Choosing the right tool to measure your startup’s success can feel overwhelming. Especially if you care about user privacy. Event tracking is how we learn what our users are actually doing — from clicking buttons to completing purchases. But not all tools respect your users’ privacy. Let’s keep it creepy-free, shall we?
TL;DR: If you want to track funnel conversion and retention without spying on your users, there are amazing tools out there. Tools like Plausible, Fathom, and PostHog give you the insights you need without cookies. They’re privacy-first, yet powerful. And best of all, startups love them!
Contents
🌟 Why Privacy-Focused Event Tracking Matters
Big Brother-type tracking is out. Respecting user privacy is in. Governments are cracking down. Users are more aware. Startups now need to care — not only to follow the law, but also to build trust.
Event tracking helps you figure out how many users leave at step two of your signup flow or when customers return. But you can do that while keeping their personal data safe.
Here are the best 5 privacy-friendly tools startups love for tracking events, conversion rates, and retention — without selling their users’ souls.
1. Plausible Analytics
Simple, clean, respectful. That’s Plausible’s whole vibe. It’s one of the fastest-growing privacy-first analytics tools.
- No cookies. No personal data. No fingerprinting.
- GDPR, CCPA, and PECR-compliant out of the box.
- Yes, it can do event tracking like form submissions, downloads, and button clicks.
- The interface is super clean — ideal if you’re a solo founder or small team.
Plausible is open-source too. You can host it yourself or use their managed service.
Use it when: You want lightweight analytics that respect privacy and are easy to understand.
2. PostHog
If Plausible is a chill bike ride, PostHog is a privacy-safe rocket ship.
PostHog is way more than analytics — it’s a full product analytics suite. Think heatmaps, session replays (yes, still privacy-friendly), feature flags, and A/B testing.
- Made for product-led startups — and it shows.
- All events are customizable. Track anything — page views, button clicks, user flows.
- You own your data. Fully open-source, run on your own servers if needed.
- No need for Google Analytics or Mixpanel anymore.
Use it when: You want to build your whole product analytics stack around one tool and still care about privacy.
3. Fathom Analytics
Fathom keeps things crisp and non-invasive. It’s a minimalist analytics tool with privacy at its very core. Made for people who hate being tracked.
It’s super fast and very lightweight. Fathom uses “privacy-focused cookies” that don’t breach any laws, but still give you the data you need.
- Beautiful dashboard with only meaningful data.
- Universal analytics – works even in countries with strict data laws.
- You can add event goals, but it’s not as detailed as PostHog.
Use it when: You want easy-to-use traffic and events tracking with great privacy compliance — and none of the fluff.
4. Matomo
The veteran of self-hosted analytics. Matomo has been around for years and is still going strong — especially for teams that want to go full control mode.
- Advanced customization. You decide what you want to track.
- Integrates with most CMS platforms, including WordPress and WooCommerce.
- Supports event tracking, conversions, campaigns, and the whole funnel.
- Can be a bit heavy to set up and understand — better for more technical teams.
Use it when: You want complete control over your data and aren’t afraid of a bit of complexity.
5. Simple Analytics
The name says it all: Simple.
This Dutch-made tool is all about clean data, pretty charts, and full privacy. No cookie banners, ever. Helps you stay GDPR-compliant in the simplest way.
- Event tracking is supported through attributes and custom endpoints.
- Clean visualizations, ideal for reports and pitches.
- No personal data stored, but still insightful.
Use it when: You want a quick setup, easy dashboarding, and legal peace of mind.
📊 Features at a Glance
| Platform | Open Source | Event Tracking | Self-Hosted Option | Cookie-Free |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plausible | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PostHog | Yes | Yes (Very Advanced) | Yes | Yes |
| Fathom | No | Yes (Basic Goals) | No | Yes |
| Matomo | Yes | Yes | Yes | No (uses secure cookies) |
| Simple Analytics | No | Yes (Lightweight) | No | Yes |
🚀 Which One Should You Choose?
Every startup’s needs are different. Here’s the quick pick guide:
- Go with Plausible if you want simplicity and lightweight data.
- Try PostHog if you need deep product analytics and tons of control.
- Use Fathom when legal safety and speed are all that matter.
- Pick Matomo if you like to self-host and go fully custom.
- Opt for Simple Analytics when you want clean visuals and privacy with no setup headaches.
👀 Final Thoughts
Privacy doesn’t have to come at the cost of great analytics. You can still understand your funnel, boost retention, and grow your startup — all while doing right by your users.
And that builds trust. Which builds better businesses.
So skip the creepy trackers. Use one of these respectful tools instead. And keep building awesome things!
