Tidemark and the alternatives.
All of these are good tools. The real difference is where they run and how much you want to operate. Here is the honest version.
| Feature | Tidemark | Plausible | Umami | Matomo | Fathom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hosted version | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Self-host | MIT | (Community Edition) | MIT | GPL | No |
| Self-hosting needs | PHP 8.3+ and a database. Works on shared hosting | Docker, Postgres and ClickHouse | Node.js and a database | PHP and MySQL/MariaDB. Works on shared hosting | — |
| Cookie-free by default | Yes | Yes | Yes | Configurable | Yes |
| Plausible-style tracking script and API | Yes | Native | No | No | No |
| Product scope | Web analytics, one page | Web analytics, one page | Analytics, journeys, retention, replay | Full analytics suite | Web analytics |
| Hosted price | Free tier, then $7/mo | From $9/mo | Free tier, paid plans | Paid plans | From about $15/mo |
Based on public information from each project. Products and prices change, so check their pages before you decide, and tell us if something here is out of date.
Choose Tidemark if
- You want hosted analytics with a real free plan. One flat paid plan at $7 a month, and the freedom to leave with your data.
- You want to own your data. Export everything whenever you like, and the code is open source (MIT).
- You want it light. The tracking script is about 2 KB gzipped, and the dashboard fits on one page.
- You already use Plausible’s script or API. Point it somewhere you control.
Choose something else if
- You want the most established managed service. Plausible and Fathom are mature, hosted and well run, and have been for years. Tidemark Cloud is newer.
- You need retention, session replay or deep product analytics. Umami, Matomo and PostHog go much further than Tidemark does. Tidemark has goal funnels and revenue reporting, but not cohorts or replays.
- You need to import history from a tool other than Plausible. Tidemark imports Plausible’s CSV export, but not other tools’ data yet.
Longer comparisons
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