Simple Analytics alternative with CSV import
Keep a clear view of your traffic. Add conversion reporting, choose EU or US Cloud, or run the full product yourself.
Choose EU Frankfurt or US Virginia before account creation.
3 sites. 3 members. 60 days of history. Free currently requires no website badge. Older data is removed. Compare plans.
Stay, upgrade, or try one site.
Try HitKeep for more control
Choose your Cloud region or self-host the full product. Use goals, funnels, ecommerce, and open exports in the same reporting workflow. Start collecting new visits before deciding whether to bring history.
Stay if Simple Analytics fits
Adding its Free badge or choosing a paid plan may be the smallest change. Keep its familiar hosted dashboard, granular team roles, and documented proxy workflow. Compare the badge, upgrade, and switch options.
The decisions that matter
Compare hosting, Free plan terms, reporting and what you can take with you. Plan restrictions and migration limits stay visible.
Swipe or scroll to compare every column.
| Feature | HitKeep | Simple Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting, plans and data control | ||
| Managed Cloud region | EU Frankfurt or US VirginiaChoose before account creation. | EU infrastructureOptional AI features have a separate data flow. |
| Self-hosting | Single Linux binary | Hosted service only |
| Free plan and website badge | 3 sites, 3 membersCurrently no required website badge. Includes 60 days of history; older data is removed. | 5 sites, 1 user; badge requiredFree requires a visible linked footer badge on every page. Paid plans are exempt. |
| History and deletion | Free: 60 days; older data is removedPro: 365 days. Business: 1,095 days. Self-hosted retention is configurable. | Free: one month of historyPricing FAQ specifies deletion of data older than 30 days; longer history depends on plan. |
| Custom tracking domains | Cloud Pro and Business; self-hostedNot Cloud Free. An owned hostname can reduce shared-host blocking; collection is not guaranteed. | Available on eligible plansCustom subdomains can reduce blocking; collection is not guaranteed. |
| Browser storage and legal review | sessionStorage for session continuityGDPR / ePrivacy analysis depends on deployment and use; custom domains do not change storage behavior. | Vendor says no cookies or similar technologiesReview the actual data flow and your legal requirements. |
| Reports and collection | ||
| Multi-step funnels | Included on Free | Funnel steps on eligible plans |
| Teams, sharing and integrations | ||
| Team roles | Team roles and site permissions | 6 hosted rolesOwner, admin, analyst, developer, finance manager, viewer. Free cannot add members. |
| Exports, imports and storage | ||
| Data takeout formats | JSON, CSV, Parquet, NDJSON and XLSXFormats vary by export surface. | CSV, Excel CSV, TSV, JSON, NDJSON, Avro and ParquetRaw export availability depends on account; API access requires an eligible plan. |
| Historical import into HitKeep | Compatible CSV pageview history onlyValidate accepted and skipped rows; events and native relationships do not transfer. Retention still applies. | All datapoints CSV export sourceCheck availability for your account; badge compliance does not grant export entitlement. |
Follow the visit through to the outcome.
See where visitors arrive, which actions they take, and where they leave a conversion path. HitKeep includes automatic events, goals, funnels, and ecommerce reports on Free.
Free currently requires no website badge and includes 3 sites, 3 members, and 60 days of history. Older data is removed. Integrations and optional collection need setup; imported history does not recreate every report.
Switch one site in three steps.
Historical import is optional. Start with new visits, keep the existing setup during your evaluation, and switch when the reports work for you.
Start collecting new visits
Section titled “Start collecting new visits”Choose EU Frankfurt or US Virginia before creating your Free workspace. Add one site, then install its generated tracking snippet or use the WordPress integration.
Bring compatible pageview history, if available
Section titled “Bring compatible pageview history, if available”Export access depends on your Simple Analytics account. If you have a raw CSV matching the All datapoints export, keep an untouched copy, then upload and validate it. Check dates and accepted/skipped rows. Events and native relationships do not transfer. Free removes data older than 60 days; choose longer retention if needed.
Verify before cutting over
Section titled “Verify before cutting over”Run both snippets for one site. Confirm live pageviews and recreate your useful goals, funnels, and ecommerce events. Keep any required Simple Analytics badge during the overlap. Remove the old snippet only when the replacement works for you.
The details behind the decision.
Plan limits, privacy behavior, and deployment choices matter. Open the evidence relevant to your setup.
Free plans: badges, access, and deletion
Simple Analytics Free requires a visible, linked footer badge on every page; paid plans do not. After a missing-badge notice, you have 14 days to comply. Continued absence locks dashboard data, API access, and exports for that website while collection continues. Adding the badge and passing the recheck restores access.
HitKeep Free Cloud currently requires no website badge, with 3 sites, 3 members, and 60 days of history; older data is removed. Pro includes 365-day history and Business 1,095 days. Compare HitKeep plans with Simple Analytics pricing for your required sites, users, and retained history.
Export entitlement is separate from badge compliance. Do not assume a Free Simple Analytics account includes Export API access. Save an available raw export before access is restricted, keep an untouched copy, and validate it before importing.
Where Simple Analytics is stronger
Simple Analytics has an established hosted product, onboarding flow, and privacy documentation. Its hosted role model is more granular: owner, admin, analyst, developer, finance manager, and viewer. If these familiar workflows are working for you, there may be no reason to move.
Custom domains and documented proxy setup
Both products support custom tracking domains. HitKeep includes them on Cloud Pro and Business and self-hosted deployments, not Cloud Free. Simple Analytics provides custom-subdomain guidance and proxy setup documentation. Compare the workflow and plan your site needs.
An owned hostname can reduce blocking of shared analytics domains. Neither a custom domain nor a proxy guarantees every visit will be recorded. HitKeep still respects Do Not Track by default; domain choice does not change browser-storage behavior. See DNS, routing, and TLS requirements.
Simple Analytics also documents SAML SSO for Okta and Microsoft Entra; OIDC support is not established in the reviewed documentation. HitKeep offers team-scoped OIDC on Cloud Business and self-hosted deployments.
Self-hosting, reporting, and data portability
HitKeep Cloud and self-hosting share the same open-source product foundation. Cloud offers EU Frankfurt or US Virginia; self-hosting puts deployment and operation in your hands. The self-hosted product ships as a single Linux binary with DuckDB and NSQ embedded, without a separate database or queue service.
Use installation and performance guidance to size for traffic and retention. See configuration for storage, backup, and archive controls, and Facts and Limits for current runtime details.
Beyond conversion reporting, HitKeep includes Search Console aggregates, opt-in Web Vitals, UTM and QR campaigns, shared dashboards, scheduled email reports, roles, and API clients. AI-referred visits, server-ingested crawler fetches, and integrated chatbot analytics are distinct signals; integrations and optional collection need setup.
Open-format takeout supports JSON, CSV, Parquet, NDJSON, and XLSX where supported. Read-only MCP, scoped OAuth on configured 2.15+ HTTPS instances, agent skills, and signed operational webhooks connect reporting to other tools. Installing skills does not authorize data access. Moving hosting models still requires the relevant export, setup, and migration work.
Privacy: cookies, browser storage, and legal review
Both products minimize client-side tracking state and respect Do Not Track by default. HitKeep sets no analytics cookies and uses sessionStorage for session continuity. Simple Analytics positions its product as using no cookies or similar tracking technologies. Those are different behaviors, not interchangeable privacy checkboxes.
Choosing self-hosting, EU Cloud, or US Cloud changes the processor and transfer analysis. GDPR, PECR, and ePrivacy conclusions depend on your deployment and use case. Custom tracking domains do not remove browser storage or establish legal compliance. Read the Compliance Overview alongside your legal review.
Full feature comparison
Full feature comparison
Deployment, reporting, access and portability. “Not documented” means the reviewed public sources do not establish support.
Swipe or scroll to compare every column.
| Feature | HitKeep | Simple Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting, plans and data control | ||
| Managed Cloud region | EU Frankfurt or US VirginiaChoose before account creation. | EU infrastructureOptional AI features have a separate data flow. |
| Self-hosting | Single Linux binary | Hosted service only |
| Free plan and website badge | 3 sites, 3 membersCurrently no required website badge. Includes 60 days of history; older data is removed. | 5 sites, 1 user; badge requiredFree requires a visible linked footer badge on every page. Paid plans are exempt. |
| History and deletion | Free: 60 days; older data is removedPro: 365 days. Business: 1,095 days. Self-hosted retention is configurable. | Free: one month of historyPricing FAQ specifies deletion of data older than 30 days; longer history depends on plan. |
| External runtime services | DuckDB and NSQ embeddedNo separate database or queue for core analytics; capacity depends on traffic and retention. | Vendor-managed SaaS |
| Clustering / high availability | HashiCorp Memberlist | Vendor-managed |
| Custom tracking domains | Cloud Pro and Business; self-hostedNot Cloud Free. An owned hostname can reduce shared-host blocking; collection is not guaranteed. | Available on eligible plansCustom subdomains can reduce blocking; collection is not guaranteed. |
| Proxy setup | Custom-domain routing and TLS guidanceTracking-only hosts do not expose dashboard, auth or API routes. | Documented proxy workflowsNGINX, Caddy, Netlify and Vercel; no guarantee against every blocker. |
| Cookie-free tracker | No analytics cookies | No analytics cookies |
| Browser storage and legal review | sessionStorage for session continuityGDPR / ePrivacy analysis depends on deployment and use; custom domains do not change storage behavior. | Vendor says no cookies or similar technologiesReview the actual data flow and your legal requirements. |
| Do Not Track | Respected by defaultCollecting DNT visits requires explicit configuration. | Respected by defaultOptional collection is documented. |
| Reports and collection | ||
| Dashboard languages | 7 languagesEN, DE, ES, FR, IT, NL, PT | Multiple languages |
| Custom events | Available | Available |
| Automatic events | Built into the trackerOutbound clicks, file downloads and form submissions. | Additional auto-events scriptOutbound links, email clicks and downloads. |
| Web Vitals analytics | Available, opt-in | Not documented |
| WordPress integration | First-party plugin | Vendor-specific integration |
| Goals | Included on Free | Available on eligible plans |
| Multi-step funnels | Included on Free | Funnel steps on eligible plans |
| Chart annotations | Available from 2.14.0 | Available |
| QR campaigns | Available | Not publicly documented |
| Landing and exit pages | Available | Available |
| Ecommerce reporting | Purchase, checkout, cart and item views | Event / goal-driven reporting |
| Period-over-period comparison | Available | Available |
| Search Console Search Analytics import | Aggregate rows only | Not documented |
| AI visibility analytics | AI referrals and crawler reportsCrawler fetches need server-side ingest; they are distinct from referred visits. | Not documentedIts dashboard AI chat assistant is a different capability. |
| On-site AI chatbot analytics | Available with integration | Not documentedDashboard AI chat does not establish visitor chatbot instrumentation. |
| Built-in spam filtering | Pageviews and eventsMatomo referrer list and Spamhaus DROP / DROPv6. | Not documented |
| Teams, sharing and integrations | ||
| Team single sign-on | OIDC: Cloud Business or self-hosted | SAML documented; OIDC not establishedOkta and Microsoft Entra setup; enablement may need vendor assistance. |
| Google, GitHub and Microsoft sign-in | Available | Not publicly documented |
| Scheduled email reports | Available | Available |
| Shareable dashboards | Share links | Public / hosted sharing |
| Team roles | Team roles and site permissions | 6 hosted rolesOwner, admin, analyst, developer, finance manager, viewer. Free cannot add members. |
| Multi-factor authentication | WebAuthn passkeys and TOTP | Password and 2FA |
| MFA recovery codes | Available | Available |
| API access | Team-owned and personal API clients | API tokens on eligible plans |
| Read-only MCP analytics server | Optional aggregate reportingScoped bearer tokens or OAuth on configured 2.15+ HTTPS instances. Installing skills does not authorize data access. | Not documented |
| Operational webhooks | Signed delivery with bounded retriesGoals, imports, sites, teams and users; delivery history included. | Not established in reviewed sources |
| Exports, imports and storage | ||
| Data takeout formats | JSON, CSV, Parquet, NDJSON and XLSXFormats vary by export surface. | CSV, Excel CSV, TSV, JSON, NDJSON, Avro and ParquetRaw export availability depends on account; API access requires an eligible plan. |
| Historical import into HitKeep | Compatible CSV pageview history onlyValidate accepted and skipped rows; events and native relationships do not transfer. Retention still applies. | All datapoints CSV export sourceCheck availability for your account; badge compliance does not grant export entitlement. |
| Storage and backups | Operator-owned files when self-hostedDuckDB under the configured data directory; multiteam stores include tenants/*/hitkeep.db. Local or S3-compatible archive workflows. | Vendor-managed storage |
“Not documented” means the reviewed public sources do not establish support; it does not mean the feature is unavailable.
HitKeep technical facts and limits
| Check | HitKeep fact |
|---|---|
| Deployment model | Self-hosted single Linux binary or managed EU/US cloud |
| External services | Embedded DuckDB and NSQ; no PostgreSQL, Redis, Kafka, ClickHouse, separate queue, cache, or database service for core analytics |
| Runtime shape | One Linux binary with embedded storage and queueing; capacity depends on traffic, retention, and deployment configuration |
| Storage and backups | DuckDB files live under the configured data directory; multiteam deployments include tenants/*/hitkeep.db |
| Privacy behavior | hk.js sets no analytics cookies, uses sessionStorage for session continuity, and respects DNT unless configured otherwise |
| Custom tracking domains | Included on Cloud Pro and Business and self-hosted; not Cloud Free. Team admins can verify multiple tracker hostnames; active team domains serve hk.js, hk-vitals.js, and browser ingest for every site in that team. Site Settings can generate snippets from the instance URL or any active team domain. |
| Automatic events | outbound_click, file_download, and form_submit |
| Assistant authorization | OAuth on configured 2.15+ HTTPS instances, with selected sites, scopes, and resource binding; scoped API-client tokens remain available |
| Assistant skills | First-party Claude, ChatGPT, and Codex package; installing skills does not authorize data access |
| Exports and non-replacements | JSON, CSV, Parquet, NDJSON, and XLSX where supported; HitKeep does not replace enterprise attribution, CMP, SIEM, CRM, warehouse, feature flag, or experimentation workflows |
Primary sources
- Simple Analytics Free plan badge
- Simple Analytics pricing
- Simple Analytics home page
- Simple Analytics compliance FAQ
- Simple Analytics data security and ownership
- Simple Analytics export your data
- Simple Analytics Export API
- Simple Analytics events
- Simple Analytics goals
- Simple Analytics team roles
- Simple Analytics bypass ad-blockers
- Simple Analytics proxy setup
- Simple Analytics automated events
- Simple Analytics Okta SAML SSO
- Simple Analytics Microsoft Entra SAML SSO
- Simple Analytics annotations
Before you switch.
Can I switch without a Simple Analytics export?
Yes. Start collecting new visits in HitKeep while your existing setup remains available. Historical import is optional and needs a compatible raw CSV export; it is not required to start using HitKeep.
Does HitKeep Free require a website badge?
No. HitKeep Free Cloud does not currently require a website badge. Free includes 3 sites, 3 members, and 60 days of history; older data is removed.
Is HitKeep a good alternative to Simple Analytics?
Yes, if you want self-hosting, funnels, ecommerce, or explicit region choice for managed cloud. Simple Analytics may suit you better if you value its established hosted workflow and documented proxy setup. Both support custom tracking domains; HitKeep includes them on Cloud Pro and Business and in self-hosted deployments, but not Cloud Free. Neither setup guarantees every visit will be recorded.
Can I migrate from Simple Analytics to HitKeep?
HitKeep can import Simple Analytics pageview history from any CSV whose header matches the All datapoints export. Run both in parallel to validate ongoing tracking and recreate goals, funnels, and ecommerce events before switching.
Is HitKeep GDPR compliant?
Both products minimize client-side tracking state, but HitKeep adds a choice between self-hosting and regional cloud. That hosting decision changes the processor and transfer analysis, so GDPR and ePrivacy compliance still depends on the actual deployment and legal review.
Does HitKeep work without cookies?
Yes. HitKeep uses cookie-less tracking by default. The tracker uses sessionStorage for session continuity. Simple Analytics positions itself as not using cookies or similar technologies: that distinction may matter for your PECR / ePrivacy analysis.
Can I try HitKeep Cloud before replacing Simple Analytics?
Yes. Start with one site, keep Simple Analytics installed, and compare whether HitKeep’s reporting and exports are useful enough to switch.