On this page
Most small sites don't need funnels, cohorts, and a 40-tab dashboard. They need to know where visitors come from and which pages work. That's why privacy-friendly analytics took off.
Why switch from Google Analytics?
Google Analytics is free and powerful, but it's heavy, complex, and usually needs a cookie consent banner. Privacy-first tools are simpler: one page of stats, no personal data, and often no banner required.
Plausible
Plausible is open source and lightweight. One dashboard shows visitors, top pages, referrers, and countries. You can use the hosted version or self-host it.
Fathom Analytics
Fathom is a paid, privacy-first option with a clean dashboard and strong focus on compliance. Good for agencies and businesses that want it to just work.
PostHog
PostHog is for product teams: product analytics, session replay, feature flags, and experiments in one open-source platform. Choose it when you need to understand what users do inside your app.
When you need more
- Product analytics at scale: Mixpanel and Amplitude for funnels, retention, and cohorts.
- Heatmaps and recordings: Hotjar shows where people click and scroll.
- Dashboards on your own database: Metabase is open source BI that anyone can query.
Our take
Running a content site or small business? Start with Plausible or Fathom. Building a SaaS product? Add PostHog. Compare all options in analytics.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Google Analytics?
For simple, privacy-friendly website stats, Plausible and Fathom are the most popular. For product analytics, PostHog is a strong open-source option.
Is there a free Google Analytics alternative?
Plausible and PostHog are open source and can be self-hosted for free. PostHog's cloud also has a generous free tier.
Do privacy-friendly analytics need a cookie banner?
Tools like Plausible and Fathom are designed not to use cookies or collect personal data, which is why many sites run them without a consent banner. Check the rules that apply to your business.
Can I use PostHog and Plausible together?
Yes. Many teams use Plausible for marketing-site traffic and PostHog for in-app product analytics.
Enjoyed this?
Share it with someone who's picking their next app.
