Overview
Different Leagues
Same Privacy Approach
Both platforms avoid fingerprinting — no IP+UA hashing like Plausible, Fathom, or Umami. This is the only similarity.
Beyond privacy, the platforms serve completely different use cases.
Very Different Capabilities
Staminads: Full marketing analytics platform with advanced traffic categorization, deep data exploration UI, ad network detection, and self-hosting.
Simple Analytics: Basic pageview counter. No traffic categorization, no ad network detection, no way to identify winning dimensions.
What They Share
Both platforms share the strongest privacy foundations:
- No fingerprinting: Neither hashes IP+UA for visitor identification
- No cookies: No consent banners required
- Median metrics: Both use median (not average) for time on page
- Scroll depth: Both track how far users scroll
- GDPR compliant: No personal data collected
The Gap
Staminads is a full marketing analytics platform. Simple Analytics is a basic pageview counter:
What Staminads Has
- • Advanced traffic categorization
- • Deep data exploration UI
- • Historical backfill on rule changes
- • Full ad network detection
- • 10 custom dimensions per event
- • Self-hosting (own your data)
What Simple Analytics Lacks
- • No traffic categorization
- • No data exploration UI
- • No backfill capability
- • No ad network detection
- • No custom dimensions
- • No self-hosting option
Simple Analytics is a small EU-based SaaS that counts pageviews. No traffic categorization, no ad network detection, no custom dimensions, no way to identify which campaigns drive engaged traffic. Their dashboard shows "visitors" but these are actually sessions (same person visiting twice = two "visitors"). Fine for basic website stats, but won't help marketers optimize their traffic mix.
Staminads is a full marketing analytics platform. Advanced traffic categorization with historical backfill, deep data exploration UI, full ad network detection (Google, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Microsoft), 10 custom dimensions per event, and complete self-hosting. Built for pro marketers who need to identify winning traffic dimensions.
Quick Comparison
| Staminads | Simple Analytics | |
|---|---|---|
| Tracking Method | Cookieless (session-only, no fingerprinting) | Cookieless (referrer-based, no fingerprinting) |
| Consent Required | No consent needed | No consent needed |
| Engagement Metrics | Median values (TimeScore) | Median time on page |
| Traffic Categorization | Advanced traffic categorization for pro marketers | None |
| Traffic Backfill | Recompute & modify historical data | None |
| Ad Network Detection | Google, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Microsoft | UTM parameters only |
| API Access | Full access (unlimited) | Stats + Export APIs (Team plan+) |
| Sites Limit | Unlimited | 5-20 sites (by plan) |
| Pricing | Free (infrastructure only) | €0-40+/month (SaaS only) |
| Self-hosting | Full product (Docker) | Not available (SaaS only) |
Tracking & Privacy
This is where both platforms excel compared to competitors. Neither uses fingerprinting.
Both Avoid Fingerprinting
Unlike Plausible, Fathom, and Umami which hash IP + User-Agent to identify visitors, both Staminads and Simple Analytics avoid device fingerprinting entirely. This puts both platforms in a stronger legal position under the EDPB Guidelines 2/2023.
- Simple Analytics: Uses referrer-based unique detection. "We drop the IP address from every single request. Period."
- Staminads: IP processed only for GeoIP location (configurable), not for fingerprinting or identification
Privacy & Tracking Comparison
| Feature | Staminads | Simple Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Cookies | No cookies used | No cookies used |
| Device Fingerprinting | No fingerprinting | No fingerprinting |
| IP Address Handling | GeoIP only (configurable) | Dropped entirely (not collected) |
| ePrivacy Directive Compliance | Clear (no device access/fingerprinting) | Clear (no device access/fingerprinting) |
| GDPR Compliance | Yes (no personal data processed) | Yes (no personal data processed) |
| Visitor Identification | None (session-only) | None (sessions labeled as 'visitors') |
| Cross-session Tracking | ||
| Data Residency | Your servers (you control) | EU (Netherlands) |
Simple Analytics' "Visitors" Are Actually Sessions
Simple Analytics shows "visitors" in their dashboard, but this is misleading — they're actually sessions. A pageview is counted as "unique" when the referrer is empty (direct traffic) or when the referrer hostname differs from your website. Since there's no persistent identification, the same person visiting twice from Google appears as two "visitors." This is the trade-off for avoiding fingerprinting.
Traffic Categorization
This is where Staminads shines. Advanced traffic categorization with backfill means you can map your marketing mix and recategorize historical data at any time.
Traffic Categorization Features
| Feature | Staminads | Simple Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Channel Groupings | Custom rules to map your marketing mix | None (no channel groupings) |
| Traffic Rules | Set value, clear value, set default | None |
| Custom Dimensions | 10 dimensions you can modify via rules | Event metadata only |
| Backfill on Rule Change | Yes (recompute all historical data) | No (not possible) |
| Saved Segments | Yes (real-time) | Custom Views (Team plan only) |
| Ad Network Detection | Google, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Microsoft | UTM parameters only |
| UTM Parameters | Full support + custom | Full support (source, medium, campaign, content, term) |
| Rule Operators | equals, contains, regex, is empty | None (no categorization rules) |
Ad Network Click ID Detection
Staminads automatically detects click IDs from all major ad networks:
gclid Google Adsfbclid Meta/Facebookttclid TikTokmsclkid Microsoftli_fat_id LinkedIndclid Google DV360Simple Analytics relies on UTM parameters only. You'd need to manually add UTM tags to every campaign from Meta, TikTok, or LinkedIn.
The Backfill Difference
In Staminads, when you update a traffic rule (e.g., split "social" into "twitter" and "linkedin"), all historical data is recomputed with the new categorization. Simple Analytics has dashboard filters for querying existing data but no traffic categorization rules. You can't group sources into custom channels or recategorize historical traffic.
Real-time Data Exploration
Both offer real-time dashboards with live visitor tracking.
Real-time Capabilities
| Feature | Staminads | Simple Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time Dashboard | ||
| Live Visitors | Instant | Yes (live display) |
| Data Refresh Rate | <1 second | Near real-time |
| Query Performance | Fast (ClickHouse) | Fast |
| Data Sampling | Never (full dataset) | Never (full dataset) |
| Historical Query Speed | Sub-second for any range | Fast (plan-based retention) |
Deep Data Exploration
Staminads offers a filterable dashboard plus a Custom Explore for deep data analysis. Drill down by any dimension — source, campaign, country, device, or custom dimensions. Simple Analytics uses a single-page dashboard with filters.
Engagement Metrics
Good news: Both platforms use median for time on page, avoiding the outlier problem that plagues average-based analytics.
Engagement Metrics Comparison
| Feature | Staminads | Simple Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Time on Page Calculation | Median (TimeScore) | Median |
| Exit Page Duration | Measured via focus tracking | Measured (unlike GA) |
| Scroll Depth | 25%, 50%, 75%, 100% thresholds | 5% increments |
| Bounce Threshold | Configurable (default 10s) | Under 5 seconds excluded |
| Engagement Score | TimeScore (composite median) | Time on page metric |
| Single Page Visits | Measured | Measured (unlike GA) |
Both Use Median
Simple Analytics explains it well: "Those 1000 seconds represent likely somebody that left their computer running while not actively interacting with the website." Both platforms use median to handle these outliers, giving you accurate engagement data that reflects typical user behavior — not skewed by abandoned browser tabs.
Scroll Depth Granularity
Simple Analytics tracks scroll depth in 5% increments, giving very granular data. Staminads uses 25% thresholds (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%). Both are more detailed than competitors that don't track scroll depth at all.
Goals & Conversions
Both platforms support goal and conversion tracking with events.
Goals & Conversions Features
| Feature | Staminads | Simple Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Goals Dashboard | Dedicated view with KPIs & charts | None (goals in main dashboard) |
| Conversion Tracking | ||
| Event Tracking | Manual + auto (scroll, clicks) | Manual + automated (outbound links, downloads) |
| Funnel Steps | Coming soon | Multi-step funnels via goal filters |
| Goal Filters | Any dimension | 24 data fields |
| Event Properties | 10 custom dimensions | Event metadata |
| Server-side Events | Yes | Yes (with metadata) |
Simple Analytics' Goal System
Simple Analytics allows 24 different data fields for filtering goals: path, URL parameters, UTM parameters, referrer, scroll depth, time spent, device type, browser, OS, screen resolution, country, and language. You can create multi-step funnels by adding filtering steps to a goal.
Find Your Winning Dimensions
Staminads' goals dashboard reveals which traffic sources, campaigns, and dimensions drive the most conversions. Identify winners by any dimension — source, campaign, country, device, or custom dimensions — all in one view.
Multi-tenant & Teams
Both platforms support multiple sites. Staminads is unlimited when self-hosted; Simple Analytics caps by plan.
Multi-tenant Features
| Feature | Staminads | Simple Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Sites Included | Unlimited (self-hosted) | 5 (Free), 10 (Simple), 20 (Team) |
| Team Members | Unlimited (self-hosted) | 1 (Free/Simple), 2+ (Team, €20/extra) |
| Multi-tenant Architecture | Isolated workspaces | Single account with Custom Views |
| Data Retention | Unlimited (self-hosted) | 30 days (Free), 3 years (Simple), 5 years (Team) |
| Custom Views | Saved segments | Merge domains, limit access (Team plan) |
User Roles & Permissions
Simple Analytics has one of the most granular role systems in the privacy analytics space.
User Management
| Feature | Staminads | Simple Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Role Types | Owner, Admin, Editor, Viewer | Owner, Admin, Developer, Analyst, Finance Manager, Viewer |
| Team Invitations | Yes (email invites) | Yes (Team plan+) |
| Per-site Access | Yes | Yes (assign to all or selection) |
| Finance-only Role | No (admin handles billing) | Yes (Finance Manager — billing only, no data) |
| Developer Role | Editor role | Yes (add sites, modify settings, reset data) |
Simple Analytics' Role Advantage
Simple Analytics offers 6 distinct roles with granular permissions. The Finance Manager role is unique — it can update billing and manage subscriptions without accessing analytics data. Useful for separating financial administration from data analysis.
API Access
Both platforms provide REST APIs with different access levels.
API Capabilities
| Feature | Staminads | Simple Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| REST API | ||
| APIs Available | Single unified API | Stats API, Export API, Admin API |
| API Availability | All installations | Stats (all), Export (Team+), Admin (Enterprise) |
| API Usage Quota | Unlimited | Not clearly documented |
| Raw Data Export | Full access (your database) | Export API (Team plan+) |
| Public Website Access | Shareable dashboards | Stats API without auth (if public) |
Simple Analytics' Three APIs
Simple Analytics provides three separate APIs: Stats API for aggregated data (available on all plans, public sites don't need auth), Export API for raw data points (Team plan+), and Admin API for configuration management (Enterprise only). Staminads provides full API access on all installations.
Pricing
Staminads
Software cost (self-hosted)
+ ClickHouse: Included or managed
- ✓ Unlimited pageviews
- ✓ Unlimited websites
- ✓ Unlimited team members
- ✓ Full API access
- ✓ Unlimited data retention
- ✓ All features included
Simple Analytics
Per month (SaaS only)
Simple: €15/month (10 sites, 3 years)
Team: €40/month (20 sites, 5 years)
- ✓ Unlimited pageviews (all plans)
- ✓ 5-20 websites (by plan)
- ✓ 6 user roles
- ✓ EU data storage
- ✓ 14-day free trial
Simple Analytics Has a Free Tier
Simple Analytics offers a free plan with 5 sites, unlimited pageviews, and 30 days of data retention. This is a genuine free tier, not just a trial. Great for testing or small personal projects. Staminads requires self-hosting, which has infrastructure costs but gives you unlimited everything.
50% Non-profit Discount
Simple Analytics offers 50% discount for non-profit organizations. They also accept Bitcoin (with 10% premium, yearly billing only).
Open Source & Self-hosting
Open Source Comparison
| Feature | Staminads | Simple Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Open Source | Yes (AGPL-3.0) | No (closed source) |
| Source Code | Full access on GitHub | Not available |
| Self-hosting | Full product (Docker) | Not available (SaaS only) |
| Technology Stack | Typescript + ClickHouse | Unknown (closed source) |
| Data Ownership | 100% yours (your servers) | Stored on Simple Analytics servers (EU) |
Closed Source SaaS
Simple Analytics is a closed-source, SaaS-only product. While they publish tracking scripts and plugins on GitHub, the core analytics platform is proprietary. There's no self-hosting option — your data lives on their EU servers.
Unique Simple Analytics Features
Simple Analytics has some features that Staminads doesn't currently offer.
Features Unique to Simple Analytics
- • Finance Manager role (billing-only access)
- • Google Analytics importer (UA + GA4)
- • Free tier available
- • EU-based (Netherlands)
When Simple Analytics Is Enough
If you just want basic pageview counts for a personal blog or small site — and don't run paid ads or need to optimize your traffic mix — Simple Analytics will work. It's a simple tool for simple needs.
When to Choose Each Platform
Choose Staminads
Staminads is the better choice if you want to:
- Detect winning dimensions that drive engaged traffic
- Advanced traffic categorization to map your marketing mix
- Auto-detect all ad networks (Google, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn)
- Backfill historical data when rules change
- Self-host and own your data (no SaaS lock-in)
- Unlimited sites and retention (no caps)
Choose Simple Analytics
Simple Analytics is fine if you:
- Only need basic pageview counts
- Don't run paid ads or marketing campaigns
- Don't need to identify winning traffic sources
- Want a free tier for a personal blog
- Prefer EU-managed hosting with zero setup
- Don't need advanced data exploration
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is more privacy-compliant?
Both are excellent on privacy. Neither uses fingerprinting (unlike Plausible, Fathom, Umami). Simple Analytics drops IP addresses entirely; Staminads uses IP only for GeoIP (configurable). Both clearly comply with GDPR and ePrivacy Directive without the legal gray areas of fingerprinting solutions.
What's Simple Analytics' referrer-based detection?
Simple Analytics counts a pageview as "unique" when the referrer is empty (direct traffic) or when the referrer hostname differs from your website. Their dashboard shows "visitors" but these are actually sessions — the same person visiting twice from Google appears as two "visitors." It's genuinely privacy-first but the terminology is misleading compared to fingerprinting-based tools that track actual unique people.
Can I migrate from Simple Analytics to Staminads?
Yes. Install the Staminads script and start collecting data immediately. Simple Analytics provides an Export API (Team plan+) for raw data. Both platforms use median for time on page, so engagement metrics should be comparable. Note that traffic categorization and ad network detection are Staminads-specific features.
Which is better for agencies?
Staminads. Agencies need to show clients which campaigns drive results — that requires traffic categorization, ad network detection, and deep data exploration. Simple Analytics is just a pageview counter with no way to demonstrate marketing ROI. Staminads also offers unlimited sites and proper user roles for client access.
Ready to find your winning dimensions?
Both Staminads and Simple Analytics are truly privacy-first with no fingerprinting. Choose Staminads to detect which traffic sources, campaigns, and dimensions drive the most engaged visitors — with full self-hosting and no limits.