Quick answer
Apstal - Apstal wins for most builders who want a free analytics tier because it gives far more headroom, more product analytics depth, and an AI assistant without requiring a card.
How the free tiers compare
These two free tiers solve different problems. Apstal is the broader product analytics option: it includes 100,000 events per month, one website, funnels, retention, path analysis, session replays, error monitoring, and an AI agent for plain-English or voice queries. It is aimed at builders who want to analyze product behavior, not just traffic. Statcounter is simpler and lighter: 5,000 sessions per month, 14 days of retention, traffic charts, real-time visitor feeds, and basic reporting. It is better for straightforward website tracking and small sites that do not need deep event analytics. The gap is mostly scale and depth. Apstal’s free tier is much closer to a usable starter product for an app or content site, while Statcounter’s free tier is a thinner entry point that pushes you toward paid plans sooner.
Apstal vs Statcounter free tier, side by side
| ApstalFTV 65 | StatcounterFTV 50 | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly usage capApstal tracks events; Statcounter caps sessions. | 100,000 events/month | 5,000 sessions/month |
| Data retentionApstal’s free plan is much shorter on replay retention. | 24-hour session replay retention | 14 days of data retention |
| Websites includedOnly Apstal’s free-tier website limit is explicitly listed. | 1 website | Not specified in the free-tier facts provided |
| Analytics viewsApstal explicitly limits analytics views. | 15 analytics views | Not specified |
| AI accessApstal’s free tier includes an AI analyst interface. | SQL AI Agent + MCP included | Not included in the free-tier facts provided |
After you outgrow the free tier
Apstal starts at a flat $48/month Premium plan, then moves to an Enterprise plan at $90/month that is labeled contact_sales and adds higher AI limits and 20+ websites. Statcounter starts cheaper at $9/month Premium, then $19/month Premium Plus, both tiered plans with 20,000 sessions/month and longer retention. For small-team budgeting, Statcounter is the cheaper paid upgrade. Apstal costs more, but its free tier also covers much more of the product analytics stack before you pay.
When to pick each one
Pick Apstal when…
- You need event-based analytics for a web app, product, or behavior tracking, not just visit counts.
- You want funnels, retention, path analysis, and session replay in the free tier.
- You expect to exceed 5,000 sessions quickly and want more room before upgrading.
- You want to ask analytics questions in plain English or via voice using the included AI agent.
- You want adblock-resistant tracking and core web vitals or JavaScript error monitoring without paying first.
Pick Statcounter when…
- You only need basic website traffic reporting and do not care about deep product analytics.
- You want simple charts, real-time visitor feeds, and weekly or monthly email reports.
- Your site is small enough that 5,000 sessions per month is enough for now.
- You care more about marketing features like UTM tracking, Google Ads integration, or conversion tracking, which sit in paid tiers.
- You want a low-cost paid upgrade path once the free tier runs out.
Bottom line
For the most common builder use case, Apstal is the better free tier because it gives you enough scale and feature depth to actually run product analytics before you pay. Statcounter is the safer pick if your need is narrow, basic site reporting and you want the cheapest path into a paid plan later. If you are choosing for an app, startup, or content product that cares about funnels and replays, Apstal is the stronger default.
Read the full listings: Apstal and Statcounter. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.