Simple Analytics review: what it does well, what it costs and who it suits
Simple Analytics is a privacy-first web analytics tool built around a one-page dashboard. Its site says it works without analytics cookies, IP address storage or persistent visitor profiles. Self-serve costs $20 a month and follows your usage, and there is a free plan for hobby sites that needs a badge.
TL;DR
- Simple Analytics is a privacy-first web analytics tool. Its site says it works "without analytics cookies, IP address storage, or persistent visitor profiles".
- Self-serve costs $20 a month and follows your usage, with a 14-day trial and no card. The free plan covers 5 websites and 1 user, keeps one month of data and needs a badge.
- It has events, funnels, an API and an AI assistant. Bot filtering and ad-blocker handling are not described on the pages we read.
Stickybeak is live analytics for every site you own, set up with one script tag. It is in early access, with a free plan and paid plans from US$20 a month.
Get early accessThe short version
Simple Analytics suits someone who wants a small, calm dashboard, no cookies and a clear monthly price, on one site or a handful. If you need revenue tied to the channel that earned it, or one live view across several sites, its pages don't mention either, so check with Simple Analytics before you choose.
- Good fit: a blog, portfolio or small business site where you check traffic now and then, and want no cookie banner discussion if you can avoid it.
- Good fit: a hobby site on the free plan, if you are happy to show the badge and keep one month of history.
- Check first: you want revenue by channel, campaign and landing page across several sites on one screen. Its pages don't mention it, so ask Simple Analytics; the last section shows how Stickybeak does it.
What Simple Analytics does
From simpleanalytics.com:
- Privacy: it describes itself as "privacy-first website analytics" that works "without analytics cookies, IP address storage, or persistent visitor profiles", and says it does not create persistent visitor identifiers. It links a GDPR overview and a Data Processing Agreement, and notes that consent requirements depend on the implementation and applicable rules. This is not legal advice.
- Setup: one script tag, and a one-page dashboard with no configuration.
- Events: custom events with
sa_event, automated events for outbound link clicks, email clicks and common file downloads, plus server-side events and metadata. - Goals and funnels: pageviews and events can become goals, "including funnel steps".
- AI and data access: an AI assistant and AI-powered analytics workflows, and data you can use in custom applications, dashboards, exports and workflows.
- Hosting: Website data is stored in the EU, with primary infrastructure in the Netherlands. Optional features such as the AI assistant can involve providers outside the EU.
The script documentation says its scripts are heavily compressed and mentions an extra light version. It gives no file size.
Simple Analytics pricing
From the Simple Analytics pricing page.
| Plan | Price | Limits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Unlimited pageviews subject to fair use, 5 websites, 1 user, the latest month of data | A badge is required. Its FAQ says data older than 30 days is deleted. You can downgrade to it after the trial. |
| Self-serve | From $20 a month | The fee "will match your usage". The page's slider runs from 100k to 2.5M monthly pageviews. 1 user included, $20 a month per extra user. Websites and history: not stated. | 14-day trial, no credit card. Yearly billing is offered as "2 months free"; no yearly price is stated. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Quoted from expected traffic, sites, data access and support needs | Lists API and BI access, proxy and custom domain support, and a free 30-day proof of concept run beside GA4. |
Other billing details from the same page: cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay are accepted, Bitcoin adds 10% and is listed with yearly billing, and bills from $500 can be paid by bank transfer with 10% added in fees. You can be billed in euros, US dollars or British pounds. On yearly plans you estimate traffic after the trial; if you go over your limit you are emailed and have one week to raise it, otherwise the page says the limit is raised for you.
What the pricing page does not say: the number of websites on Self-serve, how long Self-serve keeps data, and whether Self-serve needs the badge (it lists none). Check these on the page before you commit.
What the pages leave unsaid
On the pages we read, Simple Analytics does not describe bot filtering, and does not explain how to get past ad blockers; the script page links to "Bypass ad-blockers" and "Proxy" pages, which we did not read in full. The noscript note in the script docs says the tag "may also increase traffic from bots, as some don't have JavaScript enabled". If either matters to you, read those pages and test on your own site.
Its pages don't mention revenue by channel or campaign, or a live view across several sites. If you sell online and need those, ask Simple Analytics before you choose.
Simple Analytics beside Plausible and Stickybeak
Prices are each tool's own; the tools count and bill differently. Stickybeak is our product.
| Tool | Free option | Paid, from | Cookies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Analytics | Yes: 5 websites, 1 user, one month of data, badge required | $20 a month, follows usage | States no analytics cookies |
| Plausible | No free cloud plan; 30-day trial; self-host | $9 a month at 10k pageviews | Not covered on this page |
| Stickybeak (ours) | Free up to 10k pageviews a month | $20 a month up to 500k pageviews | Three first-party cookies by default; a cookieless script sets none |
For the wider field, our best website analytics tools and Google Analytics alternatives guides compare more tools, and privacy-friendly analytics explains what the cookie and consent claims mean.
Where Stickybeak differs
Stickybeak is live analytics for every site you own. All your sites sit on one wall, updating live, and revenue is tied to the channel, page and campaign it came from. Each order keeps its trail: the entry page, the referrer, the UTM tags and the pages read before buying. Pricing follows real-person pageviews across all your sites, never the number of sites: free up to 10k a month, then $20 a month up to 500k, $200 up to 10M and $2,000 up to 100M, with 30 days free and no card. Revenue and the API start on the $20 plan.
Its cookieless mode sets no cookies and stores nothing in the browser, and still records places, goals and revenue; the privacy mode docs say how visitors are counted. Stickybeak is in early access, and pricing has a three-months-free offer for people switching from Simple Analytics, Plausible, Fathom or DataFast.
If you want the simplest dashboard for one site, Simple Analytics is built for that. If you run several sites and want to see who is on them and what sold, that is the job Stickybeak was made for.
Questions
What is Simple Analytics?
Simple Analytics is a privacy-first web analytics service. Its site describes analytics that work without analytics cookies, IP address storage or persistent visitor profiles, set up with one script tag and read on a one-page dashboard.
How much does Simple Analytics cost?
Self-serve is $20 a month, and its pricing page says the monthly fee will match your usage. Extra users are $20 a month each. There is also a free plan and an Enterprise plan with custom pricing. Yearly billing is offered as 2 months free; the page does not state a yearly price.
Is Simple Analytics free?
There is a free plan for hobby sites. Its pricing page lists unlimited pageviews subject to fair use, 5 websites, 1 user and one month of data, and a badge is required. After the 14-day trial you can downgrade to it.
Does Simple Analytics use cookies?
Its site says it works without analytics cookies, IP address storage or persistent visitor profiles, and does not create persistent visitor identifiers. Whether you need a consent banner depends on your own situation and local rules; this is not legal advice.
Does Simple Analytics have funnels and events?
Yes. Its site describes custom events with sa_event, automated events for outbound links, email clicks and common file downloads, and goals built from pageviews and events, including funnel steps.
Simple Analytics or Plausible?
Both are privacy-first dashboards. Simple Analytics lists a free plan with a badge and Self-serve at $20 a month that follows usage. Plausible lists no free cloud plan, three plans from $9 a month at 10k pageviews, and a self-hostable Community Edition. Check both pricing pages for your own traffic.
What is the difference between Simple Analytics and Stickybeak?
Stickybeak shows every site you own on one live wall and ties revenue to the channel, page and campaign it came from. It has a free plan up to 10k pageviews a month and paid plans from $20 a month. It is in early access.
Sources, checked 6 November 2026: Simple Analytics, home page, pricing and script documentation; Plausible, home page and pricing (Starter $9 a month at 10k pageviews, 30-day free trial) and Community Edition (free and self-hosted). Stickybeak facts come from this site's pricing page. Simple Analytics changes its pages; if this one is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.