WebSight vs Plausible
Plausible is a well-established, privacy-first analytics tool, and the two products agree on a lot: cookieless, lightweight, open source. WebSight goes further on features like session replay and a live globe, and is free to host. Here is the honest breakdown.
| WebSight | Plausible | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free & open source | From $9/mo hosted |
| Free hosted tier | ||
| License | MIT | AGPL |
| Cookie consent banner | Not needed | Not needed |
| Tracking script size | <1 KB | <1 KB |
| Realtime dashboard | ||
| Session replay | ||
| Live 3D visitor globe | ||
| Funnels & goals | On paid plans | |
| Self-hostable | ||
| Where your data lives | Your infrastructure | EU-hosted or self-hosted |
Why teams pick WebSight
Free to host, no monthly bill
Plausible's hosted service starts from $9/mo with no free tier. WebSight's hosted app is free, and self-hosting is free forever. If cost is the reason you are looking, that is the whole answer.
More than a dashboard
WebSight adds privacy-masked session replay (rrweb), a live 3D visitor globe, retention cohorts and JS error capture on top of the classic privacy-analytics view. Plausible deliberately keeps its dashboard minimal.
Funnels and goals without a plan tier
Funnels are a paid feature on Plausible. In WebSight, events, goals, funnels and retention are all included at no cost, hosted or self-hosted.
Permissive MIT licensing
WebSight is MIT-licensed, which is simpler to embed and modify than Plausible's AGPL. If you plan to build on top of your analytics, that difference matters.
When Plausible is the better fit
No tool wins on everything. Here is when Plausible is genuinely the right call.
It is proven and steady
Plausible has been around for years with a large user base, a mature codebase and a company behind it. If you value a long track record over newer features, that stability is a real advantage.
You want the minimal dashboard on purpose
Plausible's single-screen simplicity is a feature. If session replay and extra panels feel like clutter you would never open, its focus is exactly the point.
EU-hosted by default
Plausible's hosted service runs on EU infrastructure, which some teams need for procurement or policy reasons. WebSight leaves hosting location to you, which is more work if EU residency is a hard requirement.
Frequently asked
Are WebSight and Plausible both privacy-friendly?
Yes. Both are cookieless, avoid personal data and need no consent banner, so both are GDPR-friendly by design. The differences are in features, licensing and price, not in the privacy fundamentals.
Is WebSight cheaper than Plausible?
For most people, yes. Plausible's hosted plans start from $9/mo with no free tier, whereas WebSight's hosted app is free and self-hosting costs only your own infrastructure. Plausible also offers a self-hostable Community Edition.
What does WebSight have that Plausible does not?
Session replay, a live 3D visitor globe, retention cohorts and JS error capture, all included. Plausible focuses on a deliberately minimal dashboard and does not offer session replay.
Can I self-host both?
Yes. WebSight runs on Next.js and Supabase under an MIT license, and Plausible offers a self-hostable Community Edition under AGPL. The MIT license makes WebSight simpler to fork and build on.
Try WebSight on your own site
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