Plausible Analytics
Simple website visitor stats, with no cookie banner needed.
No server needed to start: Cloudgate can provide one. What happens when you click Deploy
What is Plausible Analytics?
Self-hosted Plausible Analytics: a simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative for small businesses. No cookies, so no cookie banner needed.
Plausible Analytics is an open-source, privacy-friendly web analytics tool that shows how many people visit your website, which pages they read and where they came from, all on one simple page. It is a lighter alternative to Google Analytics: the numbers that matter are at the top, and you click any of them to dig in.
It uses no cookies and stores no personal data, so most websites can use it without a cookie banner. That keeps your site cleaner for visitors and keeps their data away from ad companies. A shop owner, for example, can see that Tuesday's newsletter brought 300 visitors, that 12 of them completed a purchase goal, and which product page they landed on first.
Plausible works with any website. You paste one line into the site's header, or use the ready-made plugins and guides for WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow and Ghost. There is no phone app, but the dashboard works well in a phone's browser, and you can share a read-only link with clients or colleagues.
Cloudgate installs the free Plausible Community Edition on a server Cloudgate provides or one you connect, together with the databases it needs, and gives it a secure web address. The first person to register becomes the owner and adds the website to track; after that, new people join only by invitation. Your statistics stay on your server, and updating to a newer version is your choice.
What you can do with Plausible Analytics
- See everything on one page Visitors, top pages, where people came from, countries and devices, all on one screen.
- Skip the cookie banner Plausible sets no cookies and stores no personal data, so most websites need no consent pop-up for it.
- Count sign-ups and sales Set goals for form sign-ups, purchases, file downloads and outbound link clicks.
- See which campaigns work Compare newsletters, ads and social posts by the visitors they bring, using standard UTM links.
- Share a dashboard Give a client or colleague a private link to the stats, or make the dashboard public.
- Keep a light, fast website The tracking script is far smaller than Google Analytics', so your pages stay quick.
- Get reports by email Receive a weekly or monthly traffic summary once you connect an email service.
Replaces Google Analytics
Plausible Analytics does the same job as Google Analytics. Here is what changes when you switch.
- No cookie banner needed for most websites
- Your visitors' data stays on your server and is not shared with an ad company
- A dashboard anyone on the team can read in a minute
- A small script that does not slow your website down
- Fewer reports than Google Analytics, by design
- No link to Google Ads or Google's ad audiences
- Importing past Google Analytics data first needs a Google Cloud connection set up
- A few paid-plan extras of Plausible's own hosted service, such as funnels, are not in the free self-hosted edition
What happens when you click Deploy?
You do not need a server or any technical knowledge. Four steps, and Plausible Analytics is running at its own web address.
- Step 1 Click Deploy and create your account
Deploy takes you to Cloudgate. Create an account, or log in if you have one. Plausible Analytics itself is free.
- Step 2 Choose a server
No server? Get one from Cloudgate: pick a size and a country, and Cloudgate gets it ready. Already have one? Connect it instead.
- Step 3 Cloudgate sets up Plausible Analytics
It prepares the server, makes the passwords the app needs and starts it. There is nothing to install and nothing to write down.
- Step 4 Open your app and sign in
Your app gets a free web address to start, without https. Add your own domain, like app.yourshop.com, and Cloudgate secures it with https for you.
New to Cloudgate? See the ways to get it
Run Cloudgate yourself? Deploy from your own console
In your Cloudgate console, open Templates and choose Plausible Analytics.
Questions
Is Plausible Analytics free?
Yes, the self-hosted Plausible Community Edition is free and open source under the AGPL licence. You pay only for hosting, whatever your traffic.
Is Plausible a good alternative to Google Analytics?
Yes, for most small websites Plausible covers what people actually check in Google Analytics, on one simpler page and without cookies. It has fewer advanced reports and no Google Ads link, so a team that lives in detailed marketing reports may prefer Matomo.
Do I still need a cookie banner with Plausible?
For most websites, no, because Plausible sets no cookies and stores no personal data. Other tools on your site, such as embedded videos or ad pixels, may still need one.
How do I self-host Plausible Analytics?
With Cloudgate you pick Plausible, choose a server and press Set up; Cloudgate installs it with its databases and a secure web address. You then create the owner account, add your website and paste the tracking line into it.
Can I import my data from Google Analytics?
Yes, Plausible can import past Google Analytics 4 data and CSV exports. On a self-hosted copy the Google import needs a Google Cloud connection set up first, which takes a few extra steps.
Is my visitors' data private?
Yes, all statistics are stored on your own server and are not shared with Plausible or anyone else. Plausible counts visits without cookies and without storing IP addresses.
What server size do I need for Plausible?
Plausible recommends at least 2 GB of memory, so Cloudgate starts it on a server of that size. The server's processor must support the SSE 4.2 or NEON instructions its statistics database needs, which almost all current servers do.
Do I need technical skills?
No. Click Deploy, create your Cloudgate account and choose a server, and Cloudgate sets up Plausible Analytics and gives it a web address. You use it in your browser like any other online tool.
Do I need my own server?
No. When you deploy Plausible Analytics, hosted Cloudgate can provide a server. If you already rent one, you can connect it instead.
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