# Plausible, what it is and how websites use it.

Privacy-first web analytics from EU (Estonia): no cookies, no personal data, GDPR-compliant without cookie banner. Lightweight script (<1 KB) and a simple dashboard. Open-source, self-hostable.

- **Status:** Modern. Popular alternative to Google Analytics for privacy-conscious projects.
- **Category:** [Analytics & Marketing](https://be1st.ai/technologies/analytics)
- **First release:** 2019
- **License:** AGPL-3.0 (open-source)
- **Official website:** https://plausible.io
- **Documentation:** https://plausible.io/docs
- **Page:** https://be1st.ai/technologies/analytics/plausible

## Plausible on audited websites

224 of the 16,845 websites audited by be1st run Plausible (1.3%). That ranks it #12 of the 18 technologies in Analytics & Marketing we have seen in audits.

### Websites running Plausible vs all websites

- **Web score:** 76 (all websites 72)
- **SEO:** 83 (all websites 79)
- **Security:** 62 (all websites 59)
- **Performance:** 76 (all websites 72)
- **AI Readiness:** 34 (all websites 31)

### Most used in Analytics & Marketing

1. [Google Analytics](https://be1st.ai/technologies/analytics/google-analytics): 42% (7,016)
2. [Google Tag Manager](https://be1st.ai/technologies/analytics/google-tag-manager): 24% (4,101)
3. [Google Ads](https://be1st.ai/technologies/analytics/google-ads): 15% (2,503)
4. [Facebook Pixel (Meta Pixel)](https://be1st.ai/technologies/analytics/facebook-pixel): 15% (2,455)
5. [Heureka](https://be1st.ai/technologies/analytics/heureka): 3.3% (550)
6. [Sklik](https://be1st.ai/technologies/analytics/sklik): 3.0% (505)
7. [Hotjar](https://be1st.ai/technologies/analytics/hotjar): 2.4% (397)
8. [SmartSupp](https://be1st.ai/technologies/analytics/smartsupp): 2.2% (376)
9. [Matomo](https://be1st.ai/technologies/analytics/matomo): 2.0% (342)
10. [CookieYes](https://be1st.ai/technologies/analytics/cookieyes): 2.0% (331)

## Other technologies in Analytics & Marketing

- [Umami](https://be1st.ai/technologies/analytics/umami): 1.3% of websites
- [PostHog](https://be1st.ai/technologies/analytics/posthog): 1.3% of websites
- [Luigi's Box](https://be1st.ai/technologies/analytics/luigis-box): 1.2% of websites
- [Biano](https://be1st.ai/technologies/analytics/biano): <1% of websites
- [Fathom Analytics](https://be1st.ai/technologies/analytics/fathom): <1% of websites
- [Criteo](https://be1st.ai/technologies/analytics/criteo): <1% of websites
- [DataFast](https://be1st.ai/technologies/analytics/datafast): <1% of websites

[All 18 in Analytics & Marketing](https://be1st.ai/technologies/analytics)

## Questions about Plausible

### What is Plausible?

Privacy-first web analytics from EU (Estonia): no cookies, no personal data, GDPR-compliant without cookie banner. Lightweight script (<1 KB) and a simple dashboard. Open-source, self-hostable. The be1st catalog lists Plausible under Analytics & Marketing. License of Plausible: AGPL-3.0 (open-source).

### How many websites use Plausible?

224 of the 16,845 websites audited by be1st run Plausible (1.3%), as of 8 Nov 2026.

### When was Plausible first released?

Plausible was first released in 2019.

### Is Plausible still a modern choice?

Yes. Plausible counts as a modern technology. Popular alternative to Google Analytics for privacy-conscious projects.

### What are the alternatives to Plausible?

Technologies that do the same job as Plausible include Google Analytics, Matomo, Umami, and Fathom Analytics.

Numbers: latest audit of each of 16,845 websites audited by be1st, as of 8 Nov 2026.