Q07: Self-hosted or hosted privacy-friendly analytics - which is better for a small team, and which products fit each option?

## Short answer For most small teams, **hosted is the better default**. You pay a modest subscription, but someone else handles upgrades, backups, uptime and security. Self-hosting makes more sense when keeping data on your own infrastructure is a firm requirement—or you already have someone who can maintain it. One important distinction: **self-hosting gives you more control over where data lives, but it doesn’t automatically make analytics privacy-compliant.** What you collect and how you configure it still matter. ([matomo.org](https://matomo.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Matomo-Analytics-Measurement-Plan.pdf?utm_source=openai)) | Choose hosted if… | Choose self-hosted if… | |---|---| | Your team has limited ops time | You already maintain servers or containers | | You want managed updates, backups and support | You need direct control over data location and infrastructure | | A predictable monthly bill is acceptable | You’re comfortable owning security, backups and upgrades | | You mainly need straightforward website metrics | You need greater control or customization | ## Products worth considering ### Hosted - **Plausible Cloud** — A strong default for a small team that wants a simple dashboard plus goals and campaign tracking. Its current listed entry plan is **$9/month for one site**, with a 30-day trial; higher tiers add sites, team members and advanced reporting. ([plausible.io](https://plausible.io/?trk=public_profile__reactions-text&utm_source=openai)) - **Umami Cloud** — Worth considering if you like Umami’s open-source product but don’t want to run it yourself. It has a free Hobby tier for one site and up to 100,000 events per month; paid tiers add capacity and team features. ([umami.is](https://umami.is/pricing?utm_source=openai)) - **Fathom** — A polished, managed option with a higher starting price: **$15/month** for up to 100,000 monthly pageviews. Every plan includes multiple sites, event tracking, reports and support. ([usefathom.com](https://usefathom.com/pricing?utm_source=openai)) - **Matomo Cloud** — Consider it if you need a broader, more traditional analytics suite rather than just basic traffic reports. It’s managed, but pricing varies with traffic and plan. ([matomo.org](https://matomo.org/pricing/?utm_source=openai)) - **Simple Analytics** — A hosted option emphasizing a simple dashboard and EU hosting. It has a free hobby tier; its listed paid pricing starts at **£20/month** for the displayed 100,000-pageview selection. ([simpleanalytics.com](https://www.simpleanalytics.com/pricing?utm_source=openai)) ### Self-hosted - **Umami** — A good starting point if you want a relatively straightforward, open-source setup and mostly need core website analytics. The software is free to self-host; you provide and maintain the infrastructure. ([umami.is](https://umami.is/pricing?utm_source=openai)) - **Plausible Community Edition** — The self-hosted version of Plausible. A fit if you want Plausible’s lightweight approach and are willing to run and maintain it; some features are Cloud-only. ([plausible.io](https://plausible.io/when-not-to-use-plausible?utm_source=openai)) - **Matomo On-Premise** — Best to evaluate when you need more extensive analytics and data access. It’s free to install, but comes with more operational responsibility; Matomo recommends additional server capacity at higher volumes. ([matomo.org](https://matomo.org/pricing/?utm_source=openai)) ## My rule of thumb If nobody on the team already owns server maintenance, **start with hosted Plausible or Umami Cloud**. Choose **self-hosted Umami** if you already have the infrastructure and want to keep the bill low; choose **Matomo On-Premise** if you specifically need its broader analytics capabilities and are prepared to operate it. Before deciding, check whether you need **website analytics** (traffic, pages, referrals, basic conversions) or **product analytics** (user-level funnels, retention and feature adoption). The latter is a different category, often with different privacy trade-offs. And don’t treat a vendor’s “no cookie banner required” claim as a blanket legal conclusion for every setup; check your own data collection and obligations.