Published February 27, 2026 · 13 min read
Google Analytics 4 dominates web analytics, but it is not the only option — and for many sites, it is not even the best one. Privacy regulations, cookie consent fatigue, and GA4's steep learning curve have pushed developers and marketers toward simpler, privacy-friendly alternatives.
This guide reviews every viable free analytics tool in 2026: what each one does well, where it falls short, how they handle user privacy, and which stack works best for your specific situation.
Three forces are reshaping web analytics in 2026:
The smartest approach in 2026 is combining a lightweight pageview tool with a behavioral analytics layer. We will show you exactly how to set this up.
GA4 is the most powerful free analytics tool available. It tracks events, conversions, user journeys, e-commerce, and integrates with Google Ads, Search Console, and BigQuery. The downside: it requires cookies, needs consent banners, has a complex interface, and samples data on high-traffic sites.
Plausible is a lightweight, privacy-friendly alternative to GA4. The script is under 1KB (vs. GA4's 45KB+), it uses no cookies, and it provides a single-page dashboard that shows you everything that matters. The free tier is available only through self-hosting — the managed service starts at $9/month.
Umami is an open-source, self-hosted analytics tool that is free forever. It provides pageviews, referrers, browsers, OS, device, and country data — all without cookies. The interface is clean, the script is tiny (2KB), and setup on Vercel or Railway takes under 10 minutes.
Clarity is completely free with no traffic limits. It provides heatmaps, session recordings, scroll depth, rage clicks, dead clicks, and JavaScript error tracking. It does not replace pageview analytics — it complements them by showing how visitors interact with your pages.
Matomo (formerly Piwik) is the most feature-complete open-source analytics platform. Self-hosted Matomo is free and includes everything GA4 does — goals, funnels, e-commerce tracking, tag manager, heatmaps (via plugin), and custom reports. The trade-off is heavier server requirements and more complex setup.
Fathom is a premium privacy-first analytics tool. There is no free tier (starts at $14/month), but it is worth mentioning because it offers a unique "intelligent routing" system that bypasses ad blockers while maintaining privacy compliance. Cookie-free, GDPR/CCPA compliant out of the box.
| Tool | Cookies | IP Tracking | Personal Data | Consent Required | GDPR Compliant | Data Ownership |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GA4 | Yes | Partially anonymized | Yes (user-level) | Yes | With config | |
| Plausible | None | Not stored | None | No | Yes | You (self-host) or EU servers |
| Umami | None | Not stored | None | No | Yes | You (self-host) |
| Clarity | First-party | Not stored | Session data | Recommended | With config | Microsoft |
| Matomo | Optional | Configurable | Configurable | Depends on config | Yes | You (self-host) |
| Fathom | None | Not stored | None | No | Yes | EU/US servers |
Key takeaway: If you do not want to deal with consent banners, use Plausible, Umami, or Fathom. They provide accurate traffic data without triggering consent requirements under GDPR or CCPA.
| Feature | GA4 | Plausible | Umami | Clarity | Matomo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pageviews | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Unique Visitors | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Referral Sources | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| UTM Tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Custom Events | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Goal/Conversion Tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Funnels | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Heatmaps | No | No | No | Yes | Plugin |
| Session Recordings | No | No | No | Yes | Plugin |
| E-commerce Tracking | Yes | Revenue goals | No | No | Yes |
| Real-time Dashboard | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| API Access | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Script Size | ~45KB | <1KB | ~2KB | ~22KB | ~22KB |
| Use Case | Primary Analytics | Behavioral Layer | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal blog / portfolio | Umami (self-hosted) | None needed | Free, no cookies, minimal setup |
| SaaS landing page | Plausible | Clarity | Privacy + heatmaps for conversion optimization |
| E-commerce store | GA4 | Clarity | Full attribution + session recordings for checkout optimization |
| Multi-site network | Umami (self-hosted) | Clarity | One dashboard for all sites, free at any scale |
| GDPR-strict EU business | Matomo (self-hosted) | Matomo heatmaps plugin | 100% data ownership, no third-party data transfer |
| Agency managing client sites | GA4 + Plausible | Clarity | GA4 for client reports, Plausible for quick checks, Clarity for UX audits |
Our Analytics Dashboard aggregates data from GA4, Plausible, Umami, and Clarity into a single view. Compare tools, track trends, and export reports — all free.
Open Analytics DashboardYes. GA4's standard version remains free with no traffic limits. Google monetizes through Google Ads integration and BigQuery exports (which have their own pricing). The paid version, Analytics 360, starts at $50,000/year and is only needed by enterprise-level sites with advanced attribution needs.
Yes, and you should. The most effective setup combines a pageview analytics tool (GA4, Plausible, or Umami) with a behavioral tool (Clarity). The performance impact is minimal — Plausible + Clarity adds less than 25KB total to your page. Just avoid running two heavy tools (e.g., GA4 + Matomo) simultaneously unless you have a specific reason.
Cookie-less tools like Plausible and Umami use a combination of IP address hashing, user-agent, and day-level salting to identify unique visitors without storing personal data. Accuracy for unique visitor counts is within 5-10% of cookie-based tools. For pageviews, referrers, and geography, accuracy is identical. The trade-off is you cannot track individual user journeys across multiple sessions.