Quick answer
Simple Analytics - Simple Analytics wins for most readers who want a basic, durable web analytics free tier; Apstal wins if you want AI-assisted analysis, session replays, and broader monitoring in the same free plan.
How the free tiers compare
These two free tiers solve different problems. Simple Analytics is the cleaner choice if you mainly want long-lived website analytics with unlimited pageviews, 5 sites, and 30 days of history, especially for teams that care about a small setup and predictable upgrading. Apstal is more feature-dense at the free level: it includes session replays, funnels, heatmaps, error monitoring, and an AI agent, but it is more tightly capped on usage with 100K events, 15 analytics views, 1 website, and 24-hour replay retention. The tradeoff is breadth versus headroom. Simple Analytics gives more room for passive tracking and multi-site use. Apstal gives more hands-on analysis and observability, but you will hit its limits sooner if you track active product usage or multiple properties.
Apstal vs Simple Analytics free tier, side by side
| ApstalFTV 65 | Simple AnalyticsFTV 55 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free websitesSimple Analytics gives more site capacity on the free plan. | 1 website | 5 websites |
| Free traffic allowanceApstal caps event volume; Simple Analytics does not cap pageviews on the free tier. | 100,000 events/month | Unlimited pageviews |
| Free retentionThese are different retention types, so they are not directly equivalent. | 24-hour session replay retention | 30 days of analytics history retention |
| Free AI accessApstal explicitly includes an AI agent in free; Simple Analytics mentions AI-assisted querying in the product description, but the free tier items provided do not spell out AI access. | SQL AI Agent + MCP | AI-assisted querying |
| Credit card requiredBoth inputs explicitly say no credit card is required. | No | No |
After you outgrow the free tier
Apstal’s paid path starts at a flat $48/month Premium plan, then moves to a higher-touch Enterprise plan priced at $90/month in the provided data, with contact-sales characteristics and larger AI compute and website limits. Simple Analytics starts cheaper at $15/month, then moves to a $40/month Team plan with per-seat additions at $20/user, and then to custom Enterprise pricing. For small teams, Simple Analytics is cheaper at the first paid step and stays easier to model. Apstal becomes the pricier but more feature-heavy option once you need its AI, replay, and monitoring limits.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | Apstal | Simple Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| 1 website, small team, basic analyticsBoth free tiers cover one site, but Apstal is much tighter on events and views. | Free (within tier) | Free (within tier) |
| 2 websitesApstal free includes 1 website; Simple Analytics free includes 5 websites. | ~$48/mo | Free (within tier) |
| 5 websitesSimple Analytics free tier still covers 5 websites; Apstal requires upgrading for more than 1. | ~$48/mo | Free (within tier) |
| 1 user, 10 websitesSimple Analytics’ first paid tier fits 10 websites at $15/month; Apstal’s first paid tier is still $48/month. | ~$48/mo | $15/mo |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick Apstal when…
- You want AI-assisted queries and are likely to ask questions in plain English or voice.
- You need session replays, funnels, heatmaps, and JavaScript error monitoring in the free plan.
- You only track one website and 100K events per month is enough.
- You want adblock-resistant tracking and cookie-free analytics in one tool.
Pick Simple Analytics when…
- You need unlimited pageviews on the free tier.
- You manage up to 5 websites before paying.
- You want the simplest path to keeping analytics free for a small site portfolio.
- You care more about longer retention and a straightforward upgrade path than in-app AI features.
Bottom line
For most builders choosing a free analytics tier, Simple Analytics is the safer default because it gives you unlimited pageviews, 5 websites, and a simpler upgrade path for $15/month when you outgrow free. Pick Apstal if your priority is richer analysis inside the free plan itself, especially AI queries, replays, funnels, and error monitoring, and you can live within 100K events and 1 website. If you expect multiple sites or lots of traffic, Simple Analytics is the less constraining starting point.
Read the full listings: Apstal and Simple Analytics. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.