Pirsch Analytics vs Simple Analytics in 2026: Depth on a paid plan vs a genuine free tier
Both are cookieless, no-consent-banner replacements for Google Analytics. The split is whether you want funnels and A/B testing bundled in, or a free plan and the simplest possible dashboard.
Pirsch Analytics
Simple Analytics- Simple Analytics has a genuine free tier with limited pageviews. Pirsch has no free tier at all, only a 30-day trial that requires you to eventually choose a paid plan.
- Pirsch's Plus plan at $12/month adds funnels, A/B testing, and tag-based segmentation. Simple Analytics does not offer any of these on any plan, by deliberate design.
- Pirsch ships a RESTful API and official SDKs on every paid plan starting at $6/month. Simple Analytics gates API access to its Self-Serve plan and above, not the free tier.
- Pirsch can import historical data from Google Analytics, Plausible, and Fathom directly in settings. Simple Analytics does not document an equivalent import path.
- Simple Analytics is hosted in the EU and bills in euros from €20/month. Pirsch is hosted in Germany and bills in dollars from $6/month.
- Both tools offer white-label options for agencies, but Pirsch's is bundled into its $12/month Plus plan while Simple Analytics reserves white-label for its higher Enterprise tier.
Pirsch Analytics and Simple Analytics start from the identical premise: track visitors without cookies, skip the consent banner, and stay GDPR compliant by architecture rather than by configuration. Past that shared foundation, the two tools make different bets. Pirsch adds funnels, A/B testing, and tag-based segmentation on its $12-a-month Plus plan, plus a RESTful API on every tier including the $6 entry plan. Simple Analytics stays deliberately narrow, a one-page dashboard of pageviews, referrers, and geography, but it offers a real free tier that Pirsch does not, and its paid plan runs €20 a month. If you want depth for a similar price, Pirsch delivers more; if you want to test the category for free before committing to anything, Simple Analytics has the lower-friction entry point.
The tools at a glance
Pirsch Analytics
Cookieless, GDPR-compliant web analytics made and hosted in Germany, with no consent banner required
Pirsch hashes each visitor's IP address and User-Agent string, discards the source data, and never stores anything that can be reversed to identify a person. That architecture means sites running Pirsch can delete their cookie consent banner outright, and because visitors who reject cookies on other sites still get counted here, the traffic numbers tend to run more complete than a cookie-based tool's.
The Plus plan at $12 a month is where Pirsch separates itself from most privacy-first competitors: funnels, A/B testing with tag-based segmentation, custom domains, and full white labeling all sit on that single tier rather than behind an enterprise quote. The RESTful API and official SDKs ship on every paid plan, including the $6 Standard tier, so programmatic access is not reserved for the top of the pricing ladder.
The gap is that Pirsch has no free tier of its own, only a 30-day trial with no credit card required, after which you choose a paid plan to keep the data flowing. On-premise installation and SAML SSO are also Enterprise-only, so real self-hosting sits well above the entry price point.
| Feature | Standard From $6/mo | Plus From $12/mo | Enterprise Custom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Websites | 50 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| RESTful API and SDKs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Funnels | No | Yes | Yes |
| A/B testing and segmentation | No | Yes | Yes |
| White labeling | No | Extensive | Extensive |
| Free tier | No (30-day trial) | No (30-day trial) | No |
Simple Analytics
Privacy-first web analytics that captures 100% of visitors without cookies or consent banners
Simple Analytics is built on the claim that consent banners and ad-blockers hide 20 to 60 percent of real traffic from tools like Google Analytics. Its cookieless tracking method requires no consent, so visitors who would have declined a GDPR popup still show up in the numbers. The whole interface fits on a single page: top pages, referrers, countries, devices, and a traffic trend line, with no sub-menus or configuration required to read it.
That narrowness is deliberate rather than a gap to be filled later. There are no funnels, no user-level tracking, and no behavioral segmentation on any plan, because the target user wants an accurate traffic count, not a BI workspace. What Simple Analytics does offer that Pirsch does not is a real free tier with limited pageview capacity, useful for small personal sites or for testing the tool before paying anything.
Paid access starts at €20 a month on the Self-Serve plan, which unlocks unlimited pageviews, API access, and a custom domain. White-label configurations exist for agencies, though the pricing table reserves that feature for the Enterprise tier rather than including it at the Self-Serve level.
| Feature | Free Free | Self-Serve €20/mo | Enterprise Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pageviews included | Limited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| API access | No | Yes | Yes |
| Custom domain | No | Yes | Yes |
| White-label | No | No | Yes |
| Funnels / behavioral tracking | No | No | No |
Head-to-head feature comparison
| Feature | Pirsch Analytics | Simple Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Cookie consent banner required | No | No |
| Hosting region | Germany | EU |
| Free tier | No (30-day free trial only) | Yes, limited pageviews |
| Starting paid price | $6/mo | €20/mo |
| Funnels / behavioral analysis | Yes (Plus plan) | Not offered, by design |
| A/B testing and segmentation | Yes (Plus plan) | Not offered, by design |
| API access | Yes (all paid plans) | Yes (Self-Serve plan and above) |
| Custom domain support | Yes (Plus plan) | Yes (Self-Serve plan and above) |
| White-label delivery | Yes, extensive (Plus plan) | Yes (Enterprise plan) |
| Data import from other analytics tools | Yes (Google Analytics, Plausible, Fathom) | Not documented |
Which should you choose?
Simple AnalyticsPirsch AnalyticsPirsch AnalyticsSimple AnalyticsPirsch AnalyticsSimple AnalyticsThe two tools are not really competing on the same axis. Simple Analytics is scoped down on purpose, betting that most site owners just want an honest traffic count without a learning curve, and backs that bet with a free tier Pirsch does not have. Pirsch is scoped up, betting that a $12 Plus plan can cover funnels, A/B testing, and white-label delivery that would otherwise require a second tool entirely. Neither is wrong; the decision is whether you want a dashboard you will never need to grow into, or one with more room to grow into at a similar price.
Bottom line
Start with Simple Analytics' free tier if you just want to see accurate traffic numbers without spending anything, and upgrade to Self-Serve at €20 a month once you need the API or a custom domain. Choose Pirsch if you know you will want funnels, A/B testing, or white-label client dashboards, since the $12 Plus plan bundles all three where Simple Analytics would require a separate tool. Either one is a legitimate way to remove a cookie banner from a site; the deciding factor is how much dashboard depth you actually plan to use.
Frequently asked questions
Does Simple Analytics have a free plan and does Pirsch?
Simple Analytics has a genuine free tier with limited pageview capacity, suitable for small personal sites or testing before you pay. Pirsch has no permanent free tier, only a 30-day free trial with no credit card required, after which you need to choose a paid plan starting at $6 a month.
Which tool offers funnels or A/B testing?
Pirsch offers both on its Plus plan at $12 a month, including tag-based segmentation for cohort analysis. Simple Analytics does not offer funnels, user journey tracking, or A/B testing on any plan, since it is intentionally scoped to aggregate traffic metrics rather than behavioral analysis.
Is Pirsch or Simple Analytics cheaper for API access?
Pirsch includes its RESTful API and SDKs on every paid plan, starting at $6 a month. Simple Analytics reserves API access for its Self-Serve plan at €20 a month and above, so it is not available on the free tier at all.
Can I import my Google Analytics history into either tool?
Pirsch supports direct import from Google Analytics, Plausible Analytics, and Fathom Analytics through its settings page, so you can continue trend analysis without a clean-slate restart. Simple Analytics does not document an equivalent import feature.
Do either of these tools require a cookie consent banner?
No, neither does. Pirsch generates an anonymized hash from IP address and User-Agent with no personally identifiable data stored, and Simple Analytics uses a comparable privacy-preserving tracking method with no cookies. Both let you legally remove a cookie consent banner under GDPR.
Which tool is better for an agency reporting to multiple clients?
It depends on how much dashboard depth those clients expect. Pirsch's Plus plan bundles white labeling, custom domains, and unique client access links for $12 a month. Simple Analytics offers white-label configurations too, but the pricing table reserves that feature for its higher Enterprise tier rather than the Self-Serve plan.