Free Website Analytics Tools (2026): 10 Compared

Every website needs some analytics, and most small sites never need to spend anything on it. The question is how much detail you want, how much you care about privacy and cookie banners, and whether you'd rather someone else runs the servers.

These are ten free website analytics tools in no particular order, sorted alphabetically, from big suites to tiny open source counters. Each description comes from the tool's own website, re-checked today. If you're new to reading the numbers, my guide to what your analytics tells you about your business explains the reports that matter.

Free website analytics tools at a glance

Every tool in this table says it has a free plan or free edition. Free plans often limit events, websites or how long data is kept, and self-hosted tools are free to run but need a server.

Tool	Type	Good for	Free plan
Clicky	Real-time analytics	Watching visitors in real time	Yes
Cloudflare Web Analytics	Privacy-first analytics	Sites already on Cloudflare	Yes
Counter.dev	Open source analytics	Minimal stats with no fuss	Yes
GoatCounter	Open source analytics	Hobby sites and personal blogs	Yes
Google Analytics	Full analytics suite	Detailed reports and ad tracking	Yes
Matomo	Open source analytics	Owning your data	Yes
Microsoft Clarity	Behaviour analytics	Heatmaps and session recordings	Yes
PostHog	Product analytics	Websites that act like apps	Yes
Simple Analytics	Privacy-first analytics	Hobby sites wanting clean stats	Yes
Umami	Open source analytics	Lightweight stats for one site	Yes

Ten free website analytics tools

Clicky

Best for: Site owners who like real-time visitor detail and can live with a short history on the free plan.

Cloudflare Web Analytics

Best for: Site owners who want free, privacy-first traffic stats, especially if the site already uses Cloudflare.

Counter.dev

Best for: Developers and small sites that want simple, privacy-friendly open source stats with an optional contribution.

GoatCounter

Best for: Bloggers and small projects that want open source analytics without tracking personal data.

Google Analytics

Best for: Businesses that want detailed reports, conversion tracking and links to advertising tools at no charge.

Matomo

Best for: Organisations that want full analytics on their own server with a free self-hosted edition.

Microsoft Clarity

Best for: Site owners who want free heatmaps and session recordings to see how people use pages.

PostHog

Best for: Startups and app-like sites that want product analytics with a monthly free allowance.

Simple Analytics

Best for: Hobby sites that want a clean, privacy-first dashboard on the free plan, with a short history.

Umami

Best for: Small sites that want lightweight, open source analytics on a free hobby plan or self-hosted.

The free website analytics setting to change on day one

Here's the setting most people never touch. Google Analytics lets you set how long user-level data is kept to two months or fourteen months, and that choice limits how far back some detailed reports can look. If you leave it short and want to compare this season with the same season next time round, the detail may already be gone.

Lighter tools have their own version of this: free plans often keep only a month or a few months of history. Check the retention on whichever tool you choose and export a monthly summary so you always have your own record.

Full suite or privacy-friendly free website analytics

Full suites give you conversions, audiences, campaign tracking and links to advertising, which matters if you run ads. Privacy-friendly counters give you visitors, sources and top pages on a single screen, load faster and often collect less personal data. Many small businesses are better served by the simpler option, and some run both: a light counter for the daily glance and a full suite for campaign work.

Setting up free website analytics in an hour

1. Install the tracking code on every page, including landing pages.
2. Exclude your own visits so your testing doesn't skew the numbers, and ask your team to do the same.
3. Set up one or two goals, such as enquiries or sign-ups.
4. Check data retention and change it if you need longer history.
5. Add the analytics tool to your privacy notice and cookie consent if it needs it.

Consent, privacy and free website analytics

Rules on analytics cookies vary by country, and in the UK and EU many analytics cookies need consent. If you use a consent banner, your numbers will undercount people who decline, so expect a gap between tools. My explainer on visitor consent and Google analytics data covers what that gap looks like and how to read around it.

Whatever you choose, write down which tool counts what. When two tools disagree, which they always do, you'll know why instead of wondering which one is broken.

What to look at every month

• Visitors and sessions: the overall trend, not the daily wobble.
• Top sources: search, social, email and referrals.
• Top pages: what people read and where they land first.
• Goals: enquiries, sign-ups or sales, and which pages led to them.

Fifteen minutes a month with those four numbers is more useful than an hour a day staring at real-time charts. You'll spot the trends that matter, and you won't panic over a quiet Tuesday.

Do you make web analytics software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.

My plain advice on free website analytics

Choose the simplest tool that answers the three questions you ask every month: how many people came, where from, and what did they do. Add a full suite only when you run campaigns that need it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free website analytics tool?

It depends on your needs. Full suites suit businesses running ads; lightweight tools suit sites that want quick, private stats.

Is there free analytics that doesn't need a cookie banner?

Some privacy-first tools say they don't use cookies. Check each tool's own documentation and your local rules.

How long does GA4 keep my data?

You can set user-level data retention to two or fourteen months in the admin settings.

Can I run two analytics tools at once?

Yes. Many sites use a lightweight counter alongside a full suite. Keep an eye on page speed.

Is self-hosted analytics really free?

The software is free, but you'll need a server and time for updates and backups.

What should I track first?

Visitors, traffic sources, top pages and one or two goals such as enquiries.