analytics
Plausible Analytics is an open-source, privacy-first web analytics platform that replaces Google Analytics without storing personal data or using cookies. Available as a managed cloud service or self-hosted Community Edition, it emphasizes GDPR/CCPA compliance and a lightweight, clutter-free dashboard.
Key facts
Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | plausible/analytics |
| Owner | plausible |
| Primary language | Elixir |
| License | AGPL-3.0 — OSI-approved |
| Stars | 27.6k |
| Forks | 1.7k |
| Open issues | 76 |
| Latest release | v3.2.1 (2026-05-15) |
| Last updated | 2026-07-08 |
| Source | https://github.com/plausible/analytics |
What analytics is
Built in Elixir and Phoenix, Plausible uses ClickHouse for analytics storage and PostgreSQL for application data. The self-hosted Community Edition runs on your infrastructure with basic bot filtering, while the Cloud version includes advanced filtering and continuous feature updates across EU-hosted servers.
Get the analytics source
Clone the repository and explore it locally.
git clone https://github.com/plausible/analytics.gitcd analytics# follow the project's README for install & configurationNeed it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.
Best use cases
Implementation considerations
- Community Edition requires PostgreSQL and ClickHouse; cloud requires choosing a regional EU-based hosted instance. Confirm infrastructure capacity and dependencies before deployment.
- Self-hosted version updates twice yearly in long-term release cycles; Cloud updates multiple times per week. Plan change management and testing accordingly.
- Script injection into websites is lightweight but requires coordinating with web teams. Verify compatibility with existing analytics, consent managers, and CSP policies.
- Switching from Google Analytics requires importing historical data if needed and retraining stakeholders on the simpler dashboard UI and metrics model.
- Data retention, export, and API rate limits are not detailed in the README; review official documentation and API docs before committing to production use.
When to avoid it — and what to weigh
- Require Advanced Bot Filtering at Scale — The Community Edition has only basic bot filtering by User-Agent and referrer spam. If you need advanced, data-center-aware filtering like the Cloud version (32K+ data center IP ranges), self-hosting alone is insufficient.
- Need Premium Features Without Payment — Marketing funnels, ecommerce revenue goals, SSO, and the Sites API are cloud-only and available only on paid plans. Community Edition permanently excludes these; open-source alternatives may offer them.
- Heavy Infrastructure Maintenance Burden Unacceptable — Self-hosting requires you to manage installation, upgrades, backups, security patches, monitoring, and uptime. If your team lacks DevOps resources, the Cloud option is mandatory.
- Need Real-Time Sync with Google Analytics — Plausible supports importing historical Google Analytics data and Search Console integration, but ongoing bidirectional sync or native GA4 real-time mirroring is not documented. Transition is one-way.
License & commercial use
Licensed under AGPL-3.0 (GNU Affero General Public License v3.0). AGPL is a copyleft license requiring that any modifications or network-deployed versions also be licensed under AGPL and source code be made available to users. This differs materially from permissive licenses like MIT or Apache 2.0.
AGPL-3.0 is not a standard permissive commercial license. Commercial use of the unmodified Community Edition for internal analytics is likely permissible, but any modifications, custom deployments as a service, or redistribution trigger AGPL obligations (source disclosure, derivative copyleft). Cloud SaaS use by Plausible Inc. is distinct from your deployment. **Requires legal review before using in production commercial environments or building proprietary extensions.** Paid Cloud hosting avoids these concerns.
DEV.co evaluation signals
Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.
| Signal | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Maintenance | Active |
| Documentation | Adequate |
| License clarity | Clear |
| Deployment complexity | High |
| DEV.co fit | Good |
| Assessment confidence | High |
Plausible claims privacy-first design (no IP storage, no cookies, no personal data), GDPR/CCPA compliance, and EU hosting for cloud. Self-hosted instances require you to secure PostgreSQL, ClickHouse, Elixir runtime, and network perimeter. No CVE history, third-party audit reports, or penetration test results are mentioned here. Evaluate data encryption at rest/transit, access controls, dependency vulnerabilities (Elixir package management), and incident response before production.
Alternatives to consider
Fathom Analytics
Privacy-first alternative with GDPR compliance, simpler UI, and managed hosting. Closed-source, no self-hosted option. Good for teams that prioritize ease-of-use over control.
Matomo
Open-source web analytics (AGPL license) with both self-hosted and cloud options. More feature-rich (advanced reports, custom dimensions, A/B testing) but more complex than Plausible. Suitable for teams needing deeper analytics.
Simple Analytics
Privacy-first, lightweight competitor with EU hosting and GDPR compliance. Managed-only (no self-hosted option). Smaller feature set but strong privacy posture similar to Plausible.
Build on analytics with DEV.co software developers
Evaluate Plausible Analytics for your privacy-first analytics needs. Choose managed Cloud hosting for simplicity or Community Edition for full control. Review AGPL licensing and self-hosting requirements before deployment.
Talk to DEV.coRelated open-source tools
Surfaced by semantic similarity across the DEV.co open-source index.
Related on DEV.co
Explore the category and the services that help you build with it.
analytics FAQ
Can we use the Community Edition commercially?
What are the infrastructure costs to self-host?
How does Plausible handle GDPR consent and cookie laws?
Can we import historical data from Google Analytics?
Work with a software development agency
Adopting analytics is usually one piece of a larger software development effort. As a software development agency, DEV.co provides software development services and web development expertise — pairing senior software developers and web developers with your team to design, build, and operate open-source devops software in production.
Ready to Replace Google Analytics?
Evaluate Plausible Analytics for your privacy-first analytics needs. Choose managed Cloud hosting for simplicity or Community Edition for full control. Review AGPL licensing and self-hosting requirements before deployment.