cross-site tracking); detailed conditions are on its website.
How to prevent it before the choice
Do not load the HubSpot tracking code before consent (or use its consent-linked banner feature).
How OpenCookies handles it
Common services like this one are in OpenCookies’ tracker list: the banner neutralizes their script before the visitor chooses and only restarts it after “Accept”. The test shows whether this cookie appears before the choice, after “Refuse” and after “Accept”.
Check it on my site
Does this cookie appear on your site before the visitor chooses? The OpenCookies test shows it in two minutes.
Related cookies
hubspotutk— HubSpot_ga— Google Analytics
Frequently asked questions
Are there other HubSpot cookies?
Yes: hubspotutk and __hssc (30-minute session) among others.
Does HubSpot respect consent?
It offers a banner and settings; otherwise its script must be delayed.
Durations are defaults and may change with configuration. This page describes a cookie; it is not legal advice.