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How to Switch from Google Analytics to Plausible

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Google Analytics
Plausible Analytics
Plausible Analytics
Easy 20 minutes Updated 21 January 2026 Privacy Registry Team

Introduction

This guide will help you switch from Google Analytics to Plausible, a lightweight, privacy-friendly analytics service based in the EU. Plausible provides essential website metrics without tracking your visitors.

Why switch?

  • Google Analytics tracks users across the web
  • Creates detailed personal profiles of visitors
  • Ruled illegal in multiple EU countries under GDPR
  • Requires cookie consent banners
  • Complex interface with overwhelming data

Why Plausible?

  • EU-based and GDPR compliant by design
  • No cookies - no consent banner needed
  • Lightweight script (< 1KB vs 45KB+ for GA)
  • Simple, actionable dashboard
  • Open source and self-hostable
  • Respects visitor privacy

Prerequisites

  • Access to your website’s HTML or CMS
  • Google Analytics account (for reference data)
  • Plausible account (paid service, 30-day free trial)
  • About 20 minutes of time

Info: Plausible is a paid service starting at $9/month for up to 10k monthly pageviews. There’s also a self-hosted option that’s free.

Step 1: Create your Plausible account

  1. Visit plausible.io and click “Start your free trial”
  2. Enter your email and create a password
  3. Confirm your email address
  4. Add your first website domain
  5. You’ll receive your tracking script

Tip: Use the exact domain your visitors see (e.g., example.com without www if that’s what redirects).

Step 2: Add the Plausible tracking script

For static HTML sites

Add this script to your <head> section:

<script defer data-domain="yourdomain.com"
  src="https://plausible.io/js/script.js"></script>

For WordPress

  1. Install the official “Plausible Analytics” plugin
  2. Go to Settings > Plausible Analytics
  3. Enter your domain name
  4. Save changes

For Next.js/React

// In _document.js or layout component
<Script
  defer
  data-domain="yourdomain.com"
  src="https://plausible.io/js/script.js"
  strategy="afterInteractive"
/>

For other platforms

Plausible has guides for Hugo, Ghost, Webflow, Squarespace, and more at plausible.io/docs.

Tip: The script is tiny (< 1KB) and won’t slow down your site.

Step 3: Verify installation

  1. Deploy your website changes
  2. Visit your website in a new browser/incognito window
  3. Go to your Plausible dashboard
  4. Check if the visit is recorded (may take a minute)
  5. Test different pages to verify tracking works

Step 4: Configure your Plausible dashboard

  1. Set up goals: Track button clicks, form submissions, outbound links
  2. Enable email reports: Get weekly/monthly summaries
  3. Add team members: Invite colleagues with viewer access
  4. Custom domains: Use your own subdomain for the script (paid feature)

Step 5: Export Google Analytics data (optional)

If you want historical data for reference:

  1. Go to Google Analytics
  2. Navigate to Reports you want to save
  3. Export as CSV or PDF
  4. Store for future reference

Info: Plausible doesn’t import historical GA data, but you can keep GA running in parallel temporarily.

Step 6: Remove Google Analytics

Once you’re confident Plausible is working:

  1. Remove the Google Analytics script from your site
  2. Remove any cookie consent related to GA
  3. Update your privacy policy
  4. Delete or keep your GA account for records

Tips & Gotchas

Warning: Google Analytics 4 data cannot be imported into Plausible. Plan for a parallel running period if you need historical comparison.

  • Cookie consent: With Plausible, you likely don’t need a cookie banner for analytics (consult GDPR guidelines)
  • Data comparison: GA and Plausible count differently - expect some variance
  • Bot filtering: Plausible automatically filters most bots
  • Custom events: Set up custom events for important actions
  • API access: Export data via API for custom reporting
  • Self-hosting: Consider Plausible Community Edition for free self-hosting

What’s Next?

After completing this guide:

  1. Set up goals: Track conversions and important actions
  2. Review privacy policy: Update to reflect new analytics
  3. Configure email reports: Stay informed without checking daily
  4. Remove cookie banner: If it was only for GA
  5. Run parallel: Keep GA for 1-2 months for comparison (optional)

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