comparison / 08 — updated may 2026

Plausible vs Fathom

Two privacy-first, cookieless web analytics tools that emerged in opposition to Google Analytics. They look almost identical from a feature list. The real differences hide in pricing model, hosting story, and whose value system you'd rather buy.

cheapstack editorialMethodologyPrices verified May 2026

model

Plausibleopen source · self-host or hosted

Fathomhosted only · proprietary

pricing

Plausiblefrom $9/mo · 1 site · 10k pv base

Fathomfrom $15/mo · 100k pv

free tier

Plausibleself-hosted free · 30-day cloud trial

Fathom30-day cloud trial

updated

May 2026

Skip to verdict See pricing →

verdict.txt — comparisons/plausible-vs-fathom.mdhonest

$cat verdict.txt

Pick Plausible if you want the option to self-host or you appreciate open-source values. Pick Fathom if you want the most polished hosted experience and a slightly cleaner UI for non-technical stakeholders.

Updated May 2026read the full reasoning →

scoreboard / at a glance

At a glance

One row per dimension, the values side-by-side. The olive dot marks the clear winner for that dimension when there is one — most rows are a wash, and that’s the point.

Plausible Insights OÜ

Plausible

Open-source, privacy-first web analytics. Cookieless, GDPR-compliant by default. Hosted EU instance or self-host on your own infra.

Conva Ventures

Fathom

Privacy-first web analytics. Hosted only, on the founders' own infrastructure. Polished dashboard, simple pricing, indie-business-friendly.

Open sourcePlausible is the only one of the two you can run on your own server.

yes · AGPL · self-hostable

no · proprietary

Pricing modelPlausible's entry tier is $6/mo cheaper. Beyond entry, the cost depends on your pageview volume + how many sites you track.

feature tiers · $9 Starter → $14 Growth → $19 Business · scales by pv via slider

pageview tiers · $15 Starter → $60 Pro → $200 Business

Pageviews on entry tierFathom's entry tier includes 10× the pageviews. For sites over 10k pv/mo with a single site, Fathom's $15 may be simpler than scaling Plausible's Starter via slider.

10k pv base · 1 site on Starter ($9)

100k pv on Starter ($15)

Privacy postureBoth are equivalent on privacy. Both ship the cookie-free banner-free pitch.

no cookies · GDPR/CCPA/PECR compliant

Dashboard / UXFathom's dashboard is the prettier one. Both are fast and clear.

clean · functional · slightly utilitarian

polished · designer-focused · easier to share

Multi-siteBoth let you track unlimited domains within the pageview budget.

unlimited sites on all plans

Custom events / goalsBoth support custom event tracking. Slight UX differences but feature parity.

first-class · custom events + funnels

first-class · events + goals

Email reportsFathom's email reports are nicer to look at; both convey the same info.

weekly summary · per-site

weekly summary · per-site · slicker layout

API accessSelf-hosted Plausible gives you direct database access for custom queries.

REST API · stats API · self-host gives you direct DB

REST API · stats API

Data locationBoth are away from US data sovereignty if that matters. Pick whichever matches your residency requirements.

EU (hosted) · anywhere (self-host)

Canada · always

pricing / three scenarios

Pricing at three scales

Three receipts, three scales. The line items are the same; the prices move. Every number is from the public May 2026 pricing page — we round to the nearest dollar but don’t invent.

hobby.txt — 5k pageviews/mo · personal sitemonthly

LINE ITEMPlausibleFathom

AnalyticsStarter · 1 site · 10k pv$9Starter · 100k pv$15

TOTAL · monthly$9/mo$15/mo

>Plausible's $9 Starter is the cheapest hosted option and fits 5k pv with room to grow. Fathom's $15 Starter includes more pageview headroom (100k), which doesn't matter at 5k/mo. If you're sure you'll stay under 10k pv on a single site, Plausible wins by $6/mo.

side project.txt — 50k pageviews/mo · paying customers · multiple sitesmonthly

LINE ITEMPlausibleFathom

AnalyticsStarter · scales to 100k pv (slider)$19Starter · 100k pv$15

TOTAL · monthly$19/mo$15/mo

>At 50k pageviews Fathom's Starter ($15, includes 100k pv) is $4/mo cheaper than Plausible Starter scaled to the 100k pv slider bucket ($19). For multi-site setups Plausible's Growth ($14 base, 3 sites) or Business ($19 base, 10 sites) may be the better fit — the slider scales those tiers upward too. The $4/mo difference usually isn't the deciding factor; pick the dashboard you prefer.

scale.txt — 1M pageviews/mo · production · marketing site + productmonthly

LINE ITEMPlausibleFathom

AnalyticsStarter · 1M pv (slider)$69Pro · 1M pv$60

TOTAL · monthly$69/mo$60/mo

>At 1M pageviews Fathom's Pro ($60) edges out Plausible's Starter scaled to 1M pv ($69 via the slider at plausible.io/#pricing). If you need Plausible's Business tier features (funnels, revenue tracking, Stats API), the slider cost climbs further. Self-hosted Plausible (free + your own VPS at ~$15/mo) is also a real option at this scale.

features / deep dives

Feature by feature

One row per feature, both tools described in plain language, the honest tradeoff at the bottom. Most rows have legitimate uses for both — the goal is to surface the differences that matter, not to declare a winner on every line.

Privacy & compliance

what you can tell your DPO

Plausible

Plausible was built with GDPR in mind from day one. No cookies, no IP storage, no fingerprinting, no cross-site tracking. The data model is event-based and aggregated — you can't 'see what user X did' even if you wanted to. EU-hosted by default; self-hosted gives you full data residency control.

Fathom

Fathom's privacy posture is equivalent: cookieless, no fingerprinting, GDPR/CCPA/PECR compliant. Hosted on the founders' own infrastructure in Canada (away from US data sovereignty). The marketing leans heavily on 'we don't sell your data' as a values pitch.

Honest tradeoff

Functionally equivalent. Both let you remove the cookie banner from your site. Both have the documentation your DPO needs. Don't pick on privacy — they're tied.

Self-hosting

running it on your own infra

Plausible

Plausible Community Edition is open source under AGPL. Docker Compose deploys in 10 minutes on a $5 VPS. You get the full feature set (some advanced features are paid-only on the hosted version). Most teams that self-host stay within the $5–$15/mo VPS budget for any volume up to ~5M pageviews/mo.

Fathom

Fathom does not offer self-hosting and never has. The product is hosted-only by design — the founders are explicit that this is part of their business model, not a roadmap item that's coming someday. If you need self-hosting, Fathom is not in the running.

Honest tradeoff

Self-hosting is the single biggest functional difference between the two. If you ever expect to need it (compliance, cost-at-scale, philosophical preference), Plausible is the only realistic answer.

Dashboard / reports

the part you actually look at

Plausible

Plausible's dashboard is dense and functional — top pages, sources, locations, devices, all on one screen with date-range and filter controls. The default view answers 95% of analytics questions. Custom dashboards are not a feature; the assumption is the default works.

Fathom

Fathom's dashboard is more designed — softer typography, more whitespace, share-via-link reports for sending to clients or stakeholders. The information density is similar, but the UX feels more 'polished' and less 'technical.' Embeddable reports for client work are a real differentiator.

Honest tradeoff

If you're sharing analytics with non-technical stakeholders (clients, executives, marketing teams), Fathom's polish helps. If you're a solo dev or technical team, Plausible's dense default is more efficient.

Custom events & funnels

tracking signups, purchases, conversions

Plausible

Plausible supports custom events via a JavaScript API: plausible('Signup'). You can attach properties for filtering. Goals are events you've configured to show up in the dashboard. Funnels (multi-step conversion paths) are a paid-tier feature.

Fathom

Fathom supports events via plausible-style API: fathom.trackEvent('Signup'). Goals can have monetary values attached, which is genuinely useful for SaaS — your dashboard can show 'free signups → paid conversion → revenue.' Funnels are similar to Plausible's.

Honest tradeoff

Both work and feature-parity is close. Fathom's monetary-value-on-goals is the small but real differentiator — useful if you're tracking revenue per source.

Multi-site management

tracking many domains in one account

Plausible

Plausible lets you add unlimited sites within your pageview budget. Sites are organized in a single dashboard with a switcher; per-site team access controls are available on Business+ tiers.

Fathom

Fathom is the same — unlimited sites within the pageview budget, single dashboard switcher, per-site sharing. Slight UX differences in the site list view but functionally equivalent.

Honest tradeoff

Both work the same way. If you manage many client sites, either is fine; Fathom's per-site share-via-link is slightly nicer for client work.

API & data export

getting your data out

Plausible

Plausible's stats API returns aggregated metrics for any date range, filter, or breakdown. Self-hosted gives you direct database access — you can run any SQL query you want against the underlying ClickHouse. Hosted Plausible is API-only.

Fathom

Fathom's API returns the same kind of aggregated metrics. There's no underlying-database access (it's hosted-only), so you get only what the API exposes. Most use cases are covered.

Honest tradeoff

If you want to do custom analysis or pipe analytics into your data warehouse, self-hosted Plausible's direct DB access is unbeatable. For most teams, the hosted API is enough on either platform.

Email reports & alerts

automated summaries

Plausible

Plausible sends weekly email reports with top stats per site. You can also configure traffic-spike alerts (notify me if pageviews exceed X). The email design is functional rather than polished.

Fathom

Fathom sends weekly emails with the same content; the design is nicer (Fathom-branded, share-friendly). Spike alerts are similar. Customers occasionally forward Fathom emails to clients as 'here's how the site is doing this week,' which is intentional.

Honest tradeoff

Same info, different polish. If reports go to non-technical stakeholders, Fathom's email design is the small but visible win.

Migration story

switching from one to the other (or from Google Analytics)

Plausible

Migrating to either Plausible or Fathom from Google Analytics is the same process: install the new script, run both in parallel for a couple of weeks to validate that pageview counts agree, then remove GA. Historical GA data does not import — both tools start with day-one data and you keep the GA archive read-only.

Fathom

Switching between Plausible and Fathom is similar — install the new script, run both in parallel briefly, remove the old. Neither imports historical data from the other (different schemas, different aggregation).

Honest tradeoff

All migrations to/from these tools follow the same pattern. The only real switching cost is the loss of historical continuity — you'll have a gap or a re-baseline moment in your charts. Plan for it.

verdict / pick one

When to pick which

pick / plausible

Pick Plausible if…

You want the option to self-host — even if you don't use it day one, having the exit ramp matters.
Cost matters at entry tier: Plausible Starter ($9) is $6/mo cheaper than Fathom Starter ($15). The relative cost flips at higher pv volumes depending on which slider position you pick.
Open-source values resonate — you're choosing tools partly on whether the code is auditable and forkable.
You're a developer or technical team — the dense default dashboard is fine for you.
You want direct database access for custom analysis (self-host only).

Try Plausible →

pick / fathom

Pick Fathom if…

You want the most polished hosted experience without thinking about infrastructure ever.
You share analytics with non-technical stakeholders (clients, marketing, execs) and the UI polish matters.
You're at the 10k–100k pv/mo range where Fathom's larger entry tier ($15 / 100k) beats Plausible's slider-scaled Starter at the same volume ($19 at 100k pv).
You want monetary-value goals (track revenue per source directly in the dashboard).
You're an indie business and the 'support indie founders' values pitch resonates with you.

Try Fathom →

gotchas / observed

Gotchas, both directions

Common pitfalls visible in public docs and community discussion. None of these will stop you shipping; all of them will cost you an afternoon if you don’t know about them.

Plausible / pricing tiers
Pricing jumps at 10k → 100k pageview boundary
Plausible's $9 entry tier caps at 10k pageviews. The next tier is $19 for 100k. If you're at 11k pageviews, you pay the $19 tier — there's no graduated overage. Most teams hit this boundary the month after launching marketing efforts and feel the jump.
Fathom / no self-host
If Fathom changes pricing, your only options are 'pay it' or 'migrate'
Without a self-host option, your relationship with Fathom is hosted-or-leave. The team has historically been pricing-stable, but if your business depends on analytics being a fixed cost, the lack of an exit ramp is a real risk to weigh.
Plausible / SPA tracking
Single-page apps need explicit page tracking
If you're building a Next.js or React SPA, the Plausible script doesn't auto-track route changes — you wire it up via the plausible() API on every router event. Most SPA-router integrations have a one-line solution but it's a one-line solution you need to remember to add.
Fathom / overage handling
Going over your tier sends an upgrade email, doesn't auto-upgrade
If you exceed your pageview tier on Fathom, they keep tracking but send an email asking you to upgrade. If you don't, you risk getting throttled. Plausible's behavior is similar — set a calendar reminder to check usage, especially after launches or HN posts.
Plausible / event count
Custom events count toward pageview limit
Each custom event (signup, purchase, etc.) counts as a pageview against your tier. A site with heavy event tracking can blow past its tier even if actual page renders are modest. Track strategically; not every interaction needs to be an event.
Fathom / API rate limits
Stats API has rate limits not always visible in docs
If you're polling the Fathom API to build a custom dashboard or dataviz, the rate limits are tighter than Plausible's. Cache aggressively; don't hit the API on every dashboard page-load. Most users never notice; high-frequency integrations do.

migration / observed patterns

Migrating between them

Editorial framing only — we have not migrated either way ourselves. What follows is the pattern visible in public post-mortems, GitHub issue threads, and conference talks. Take it as observed-pattern, not lived experience.

Google Analytics ━▶ Plausible / Fathom

The most common migration in this space. Pattern: install the new script alongside GA, run both for 2–4 weeks to validate that pageview counts roughly agree (Plausible/Fathom counts are usually 10–30% lower because they don't include bot traffic that GA was counting), then remove GA. Historical GA data stays read-only in your GA account.

The hard part isn't technical — it's that you'll see lower numbers and need to explain them. The honest answer: 'we now have correct numbers, the GA numbers were inflated by bots and double-counts.' Some stakeholders take time to accept this. Pre-warn before the cutover.

Plausible ━▶ Fathom (or vice versa)

Less common, usually triggered by a UI/UX preference or a pricing-tier crossover. Migration is straightforward: install new script, remove old script. Historical data does not transfer — both platforms have proprietary schemas. You'll have a gap in continuity (or a re-baseline) that's worth communicating to anyone tracking trends.

The migration is a weekend, not a project. The actual cost is the historical data loss, which is also the smallest cost of any migration in this comparison set.

faq / common questions

Frequently asked

Is Plausible or Fathom better?

Plausible if you want self-hosting as an option, value open source, or prefer a denser dashboard. Fathom if you share analytics with non-technical stakeholders, want monetary-value goals on revenue tracking, or prefer the more polished UI. Both are cookieless and GDPR-compliant by default — the choice usually comes down to dashboard preference and whether self-hosting matters.

Is Plausible's self-hosted version free?

Yes. Plausible Community Edition is open source under AGPL and free to self-host on your own infrastructure. Most teams run it on a $5-10/mo VPS via Docker Compose. You get the core feature set; some advanced features (funnels, custom properties, Stats API) are paid-only on the hosted version.

How much does Fathom cost at 1M pageviews?

Fathom Pro is $60/mo at the 1M pageview tier. Plausible Starter scaled to 1M pageviews via the slider is approximately $69/mo, so Fathom is slightly cheaper at scale. At lower volumes the math flips — Plausible Starter at $9/mo is cheaper than Fathom Starter at $15/mo.

Can I migrate from Plausible to Fathom (or vice versa) without losing data?

Historical data does not transfer between the two — both platforms have proprietary schemas with no export-import compatibility. You'll have a gap in continuity that's worth communicating to anyone tracking trends. The migration itself is straightforward: install the new script, remove the old one. The actual project is a weekend.

Does Plausible or Fathom work with Single Page Apps (SPAs)?

Both work with SPAs but require manual page-view tracking. For Plausible, call `plausible('pageview')` on every route change. For Fathom, call `fathom.trackPageview()`. Most SPA-router integrations have a one-line solution (a useEffect hook or router event listener). Server-side rendering frameworks like Next.js with SSR don't need this — pageviews fire automatically.

Which is better for SEO — Plausible or Fathom?

Neither directly affects SEO. Both are lightweight (~1KB script), don't slow page load measurably, and don't use cookies (so no cookie banner needed, which improves CWV). For SEO purposes they're equivalent. The decision is about analytics-product fit, not search ranking.

Do Plausible and Fathom track real-time visitors?

Yes, both have real-time dashboards showing current active visitors. Plausible's real-time view is updated every few seconds. Fathom's is similar. Both support filtering by source, country, device — real-time is feature-equivalent between the two.

more / head-to-heads

Plausible vs Fathom

At a glance

Plausible

Fathom

Pricing at three scales

Feature by feature

When to pick which

Pick Plausible if…

Pick Fathom if…

Gotchas, both directions

Pricing jumps at 10k → 100k pageview boundary

If Fathom changes pricing, your only options are 'pay it' or 'migrate'

Single-page apps need explicit page tracking

Going over your tier sends an upgrade email, doesn't auto-upgrade

Custom events count toward pageview limit

Stats API has rate limits not always visible in docs

Migrating between them

Frequently asked

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