Quick answer
Clicky - Clicky wins for most builders who want a usable free analytics tier with more history and a higher free usage ceiling, while Statcounter is better if you need longer-term upgrade headroom for session replay, conversion, and ad tracking.
How the free tiers compare
These two free tiers solve similar problems but sit at different points on the analytics spectrum. Clicky’s free plan is narrower in audience size, with 1 website, 3,000 daily page views, and 30 days of history, but it includes a lot of core analytics value and even API access. Statcounter’s free plan is more session-oriented, with 5,000 sessions per month and only 14 days of retention, but it starts from a stronger paid feature set around conversion tracking, Google Ads integration, UTM tracking, and session replay. In practice, Clicky is the better free starter for a single site that wants live analytics and longer history. Statcounter makes more sense when your future need is marketing analysis and replay tooling, even though the free tier itself is smaller on retention.
Clicky vs Statcounter free tier, side by side
| ClickyFTV 52 | StatcounterFTV 50 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free websites / projectsClicky states a one-site free plan. Statcounter’s provided free-tier facts do not list a project limit. | 1 website | Not specified in provided free plan details |
| Free usage capThese are different usage metrics, so they are not directly comparable. | 3,000 daily page views total | 5,000 sessions per month |
| Data retention on free tierClicky keeps more history on the free tier. | 30 days | 14 days |
| Real-time analyticsBoth include real-time visitor or action views in the free tier. | Yes | Yes |
| API access on free tierStatcounter’s paid Premium plan includes API Access, but the provided free-tier list does not. | Yes | Not listed in free tier items |
After you outgrow the free tier
Clicky uses flat monthly pricing for its first paid tiers, starting at $9.99/month, while Statcounter uses tiered monthly pricing starting at $9/month. Clicky’s paid jump mainly increases site and page-view limits, then moves to custom sales for very high scale. Statcounter’s paid plans hold the 20,000 sessions/month base but expand retention and add marketing features like conversion tracking, ads integration, and replay capacity. For small teams, Statcounter’s entry paid tier is slightly cheaper, but Clicky’s free tier gives more history and a broader starting allowance before you need to pay.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | Clicky | Statcounter |
|---|---|---|
| 1 website, light traffic under free limitsClicky’s free tier is capped at 3,000 daily page views total; Statcounter’s at 5,000 sessions/month. | Free (within tier) | Free (within tier) |
| Single site growing past free limitsThis is the first meaningful paid tier for each product. | $9.99/mo | $9/mo |
| Need 30 days to 3 years of history and paid analytics featuresStatcounter’s Premium tier includes 3 years retention; Clicky’s Pro tier does not state longer retention in the provided plan data. | $9.99/mo | $9/mo |
| Need 30 days to 5 years of history plus heatmaps and ads/UTM featuresStatcounter’s Premium Plus tier adds heatmaps, Google Ads integration, and UTM campaign tracking with 5 years retention. | $9.99/mo or higher | $19/mo |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick Clicky when…
- You run one website and want the free tier to cover it without immediately planning a migration.
- You care about 30 days of history instead of 14 days for checking trends and revisiting older traffic.
- You want basic real-time analytics plus API access on the free plan.
- You are mostly tracking page views and visitor behavior rather than marketing campaigns.
Pick Statcounter when…
- You want a free plan built around sessions per month rather than daily page views.
- You expect to care about conversion tracking, UTM campaign tracking, or Google Ads integration later.
- You want a path into session replay recordings as part of the paid product.
- You are optimizing for a future upgrade path toward marketing analysis rather than classic site analytics.
Bottom line
For the most common builder use case, Clicky is the better free-tier pick because it gives you a usable single-site plan with more history and a stronger everyday analytics package before you pay. Statcounter is the better choice if you already know you want marketing-oriented features like conversion tracking, UTM tracking, Google Ads integration, or session replay on the upgrade path. If you are choosing strictly on the free tier, Clicky is the more generous starting point.
Read the full listings: Clicky 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.