Amplitude
Product analytics platform for tracking user behavior and generating data-driven insights
Plausible Analytics
Simple, privacy‑first web analytics without cookies or data collection.
Plausible provides a lightweight, cookie‑free analytics tool that meets GDPR, CCPA, and PECR, with a dashboard, email/Slack reports, and cloud or self‑hosted options.
Overview
Overview
Plausible delivers a privacy‑focused web analytics solution that replaces heavyweight, data‑harvesting alternatives. Its script is under 1 KB, ensuring fast page loads, and it never sets cookies or stores personal identifiers, keeping you compliant with GDPR, CCPA, and PECR.
Who It's For & How It Works
Designed for website owners, developers, and small‑to‑medium businesses that value simplicity and data sovereignty. You can choose a fully managed cloud service—complete with high‑availability infrastructure, advanced bot filtering, and premium features—or self‑host the Community Edition on any server, giving you raw data access via ClickHouse. The single‑page dashboard presents key metrics at a glance, while automated email or Slack reports keep teams informed without manual checks.
Deployment Options
The cloud offering spins up in minutes, handling backups, security, and EU‑only data processing. The self‑hosted edition requires you to provision a server, install the stack, and manage updates, but it offers full control over data location and export capabilities.
Highlights
Clutter‑free single‑page dashboard
Cookie‑free, GDPR/CCPA/PECR compliance
Lightweight script (<1 KB) for fast page loads
Built‑in email and Slack reporting with alerts
Pros
- Privacy‑first design with no personal data stored
- Minimal script size improves site performance
- Simple UI requires no training
- Open source and can be self‑hosted
Considerations
- Managed cloud service requires a subscription
- Community Edition lacks premium features like funnels
- Self‑hosting demands server management expertise
- Release cadence slower for self‑hosted version
Managed products teams compare with
When teams consider Plausible Analytics, these hosted platforms usually appear on the same shortlist.
Looking for a hosted option? These are the services engineering teams benchmark against before choosing open source.
Fit guide
Great for
- Websites that need GDPR‑compliant analytics without cookies
- Developers who prefer a lightweight script and open‑source stack
- Teams that want simple dashboards and automated email/Slack reports
- Businesses that want full control of raw data via self‑hosting
Not ideal when
- Enterprises requiring advanced funnel analysis out‑of‑the‑box
- Sites that need real‑time bot filtering beyond basic headers
- Organizations that cannot allocate resources for server maintenance
- Users who expect a free version with all premium features
How teams use it
Blog owner tracks readership
Receives weekly email reports with pageview trends while keeping visitor data private.
SaaS startup monitors sign‑up conversions
Defines custom events to see funnel drop‑offs and optimizes onboarding flow.
E‑commerce site self‑hosts for data control
Exports raw ClickHouse data for detailed revenue analysis without third‑party exposure.
React SPA tracks navigation
Automatic pageview tracking on pushState routes without extra code, providing accurate usage metrics.
Tech snapshot
Elixir83%
TypeScript8%
JavaScript5%
HTML3%
PLpgSQL1%
CSS1%
Frequently asked questions
Does Plausible use cookies?
No. Plausible does not set any cookies and stores no personal identifiers.
Is Plausible GDPR compliant?
Yes. It complies with GDPR, CCPA, and PECR by not storing IP addresses or personal data.
Can I self‑host Plausible?
Yes. The Community Edition can be installed on your own server; you manage updates and infrastructure.
What’s the difference between Cloud and Community Edition?
Cloud is fully managed, includes premium features and advanced bot filtering; Community Edition is free, self‑hosted, with basic features and slower release cadence.
How does Plausible handle single‑page applications?
It automatically tracks pageviews on pushState‑based routers and hash‑based routing without additional configuration.
Project at a glance
Active- Stars
- 24,107
- Watchers
- 24,107
- Forks
- 1,342
LicenseAGPL-3.0
Repo age7 years old
Last commit2 hours ago
Primary languageElixir
Last synced 43 minutes ago