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Plausible vs Google Analytics•2026

Plausible vs Google Analytics: simple and private, or free and deep

Plausible is lightweight, cookie-free analytics on one dashboard, hosted in the EU. Google Analytics is free and in-depth, with explorations, BigQuery export and Google Ads integration. Here's how they compare, as of Oct 2026.

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Both sides checked against official pages Last checked Oct 2026

The short version

Who each one suits best

Both are solid choices for different needs. Here's where each one wins, as of Oct 2026.

Choose
Plausible if…
  • You want analytics without cookies
  • You want your data stored in the EU, on European-owned infrastructure
  • You want one simple dashboard rather than a report builder
  • You want open source you can self-host (AGPL Community Edition)
Choose
Google Analytics if…
  • You need a free tool
  • You run Google Ads and want the native integration
  • You need explorations: cohorts, segment overlap and the user explorer
  • You need raw event export to BigQuery
Full breakdown

Plausible vs Google Analytics, feature by feature

What each tool does today, checked against each company's own pages as of Oct 2026.

Supported With caveats Not available Detail
01Reports
Realtime
PlausibleYes: Realtime dashboard[3]
Google AnalyticsYes: Activity from the last 30 minutes[13]
Goals and funnels
PlausibleYes: Goals on every plan; funnels of 2 to 8 steps on Business[1][4]
Google AnalyticsYes: Funnel exploration[12]
Search Console data
PlausibleYes: Search Console integration[5]
Google AnalyticsYes: Organic search queries and landing page reports once linked[14]
Revenue
PlausiblePartly: Business plan and up, from revenue values you attach to goal events[1][2]
Google AnalyticsPartly: From purchase events you send with a value and transaction ID[11]
API and raw data
PlausibleYes: Stats API on Business; raw data export on Enterprise[1][6]
Google AnalyticsYes: BigQuery export, up to 1 million events a day on standard properties[18]
02Privacy & data
Cookies
PlausibleNote: No cookies; visitors are counted with a daily-rotated hash[7]
Google AnalyticsNote: First-party _ga cookies, two-year default expiry; consent mode for declined consent[15][16]
Where data is stored
PlausibleNote: In the EU, on infrastructure owned by European companies[7]
Google AnalyticsNote: With Google[10]
Data retention
PlausibleNote: 3 years on Starter and Growth, 5 years on Business[1]
Google AnalyticsNote: Explorations keep 2 or 14 months on standard properties; standard reports aren't affected[17]
Open source and self-hosting
PlausibleYes: Community Edition under AGPLv3, free to self-host (without funnels or revenue goals)[8]
Google AnalyticsNo: Hosted by Google only[10]
03Setup & pricing
Install
PlausibleYes: One snippet in your site's <head>[9]
Google AnalyticsYes: Google tag on every page, or via Tag Manager[19]
Price
PlausibleNote: From $9/month at 10k pageviews, after a 30-day free trial[1]
Google AnalyticsNote: Free. Analytics 360 is a paid enterprise edition[10]

Plausible Analytics and Google Analytics details last checked on October 7, 2026 against the official pages below. Features and prices change; check their sites for the latest. Plausible Analytics and Google Analytics are trademarks of their respective owners. This page is published by Trakily, which isn't affiliated with or endorsed by either company.

  1. [1] Plausible pricing
  2. [2] Ecommerce revenue tracking
  3. [3] Realtime dashboard
  4. [4] Funnel analysis
  5. [5] Search Console integration
  6. [6] Stats API
  7. [7] Data policy
  8. [8] Community Edition
  9. [9] Add the tracking script
  10. [10] Google Analytics overview
  11. [11] Measure ecommerce (GA4)
  12. [12] About Explorations
  13. [13] Realtime report
  14. [14] Search Console integration
  15. [15] Cookie usage on websites
  16. [16] Consent mode
  17. [17] Data retention
  18. [18] BigQuery Export
  19. [19] Set up the Google tag
Pricing

What each one costs

Prices as published on each company's site, Oct 2026.

Plausible
$9/mo
Starter, at 10k monthly pageviews. 30-day free trial.
Starter1 site · 3 years retention$9/mo
Growth3 sites · 3 team members$14/mo
Business10 sites · funnels, revenue, Stats API$19/mo
EnterpriseSSO, raw data exportCustom

Plausible's prices are shown at 10k monthly pageviews and rise with traffic. Revenue goals, funnels and the Stats API start on Business.

Source: Plausible pricing
Google Analytics
Free
Standard Google Analytics costs nothing.
Google AnalyticsStandard propertiesFree
Analytics 360Enterprise edition, sold through GooglePaid

Standard Google Analytics costs nothing. Analytics 360 is an enterprise edition sold through Google.

Source: Google Analytics overviewSource: Measure ecommerce (GA4)
How to choose

Questions that settle it

Answer these and the right pick between Plausible and Google Analytics is usually clear.

01

Is free a must?

Google Analytics is free. Plausible's cloud is paid after a 30-day trial, and its Community Edition is free if you host it yourself.

02

How do you feel about cookies?

Plausible doesn't use cookies. Google Analytics does, with consent mode for visitors who decline. What you need to show visitors depends on where you and they are.

03

How deep do you go?

If you build cohorts, segments and custom explorations, Google Analytics has far more. If you want answers on one screen, Plausible is built for that.

04

Do you run Google Ads?

Google Analytics links natively with Google's ad products, which matters if paid search is a big channel for you.

FAQ

Plausible vs Google Analytics, answered

Common questions, answered from each company's own pages.

For a simple, cookie-free dashboard with data kept in the EU, Plausible is the better fit. For free, in-depth analysis, Google Ads integration and BigQuery export, Google Analytics is.

The comparison above covers Plausible and Google Analytics only. Below is where Trakily, the publisher of this page, fits in.
Want revenue, not just visitors?

See which channels actually pay you

Trakily is web analytics built around money. It works differently from both Plausible and Google Analytics:

  • Revenue straight from your payment providerPaste an API key from Stripe, Polar, Lemon Squeezy, Paddle, Dodo Payments or Razorpay. Payments, refunds and renewals are matched to the visit that brought the buyer, with no purchase events to write.
  • Visitors and revenue on one chartChannels, pages and campaigns ranked by the money they bring, from day one. No event plan, explorations or SQL first.
  • Mentions next to your trafficPosts about you on X, Reddit, Hacker News and Bluesky sit beside the visits they send.
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How Trakily compares
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