In Part 1 of this Blog, we already noted that GA4 will not solve Google’s problems around GDPR compliance. It is therefore advisable to switch to a GDPR-friendly alternative to GA as soon as possible. In this part of the blog, we will discuss five affordable and GDPR-friendly alternatives with you.
Alternatives to GA
1.1 Fathom
Fathomis a well-known tool from a Canadian company. To use Fathom, you need to pay €13.08 per month for 100,000 pageviews, €22.43 per month for 200,000 pageviews and €41.13 per month for 500,000 pageviews.
In doing so, you may have a maximum of 50 websites. Fathom has some of the best privacy documentation. The application does not use cookies, fingerprinting or other techniques.
Fathom does engage in partial processing of IP addresses, but they do provide clear processing agreements for that and only use sub-processors based in the EU for the personal data of people from the EU and EEA.
1.2 Simple Analytics
Simple Analytics is a company located in the Netherlands, with Dutch owners and servers located in the Netherlands. You can use Simple Analytics starting at €19 per month.
For this price, you get one user profile and your site must have less than 100,000 views per month. If you have more than 100,000 views per month you will need to use the business subscription.
This subscription costs €59 per month and for this you get 10 users for up to 1 million page views. If you have even more views, you can contact Simple Analytics for an enterprise account.
Simple Analytics is interesting because they do not process personal data and do not use cookies or any similar techniques. Given that they do not use personal data, they are fully GDPR-proof.
1.3 Plausible Analytics
Plausible Analytics is an Estonia-based company. To use their application, you need to pay €8.41 for an unlimited number of team members. As with Fathom, there is a limit of 50 websites you may have. If you bring in between 100,000 and 200,000 page views, you pay €17.74 for the application, if you have between 200,000 and 500,000 views, you pay €27.08, and if your views are between 500,000 and 1 million, you pay €45.76.
The big advantage of Plausible Analytics is that they only use servers located in Europe. In addition, you have the option to host Plausible yourself, so that you can choose which hosting the data will end up on.
Even when you use the cloud version, no personal data is processed. Also, no use is made of cookies or similar techniques. Despite this fact, do they offer processing agreements?
Given that no personal data is processed, or cookies are used, it is completely GDPR-proof.
1.4 Matomo Analytics
Matomo is an application from New Zealand based company InnoCraft and this is a New Zealand company.
You can use Matomo Analytics open-source software from $19 per month with 50,000 page views for 30 websites and 30 team members. At 100,000 page views you will have to pay €35 per month.
In addition, you can, just like with With Matomo, just like with Plausible Analytics, you also host on your own server. This service is free. The ‘on-premises’ of this application basically offers fewer options, but you do have the option to choose where your data ends up.
A difference with Simple and Plausible is that Matomo may be able to process personal data. Profiles can also be built with it. How GDPR-proof the application is, therefore also depends on your own choices and settings.
If you opt for the cloud version, your Matomo must in any case be stated in the privacy statement.
1.5 Piwik PRO
Piwik PRO, which has a large overlap with Matomo as they used to be the same company, is free for up to 500,000 page views per month and 10 websites, where you can also use the Tag and Consent Manager.
Piwik Pro allows you to monitor the number of page views, sessions, goals, user flows and funnels. Piwik uses servers in the Netherlands, Ireland, and Germany. In their privacy statement, Piwik explains which services and servers they use.
If you opt for the cloud solution, which is partly arranged in Europe, but also partly by Microsoft Azure, you should always pay attention to whether you have a choice. This system allows Piwik PRO to use Microsoft Ireland as a sub-processor, among others.
In their privacy statement, they state that they also offer a self-hosted solution.
Conclusion
The recent GDPR rulings have undoubtedly initiated an accelerated phase-out of Universal Analytics at Google. However, GA4 will not provide the desired solutions for Google. It is therefore recommended that you invest in a GDPR-friendly alternative to GA as soon as possible.
You can contact a recognized DPO to help you with this choice.
