Best GDPR-compliant Google Analytics alternatives for 2023
Google Analytics is a fine tool for tracking your traffic. That said, it’s kind of clunky, even in its 4th version. It also gets blocked by all ad blockers, which is a deal breaker for most of us.
But that’s not it: the biggest issue for many businesses is its total lack of GDPR compliance by default.
First, here’s my listing of the best alternative platforms, and then I’ll explain why you should care about GDPR compliance.
Fathom Analytics is by far the best GDPR compliant analytics. It serves a ton of serious businesses (GitHub, IBM, McLaren and more) and can handle huge spikes of traffic.
Simple Analytics is a solid GDPR-compliant service for those looking to switch away from Google Analytics.
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Table of contents
The best GDPR-compliant Google Analytics alternatives
Fathom Analytics
Fathom Analytics fulfills the needs of many big companies such as GitHub, IBM, Laravel, McLaren, Tailwind CSS and more.
It can handle virality and even DDoS attacks without breaking thanks to its robust infrastructure.
| Annual discount | 2 months free |
|---|---|
| Guarantee | 30-day free trial |
Fathom Analytics is a privacy-first analytics tool that doesn’t track your users.
It’s a dead simple, lightweight, and fast alternative to Google Analytics.
Of course, it’s also GDPR compliant and doesn’t use cookies, which could make you avoid a huge government fine.
What I love about Fathom compared to Google Analytics is that it’s easy to get the information you need.
For instance, you may want to see how much visitors you acquired from Google in the past month.
With Google Analytics, you have to go through a lot of steps to get that information. With Fathom, it’s on the dashboard and two clicks away.
Fathom is what this website uses to track its visitors. I can’t recommend this service enough!
Key features:
- Export data to CSV;
- Doesn’t use cookies;
- Extremely fast script;
- Simple user interface;
- Unlimited data retention;
- Use a custom domain to bypass adblockers;
- Events tracking to anonymously monitor how people use your website;
- Simple, free, and reactive uptime monitoring that sends you an email or SMS;
- EU traffic is automatically routed through European-owned infrastructure;
- Used by thousands of businesses, including some we love, like Laravel, GitHub (Microsoft), Tailwind CSS, Vue.js, IBM, and more.
Here's what I love about Fathom Analytics…
- Dark mode!
- The simplicity of its dashboard is a relief;
- By-passing adblockers is a must to make your data more accurate;
- Email and SMS notifications when your website goes down. Very handy!
And what's not so good…
- Importing data from Google Analytics 4 is not possible (but it will be shortly);
- The dashboard can still be improved (and from what the developer told me, it’s a work in progress).
Honestly, there’s not so much missing from this service to be perfect.
Try Fathom AnalyticsSimple Analytics
Simple Analytics is as simple as its name indicates. Its dashboard is great and easy to understand and the service checks all the boxes to be GDPR-compliant.
| Annual discount | $110 off |
|---|---|
| Guarantee | 14-day free trial without credit card |
Simple Analytics is a simple but powerful GDPR-compliant analytics platform that allows you to track your visitors without compromizing their privacy.
Just like Fathom Analytics, it’s way easier to use than Google Analytics. It has a pretty interface and everything you expect from such a tool.
Key features:
- A well-documented API;
- Works without JavaScript;
- See which tweets generated the leads;
- Import your data from Google Analytics;
- Can bypass ad blockers with a custom domain;
- Overview of all your sites on the root page. Pretty useful!
- Automatic event tracking system, which is extremely handy!
- Basic iOS app that does the job, which includes widgets for your homescreen!
- Server-side tracking! You can send data from your back-end to Simple Analytics, which can be extremely useful!
- Used by governments (at least Scotland and the UK) and big companies (Michelin and Hyundai for instance);
- Safari (on macOS and iOS), Firefox and Chrome extensions to block Simple Analytics from tracking your own visits.
Here's what I love about Simple Analytics…
- Solid customers base;
- Easy to understand dashboard;
- Insightful details about your audience.
And what's not so good…
- The dashboard is better on mobiles than desktops. It’s rather weird.
What is GDPR?
GDPR, or General Data Protection Regulation, is a set of laws designed to protect individuals’ privacy and personal data in the European Union (EU).
It regulates how companies collect, process, store, and share personal data and gives individuals greater control over their data.
GDPR applies to any company that processes EU citizens’ data, regardless of where the company is located.
The goal of GDPR is to enhance the privacy and data protection rights of individuals while also encouraging companies to be more transparent and accountable with their data handling practices.
Is Google Analytics GDPR-compliant?
Yes, Google Analytics is GDPR-compliant… under certain conditions:
- Ask for your users’ consent.
- Have an exhaustive privacy and cookie policy.
- Turn on IP anonymization in your Google Analytics account.
Google made the necessary changes to its data collection and processing practices to ensure it complies with the GDPR. This includes allowing users to opt out of data tracking and giving them the right to access and control their data.
Non-compliance with GDPR is a waste of money for businesses
Non-compliance with GDPR can have serious consequences for companies.
Depending on the severity of the violation, companies can be fined up to 4% of their annual global revenue or €20 million (whichever is greater).
Additionally, companies can face legal action from individuals or regulatory authorities and reputational damage that can negatively impact their business.
GDPR also requires companies to notify authorities of any data breaches within 72 hours of becoming aware; failure to do so can result in further penalties.
The analytics tools mentioned in this article can help you avoid sanctions.
