Looker Studio
Plausible Analytics
| Feature | Looker Studio | Plausible Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $9/mo | From $9/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.2 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 |
| Best For | marketers, analysts, google-ads-users, small-businesses | privacy-conscious-businesses, bloggers, developers, eu-businesses |
| Founded | 2016 | 2019 |
| Dashboards | ✓ | ✗ |
| Data Connectors | ✓ | ✗ |
| Visualizations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sharing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Templates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Calculated Fields | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pageviews | ✗ | ✓ |
| Referrers | ✗ | ✓ |
| Goals | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom Events | ✗ | ✓ |
| Utm Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Api | ✗ | ✓ |
| Self Hosting | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Looker Studio Pros
- Free
- Google data integration
- Shareable dashboards
- Many connectors
✗ Looker Studio Cons
- Can be slow
- Limited data blending
- Basic compared to paid tools
✓ Plausible Analytics Pros
- No cookies — GDPR compliant without consent banner
- Script is under 1KB (vs GA's 45KB)
- Open-source and transparent
- Simple dashboard — no overwhelming data
✗ Plausible Analytics Cons
- Less detailed than Google Analytics
- No free tier (but affordable)
- Limited segmentation and custom reports
The Verdict
Looker Studio is built for marketers and analysts, with a focus on dashboards and data-connectors. Plausible Analytics targets privacy conscious businesses and bloggers and leads with pageviews and referrers.
Both tools come in at similar price points ($9/mo for Looker Studio, $9/mo for Plausible Analytics), so pricing won't make the decision for you.
Looker Studio has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Plausible Analytics requires a paid subscription from day one.
Plausible Analytics edges out on user ratings (4.6 vs 4.2). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Feature-wise, Plausible Analytics offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Looker Studio takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Bottom line: Plausible Analytics has a slight overall edge — but if free matters most to you, Looker Studio may still be the right call.