Satsu vs Plausible
The simpler, developer-first alternative – with a forever-free core.
Plausible is a solid Google Analytics alternative with strong privacy features and a growing reputation in the ethical analytics space. But if you're a solo developer, indie builder, or hobby creator who wants something even lighter, faster, and more focused, Satsu might be a better fit. Here's how the two compare – and why developers are choosing Satsu.
Satsu vs Plausible: Key Differences
1. Pricing Philosophy
Plausible is fair, but starts at around $9/month and scales with pageviews. If you're running multiple side projects, costs can add up fast. Satsu is free during development – and once pricing starts, it'll stay affordable and simple. Even better: the core tracking features will always remain free for devs, forever.
2. Script Size & Speed
Plausible's script is impressively small (~1 KB), which makes it great for performance. Satsu is also ultra-lightweight – around 6 KB – and optimized to have zero noticeable impact on page load or Core Web Vitals.
3. Setup & Simplicity
Both tools are easy to install with a single script tag – no accounts or dashboards to configure. But Satsu is focused purely on developers. It gives you the exact data you need – in a clean, fast, real-time interface. No extras, no clutter.
4. Real-Time Tracking
Plausible updates every few seconds – which is pretty close to real-time. Satsu tracks in true real-time. No delay, no sampling. What's happening now is what you see now.
5. Data & Privacy
Both Satsu and Plausible are GDPR/CCPA compliant and don't use cookies. However, Plausible is open source and self-hostable, while Satsu is a fully hosted, closed-source solution with zero personal data collection. That means no server maintenance, no setup headaches – just plug and go.
6. Focus & Audience
Plausible is built for a wide audience: marketers, startups, agencies, and ethical businesses. Satsu is built for developers – period. It's designed for solo devs, hobby projects, indie SaaS, open-source maintainers, and anyone who wants tracking without distractions.
When Satsu is a better fit than Plausible:
You're a solo developer or indie hacker running multiple small projects
You want tracking without monthly fees (or with minimal cost later)
You don't need dashboards full of marketing metrics – just pageviews, referrers, and real-time data
You want to install and forget – no self-hosting, no config, no updates
A different approach
Plausible is a great analytics tool – no doubt about it. But if you're looking for something even leaner, more developer-focused, and designed to stay affordable (or free), Satsu delivers exactly that.
It does less – on purpose – so you can build more.