Analytics Platforms for Multi-Site Use

Based on your “show don’t tell” ethos and need to track interest across ~20 sites without enterprise-level complexity, here’s your shortlist. ^{1 2 3 4}

Best Overall Matches

[[Tooling/Software Development/Lego-Kit Engineering Tools/Umami|Umami]] ^{5 1}

• Open-source (MIT license), self-host or cloud
• Cloud pricing starts around $20/month for multiple sites
• Extremely lightweight, single-page dashboard
• No cookies, GDPR-compliant by default
• Node.js-based, works with PostgreSQL or MySQL
• Strong API for custom integrations
• Actively developed since 2020, now has paid cloud option

[[Tooling/Enterprise Jobs-to-be-Done/Fathom Analytics]] ^{6 7 8}

• $15/month for up to 50 sites (flat rate, not per-site)
• Privacy-first, no cookie banners needed
• Forever data retention even on basic plan
• Ecommerce/event tracking included
• Perfect for agencies - best sites-per-dollar ratio
• Not self-hostable, but extremely low maintenance

[[OpenPanel]] ^{4 1}

• Combines web + product analytics ([[Mixpanel]]-like features)
• AGPL-3.0 license, self-host free
• Cloud starts at $2.50/month
• Real-time tracking, cookieless
• Event tracking beyond just pageviews
• Newer but production-ready

Established Heavy Hitters

[[Tooling/Enterprise Jobs-to-be-Done/Plausible|Plausible]] ^{1 4}

• AGPL-3.0, self-host or cloud ($9/month starting)
• Ultra-simple, privacy-first pageview analytics
• Clean dashboard, real-time data
• Requires ClickHouse database (slightly more complex to self-host)
• Most similar to what you’ve seen

[[Tooling/Enterprise Jobs-to-be-Done/Matomo|Matomo]] ^{9 10 1}

• GPL-3.0, most mature option (used by EU Commission)
• Self-host free, cloud €29/month
• Most feature-complete Google Analytics replacement
• Can import historical GA data
• Heavier infrastructure requirements
• 1M+ websites use it

[[PostHog]] ^{11 12 1}

• MIT license, free self-host
• Cloud has generous free tier (1M events/month)
• Product analytics + web analytics + session replay + feature flags
• More developer-focused, might be overkill
• Supports multi-domain tracking with some setup ^{13 14}
• Best if you want experimentation capabilities

Lighter Alternatives Worth Knowing

[[Simple Analytics]] ^{15 16}

• $5-$19/month tiers, agency plan available
• One-line script, no events manager
• Privacy guarantees (no cookies, no IP storage)
• Treats each subdomain as separate site
• Less customization than others

[[Pirsch Analytics]] ¹

• Server-side tracking (works with ad blockers)
• Go-based, AGPL-3.0
• Cookieless fingerprinting approach
• Unique advantage: client-side blockers don’t affect it

Your Best Bets

Given your profile - technical sophistication, “just want it to work,” willing to pay to avoid maintenance, need multi-site - I’d prioritize:

1. Fathom if you want zero-think SaaS (50 sites for $15/month is absurd value)
2. Umami if you want the self-host option with good cloud alternative
3. OpenPanel if you want product analytics depth beyond pageviews

All three handle multi-domain elegantly, won’t require per-site setup complexity, and align with your “track what’s getting traction” use case. ^{3 4}

Sources