Simple Analytics vs Plausible

Who This Page Is For

You’re comparing these two tools because you want privacy-first analytics and you’re deciding between:

• Cloud-only simplicity (Simple Analytics) vs self-hosting option (Plausible)
• Maximum minimalism (Simple Analytics) vs more features (Plausible)
• Social tracking features (Simple Analytics) vs open-source transparency (Plausible)

The honest answer: Both are excellent privacy-first alternatives to Google Analytics. The self-hosting question often decides it — if you need self-hosting, Plausible is your only choice between these two.

The Core Tradeoff

Simple Analytics is privacy-focused with deliberate minimalism. Cloud-only, no self-hosting. Unique features like social referral tracking (tweets mentioning your site). EU-based data processing.

Plausible is open-source (AGPL-3.0) with both cloud and self-hosted options. More configuration options than Simple Analytics. Community-driven development.

The decision usually comes down to: Do you need self-hosting? Plausible. Do you want maximum simplicity with social tracking? Simple Analytics.

Quick Decision

Choose Simple Analytics when:

• Cloud-only is fine (no self-hosting needs)
• You want the simplest possible analytics
• Social referral tracking (tweets, etc.) is valuable
• Maximum data minimalism matters
• You prefer fewer configuration decisions

Choose Plausible when:

• You need or want self-hosting capability
• Open-source matters (inspect code, contribute)
• You want more customization options
• Community-driven development appeals to you
• You plan to extend or integrate deeply

Consider alternatives when:

• You need session recordings → PostHog
• You need event funnels → Mixpanel or PostHog
• You need ecommerce analytics → Fathom Analytics or custom setup

Comparison Snapshot

The Self-Hosting Question

This often decides between them:

If you need self-hosting:

• Plausible is your only choice between these two
• Deploy on your infrastructure
• Complete data control
• No monthly analytics cost (just infrastructure)

If cloud is fine:

• Both work well
• Simple Analytics is slightly simpler
• Plausible has more features

Detailed Comparison

Privacy and Data Handling

Simple Analytics: Minimal data collection by design. No cookies, no tracking, no fingerprinting. Data stored in Netherlands (EU). Deliberate feature constraints to minimize data.

Plausible: Same privacy-first approach — cookie-free, GDPR compliant by design. EU data centers on cloud. Self-hosted gives complete data control.

Bottom line: Both are excellent for privacy. Plausible gives more control through self-hosting; Simple Analytics achieves privacy through deliberate minimalism.

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Open Source

Simple Analytics: Partially open-source. Some components open, but core product is proprietary. Cannot self-host.

Plausible: Fully open-source under AGPL-3.0. Community contributions, full code transparency. Can self-host completely.

Bottom line: If open-source matters (code inspection, contributions, self-hosting), Plausible is the clear choice.

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Features

Simple Analytics: Pageviews, referrers, device data, custom events. Unique social referral tracking (finds tweets mentioning your site). Optional ad-blocker bypass through custom domain.

Plausible: Pageviews, referrers, device data, custom events, goals. More configuration options for funnels and conversions. Custom domain proxy for ad-blocker bypass.

Bottom line: Plausible has slightly more features. Simple Analytics has unique social tracking. Both cover core analytics needs.

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Dashboard Experience

Simple Analytics: Extremely simple dashboard. One screen with essential metrics. Minimal options, no learning curve.

Plausible: Simple dashboard but with more filtering and segmentation options. Still minimal compared to Google Analytics, but more capable than Simple Analytics.

Bottom line: Both are simple. Simple Analytics is simpler; Plausible offers more power when needed.

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Pricing

Simple Analytics: $9/month (100K pageviews), scales with traffic. No free tier.

Plausible: $9/month (10K pageviews), scales with traffic. No free tier. Self-hosted is free (infrastructure costs only).

Bottom line: Similar pricing at low volumes. At scale, Plausible self-hosted eliminates analytics costs entirely.

Honest Limitations

Simple Analytics Limitations

• No self-hosting option (cloud-only)
• Not fully open-source
• Fewer features than Plausible
• No free tier
• Limited customization options
• Smaller community than Plausible

Plausible Limitations

• Self-hosting requires technical resources
• AGPL license may not fit all use cases
• No social referral tracking like Simple Analytics
• More setup decisions than Simple Analytics
• No free tier on cloud

Technical Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

Which supports self-hosting?

Only Plausible. Simple Analytics is cloud-only with no self-hosting option. Plausible is fully open-source with Docker deployment available.

Are both GDPR compliant?

Yes. Both are designed for GDPR compliance with EU data processing, cookie-free tracking, and no personal data collection. Both suitable for EU-focused sites.

Which has better social tracking?

Simple Analytics has unique social referral tracking that finds tweets and social mentions of your site. Plausible tracks standard referrers but doesn’t have this social-specific feature.

Which is more minimal?

Simple Analytics is deliberately more minimal in both data collection and features. Plausible is still minimal compared to Google Analytics but offers more configuration options.

Which has the smaller script?

Plausible at around 1KB. Simple Analytics is around 6KB. Both are much smaller than Google Analytics. The difference is negligible for most sites.

Can I bypass ad blockers with either?

Both support custom domain proxying to avoid ad blocker lists. Simple Analytics calls it custom domain; Plausible uses a similar proxy approach. Both work but require DNS configuration.

Bottom Line

Related Pages

• Simple Analytics alternatives
• Plausible alternatives
• Analytics tools for privacy-focused teams
• How to migrate from Google Analytics