Plausible — unsubbed.co

Overview

Plausible is a lightweight, privacy-friendly web analytics tool designed as a direct replacement for Google Analytics. Its script weighs under 1KB (vs Google Analytics’ 45KB), doesn’t use cookies, and collects no personal data — meaning no consent banners are needed under GDPR.

The dashboard shows you what matters: page views, bounce rate, visit duration, referral sources, and top pages. No 50-tab Google Analytics overwhelm. For businesses that want to understand their traffic without invading visitor privacy, Plausible is the gold standard.

Key Features

Privacy-First — No cookies, no personal data, no fingerprinting
Lightweight — Under 1KB script, no page speed impact
Simple Dashboard — All metrics on one page, no training needed
Goal Tracking — Track signups, downloads, and custom events
UTM Tracking — Campaign attribution without cookies
Email Reports — Weekly/monthly traffic reports to your inbox

Pricing: Self-Hosted vs Plausible Cloud

Users	Plausible Cloud	Plausible (self-hosted)	Savings
10K pageviews/mo	$9/mo (Plausible Cloud)	$5/mo (VPS)	$4/mo
100K pageviews/mo	$19/mo (Plausible Cloud)	$10/mo (VPS)	$9/mo
1M pageviews/mo	$69/mo (Plausible Cloud)	$20/mo (VPS)	$49/mo
10M pageviews/mo	$99+/mo (Plausible Cloud)	$40/mo (VPS)	$59+/mo

Pros

+ No cookies — no consent banners needed
+ Script is under 1KB — fastest analytics script available
+ GDPR/CCPA/PECR compliant by design
+ Clean, simple dashboard (no data overload)
+ Open-source with active development

Cons

- Less granular than Google Analytics
- No user-level tracking (by design)
- Self-hosted requires ClickHouse (resource-heavy)
- Fewer integrations than Matomo

Deployment Options for Plausible

🐳

Docker

Self-host with Docker Compose

🚀

Coolify

One-click via Coolify panel

☁️

Elestio

Managed hosting from $9/mo

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PikaPods

Simple managed hosting

Frequently Asked Questions

Plausible vs Google Analytics?

Plausible for privacy and simplicity. Google Analytics for deep user-level tracking, e-commerce analytics, and integration with Google Ads. Plausible shows you traffic trends; GA shows you individual user journeys.

Do I really not need cookie consent?

Correct. Plausible doesn't use cookies, doesn't track personal data, and doesn't do fingerprinting. Most GDPR compliance experts confirm no consent banner is needed.

Plausible vs Umami?

Both are excellent privacy-first analytics. Plausible has a more polished UI and managed hosting option. Umami is lighter (SQLite support) and fully free. See our head-to-head comparison.

Can I import Google Analytics history?

Yes. Plausible supports Google Analytics data import to maintain your historical trends after switching.

Our Verdict

Plausible is a lightweight, privacy-friendly web analytics tool designed as a direct replacement for Google Analytics. Its script weighs under 1KB (vs Google Analytics' 45KB), doesn't use cookies, and...

Best for: Businesses that want simple, privacy-friendly analytics without cookie consent banners

Compare Plausible

Plausible vs Umami

Both are excellent privacy-first analytics tools. Plausible is more polished with a managed hosting option. Umami is lighter (SQLite support) and completely free. Choose Plausible for simplicity, Umami for flexibility.