Plausible vs Umami
Both are privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternatives that skip the cookie banners. Plausible is a paid hosted service. Umami is free and self-hostable.
Updated 2026-02 · 2026
Plausible
Simple, privacy-friendly web analytics
Strengths
- +Dead simple dashboard, everything on one page
- +Fully GDPR, CCPA, and PECR compliant out of the box
- +Lightweight script under 1KB, does not slow your site down
Weaknesses
- -Costs money, and prices scale with pageviews
- -No user-level analytics or session replays
- -Custom event tracking is more limited than GA4
Best for
Site owners who want clean, compliant analytics without managing infrastructure or configuring cookie consent.
Umami
Free, open source, self-hosted web analytics
Strengths
- +Completely free to self-host with no pageview limits
- +Privacy-focused with no cookies and no personal data tracking
- +Supports tracking multiple websites from one dashboard
Weaknesses
- -Requires a server and basic DevOps skills to self-host
- -Cloud-hosted option exists but is newer and less proven
- -Fewer built-in integrations than Plausible
Best for
Developers and technical founders who want free, privacy-respecting analytics and are comfortable managing their own server.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $9/mo (10K pageviews) | Free (self-hosted) |
| Self-hosting | Possible but not primary | Primary use case |
| Cookie-free | Yes | Yes |
| GDPR compliant | Yes, EU-hosted | Yes, no personal data |
| Setup time | 5 minutes | 30-60 minutes (self-host) |
| Script size | Under 1KB | Under 2KB |
| Multi-site tracking | Yes (costs more) | Yes (unlimited, free) |
| Custom events | Yes | Yes |
The Verdict
Plausible is the easiest path to privacy-friendly analytics. Pay $9 a month and forget about it. Umami is the right choice if you have a VPS already, enjoy self-hosting, and want to track multiple sites without paying per pageview. Both are excellent Google Analytics replacements. The real question is whether you want to pay for convenience or spend time on setup.