Fathom Analytics vs Simple Analytics
These two cookie-free analytics tools price traffic in different ways. Fathom gives every plan the same features and meters only pageviews, with room for 50 sites before any extra pack is needed. Simple Analytics starts with a free plan, meters pageviews as well, and then adds a monthly fee for every extra user. Fathom is a Canadian corporation that stores anonymised EU data on US servers, while Simple Analytics is a small Amsterdam team that says website data never leaves the Netherlands. The better fit depends on how many sites, seats and visitors you have.
Sebastiaan SmitsFounderVendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
Choose Fathom Analytics ifyou run many small sites for clients and want one pageview allowance to cover all of them. You are also fine with a card up front for a seven-day trial and with a Canadian vendor.
Choose Simple Analytics ifyou would rather begin on a free tier, keep your data in the Netherlands and pay by pageviews with a short trial that needs no card. You also have only a few people who need a login.
Fathom Analytics and Simple Analytics side by side
| Fathom Analytics | Simple Analytics | |
|---|---|---|
| Our web analytics software rank | #3 of 18 | #4 of 18 |
| Established in | Canada | Netherlands |
| List price, 6 November 2026 | Monthly pageview tiers, 100,000 up to 25,000,000, with one feature set; 2 months free on yearly billing | Free for 1 user and 5 sites; paid from EUR 20 a month for 100k pageviews, plus EUR 20 per extra user |
| Free tier | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | Agencies and publishers running many small sites on one allowance | Small teams that want a published price and Dutch hosting |
| Not for | Teams that dislike entering a card to start a trial | Larger teams that need many seats without per-user charges |
Both are reviewed in full in our web analytics software ranking: Fathom Analytics and Simple Analytics.
Where they differ
Fathom Analytics 3 · Simple Analytics 2 · open 1- 01
Fifty sites in the base plan
Fathom lists 50 sites in every plan, and a further pack of 50 sites costs $10 a month. Simple Analytics gives its free plan five websites, while no site cap for its paid plans appears on the page we read. For an agency that tracks dozens of small client sites, Fathom's stated allowance is the clearer fit. A freelancer with three sites will not notice the difference between the two vendors.
Edge: Fathom Analytics
- 02
Seats that add up
Simple Analytics includes one user in its self-serve plan, then charges EUR 20 a month for each extra user. Fathom ties cost to pageviews and does not mention a per-user fee. A team of four on Simple Analytics would pay for three seats on top of the traffic charge. For a lone site owner this round does not matter at all, because one login is already included.
Edge: Fathom Analytics
- 03
Starting without paying
Simple Analytics offers a free plan with one user, five websites and one month of history, and it requires a badge on your site. A 14-day self-serve trial asks for no card either. Fathom offers no free plan in what we read: its seven-day trial needs a card, which is not charged until the trial ends. If you only want to look around, Simple Analytics asks for far less.
Edge: Simple Analytics
- 04
Where the visitor data sits
Simple Analytics says website data never leaves the Netherlands and that it collects no cookies and no personal data. Fathom routes EU visitors to EU servers where IP addresses are anonymised, but its own feature page says the anonymous data is then stored on US servers. Both claims come from the vendors. A buyer who wants a single national location for storage gets it only from Simple Analytics.
Edge: Simple Analytics
- 05
Pageviews, events and the overage email
Fathom prices by monthly pageviews from 100,000 up to 25,000,000 visits, and custom events count towards the same allowance. A sustained overage leads to an email and later a pause of dashboard and API access. Simple Analytics starts at EUR 20 a month for 100,000 pageviews and moves up a slider to 2.5 million. Fathom reaches much higher traffic on its published ladder, so high-volume sites find a listed price there.
Edge: Fathom Analytics
- 06
Who stands behind each tool
Fathom's terms are with Conva Ventures Inc., governed by the laws of British Columbia, and the site says it is independently owned with zero venture pressure. Simple Analytics was established in 2018 in Amsterdam, calls itself a three-person team and says it is independent and self-funded. Both are small and independent by their own account. Larger buyers on the Dutch side are sent to a demo and a free 30-day proof of concept beside GA4.
Depends on the buyer
When neither fits
If you need many seats on one plan, or event-level product analytics rather than page statistics, look at Plausible or Umami instead. Both are in the same category, and we suggest comparing their published seat and event terms before you commit to either vendor above.
Fathom Analytics or Simple Analytics: questions
3 answersDoes Fathom need a card for its free trial?
Yes, the seven-day trial asks for a card, and the vendor says it is not charged until the trial ends. There are no contracts and you can cancel at any time. Data can be exported before you cancel.
What is the catch with the Simple Analytics free plan?
It covers one user and five websites, but keeps only one month of history. A badge is required on your site as well. Paid plans lift those limits and start from EUR 20 a month for 100,000 pageviews.
Do custom events cost extra on either tool?
On Fathom, custom events count towards the same pageview allowance rather than costing a separate fee. No separate event charge for Simple Analytics shows up in the pack we used. Check both vendors' pages again if you plan to send many events.
Sources
Checked 6 November 2026- Fathom pricing page: the 50-site allowance, the $10 pack for 50 more, the seven-day card trial and the shared event allowance.
- Fathom EU isolation page: EU routing, anonymised IP addresses and the later storage of anonymous data on US servers.
- Fathom terms: Conva Ventures Inc. as contracting party under British Columbia law.
- Simple Analytics pricing page: the EUR 20 entry price, EUR 20 per extra user, free plan limits, 14-day trial and the Netherlands data claim.
- Simple Analytics about page: 2018 founding in Amsterdam and the three-person, self-funded description.