Privacy-first web analytics
Plausible vs Fathom: which should you use in 2026?
Updated
Key takeaways: Plausible vs Fathom
Pick Plausible if…
- Data must stay in the EU at rest — Plausible stores everything on Hetzner servers in Germany.
- You want open source and the option to self-host (Community Edition, AGPLv3).
- You need funnels, custom properties, ecommerce revenue or the Stats API (Business plan).
- You have a small site — Plausible starts at $9/mo for 10K pageviews, below Fathom's $15 entry plan.
- You want team members and shared/embedded dashboards (Growth plan and up).
Pick Fathom if…
- You run many sites: every Fathom plan includes at least 50, with pageviews shared across them.
- You want every feature on every plan, with no tiers to compare.
- You want your full data history kept for as long as you subscribe.
- You're at 100K–1M pageviews, where Fathom is slightly cheaper ($15 vs $19 at 100K; $60 vs $69 at 1M).
Plausible vs Fathom at a glance
Facts from each vendor's public pages, checked October 2026.
| Feature | Plausible | Fathom |
|---|---|---|
| Company | PlausiblePlausible Insights OÜ, Estonia; since 2019; bootstrapped | FathomFathom, Canada; since 2018; bootstrapped |
| Price (monthly) | PlausibleStarter from $9 (10K), Growth from $14, Business from $19 | FathomFrom $15 (100K pageviews) to $470 (25M) |
| Free trial | Plausible30 days, no card | Fathom7 days, card required |
| Sites included | Plausible1 (Starter), 3 (Growth), 10 (Business) | Fathom50+ on every plan |
| Data location | PlausibleGermany (Hetzner); never leaves the EU | FathomEU traffic processed on EU servers, IP stripped; anonymized data stored on US infrastructure |
| Open source | PlausibleYes — AGPLv3; free self-hosted Community Edition | FathomNo (Fathom Lite is MIT but receives only bug fixes) |
| Cookies / consent | PlausibleNo cookies; no banner needed (vendor claim) | FathomNo cookies; no banner needed (vendor claim) |
| Funnels | PlausibleBusiness plan | FathomNo |
| Custom event properties | PlausibleBusiness plan | FathomNo — events have a name and a value |
| Revenue | PlausibleEcommerce revenue goals, multi-currency (Business) | FathomOne value per event, with currency mapping |
| Team members | Plausible3 (Growth), 10 (Business) | FathomFull user accounts in progress, per Fathom's docs |
| Data retention | Plausible3 years (Starter, Growth), 5 years (Business) | FathomFull history while subscribed |
| GA4 import | PlausibleYes | FathomYes |
| Script size | Plausible≈ 2.5KB (vendor claim) | Fathom"A few KB" (no exact figure published) |
Plausible vs Fathom: privacy, GDPR and where data lives
Both are cookie-free, store no persistent identifiers, and say they don't need a consent banner under GDPR, ePrivacy and PECR. For most sites, either is a sound choice for dropping the banner.
The real difference is data location. Plausible is an EU company that stores all visitor data, encrypted, on Hetzner servers in Germany; it says data never leaves the EU. Fathom is a Canadian company that routes EU visitors through Bunny.net's EU-owned CDN to EU servers, strips the IP address there, then stores the anonymized data on its US infrastructure (non-EU traffic is processed on AWS). Fathom argues that what reaches the US is no longer personal data. If your DPO's rule is simply "analytics data at rest stays in the EU", Plausible meets it more plainly.
Plausible vs Fathom pricing at three traffic levels
Both price by monthly pageviews, with custom events counting toward the allowance. Monthly billing, as of October 2026 (Plausible's entry Starter plan vs Fathom's single plan):
| Monthly traffic | 10K pageviews/mo | 100K pageviews/mo | 1M pageviews/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plausible | 10K pageviews/mo: $9 (Starter) · $19 (Business) | 100K pageviews/mo: $19 (Starter) · $39 (Business) | 1M pageviews/mo: $69 (Starter) · $139 (Business) |
| Fathom | 10K pageviews/mo: $15 (smallest plan, up to 100K) | 100K pageviews/mo: $15 | 1M pageviews/mo: $60 |
At 10M pageviews: Plausible Starter $169, Business $339; Fathom $200. Both offer two months free on yearly billing. Plausible Starter covers one site; Fathom covers 50. Fathom sells extra 50-site packs for $10/mo.
Setting up Plausible vs Fathom
Both are a single script tag with official integrations or guides for WordPress, Google Tag Manager, Next.js and most site builders, and both can import Google Analytics 4 history. Plausible's dashboard and Fathom's are both one page; neither needs training.
Event tracking differs a little. In Plausible you define goals (pageview paths or custom events) and, on Business, attach custom properties like plan=pro. In Fathom, fathom.trackEvent('signup', { _value: 1900 }) records a named event with an optional value — simpler, but you can't break events down by properties.
Who should choose Plausible, and who should choose Fathom
Plausible fits EU businesses, open-source projects, SaaS marketing sites that want funnels and revenue goals, and anyone who wants the option to self-host. Fathom fits agencies, freelancers and portfolio owners with many sites, and people who want one plan with no feature tiers.
Switching between Plausible and Fathom
Neither imports the other directly. Both import GA4, and both export CSV. A typical switch: run the new script alongside the old one for two to four weeks, re-create goals/events, keep a CSV export of the old tool's history, then remove the old script.
A third option: VisitTrack
Disclosure: VisitTrack publishes this page.
Neither Plausible nor Fathom connects to payment providers. If revenue per channel is what you need, VisitTrack attributes Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Polar and Razorpay payments to the referrer, campaign and page that produced them, with cookieless or hybrid tracking, funnels and journeys on every plan from $5/mo. See VisitTrack vs Plausible and VisitTrack vs Fathom.
Plausible vs Fathom: frequently asked questions
Is Plausible or Fathom cheaper?
It depends on traffic and site count. At 10K pageviews Plausible is cheaper ($9 vs $15); at 100K–1M Fathom is slightly cheaper ($15 vs $19, $60 vs $69); and Fathom includes 50 sites on every plan while Plausible Starter covers one.
Is Fathom open source like Plausible?
No. Plausible is open source under AGPLv3 with a free self-hosted Community Edition. Fathom's current product is closed source; the old MIT-licensed Fathom Lite receives only bug fixes.
Where do Plausible and Fathom store data?
Plausible stores all data in Germany and says it never leaves the EU. Fathom processes EU traffic on EU servers, strips IPs there, and stores the anonymized data on US infrastructure.
Do Plausible and Fathom need cookie banners?
Both say no: neither uses cookies or persistent identifiers. Your site may still need a banner if other scripts set cookies.
Does Fathom have funnels?
No, Fathom doesn't document funnels or custom event properties as of October 2026. Plausible offers funnels and custom properties on its Business plan.
Which has the longer free trial?
Plausible: 30 days with no card. Fathom offers 7 days and asks for a card.
Can I import Google Analytics into Plausible or Fathom?
Yes, both import Google Analytics 4 data still retained by Google. Universal Analytics history can't be imported because Google deleted it in 2024.
Sources and methodology
Prices and features were checked on each vendor's public pages in October 2026. Vendors change plans often — confirm on the official pricing page before you buy. VisitTrack publishes this comparison and competes with some of these tools; we have no affiliate relationship with either vendor.
Keep comparing
- VisitTrack vs PlausibleHow Plausible compares with VisitTrack.
- VisitTrack vs FathomHow Fathom compares with VisitTrack.
- Plausible alternativesOther tools people switch to from Plausible.
- Fathom alternativesOther tools people switch to from Fathom.
- Plausible vs Google AnalyticsPaid, cookie-free, EU-hosted Plausible against free, cookie-based GA4 — privacy, accuracy, cost and how to switch.
- Fathom vs Google AnalyticsFathom's simple, cookie-free paid analytics against free GA4 — privacy, data handling, features and how to switch.
- Fathom vs Simple AnalyticsFathom's many-sites, single-plan simplicity against Simple Analytics' EU-only, free-to-start approach.
- Simple Analytics vs PlausibleTwo EU-based, cookie-free analytics tools — Simple Analytics' free plan and AI assistant against Plausible's open source and revenue goals.
- All analytics comparisonsEvery head-to-head comparison, grouped by category.
See which channels actually bring paying customers
VisitTrack is cookie-free analytics with revenue attribution built in. One script tag, no consent banner, live in two minutes. 14 days free, no card required.