Solopreneurs face a choice: privacy-first pageview trackers that comply with GDPR out of the box, or event-based product analytics that surface funnels, retention, and session replays. The former costs less and installs in minutes. The latter demands query design and scales with your event volume. Below, we compare pricing, feature sets, and retention policies from vendor documentation—no invented tests, no fabricated conversion rates.
How we approached this
We reviewed vendor pricing pages, feature lists, and published compliance claims as of May 2026. All pricing, retention limits, and integration claims are quoted exactly as found. No platform was tested internally; every claim is sourced from public documentation.
Mixpanel
Mixpanel positions itself as product analytics infrastructure. The free tier caps at 1M monthly events and includes up to 5 saved reports plus 10K monthly session replays. Growth starts at $0/mo for the first 1M events, then $0.28 per 1K events (volume discounts available), unlimited reports, and 20K monthly replays. Enterprise offers unlimited events and premium support on custom terms. Mixpanel's feature list includes funnels, retention, flows, behavioral cohorts, custom properties, and Spark AI query builder (30 queries/mo free, 60 on Growth, 300 on Enterprise). Integration and export APIs, lookup tables, and data warehouse connectors are present. Compliance claims: GDPR, CCPA, and SOC 2 Type II. Startup program: first year free for companies <5 years old, <$8M funding.
Mixpanel
- +Free tier with 1M events, 5 reports, 10K session replays
- +Unlimited reports, cohorts, and retention analysis on Growth
- +GDPR, CCPA, SOC 2 Type II compliant; startup year-one free offer
- −Complexity: requires query design, event taxonomy
- −Costs scale with volume beyond 1M events ($0.28/1K)
- −Session replay quota may require upgrade for high-traffic sites
Plausible
No pricing page was reachable in the research bundle. Public information suggests Plausible is a lightweight, open-source, privacy-first pageview tracker with GDPR compliance and no cookies. Pricing is not confirmed here; contact vendor for current rates.
Plausible
- +Open-source, lightweight script
- +Privacy-first, no cookies, GDPR compliant by design
- +Real-time dashboard, simple setup
- −Limited event tracking and funnel analysis compared to product analytics tools
- −Pricing and feature details not confirmed in research
Simple Analytics
Simple Analytics offers a free plan (1 user, 5 websites, 30-day history, unlimited pageviews under fair use), Simple at $15/mo (1 user, 10 websites, 3-year retention, goals, events, trendlines, email support), Team at $40/mo (2 users +$20/user, 20 websites, 5-year retention, custom views, role-based access, export API, ad-blocker bypass), and Enterprise (custom users/sites/pageviews, separated data storage, manual invoicing, uptime SLA, priority support). Vendor claims 100% GDPR compliance, no cookies, non-personal data only, data never leaves the Netherlands/EU. 4.8 stars on Capterra. Monthly fee auto-adjusts based on usage (one-month then three-month rolling average). Payment: credit/debit card, Bitcoin +10% on yearly, Apple/Google Pay, bank transfer for $500+ bills (+10% fee). Yearly saves two months.
Simple Analytics
- +Free forever with 30-day history; paid plans from $15/mo with multi-year retention
- +GDPR, CCPA, UK GDPR, ePrivacy compliant; no cookies, data stays in EU
- +Ad-blocker bypass, export API, role-based access on Team; 4.8 Capterra rating
- −Free plan limited to 30-day history, 5 websites
- −Usage-based auto-adjustment may surprise if traffic spikes
- −Team plan user seats cost $20 each beyond two users
Fathom Analytics
Fathom positions as a privacy-first Google Analytics alternative. Pricing starts at $15/mo after a 30-day free trial. Features include: single-line script, cookie-less tracking, GDPR/CCPA/ePrivacy/PECR compliance, forever data retention, real-time analytics (blocks bots/spam), event tracking, weekly/monthly email reports, UTM campaign tracking, API access, and integrations with all CMSs/frameworks. Vendor claims compliance verified by international legal experts, anonymized IP addresses, no cookie banners required. Customers include IBM, GitHub, Tailwind, Huberman Lab. Designed for ease of use, no certifications or training needed. Lightweight script improves SEO.
Fathom Analytics
- +Forever data retention, cookie-less, GDPR/CCPA/ePrivacy compliant out of the box
- +Single-line setup, real-time dashboard, blocks bots/spam for accurate metrics
- +Event tracking, UTM campaigns, email reports, API; lightweight script improves SEO
- −Pricing not tiered by volume in research—may lack transparency for high-traffic sites
- −No product analytics features (funnels, retention, cohorts)
- −Limited advanced segmentation compared to Mixpanel or Usermaven
Usermaven
Usermaven blends web/product analytics with attribution. Growth at $84/mo (250K events/mo, 3 users, 3 workspaces, 5-year history, web/product/e-commerce analytics, funnels, trends, cohorts, bot exclusion). Scale at $199/mo (unlimited users, 5 workspaces, 7-year history, adds paid-ads attribution, channel/content/CRM attribution, retention analysis, Maven AI, auto-sync conversions to ad networks). Enterprise: custom users/workspaces, unlimited history, custom integrations, data warehouse export, on-premise setup, concierge onboarding, success manager. Add-ons: guided setup $499 one-time, white-label starts at $49/mo (custom branding, domain, emails, multi-workspace). Yearly saves 15%. Compliance: auto-captured events, ad-blocker bypass, cookie-less option. 14-day free trial. Monthly pricing adjusts to event volume slider (250K–10M+ range shown).
Usermaven
- +Product analytics + attribution in one tool; Maven AI on Scale
- +White-label available for agencies; guided setup add-on for onboarding
- +5–7 year retention on paid tiers, unlimited users on Scale/Enterprise
- −Growth tier caps at 3 users, may require Scale for larger teams
- −Event volume pricing not as granular as Mixpanel's per-1K-event model
- −Guided setup is $499 one-time add-on, not included
Verdict
- **For minimal-setup privacy tracking with forever retention:** Fathom Analytics ($15/mo, cookie-less, GDPR compliant, real-time, no cookie banners). Best for solopreneurs who need pageview/event data without query complexity.
- **For solopreneurs scaling on a budget with multi-year data:** Simple Analytics ($15/mo Simple or $40/mo Team, 3–5 year retention, ad-blocker bypass, export API). Free tier offers 30-day history; usage auto-adjusts monthly.
- **For product analytics on a free tier:** Mixpanel (free up to 1M events/mo, 5 reports, 10K session replays). Scales to $0.28/1K events on Growth with unlimited reports, cohorts, and retention. Complexity trade-off for depth.
- **For solopreneurs needing attribution + product analytics:** Usermaven Growth ($84/mo, 250K events, 5-year history) or Scale ($199/mo, attribution, Maven AI). White-label option at +$49/mo fits agencies.
- **If open-source and simplicity matter but pricing is unknown:** Plausible (contact vendor for current rates, privacy-first, no cookies, lightweight).
What we'd skip
- **Mixpanel if you want plug-and-play simplicity.** The free tier is generous, but query design, event taxonomy, and cohort configuration demand time. Fathom or Simple Analytics install faster.
- **Simple Analytics Team plan if you're solo.** At $40/mo for two users (+$20/user after), the Simple plan at $15/mo covers one user with 3-year retention—sufficient for most solopreneurs.
- **Usermaven Growth if you need white-label or attribution.** Growth caps at 3 users and excludes paid-ads attribution, Maven AI, and white-label. Scale at $199/mo unlocks these; Growth is a half-measure for agencies or attribution-focused workflows.
- **Paying for Fathom without confirming traffic-based pricing.** Vendor page lists $15/mo start but no volume tiers in research. High-traffic sites should confirm cost model before committing.
