Every website needs analytics. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the free default, but privacy-focused alternatives like Plausible and Fathom offer simplicity, compliance, and more accurate data.
Platform Comparison
| Factor | GA4 | Plausible | Fathom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free (to 10M events) | $9/month (10K pageviews) | $15/month (100K pageviews) |
| Cookie usage | Yes (requires consent) | No cookies | No cookies |
| GDPR consent banner | Required | Not required | Not required |
| Script size | 45 KB | 1 KB | 2 KB |
| PageSpeed impact | Moderate | Minimal | Minimal |
| Data ownership | Google owns data | You own data | You own data |
| Self-hosting | No | Yes (open source) | No |
| Open source | No | Yes (AGPLv3) | No |
| Data retention | 14 months (free) | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Real-time dashboard | Yes (delayed) | Yes (instant) | Yes (instant) |
| Learning curve | Steep | Minimal | Minimal |
| Setup time | Complex (GA4 migration) | 5 minutes | 5 minutes |
| Custom events | Yes (complex) | Yes (simple) | Yes (simple) |
| E-commerce tracking | Yes | Basic | Basic |
| Goal/conversion tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| UTM tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Funnel analysis | Yes | No | No |
| Audience segmentation | Yes | Basic | Basic |
| Integration ecosystem | Massive | Growing | Growing |
| Ad blocker impact | ~30% blocked | ~10% blocked | ~10% blocked |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Data Accuracy
A critical but overlooked difference: privacy-friendly analytics are more accurate because:
- No cookie consent banner = no consent rejection = all visitors counted
- Fewer ad blockers block Plausible/Fathom compared to GA4
- GA4 uses data sampling on large datasets; Plausible/Fathom count every visit
Typical accuracy difference: GA4 reports 60-75% of actual traffic. Plausible/Fathom reports 85-95%.
When GA4 Wins
- E-commerce analytics: Product performance, checkout funnels
- Google Ads integration: Conversion tracking, audience building
- Advanced segmentation: Complex user behavior analysis
- Enterprise reporting: Custom dimensions, BigQuery export
- Zero budget: Analytics on a free tier
When Plausible Wins
- Privacy compliance: GDPR, CCPA without consent banners
- Open source: Self-host for full data control
- SEO-focused sites: Accurate traffic data matters
- Simple dashboards: One-page overview, no training needed
- Performance: 1 KB script vs 45 KB GA4
When Fathom Wins
- Privacy + support: Paid product with customer support
- EU data residency: EU-isolated processing
- Simple pricing: Flat rate, predictable costs
- Multi-site management: One dashboard for many sites
- Intelligent tracking: Bypasses most ad blockers legally
Our Recommendation
We install Plausible on client sites by default. It eliminates the need for cookie consent banners, loads faster (1 KB vs 45 KB), and provides more accurate visitor counts. For clients needing e-commerce funnel analysis or Google Ads integration, we add GA4 alongside Plausible.
Set up proper analytics for your website.