Plausible Analytics vs Simple Analytics in 2026: More dashboard depth vs a genuine free tier
Both ditch cookies and consent banners entirely. The real split is Plausible's extra features against Simple Analytics's free plan and white-label option.
Plausible Analytics
Simple Analytics- Simple Analytics has a genuine free tier with limited pageviews. Plausible has no free plan; its cheapest tier is €9/month for a single site.
- Simple Analytics offers white-label configurations on its Enterprise tier. Plausible does not offer white-label delivery at any price point.
- Plausible automatically attributes ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude referral traffic with zero setup. Simple Analytics has no equivalent AI-referral tracking feature in its published feature set.
- Plausible is open-source under AGPL and self-hostable. Simple Analytics has no self-hosting option; it is cloud-only.
- Plausible connects directly to Google Search Console for query-level SEO data inside the dashboard. Simple Analytics has no equivalent SEO integration.
- Simple Analytics gates its API to paid plans starting at €20/month. Plausible gates its Stats API further up, to the Business plan at €19/month and above.
Plausible Analytics and Simple Analytics solve the same problem the same way: cookieless tracking that needs no consent banner, EU hosting, and GDPR compliance by default. Simple Analytics's own FAQ puts it plainly, calling out that Plausible has more filtering and segmentation options while Simple Analytics leans into white-label delivery and API access on paid plans. Plausible starts at €9/month with no free tier and adds AI traffic monitoring, Google Search Console integration, and open-source self-hosting. Simple Analytics has an actual free plan for small sites, paid tiers from €20/month, and white-label options that Plausible does not offer at any price. The choice comes down to whether you need Plausible's extra reporting depth or Simple Analytics's free entry point and agency-branding options.
The tools at a glance
Plausible Analytics
Lightweight, EU-hosted, privacy-first analytics that replaces Google Analytics without cookies or consent banners
Plausible's single-page dashboard covers page views, unique visitors, bounce rate, top pages, referrers, countries, and conversion goals, with a tracking script under 1KB that Plausible says has no measurable impact on Core Web Vitals. Over 19,000 paying customers have switched from Google Analytics.
Beyond the basics, Plausible connects to Google Search Console for query-level SEO data, tracks AI referral traffic from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude automatically, and supports no-code goal, event, and revenue tracking. The Business plan adds a Stats API and Looker Studio connector.
The codebase is fully open-source under AGPL, so technical teams can self-host and audit exactly what is collected. There is no free tier: even the smallest Starter plan runs €9/month for a single site.
| Feature | Starter From €9/mo | Growth From €14/mo | Business From €19/mo | Enterprise Custom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sites included | 1 | 3 | 10 | Custom |
| Stats API | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Looker Studio Connector | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Self-hostable (open source) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| White-label | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Simple Analytics
Privacy-first web analytics that captures 100% of visitors without cookies or consent banners
Simple Analytics tracks visitors without cookies or fingerprinting, which means visitors who decline a GDPR consent banner or run an ad blocker are still counted. The platform claims this recovers 20 to 60 percent of traffic that consent-gated tools like Google Analytics miss.
The entire interface is one page: top pages, referrers, countries, devices, and a traffic trend line, with no sub-menus or configuration required. An API is available on paid plans for pulling data into other tools, and white-label configurations let agencies present the dashboard under their own branding.
There is a genuinely free tier with limited pageviews for small sites, and paid plans start at €20/month for unlimited pageviews. What is missing entirely is funnel analysis, user-journey tracking, and any AI-referral attribution feature.
| Feature | Free Free | Self-Serve €20/mo | Enterprise Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pageviews included | Limited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| API access | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| White-label | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom domain | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Self-hostable (open source) | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Head-to-head feature comparison
| Feature | Plausible Analytics | Simple Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Privacy-first web traffic analytics | Privacy-first web traffic analytics |
| Cookieless / consent-free tracking | Yes, fully cookieless | Yes, fully cookieless |
| Free tier available | No | Yes, limited pageviews |
| White-label delivery | No | Yes, Enterprise tier |
| Self-hostable / open-source | Yes, AGPL license | No |
| AI referral traffic tracking | Yes, automatic ChatGPT/Perplexity/Claude attribution | No |
| Google Search Console integration | Yes | No |
| API access | Business plan and above | Self-Serve plan and above |
| Starting price | €9/mo (Starter) | Free |
Which should you choose?
Plausible AnalyticsSimple AnalyticsSimple AnalyticsPlausible AnalyticsPlausible AnalyticsPlausible AnalyticsSimple Analytics's own comparison is the most honest framing available: Plausible wins on dashboard depth and segmentation, Simple Analytics wins on white-label and a real free tier. Both remove the same compliance headache in the same way, so the decision rarely comes down to privacy posture and almost always comes down to whether you need Plausible's extra reporting features or Simple Analytics's free entry point and agency branding.
Bottom line
Choose Plausible if you want AI-referral tracking, Search Console integration, and the option to self-host, and you are fine paying from €9/month with no free tier. Choose Simple Analytics if you want to start free, need white-label dashboards for client work, and do not need the extra reporting depth. Some agencies genuinely run both: Simple Analytics for client-facing white-label reports, Plausible for their own marketing site.
Frequently asked questions
Is Simple Analytics or Plausible better for a small site on a free budget?
Simple Analytics has a genuinely free tier with limited pageviews, which makes it the better starting point for small sites with no budget. Plausible has no free plan; its cheapest tier runs €9/month for a single site, though it includes more reporting depth from day one.
Which tool tracks AI referral traffic from ChatGPT and Perplexity?
Plausible automatically categorizes ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude referral visits with zero configuration. Simple Analytics does not have a published equivalent feature, so teams that want to see AI-sourced traffic specifically should lean toward Plausible.
Can I self-host Simple Analytics like I can with Plausible?
No. Simple Analytics is cloud-only with no self-hosting option. Plausible is fully open-source under AGPL and can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure if you want to keep data entirely in-house.
Does either tool offer white-label reporting for agencies?
Simple Analytics offers white-label configurations on its Enterprise tier, letting agencies present the dashboard under their own branding. Plausible does not offer white-label delivery at any price point.
Do both tools really eliminate the need for a cookie consent banner?
Yes. Both Plausible and Simple Analytics track visitors without cookies or persistent identifiers, so neither requires a GDPR, CCPA, or PECR consent banner. This is the core shared premise of both products, not a marketing claim unique to one.