Rick Hellewell

Google Analytics (GA) allows you to see what your visitors are doing on your site. The common installation is to run some JavaScript code in the client’s browser that reports back to GA. The problem with that is many ad-blockers will block that client-side (browser) action, resulting in incomplete GA data.
The Server Side Analytics plugin does all the work on your server. So GA is used on all site visits – even visitors using ad blocking. That gives you more accurate GA data.
Your site visitor’s IP address is anonymized (the last ‘octet’ is removed), so only the visitor’s city is known. The plugin only uses the client-side WordPress session ID, so complies with basic GDPR privacy, as long as your site has an acknowledged cookie policy. There is nothing additionally stored on the client side, so visitor privacy for this plugin and the generated analytics is assured.
All you need is a GA account – start here: https://www.google.com/analytics/ . Note that you will need to set up a “UA” type account. Help starts here: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9306384?hl=en Make sure you set up a “Universal Analytics” account – which will result in a UA-xxxxxxx-1 value to use in the plugin.
If you use Google Analytics, then you should be aware of their privacy policy, which could apply to your use of GA; see it here https://www.google.com/analytics/terms/us.html . You may also need a cookie policy and acknowledgement displayed on your site.
We suggest that you consult with your legal advisor for specific methods and messages needed for GDPR compliance on your site. We provide no warranty or guarantee of GDPR compliance. We are not providing any legal advice. We are not responsible in any way for your use of our suggested GDPR solution. Your mileage may vary. Objects in mirror are closer than you expect. All aspirin is alike. Professional driver on a closed course. Your mileage may vary.
<h3>Privacy</h3>
This plugin does not save any personal information on your server. It will store cookies on your visitor’s browsers. If you have enabled Google Analytics, it will also store a randomly-generated ID value as a cookie; there is no personal information associated with that cookie. The plugin does not share information with others.

CellarWeb Server Side Analytics

Allows using Google Analytics via server-side request. Many ad blockers block client-side Google Analytics, resulting in incomplete values.

sparlos

Spårlös (pronounced “spar-loess”, also searchable as “Sparlos”) is a privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative for WordPress. Cookie-free, GDPR-compliant, and hosted entirely in the EU. The plugin connects your WordPress site to your Spårlös account in one click and starts collecting visitor statistics in under 30 seconds. No cookies, no fingerprinting, no cookie banner, no data transfer to the US.
If you have been looking for a lightweight Google Analytics alternative, or a WordPress-native replacement for Plausible, Fathom, Matomo, or Simple Analytics, Spårlös is built for the same use case: real web analytics without the GDPR baggage.
Why people switch from Google Analytics to Spårlös:
<ul>
<li>No cookie banner needed. We set zero cookies, store no IP addresses, and run no fingerprinting.</li>
<li>Lighter than GA4. The tracker is under 1.5 KB gzipped (vs. ~45 KB for gtag.js), so your Core Web Vitals stay green.</li>
<li>EU-hosted. Schrems II safe. No US sub-processors in the data path.</li>
<li>GDPR Article 28 Data Processing Agreement (DPA) auto-generated at signup.</li>
<li>Real-time dashboard with visitor journeys, not just pageview counts.</li>
</ul>
What the plugin does:
<ul>
<li>Connects your WordPress site to Spårlös via a secure one-time token. No API key to paste, no manual snippet copy.</li>
<li>Injects the analytics tracker snippet automatically on every public page.</li>
<li>Proxy mode (on by default) serves the tracker from your own domain, so ad blockers that match common analytics hostnames cannot block it. Bypass uBlock Origin, AdGuard, Brave Shields, and EasyPrivacy lists transparently.</li>
<li>Only loads on public page views. Admin, REST, AJAX, and feed requests are untouched, so admin performance is unaffected.</li>
</ul>
What you get on the Spårlös dashboard:
<ul>
<li>Real-time visitor timeline. See live visitors and the page they are on right now.</li>
<li>Visitor journeys. The most common paths users take through your site, drillable to individual sessions.</li>
<li>Top pages, top sources, top countries, top browsers, top devices, top outbound links.</li>
<li>UTM campaign tracking. Source, medium, campaign, term, content breakdowns.</li>
<li>Goals and conversion tracking. Path-based goals with conversion rate over time.</li>
<li>Multi-step funnels. See where in a checkout or signup flow users drop off.</li>
<li>Uptime monitoring (Pro plan). Get alerted when your site goes down.</li>
<li>Weekly email summary every Monday (Pro plan).</li>
<li>Data export (CSV, JSON) and PDF monthly report.</li>
</ul>
Privacy by design:
<ul>
<li>No cookies, no localStorage, no sessionStorage.</li>
<li>IP addresses are discarded immediately after country lookup (never stored).</li>
<li>A daily rotating hash prevents linking visitors across days or across sites.</li>
<li>All data is stored within the EU. No US sub-processors in the data path.</li>
<li>DNT (Do Not Track) and Global Privacy Control are respected on both the client and the server.</li>
</ul>
Pricing:
Hobby tier is free forever for personal sites and side projects. Starter from 59 SEK / month (about 5 EUR, VAT included) covers most small business WordPress sites. A 14-day free Pro trial is included at signup, no card required. See https://sparlos.se/priser for current plans.
Spårlös vs. Google Analytics 4 (GA4): no cookie banner required, lighter tracker, EU-hosted, real-time dashboard, and a Swedish-language interface for Swedish customers. Migrate from GA4 in under an hour.
Spårlös vs. Plausible, Fathom, Simple Analytics, Matomo: same privacy-first positioning, but EU-hosted with a Swedish-market focus, Swedish DPA, MOMS-inclusive pricing, and a dedicated one-click WordPress plugin with built-in adblock bypass.
More information: https://sparlos.se
<h3>Privacy Notice</h3>
This plugin loads a tracker script from https://sparlos.se and sends visitor data (page URL, referrer, browser, country) to the same host so that page views can be aggregated on your Spårlös dashboard. No personally identifiable information is stored. Full privacy policy: https://sparlos.se/integritet
A Data Processing Agreement compliant with GDPR Article 28 is generated automatically at signup: https://sparlos.se/dpa
By installing and pairing this plugin you authorize the data transfer described above.

Spårlös Analytics: Privacy-Friendly Google Analytics Alternative

Cookie-free Google Analytics alternative for WordPress. GDPR-compliant, EU-hosted, Schrems II safe. No cookie banner. One-click connect.

CellarWeb Server Side Analytics vs Spårlös Analytics: Privacy-Friendly Google Analytics Alternative