# Plausible Analytics vs GoatCounter

Canonical: https://inetgeek.com/compare/plausible-vs-goatcounter/

Every value below is read from Plausible Analytics's and GoatCounter's own documentation. See https://inetgeek.com/methodology/ for how.

## At a glance

| Criterion | Plausible Analytics | GoatCounter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Entry paid plan | $9/month for Starter at up to 10,000 monthly pageviews: one site and three years of data retention. Growth is $14/month for up to three sites. | None. The hosted service is free for what GoatCounter calls reasonable public usage and funded by donations; beyond that the answer is to self-host rather than to pay. |
| Sites or apps included | One site on Starter, the $9 entry plan. Growth raises it to three sites and three team members for $14. | Not stated as a number. The hosted service is bounded by what GoatCounter calls reasonable public usage rather than by a site count, and the self-hosted app has no such limit at all. |
| Works without cookies | Supported | Supported |

## Where they differ

### Free tier

- Plausible Analytics: No ([source](https://plausible.io/))
- GoatCounter: Yes ([source](https://www.goatcounter.com/))

### Entry paid plan

- Plausible Analytics: $9/month for Starter at up to 10,000 monthly pageviews: one site and three years of data retention. Growth is $14/month for up to three sites. ([source](https://plausible.io/))
- GoatCounter: None. The hosted service is free for what GoatCounter calls reasonable public usage and funded by donations; beyond that the answer is to self-host rather than to pay. ([source](https://www.goatcounter.com/))

### Sites or apps included

- Plausible Analytics: One site on Starter, the $9 entry plan. Growth raises it to three sites and three team members for $14. ([source](https://plausible.io/))
- GoatCounter: Not stated as a number. The hosted service is bounded by what GoatCounter calls reasonable public usage rather than by a site count, and the self-hosted app has no such limit at all. ([source](https://www.goatcounter.com/))

## Which should you choose?

Pick Plausible Analytics if A site that wants one clear dashboard, no cookie banner and its data in the EU, at $9 a month for the first 10,000 pageviews — the cheapest EU-hosted option here that is a product rather than a favour.

Pick GoatCounter if A personal site or a small business that wants real analytics and no bill. The hosted service is free for what GoatCounter calls reasonable public usage, the script is around 3.5 KB, and there is a JavaScript-free tracking-pixel option.

Consider something else: Plausible Analytics — You run more than one site on the entry plan. Starter is one site; three costs $14. Pirsch includes 50 websites at $6 and Fathom 50 at $15, both without raising the price to add the second.

Consider something else: GoatCounter — The traffic is serious or the dependency is. There is no paid tier to escalate to and no commitment behind the hosted service — GoatCounter's own answer to heavy use is to self-host, which is a different job from paying someone.

## Documented by only one

- Kind of free offer: Plausible Analytics: Free trial
- What the free plan includes: GoatCounter: Reasonable public usage, defined by example rather than by number: a personal site or a small-to-medium business is fine, millions of pageviews a day is not.
- Pricing model: Plausible Analytics: Banded by monthly pageviews, with a slider from 10,000 to 10 million and above; site and team-member counts rise with the tier. The page picks its currency in JavaScript, so the figures are origin-dependent and $9 is the default.
- Retention window: Plausible Analytics: Three years of data retention, stated on the entry Starter plan.
- Self-hostable: GoatCounter: Supported
- GDPR / data residency: Plausible Analytics: Made and hosted in the EU on what Plausible describes as European-owned infrastructure.

## Questions this comparison answers

**Entry paid plan: Plausible Analytics or GoatCounter?**

Plausible Analytics: $9/month for Starter at up to 10,000 monthly pageviews: one site and three years of data retention. Growth is $14/month for up to three sites.
GoatCounter: None. The hosted service is free for what GoatCounter calls reasonable public usage and funded by donations; beyond that the answer is to self-host rather than to pay.

**Free tier: Plausible Analytics or GoatCounter?**

Plausible Analytics: No
GoatCounter: Yes

**Should I choose Plausible Analytics or GoatCounter?**

Pick Plausible Analytics if A site that wants one clear dashboard, no cookie banner and its data in the EU, at $9 a month for the first 10,000 pageviews — the cheapest EU-hosted option here that is a product rather than a favour.
Pick GoatCounter if A personal site or a small business that wants real analytics and no bill. The hosted service is free for what GoatCounter calls reasonable public usage, the script is around 3.5 KB, and there is a JavaScript-free tracking-pixel option.