Fathom Analytics offers a straightforward, privacy-focused alternative to Google Analytics.
Unlike Google, which collects extensive data to build detailed user profiles (read the link for details), Fathom uses a variety of techniques such as hashing to anonymize data, ensuring it cannot be traced back to individuals.
Their approach complies with major privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA, removing the need for intrusive cookie consents.
Plus, with Fathom, you get essential analytics in a simple, user-friendly format, making it a smart choice for sole-developer sensitive health-related applications.
For a solo dev that would rather spend time on other things, who prioritizes ease of use and minimal setup, Fathom might be the better choice.
If they value transparency in how tools work and possibly require some customization, Plausible’s open-source platform could be more suitable. Both offer strong privacy practices.
Each of the others you list also offer flavor variety: Piwik Pro for comprehensive, regulation-compliant analytics; Simple Analytics and Wide Angle Analytics for straightforward, cookie-free tracking; Pirsch for performance-sensitive server-side implementations; and Umami for developers who prefer open-source solutions with full control over their data.
Rather than going into depth on all that, we've found recommending Fathom is the simplest thing that can possibly work for someone just getting visitor and campaign info off their web home page, very fire and forget, read the weekly emails.
If that's ever not enough, the others do have their places.
You can start simple, and then dive deeper. Additionally, we support consent-based tracking and optional Personal Data processing for those who require more in-depth data.
But nothing stops you collecting just clicks/views/sources/campaigns with no set-up beyond dropping in a small script. No cookie banner required by default.
