Stack
Plausible
A cookieless, EU-hosted web analytics dashboard that reports site traffic on a single page and is available as both a paid cloud service and open-source self-hosted software.
What it actually does
Plausible tracks pageviews, visitors, referral sources, top pages, countries, devices, and goal conversions, and shows them on one scrollable dashboard. A roughly 1 KB script collects the data without cookies, so no consent banner is required under GDPR and the tracking has little effect on page-load speed.
The hosted plans are priced on a combined pageview-plus-custom-event slider that starts at 10,000 per month. Multi-site use and team members require the Growth plan, and funnels, revenue tracking, custom properties, and the Stats API sit behind the Business plan.
Because the software is AGPL-licensed and open source, you can run your own instance on a small VPS with no per-pageview cost if the hosted bill grows beyond what you want to pay.
Plausible vs its main rivals
The tools people actually weigh against Plausible: Fathom, Simple Analytics, Matomo, GoatCounter. Same criteria for every column, including where Plausible loses.
| Plausible |  Fathom |  Simple Analytics |  Matomo | GGoatCounter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pricing & access | |||||
| Free tier | NoNo (30-day trial) | NoNo | YesFree | YesFree (self-host) | YesFree |
| Starting price | $9/mo | $15/mo | ~$22/mo | $0 self-host | $0 (donation) |
| Open source / self-host | YesAGPL | NoNo | NoNo | YesGPL | YesYes |
Privacy & hosting | |||||
| Cookieless, no banner | YesYes | YesYes | YesYes | YesOptional | YesYes |
| EU data hosting | YesYes | YesYes | YesYes | YesSelf-host | YesYes |
Analytics depth | |||||
| Funnels / goals | YesBusiness plan | YesGoals only | YesGoals | YesYes | NoNo |
| Session recording / heatmaps | NoNo | NoNo | NoNo | YesYes | NoNo |
| Real-time dashboard | YesYes | YesYes | YesYes | YesYes | YesYes |
Developer & API | |||||
| Stats / REST API | Paid | Free | Paid | Free | Free |
Scaling & limits | |||||
| Included pageviews (entry) | 10k | 100k | Unlimited (free) | Unlimited (self-host) | Unlimited |
| Sites at entry | 1 | 50 | 5 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Data retention | 3+ yr | Forever | 1 mo (free) | Unlimited | Unlimited |
- Cookieless and EU-hosted, so it is GDPR-compliant without a consent banner and installs in a few minutes with a lightweight script
- Open source under AGPL, giving a free self-hosted escape hatch if the cloud bill grows
- One-page dashboard is fast to read and does not require configuration to be useful
- The $9 Starter covers only 10k pageviews and 1 site, so a traffic spike or a second project forces an upgrade
- Team seats, multiple sites, funnels, and the Stats API are split across the Growth and Business tiers
- No session recording, heatmaps, or deeper product analytics; it reports traffic only
Pay less for it
5 ways foundPaying yearly gives 2 months free, about 16.7% off the monthly rate
The AGPL software runs on a ~$5/mo VPS with no per-pageview fee
30 days with no credit card to evaluate before paying
Only pay for the tier you actually need; hard caps mean no surprise overage bills
Umami — Nearly the same simple privacy dashboard with a free 100k-event Hobby tier and a free MIT self-host path
StackTracker tracks what you actually pay for Plausible and every other tool, flags overpayment, and shows the dollars you would save by switching.
Is it the right tool for you
- You want an EU-hosted, banner-free dashboard you will actually check
- You run a single site under 10k pageviews and value simplicity
- You want the option to self-host later without switching tools
- You need product analytics, replays, or feature flags → use PostHog
- You run several small sites and want one flat bill → use Fathom
- You want a zero-cost dashboard → use Umami
Track what Plausible and the rest of your stack cost
StackTracker adds up every subscription, plus your hours, so you see the real number.
Prices and limits last verified 2026-07-20.