Plausible Analytics
AnalyticsSimple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative — lightweight and cookie-free.
About this project
Plausible Analytics is a lightweight, open-source, privacy-first web analytics platform — a clean alternative to Google Analytics that doesn't use cookies, doesn't require GDPR consent banners, and doesn't track users across sites. The entire script is under 1 KB (45× lighter than GA), it sends zero data to third parties, and the dashboard fits on a single screen.
Market opportunity
The web analytics market is worth $7B+ annually, but it is splitting in two. On one side: Google Analytics, free but increasingly problematic — GDPR fines across Europe, GA4's confusing redesign, and growing advertiser distrust. On the other: privacy-first analytics that are clean, fast, and compliant. Austria, France, Italy, and Denmark have all ruled GA illegal under GDPR, creating a direct commercial opportunity. Plausible fills exactly that gap with a product that businesses can run entirely on EU soil, with no third-party data sharing.
Technical overview
- Stack: Elixir/Phoenix backend, ClickHouse for fast time-series analytics, PostgreSQL for metadata.
- Tracking script: < 1 KB, no cookies, no personal data collected — GDPR, CCPA, PECR compliant out of the box.
- Features: page views, bounce rate, referrers, UTM parameters, goals and conversions, custom events, and email digests.
- Self-hostable: Docker Compose setup, runs on a $6/month VPS for small sites.
- API: a stats API for embedding or piping data to your own tools.
Who's it for
European businesses that need GDPR compliance without a consent banner, content publishers tired of Google's data collection, agencies managing analytics for privacy-conscious clients, and indie hackers who want a clean dashboard without the bloat.
How to use it
Get started
Cloud (recommended for most):
Sign up at plausible.io (30-day free trial). Add your site, copy the one-line script tag into your <head>, and your analytics are live:
<script defer data-domain="yourdomain.com"
src="https://plausible.io/js/script.js"></script>
No cookie banner needed. No configuration. Stats appear within minutes.
Self-host:
git clone https://github.com/plausible/community-edition
cd plausible-ce
cp plausible-conf.env.example plausible-conf.env # set SECRET_KEY_BASE and BASE_URL
docker compose up -d
Visit your instance, create an account, add a site, and drop the script tag on your pages. Total running cost: ~$6–$10/month for a VPS handling millions of pageviews.
💡 How to make a business with it
How to make money with it
1. Privacy-first analytics hosting for agencies. Agencies managing 10–50 client websites can run one self-hosted Plausible instance and offer clients a clean, GDPR-compliant analytics dashboard as a billable service — no cookie banners required.
- Target: European agencies, US agencies with EU clients, privacy-conscious brands
- Pricing: $25–$50/month per client site
- Example: 30 client sites × $35/month = $12,600/year from one $20/month server
- Difficulty: Simple — one server, all clients, zero per-site cost
2. White-label analytics SaaS. Plausible's self-hosted version lets you rebrand the dashboard. Offer "Analytics by [YourBrand]" to SaaS founders and content sites that want embedded analytics without building it themselves.
- Target: SaaS companies that need analytics for their users
- Pricing: $20–$99/month depending on traffic volume
- Example: 100 customers × $39/month = $46,800 ARR
- Difficulty: Medium — requires some branding work and a reseller positioning
3. GDPR compliance auditing + analytics migration. With EU regulators actively fining companies for GDPR analytics violations, there is a real consulting market for moving businesses from GA4 to privacy-compliant alternatives.
- Target: EU-based businesses receiving GDPR notices, US companies with EU traffic
- Pricing: $1,500–$4,000 migration project + $200/month ongoing management
- Example: 3 projects/month = $4,500–$12,000/month in project revenue plus recurring retainers
- Difficulty: Simple — the technical work is straightforward; the value is the compliance knowledge
Need technical help?
Want help setting up Plausible Analytics, customizing it, or building your product on top of it? Knock me — let's talk.