Plausible Analytics is an open source, privacy-focused alternative to Google Analytics designed for developers and businesses seeking transparent, compliant web analytics. Built with Elixir/Phoenix and backed by PostgreSQL and ClickHouse, it provides real-time website statistics without collecting personal data or using cookies. Unlike Google Analytics, Plausible is fully compliant with GDPR, CCPA, and PECR by design—storing no IP addresses or persistent identifiers. It offers both a managed cloud service (hosted in the EU) and a self-hostable Community Edition for those who prefer full control over their data. The tool is ideal for organizations that prioritize user privacy, need simple metrics without dashboard clutter, and want to avoid surveillance-based business models.
What You Get
- Privacy-first analytics - No cookies, no IP storage, and no personal data collection. Fully compliant with GDPR, CCPA, and PECR by default.
- Lightweight tracking script - The analytics script is under 1 KB gzipped, improving page load speed without compromising metrics.
- Self-hosted Community Edition - Free to deploy on your own server using Docker; includes PostgreSQL and ClickHouse for data storage.
- Real-time dashboard - View key metrics like page views, unique visitors, bounce rate, and traffic sources on a single clean interface.
- Custom event tracking - Track conversions such as form submissions, file downloads, outbound links, and 404 errors using custom events and dimensions.
- Google Search Console integration - Import and display accurate search keyword data directly in your dashboard.
- Email and Slack reports - Receive weekly or monthly traffic summaries via email or Slack with spike notifications.
- Team collaboration - Invite team members and assign roles (admin, analyst, viewer) with private or public stat sharing options.
- Google Analytics import - Import historical GA data via CSV to maintain continuity when migrating from Google Analytics.
- SPA and hash-based routing support - Works seamlessly with React, Vue, Angular, and other modern frameworks using pushState or hash-based routing.
Common Use Cases
- Building a privacy-compliant SaaS dashboard - A European-based SaaS company replaces Google Analytics with Plausible to ensure all user traffic data remains within the EU and complies with GDPR without third-party tracking.
- Running a blog or content site with zero tracking - A writer or publisher uses Plausible CE to track page views and popular posts without compromising reader privacy or requiring cookie banners.
- Migrating from Google Analytics to avoid surveillance capitalism - A marketing team imports their 2 years of GA data into Plausible, then disables all Google Tag Manager scripts to eliminate tracking and reduce third-party dependencies.
- DevOps teams managing infrastructure in-house - A small tech team deploys Plausible CE on a self-managed server using Docker to retain full control over analytics data and avoid vendor lock-in.
Under The Hood
Plausible is a self-hosted, privacy-focused web analytics platform designed to offer transparency and control over user data while maintaining the functionality typically found in SaaS analytics tools. It combines a modern backend built with Elixir and Phoenix with a responsive frontend powered by TypeScript and React, emphasizing clean architecture and extensibility.
Architecture
Plausible follows a layered monolithic design with clear separation between backend and frontend components. The system uses well-defined modules and API interactions to support scalability and maintainability.
- The backend is structured using Elixir and Phoenix, enabling robust concurrency and fault tolerance
- The frontend is built with React and TypeScript, ensuring type safety and a modular UI structure
- A clear separation of concerns is maintained across components, services, and data layers
- The system supports self-hosting with Docker integration for simplified deployment
Tech Stack
The platform leverages a modern and mature tech stack to deliver a performant, extensible analytics solution.
- The backend is developed in Elixir with the Phoenix framework, utilizing Ecto and Plug for data handling and routing
- The frontend uses TypeScript with React and Tailwind CSS, offering a clean and responsive user interface
- Key dependencies include D3, chart.js, and various Tailwind plugins for visualization and styling
- Development tools such as esbuild, npm, yarn, and Docker streamline the build and deployment process
Code Quality
The codebase reflects a high level of engineering maturity with strong testing practices and consistent development standards.
- Comprehensive test coverage is present across both frontend and backend modules, ensuring reliability
- Error handling is consistently implemented with clear logging and user feedback mechanisms
- Code linting and type safety are enforced through TypeScript and Elixir tooling
- The directory structure is well-organized, supporting long-term maintainability and scalability
What Makes It Unique
Plausible distinguishes itself through its privacy-first approach and developer-centric design that sets it apart from traditional analytics platforms.
- The platform enforces strict privacy controls by default, aligning with global data protection regulations like GDPR and CCPA
- Elixir’s concurrency model and Mix tasks enable flexible operational workflows, such as subscription management and data cleanup
- The frontend dashboard uses custom React hooks and context providers to support dynamic, modular UIs without performance overhead
- A developer-focused CLI and suite of Mix tasks simplify onboarding, testing, and environment setup for contributors