If you’re building a website that’s less reliant on Google—whether for privacy, performance, or ideological reasons—replacing Google Analytics is one of the first and most impactful steps you can take.
Here’s a comprehensive guide to free or low-cost alternatives that offer decent accuracy, minimal bot traffic, basic goal tracking, and a simple setup experience.
🧭 Key Requirements
Based on your goals, any replacement should ideally offer:
- ✅ Accurate data with bot/spider filtering
- ✅ Basic goal/event tracking
- ✅ Ease of use (low setup time, no steep learning curve)
- ✅ Optional: No need for server-level configuration (e.g. on a VPS or droplet)
🥇 Top Google Analytics Alternatives (Free/Freemium)
1. Plausible Analytics
- 🌐 https://plausible.io
- 💰 From €9/month (up to 10k monthly pageviews); self-hosted version is free
- ✅ Simple, clean dashboard
- ✅ Open-source and privacy-focused (no cookies, GDPR-compliant)
- ✅ Event/goal tracking with URL or button click matching
- ✅ Easy to install via script tag; no server config required for hosted version
📌 Best for: People who want a plug-and-play, privacy-first tool with clear UI and basic goal tracking.
2. Umami
- 🌐 https://umami.is
- 💰 Free & open-source (can be self-hosted); hosted plans start at $9/mo
- ✅ Lightweight, GDPR-compliant, cookie-free
- ✅ Filters out bots/spiders reliably
- ✅ Easy goal tracking (e.g. button clicks, custom events)
- ✅ Hosted version avoids any VPS/droplet setup
📌 Best for: Developers wanting an open-source solution with great design and basic functionality.
3. GoatCounter
- 🌐 https://www.goatcounter.com
- 💰 Free for personal use (up to 100k pageviews/mo)
- ✅ Open-source, cookie-free, privacy-focused
- ✅ Simple UI, minimal setup
- ✅ Lightweight script (good for performance)
- ⚠️ Goal tracking is very basic (not as detailed as others)
📌 Best for: Personal projects and minimalist tracking with no overhead.
4. Matomo (formerly Piwik)
- 🌐 https://matomo.org
- 💰 Free self-hosted; cloud starts at $23/mo
- ✅ Full-featured (closest to Google Analytics)
- ✅ Goal tracking, funnels, heatmaps (some features paid)
- ✅ Bot filtering, IP anonymization
- ❌ Heavier learning curve
- ❌ Self-hosting can be complex; cloud version simplifies this
📌 Best for: Users who need detailed analytics and are okay with a bit of complexity or higher cost.
5. Fathom Analytics
- 🌐 https://usefathom.com
- 💰 From $14/month (7-day free trial)
- ✅ Simple, fast, privacy-first (compliant with GDPR, CCPA, etc.)
- ✅ Event tracking with clear docs
- ✅ Built-in bot filtering
- ✅ No setup beyond inserting a script
📌 Best for: Sites needing enterprise-level privacy and simple reporting with no time investment.
⚙️ Suggested Setup for Your Use Case
If you’re building a site and want solid analytics without Google or server tinkering, here’s a recommended approach:
→ Start with Plausible or Umami (hosted):
- Privacy-compliant
- Easy to set up (just insert script)
- Include simple goal tracking (e.g.
/thank-youpage views or button clicks) - No need to configure anything on a VPS/droplet
🧾 Final Thoughts
Replacing Google Analytics is a great first step toward a more independent, privacy-respecting website. For your specific needs—accuracy, goal tracking, ease of use, and no server config—the best options are:
| Tool | Free Plan | Goal Tracking | Bot Filtering | Self-host Required? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plausible | ❌ (self-host free) | ✅ | ✅ | Optional |
| Umami | ✅ (self-hosted) / Paid hosted | ✅ | ✅ | Optional |
| GoatCounter | ✅ (personal) | ⚠️ Limited | ✅ | Optional |
| Matomo | ✅ (self-hosted) | ✅✅ | ✅ | Yes for free |
| Fathom | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | No |