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Independently verified · Quarterly re-audit
EU VETTED
Category 09 of 22

Web analytics

In short

Web analytics tools measure traffic, user behaviour, and conversion on websites. For EU buyers, the key criterion is whether the tool can be operated without cookies and without transferring personal data to US-owned servers — which determines whether a cookie banner is legally required. Top-rated EU options on EU Vetted include Plausible Analytics (Estonia, 5/5), Pirsch Analytics (Germany, 4/5), Simple Analytics (Netherlands, 4/5), and Wide Angle Analytics (Germany, 4/5).

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is the best EU-hosted web analytics tool?
On EU Vetted's editorial compliance score, Plausible Analytics (Estonia, 5/5) is the top-rated EU-owned and EU-hosted option. Wide Angle Analytics (Germany), GoatCounter (Ireland), Pirsch Analytics (Germany), and Simple Analytics (Netherlands) all reach 4/5. Plausible is the most widely adopted privacy-friendly analytics tool globally; Simple Analytics and Pirsch are strong alternatives for buyers wanting German or Dutch operators. All five are cookieless by default.
Is there a GDPR-compliant web analytics tool that does not require a cookie banner?
Yes. Plausible Analytics, Simple Analytics, Pirsch, GoatCounter, and Wide Angle Analytics are all designed to collect website traffic data without setting cookies and without collecting personal data in the legal sense. This means they typically do not require a cookie consent banner under the ePrivacy Directive when used in their default configuration. That said, 'no cookie banner required' depends on your implementation and your member state's interpretation of ePrivacy — verify with your DPO or legal counsel for regulated sectors.
Does Google Analytics data fall under the US CLOUD Act?
Google LLC is a US-incorporated company, and its EU subsidiary structure does not remove the consolidated group from CLOUD Act jurisdiction. Several EU member-state data-protection authorities — including the Austrian DSB, the French CNIL, and the Italian Garante — have issued enforcement decisions finding that Google Analytics transfers personal data to the US in a manner incompatible with GDPR, under the Schrems II doctrine. Switching to an EU-owned analytics tool such as Plausible (Estonia) or Pirsch (Germany) removes that exposure.
What data does a privacy-friendly analytics tool collect compared to Google Analytics?
Privacy-friendly analytics tools like Plausible and Simple Analytics collect aggregate traffic data: page views, referral sources, browser type, country, and device category. They do not collect individual user identifiers, cross-site tracking cookies, or IP addresses in stored form. The result is less granular user journey data compared to Google Analytics — you see which pages are popular and where traffic comes from, but not a per-user session path. For most content sites and marketing use cases, aggregate data is sufficient; for e-commerce funnel analysis, evaluate whether the trade-off fits.
Can I self-host a privacy-friendly web analytics tool?
Yes. Plausible Analytics, Umami, and Matomo all offer self-hosted options. Self-hosting means the analytics data never leaves your infrastructure, giving you maximum data sovereignty and removing the analytics vendor from your sub-processor chain. Plausible Community Edition is free and open-source; Matomo is the most feature-complete self-hosted option. Self-hosting requires server management; for teams without that capacity, the cloud-hosted EU options (Plausible Cloud, Pirsch, Simple Analytics) remove the operational overhead.
How do I migrate from Google Analytics 4 to a European alternative?
Migration from GA4 to a European analytics tool typically involves: adding the new analytics script alongside GA4 for a 2–4 week parallel period; exporting historical GA4 data to BigQuery or CSV before cutover (Google retains it for 6 months post-deletion); and replacing GA4 in any dashboards or marketing integrations. Plausible, Pirsch, and Simple Analytics all document a GA4 migration path and provide import tools for historical data. The main adjustment is accepting less granular session-level data in exchange for simpler compliance posture.
Is PostHog a privacy-friendly or EU-owned analytics tool?
PostHog is incorporated in the UK and receives EU-HQ/US-funded as its ownership signal on EU Vetted (3/5). It offers EU-hosted cloud options and a self-hosted deployment, but its US VC funding and UK incorporation mean it sits in a different category from EU-owned operators like Plausible or Pirsch. PostHog is a broader product analytics and feature-flagging platform rather than a pure traffic analytics tool; it is useful when session replay and feature-flag data are requirements alongside basic traffic analytics.