The right replacement for a privacy-first analytics tool depends on why you're leaving. If you want something similar, simple cookieless trackers are the closest match. If you want to host it yourself, look at open source options. If you need funnels, replays or product data, a product analytics suite goes further than page views.
Fathom Analytics is privacy-focused website analytics, described on its own site as GDPR compliant and run by a company that calls itself sustainable. It's a hosted service you subscribe to, so most people who leave are after a different arrangement: something they can host, something with a free plan, or something that tracks more than page views.
Whatever your reason, three checks matter more than any feature list, so they come first. After that you'll find a table, the tools grouped by approach, and a short line on each, all in no particular order and none of them ranked or linked.
Three checks before you move your analytics
Does it keep your history? Most alternatives start you from zero. A few offer an import, and some need a manual workaround. If year-on-year comparisons matter to you, ask about imports before anything else, and export your Fathom data either way.
Does it use cookies? Many tools here say they're cookieless and don't need a consent banner, but the details differ between vendors, and adding product features such as session replay can change the picture. Read each vendor's own privacy documentation rather than relying on a badge on the home page.
Where is the data stored? Some of these companies are based in the EU and store data there. Others are elsewhere or let you choose. Privacy rules vary by country and by what you collect, so check the requirements with your own data protection regulator rather than taking a vendor's word for it.
Nine analytics tools in a table
| Tool | Built around | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Clicky | Real-time legacy classic | Watching visitors arrive in real time |
| Litlyx | European cookieless analytics | AI insights across web, product, SEO and marketing |
| Pirsch | Privacy analytics with extras | Analytics plus a built-in URL shortener |
| Plausible | Closest like-for-like swap | A one-page dashboard nobody needs training for |
| PostHog | Product analytics suite | Product teams who need far more than page views |
| Rybbit | Open source cookieless | Open source web and product analytics together |
| Simple Analytics | EU-owned privacy analytics | Keeping analytics with an EU-owned company |
| Statcounter | Simple real-time classic | Plain visitor tracking without a learning curve |
| Tinylytics | Small-site analytics plus uptime | Analytics, uptime checks and event tracking together |
Privacy-first, open source, product-led or old-school
Simple and privacy-first. Plausible is the nearest like-for-like move, with a single-page dashboard and a lightweight script. Simple Analytics leads on being EU owned and based in Amsterdam. Pirsch adds a built-in URL shortener. Litlyx is European and cookieless with AI insights, and the page says a free plan is available. Tinylytics bundles uptime monitoring and content checks with its analytics, which suits a small site that wants one quiet dashboard.
Open source. Rybbit is open source and cookieless, covering web and product analytics in one dashboard, with session replay options.
Product analytics. PostHog goes well beyond page views. It's a product analytics platform, and its home page now says it can diagnose problems, fix bugs and generate pull requests. That's a much bigger tool than a privacy tracker, so it's worth it only if you'll use the product side.
Long-running classics. Clicky and Statcounter both focus on simple, real-time visitor tracking. They're familiar to many site owners and quick to read.
Who each tool is for
Clicky
Best for: Site owners who want real-time, privacy-friendly analytics from an older classic, with live reporting as its headline.
Litlyx
Best for: European businesses wanting cookieless analytics with one-click reports and AI insights, and a free plan the page says is available.
Pirsch
Best for: Developers, agencies and growing sites wanting privacy-friendly analytics with a built-in link shortener in the same account.
Plausible
Best for: People who want the nearest like-for-like swap: simple, privacy-friendly analytics with a light script and a single-page dashboard (vendor claims).
PostHog
Best for: Product and engineering teams that want product analytics plus tooling the vendor says diagnoses problems, fixes bugs and opens pull requests.
Rybbit
Best for: Teams that want open source, cookieless web and product analytics on one dashboard, with session replay options and no cookie banner (vendor claim).
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Simple Analytics
Best for: Businesses that care where their analytics company is based: it says it's EU owned, run from Amsterdam and privacy-friendly.
Statcounter
Best for: Small site owners who just want simple, real-time tracking that analyses and explains their visitors.
Tinylytics
Best for: Bloggers and small sites wanting cookie-free analytics with uptime monitoring, event tracking and content checks, and no consent banner per the vendor.
My advice: run two trackers for a month
Don't switch off Fathom on the day you sign up somewhere new. Keep it running in parallel for around a month, so you can compare the old and new numbers on the same traffic. Different tools filter bots, count sessions and treat returning visitors differently, so a gap between them doesn't mean one is wrong.
Once the numbers settle into a steady relationship, you'll know how to read the new dashboard against your history. Then cancel, keep your export somewhere safe, and note the switch date in your reporting so nobody mistakes a change of tool for a change in traffic.
If you're still deciding, my roundup of privacy-first tracker alternatives covers more simple, cookieless options, and my guide to Google Analytics alternatives compares the bigger platforms many teams start from.
Do you make website analytics tools? 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
Is there a free alternative to Fathom Analytics?
Some privacy-first tools offer a free plan, and open source tools can be self-hosted. Check each vendor's own page for the current plan details before you rely on it.
Can I import my Fathom data into another analytics tool?
Sometimes. Most tools start fresh, a few offer imports and others need a manual workaround. Export your data before you cancel either way.
Do cookieless analytics tools need a consent banner?
Many say they don't, but it depends on what you collect and where your visitors are. Rules vary by country, so check with your data protection regulator.
What's the difference between web analytics and product analytics?
Web analytics shows visits, pages and sources. Product analytics follows what people do inside an app, such as funnels, feature use and session replays.
Why do my numbers differ between two analytics tools?
Tools filter bots, define sessions and count unique visitors in different ways. Run them side by side for a few weeks and compare trends rather than exact totals.
