Fathom Analytics and Simple Analytics are both cookieless, privacy-first alternatives to Google Analytics, and the two overlap heavily on their core promise.…
Best for Fathom Analytics: Teams that want permanent, un-expiring analytics history from day one and are comfortable starting on a paid plan (with a 7-day trial) rather than a free tier — Fathom is used by over one million sites including IBM and GitHub.
Best for Simple Analytics: Teams that want to try a free forever tier before paying, want to run analytics alongside an existing Google Analytics 4 install during a transition, or want an AI assistant for exploring their data.
At a Glance
Fathom Analytics
Simple Analytics
Primary category
Analytics
Analytics
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Subscription (usage-based, priced by monthly pageviews), plus a free open-source self-hosted edition
freemium
Starting price
$15/month
Free plan available; paid plans from EUR 20 per month
Free plan
Not documented
Yes
Free trial
Yes
Yes
Platforms
Web
Web
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Yes
Public API
Yes
Not documented
Key Differences
Free plan availability
Fathom Analytics: Fathom has no permanent free plan — only a 7-day free trial.
Simple Analytics: Simple Analytics offers a forever-free tier (1 user, 5 websites, 1 month of history).
Teams wanting to test long-term before paying anything have a real free option with Simple Analytics but not Fathom.
Data retention
Fathom Analytics: Fathom retains analytics data forever rather than expiring it.
Simple Analytics: Simple Analytics' free tier is limited to 1 month of history.
Forever retention matters for teams tracking long-term trends without needing to export data before it disappears.
AI-assisted analysis
Fathom Analytics: Fathom's facts don't document an AI assistant feature.
Simple Analytics: Simple Analytics includes an AI-powered assistant for exploring analytics data.
An AI assistant can lower the bar for non-technical users to query traffic data without learning dashboard filters.
Teams migrating away from GA4 gradually can validate numbers side-by-side before fully switching.
Company origin and founding
Fathom Analytics: Fathom was founded in 2018 and is independently owned with no venture capital backing.
Simple Analytics: Simple Analytics was also founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Both share a founding year, but Fathom's facts specifically emphasize independent, non-VC ownership, which some privacy-focused buyers weigh when picking a vendor.
Feature-by-Feature
Privacy & Compliance
Feature
Fathom Analytics
Simple Analytics
Cookieless tracking
Available
Available
GDPR/CCPA/ePrivacy compliance
Available
Available
SOC 2 compliance
Not documented
Limited
Data & Reporting
Feature
Fathom Analytics
Simple Analytics
Forever data retention
Available
Limited
Email reports
Available
Not documented
Analytics API
Available
Not documented
AI assistant
Not documented
Available
Plans & Trials
Feature
Fathom Analytics
Simple Analytics
Free forever plan
Unavailable
Available
Free trial
Available
Available
GA4 compatibility
Not documented
Available
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Fathom Analytics
100K Pageviews — $15/month monthly (discounted on annual billing)
200K Pageviews — $24/month monthly (discounted on annual billing)
500K Pageviews — $45/month monthly (discounted on annual billing)
1M Pageviews — $54/month monthly (discounted on annual billing)
2M Pageviews — $74/month monthly (discounted on annual billing)
5M Pageviews — $94/month monthly (discounted on annual billing)
10M Pageviews — $124/month monthly (discounted on annual billing)
15M Pageviews — $184/month monthly (discounted on annual billing)
Enterprise — Custom (contact sales) custom
Fathom Lite (Open Source) — Free self-hosted, no billing
Simple Analytics
Free — $0 forever
Self-Serve — From EUR 20/month monthly or annual (2 months free annually)
Enterprise — Custom contact sales
Pros & Cons
Fathom Analytics
Pros
No cookie consent banner required, with GDPR, CCPA, and PECR compliance built into the tracking approach
Lightweight tracking script (about 2kB) with minimal impact on page load speed
Simple, uncluttered dashboard that most users can understand without training, unlike Google Analytics
Flat, transparent pageview-based pricing with the same full feature set on every paid tier, and low marginal cost for agencies managing many client sites
Cons
No permanently free tier for the hosted product beyond a 7-day trial; the free Fathom Lite option requires self-hosting and technical setup
Narrower built-in analytics depth (such as advanced funnels and segmentation) than some competitors like Plausible
Costs can rise quickly for high-traffic sites since pricing scales directly with monthly pageviews
Small team size compared to major analytics vendors, which can mean a slower pace of new integrations and features
Simple Analytics
Pros
No cookie consent banner required on most implementations because no personal data is collected
Extremely fast, uncluttered dashboard that is easy for non-technical stakeholders to read
Transparent EU-based hosting and compliance posture aimed squarely at GDPR requirements
Free forever plan makes it easy to evaluate before committing to a paid tier
Small, founder-led team known for responsive support and product transparency
Cons
Less granular than Google Analytics or Mixpanel for deep behavioral or funnel analysis
Free plan is limited to a small number of websites and short data retention
Pricing rises with traffic volume, which can add up for high-traffic sites
No native mobile app analytics SDK comparable to larger platforms
Smaller ecosystem of integrations and community resources than Google Analytics
Use Cases
Choose Fathom Analytics: Teams that want permanent, un-expiring analytics history from day one and are comfortable starting on a paid plan (with a 7-day trial) rather than a free tier — Fathom is used by over one million sites including IBM and GitHub.
Choose Simple Analytics: Teams that want to try a free forever tier before paying, want to run analytics alongside an existing Google Analytics 4 install during a transition, or want an AI assistant for exploring their data.
Need both: Agencies evaluating privacy-first analytics vendors for different clients may reasonably trial both, since the facts show materially different plan structures (permanent free tier vs. none) that could suit different client budgets and timelines.
Fathom Analytics
Replacing Google Analytics with a privacy-compliant tool — Site owners who want traffic and campaign insights without collecting personal visitor data or displaying a cookie consent banner switch to Fathom for its cookieless, GDPR/CCPA-oriented tracking approach.
Managing analytics across many client websites — Because pricing is based on total pageview volume rather than per-site fees within the included site allowance, agencies and freelance developers use Fathom to track multiple client sites under a single account at a predictable flat cost.
Meeting legal and compliance requirements for analytics — Organizations with legal, procurement, or compliance teams that need analytics tooling with documented GDPR, CCPA, and PECR compliance and no personal-data collection adopt Fathom for its compliance-first reputation.
Simple Analytics
GDPR-friendly analytics for EU businesses — Companies operating under European data protection law use Simple Analytics to measure traffic without needing cookie consent banners or complex compliance reviews.
Lightweight analytics for indie and side projects — Solo founders and small teams use the free plan to track pageviews and referrers without the overhead of setting up Google Analytics.
Client and stakeholder reporting — Agencies use public dashboards to share live traffic performance with clients without handing out login credentials.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Fathom Analytics have a free plan?
No — Fathom only offers a 7-day free trial, with no permanent free tier documented.
Does Simple Analytics have a free plan?
Yes, a forever-free tier limited to 1 user, 5 websites, and 1 month of history.
Which tool keeps data longer?
Fathom explicitly retains data forever; Simple Analytics' free tier is limited to 1 month of history.
Can I run Simple Analytics alongside Google Analytics?
Yes, Simple Analytics is documented as GA4-compatible, so it can run alongside an existing GA4 installation.
Which tool includes an AI assistant?
Simple Analytics includes an AI-powered assistant for exploring analytics data; this isn't documented for Fathom.
Where is each company based?
Simple Analytics is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands; Fathom's headquarters isn't documented in the facts, though it was founded the same year, 2018.