What it is and why
Plausible is lightweight, privacy-friendly web analytics without cookies: one small script, a clean readable dashboard, no tracking. It is open-source and you can host it yourself. Take it when you want the basic metrics (visits, sources, top pages, conversions) without cookie banners and consent headaches, and you care about privacy and page load speed. It is the "anti-GA" for privacy-minded people.
How to do it (step by step)
- Choose where it runs: Plausible Cloud (a paid subscription in foreign currency) or self-hosted (free, open-source — deployed via Docker).
- Add your site in the dashboard and get the script.
- Paste the script into your site's
<head>(a single line, very light — it does not slow the page down). - Goals/conversions. Set up Goals: a page visit (
/thank-you) or a custom event (a button click) — added with a simple call. - Watch the dashboard: visits, unique visitors, sources, top pages, countries, devices, goals — all on one clean screen.
- Share the dashboard with a public link (handy for a team or a client) — a built-in Plausible option.
- No cookie banner. Since no cookies are set and no personal data is collected in identifiable form, you usually don't need an intrusive banner (but keep a policy/notice anyway).
A ready-made recipe/combo
A fast, clean site with no cookie banner: you paste the light Plausible script into a landing page/blog (self-hosted on your own VPS) → set a "clicked the request button" goal → the dashboard shows sources and conversion without slowing the page and without the annoying cookie consent popup → you hand the public dashboard link to the team. Private, fast, simple — and the data sits on your server.
What it costs (honestly)
The logic: self-hosting is free (open-source, you pay for your own server). The cloud is a subscription based on monthly pageviews (in foreign currency). It is a choice between "free but you maintain a server" and "paid but hands-off". Exact cloud prices are on Plausible's site and they change.
When it fits / when it doesn't
- Fits: you need basic metrics without the complexity; privacy and no cookies (which makes consent easier); load speed matters; you want to self-host; you want a clean simple dashboard.
- Doesn't fit: you need depth (funnels, retention, session replay — PostHog/GA4); you need session recording or click maps (Yandex Metrica); you want powerful free analytics without your own server (Yandex Metrica).
Risks and responsibility
152-FZ — a plus: with no cookies and no collection of identifiable personal data, cookie consent is usually not required (which simplifies compliance), but you should still publish a privacy policy/analytics notice. Self-hosting means the server and backups are on you. In the cloud, the data sits on Plausible's servers (assess the geography for Russian personal data). See the section disclaimer.
🤖 Prompt helper
You are a consultant on privacy-friendly analytics (Plausible). The site is "{what}", and privacy/no cookies matter. Help me: (1) choose self-hosted vs cloud in my case; (2) install the script and set up goals/events step by step; (3) decide which dashboard metrics to watch for my purpose; (4) work out what to publish for 152-FZ compliance (do I need a cookie banner). Step by step, briefly.