Fathom vs Plausible: Privacy-First Analytics
Compare Fathom and Plausible, the two leading privacy-first web analytics tools. We evaluate data accuracy, pricing, compliance, and dashboard experience against the Google Analytics baseline.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Aspect | fathom | plausible |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $15/mo for up to 100K pageviews | $9/mo for up to 10K pageviews |
| Cookie Usage | No cookies — cookieless tracking by default | No cookies — cookieless tracking by default |
| GDPR Compliance | GDPR, CCPA, PECR compliant — no consent banner needed | GDPR, CCPA, PECR compliant — no consent banner needed |
| Open Source | Closed source — cloud-hosted only | Fully open source — self-host or use cloud |
| Dashboard | Clean single-page dashboard with real-time data | Minimal single-page dashboard with goal tracking |
| Script Size | ~2 KB — minimal impact on page load | ~1 KB — smallest analytics script available |
| Data Retention | Unlimited data retention on all plans | Unlimited data retention on all plans |
Our Verdict
Both Fathom and Plausible are excellent alternatives to Google Analytics for startups that care about privacy and simplicity. Fathom has a slightly more polished dashboard and better uptime track record, while Plausible is open source and cheaper at lower traffic levels. Either one eliminates the need for cookie consent banners, which alone improves user experience and signup conversion. If you want self-hosting, Plausible is your only choice. If you want a managed service with zero maintenance, both are great — Plausible starts cheaper, Fathom scales better.
Choose based on your use case:
plausible if startup wanting simple analytics without cookie banners
Plausible's lightweight script and GDPR compliance eliminate consent banners — improving UX and conversion rates.
plausible if company needing to self-host analytics for compliance
Plausible's open-source, self-hosted option keeps all analytics data on your own infrastructure for full compliance.
fathom if business wanting premium managed analytics service
Fathom's managed service has excellent uptime, EU isolation options, and a polished dashboard that just works.
fathom if high-traffic site looking for affordable privacy analytics
Fathom's pricing tiers scale more favorably at higher traffic volumes compared to Plausible's per-pageview model.
