Simple Analytics vs Plausible Analytics
Self-hosted for $4/mo on hetzner CAX11, versus $12-$159/user/mo on Simple Analytics.
Side-by-side
| Simple Analytics | Plausible Analytics (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $12-$159/user/mo | $4.13/mo flat (any team size) |
| Hosting | Simple Analytics's servers | Your VPS (hetzner CAX11) |
| Data ownership | Simple Analytics controls the data | Your disk, your encryption |
| Source code | Closed | Open (AGPL-3.0) |
| Customization | API + integrations only | Full source access; modify freely |
| Maintenance burden | Zero | Backups + updates (Docker available) |
| Health score (ossreplace) | — | 83 / 100 |
Why teams leave Simple Analytics
- Per-pageview pricing
- Limited custom event support on entry tier
Plausible Analytics answers this by: Self-host the same lightweight no-cookie analytics for ~$5/mo flat.
The cost math
Assumes 5-person team using Simple Analytics at the midpoint price ($85.5/user/mo).
| Period | Simple Analytics | Plausible Analytics on hetzner | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $427.5 | $4.13 | $423.37 |
| Yearly | $5130 | $49.56 | $5080.44 |
| 3 years | $15,390 | $149 | $15,241 |
Deploy Plausible Analytics now
One-click deploys at the cheapest provider for this workload:
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Common questions
Is Plausible Analytics a good alternative to Simple Analytics?
Plausible Analytics is an open-source, self-hostable alternative to Simple Analytics with an ossreplace health score of 83/100 — a composite of project activity, maturity, community, security, and adoption. It runs on your own hetzner VPS from $4.13/mo with full source access under the AGPL-3.0 license, versus Simple Analytics's $12–159/user/mo hosted plans.
How much cheaper is Plausible Analytics than Simple Analytics?
A 5-person team pays about $427.5/mo on Simple Analytics. Self-hosting Plausible Analytics on hetzner CAX11 costs a flat $4.13/mo regardless of team size — roughly $15,241 less over three years (99% lower).
Is Plausible Analytics hard to self-host?
Plausible Analytics ships a Docker setup, so deployment is usually a single docker-compose command on a $4.13/mo VPS. You own the backups and updates, and there are no per-seat fees.
Do you keep control of your data with Plausible Analytics vs Simple Analytics?
Yes. Because Plausible Analytics runs on your own server, the data lives on your disk under your encryption. With Simple Analytics, Simple Analytics controls the hosting, storage, and access.