A free privacy-friendly analytics tool can mean a hosted plan with a monthly allowance, or software you run on your own infrastructure. A free trial is different: it is a temporary evaluation of a paid product.
This guide compares five options with an ongoing free path. Databuddy publishes the guide and is included in the list. Plan details were checked on October 28, 2026; the linked provider pages are the source for current allowances.
Free analytics options at a glance
| Tool | Free path | Key limit or responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Databuddy | Hosted Free plan with 10,000 events per month | Count pageviews and other collected events against the allowance |
| Umami | Hosted Hobby plan with 100,000 events per month | One website and six months of retention |
| Cloudflare Web Analytics | Free hosted web analytics | Check that its reporting answers your conversion questions |
| PostHog | Recurring hosted allowances, including 1 million analytics events per month | Products have separate allowances and collection settings |
| Matomo | Free on-premise core software | You operate hosting; some advanced features are paid |
An event allowance is not necessarily a visitor allowance. One visit can generate multiple pageviews and custom events. Estimate usage from the collection you intend to enable.
1. Databuddy: free traffic and conversion measurement
Databuddy's Free plan includes 10,000 monthly events. It is a candidate for small sites or products that want traffic sources, events, goals and funnels alongside diagnostic features such as errors and Web Vitals.
Start with pageviews and one confirmed outcome, then estimate how additional events affect usage. If you exceed the allowance, compare the next plan against your expected event volume rather than your visitor count.
Databuddy avoids analytics cookies but uses localStorage and sessionStorage. Ingestion hashes visitor IDs with a rotating daily salt by default; optional identification changes the profile context. Read the collection guide when configuring privacy and consent behavior.
2. Umami: a larger hosted allowance for one website
Umami Hobby includes 100,000 events per month, one website and six months of retention. It is worth comparing for a personal site, small publication or single-site project that needs an ongoing hosted free tier.
Check whether the selected plan includes the collaboration, API access and retention you need. A generous event allowance does not resolve those requirements. Umami also offers self-hosting, which shifts responsibility for the database, backups, upgrades and uptime to your team.
Its event documentation explains how to add actions beyond pageviews. Keep properties limited to the information required for the report.
3. Cloudflare Web Analytics: a free traffic and performance baseline
Cloudflare Web Analytics offers free, privacy-focused website measurement. It is a useful candidate when you mainly need a baseline for traffic and page performance.
Cloudflare describes this product as avoiding client-side state such as cookies or localStorage for analytics. Assess the rest of your site separately: using this product does not establish how every Cloudflare security feature or other installed service behaves.
Before choosing it as your only analytics tool, check the campaign and conversion reports you require. A traffic baseline and a multi-step product funnel are different needs.
4. PostHog: a free allowance for product analytics
PostHog's pricing includes a recurring allowance of 1 million analytics events per month, with separate allowances for other products. It is a candidate for teams measuring activation and product use rather than only website arrivals.
Model each enabled product independently. Replays, feature-flag requests and analytics events are not interchangeable billing units. Set appropriate usage controls and review the data collection settings, including identification, autocapture and sensitive-content masking.
The tradeoff is setup depth: a broader platform needs more decisions about which events and features to operate.
5. Matomo: free software when you can maintain the service
Matomo On-Premise offers a free core software path. It fits teams that require control over deployment and have someone responsible for operating it.
Budget for hosting, database capacity, updates, backups and recovery. Check the exact plugins and reports required before calling the whole solution free; advanced capabilities may carry separate costs.
Review Matomo's privacy settings for your deployment. Infrastructure ownership and privacy configuration solve different parts of the problem.
Where do Plausible and Fathom fit?
Plausible and Fathom are useful paid hosted comparisons, but a trial is not an ongoing free hosted plan. Plausible's self-hosted edition is another option if you accept its operating requirements. Compare the relevant edition and its feature coverage.
Choose the free option that covers your real workflow
For a small hosted setup, compare Databuddy and Umami against your event volume and required reports. For a traffic baseline, evaluate Cloudflare Web Analytics. For product analysis, test PostHog's relevant allowances. For deployment control, evaluate Matomo and the ongoing operating cost.
On each candidate, verify one permitted visit and one meaningful outcome, test refusal or opt-out where applicable, and confirm export and retention. “Cookieless” does not automatically mean anonymous or exempt from consent; the cookieless guide explains the distinctions.
If you are choosing self-hosting to avoid a subscription, review the deployment and maintenance trade-offs before budgeting. The open-source analytics comparison gives you a broader shortlist when licensing and product scope matter as much as the hosted allowance.