Plausible Analytics vs GoatCounter
SEPT 2026 auditA comparison of Plausible Analytics and GoatCounter built from values read directly from each provider's own documentation, with the source recorded against every figure.
The short answer
Choose 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.
Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved
Choose 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.
Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved
Consider something else if…
- 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.
- 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.
3 sourced criteria separate them — see where, with sources, below.
Pick the criteria you care about. The chart counts how many of them lean toward each provider — the same read as scanning the bars below, just totalled for the ones you chose.
Plausible Analytics 0
GoatCounter 0
At a glance.
| Criterion | Plausible Analytics | GoatCounter |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| 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. |
| Limits | ||
| 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. |
| Compliance | ||
| Works without cookies | Supported | Supported |
Where they differ.
Free tier
- Plausible Analytics
- No
- GoatCounter
- Yes
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Plausible Analytics ↗
“Starter /year /month $9 /month Custom Start free trial One site 3 years of data retention”
Read 2026-09-15 · official pricing
- GoatCounter — open source web analytics ↗
“GoatCounter.com is currently offered for free for reasonable public usage. Running your personal website or small-to-medium business on it is fine, but sending millions of pageviews/day isn't.”
Read 2026-09-15 · official site
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.
- 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.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Plausible Analytics ↗
“Up to 10k monthly pageviews 10k 10k 10M+ Starter /year /month $9 /month Custom Start free trial One site 3 years of data retention Intuitive, fast and privacy-friendly dashboard”
Read 2026-09-15 · official pricing
- GoatCounter — open source web analytics ↗
“You can self-host GoatCounter easily if you want to use it for more serious purposes. Donations are accepted via Github Sponsors to cover server costs.”
Read 2026-09-15 · official site
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.
- 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.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Plausible Analytics ↗
“Start free trial One site 3 years of data retention Intuitive, fast and privacy-friendly dashboard Email/Slack reports Google Analytics import Goals and custom events Saved Segments Annotations Growth /year /month $14 /month Custom Start free trial Everything in Starter Up to 3 sites Up to 3 team members”
Read 2026-09-15 · official pricing
- GoatCounter — open source web analytics ↗
“GoatCounter.com is currently offered for free for reasonable public usage. Running your personal website or small-to-medium business on it is fine, but sending millions of pageviews/day isn't. You can self-host GoatCounter easily”
Read 2026-09-15 · official site
When these numbers change, hear about it. Sources are re-checked monthly; a repricing goes out as a short note.
Documented by only one.
These criteria are published by one provider and not the other. An absence here means we have not found a source, not that the feature is missing.
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.