Most Simple Analytics alternatives share the same promise of lighter, privacy-focused tracking, so the real choice comes down to hosting and depth. Decide whether you want a hosted dashboard or to run the software on your own server, and how much beyond page views you need, then compare on those two points.
Hosted or self-hosted?
Nearly every tool in this category makes the same headline promise: lighter tracking, more respect for visitors, a simpler dashboard than the big analytics suites. Because the promise is so similar, it's a poor way to choose. Hosting is a much better one.
Hosted. You add a script, the vendor runs everything, and you log in to see your numbers. Best if you don't want to look after a server.
Self-hosted. You install the software on your own server and keep the data there. More control, more responsibility, and a better fit if you've got a developer to hand.
Here's the specific thing I noticed reading the vendors' own descriptions: six of the ten describe themselves as open source or self-hosted. That's unusual for a software category, and it means you can often start hosted and move in-house later, or the other way round, without changing tools.
How the ten compare
| Tool | Type | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Ackee | Self-hosted analytics | Node.js users who self-host |
| Cabin | Lightweight analytics | Low-carbon, cookie-free stats |
| Cloudflare Web Analytics | Privacy-first analytics | Essential stats from a big network |
| Counter.dev | Open source analytics | Daily visitors, referrers and locations |
| Fathom Analytics | Privacy-focused analytics | A simple Google Analytics swap |
| Matomo | Analytics platform | Fuller analytics with data ownership |
| Offen | Self-hosted, user-facing analytics | Letting visitors see their own data |
| Pirsch | Cookie-free analytics | Websites and apps, open source |
| Plausible | Lightweight open source analytics | A lighter Google Analytics alternative |
| Umami | Web and product analytics | Product metrics without cookies |
Privacy-focused analytics tools
Below they're in no particular order, sorted A to Z. Every description is the vendor's own claim from its website, so read it as their pitch, not my judgement.
Ackee
Best for: Developers comfortable with Node.js who want self-hosted analytics built for people who care about privacy.
Cabin
Best for: Site owners who like a lightweight, carbon-conscious tool with no cookies and native MCP support for AI agents.
Cloudflare Web Analytics
Best for: Anyone who just wants essential, privacy-first usage stats for a website from a large infrastructure company.
Counter.dev
Best for: Simple daily unique visitor counts, referrer information and geographic locations from an open source tool.
Fathom Analytics
Best for: Business sites that want privacy-focused website analytics from a company that describes itself as sustainable.
Matomo
Best for: Teams that want fuller analytics with full ownership of their data in a platform they can set up in minutes.
Offen
Best for: Site owners who want visitors to be able to access their own data, in an open, lightweight, self-hosted tool.
Pirsch
Best for: Developers who want a lightweight, cookie-free, open source option that plugs into a website or an app.
Plausible
Best for: Owners who want a lightweight, open source alternative to Google Analytics where the website data stays theirs.
Umami
Best for: Product teams tracking acquisition, behaviour, conversion and retention without cookies, self-hosted or on the vendor's cloud.
How much depth do you need?
Just the basics. Visitors, top pages, referrers. Counter.dev and Cloudflare Web Analytics focus on essential stats, which is all many small sites ever look at.
Product questions. If you care about acquisition, conversion and retention rather than page views, Umami talks about product analytics directly, and Matomo describes a fuller platform.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Something different. Offen lets visitors access their own data, which is an unusual angle and worth a look if transparency is part of your brand.
Whichever you choose, a lighter script is only one part of a fast site. My list of website speed test tools helps you check the before and after. And if what you really want is to know which companies visit your site, that's a different job entirely, covered in my guide to visitor identification tools.
Do Not Track and visitor preferences
W3C's Tracking Preference Expression document defines the DNT request header field as an HTTP mechanism for expressing a user's preference regarding tracking. Privacy-focused tools don't all treat visitor preferences the same way, so ask each vendor how theirs handles it rather than assuming.
Questions for any analytics vendor
- Where is the data stored, and can I export all of it?
- Can I self-host later if I start on your cloud?
- How do you treat visitor tracking preferences?
- What happens to my data if I leave?
I've been in marketing for 23 years, and I've moved analytics tools more times than I'd like. The export question is the one that saves you every single time.
Running two tools side by side
Here's the part most switch guides skip. Different analytics tools count visits in slightly different ways, so the numbers from your new tool won't match your old one exactly, and that's normal. What matters is whether the trends move together: the same busy days, the same top pages, the same main referrers.
Give it a few weeks with both scripts running. If the shape of your traffic looks the same in both, you can trust the new tool and remove the old script with confidence. If the two disagree wildly on something important, ask the vendor why before you switch anything off.
If your site runs on several domains or subdomains, check how each tool groups them before you install anything. It's much easier to set that up on day one than to untangle mixed reports later.
Keep a note of the date you made the change, too. Months from now, when someone asks why visits dipped or jumped, that note will save you a long afternoon of guessing.
My advice before you swap scripts
Choose hosting first, depth second. If you don't want to run a server, pick a hosted option and keep it simple. If you've got a developer and want the data in-house, start with the open source tools. Then run the new script alongside your old one for a few weeks so you can compare the numbers before you remove anything, and keep a full export of your old data somewhere safe.
Do you make privacy-focused web analytics? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best way to choose a Simple Analytics alternative?
Start with hosting: do you want the vendor to run it, or will you self-host? Then decide how much depth you need beyond visitors, pages and referrers.
Are privacy-focused analytics tools open source?
Many in this category describe themselves as open source or self-hosted, but not all. Check each vendor's own site for how the software is licensed and hosted.
What is Do Not Track?
W3C's Tracking Preference Expression document defines the DNT request header field as an HTTP mechanism for expressing a user's preference regarding tracking. Ask each vendor how it treats that preference.
Is this list ranked?
No. The tools are in no particular order and sorted alphabetically, and every description is the vendor's own claim.
