Fathom Analytics

Fathom or Plausible?

If you have read our Plausible review, you already know the case for replacing Google Analytics on a content site. Fathom is in the same category and largely comparable. The two products converge more than they diverge:

• Both are cookie-free and GDPR-clean
• Both fit on a single screen
• Both have a script size under 2KB
• Both are around $9 to $15 for a small site

The differences are around the edges. Fathom is run from Canada, supports multiple sites under one subscription with generous pageview limits, and has a slightly more polished dashboard. Plausible is open source, EU-hosted, and self-hostable if that matters to you.

For most one-person businesses the choice is taste rather than capability. Try both during the trial periods and pick the one whose dashboard you find calmer to look at.

What Fathom does well

• Email reports. The weekly digest summarises top pages and referrers without you opening the dashboard.
• Public stats pages. Useful as social proof on a marketing site, or as an informal investor update for indie hackers.
• One subscription, multiple sites. If you run a personal site plus a business site plus a side project, Fathom does not nickel-and-dime you.

Where it falls short

Fathom does not have a free tier (Plausible doesn't either, technically). If you are pre-revenue and unwilling to pay $15/mo for analytics, Fathom is not the right answer yet. Use the basic stats your hosting provider gives you until you are ready.

The event tracking depth is slightly behind Plausible right now. Both let you track goals, but Plausible's recent revenue and funnel features are a step ahead.

Verdict

A clean, ethical alternative to Google Analytics. Most solo operators would be served by either Fathom or Plausible. Pick whichever you find prettier and never think about analytics again.