Grain logomark
Honest comparison · Updated April 2026

Grain vs Plausible

Plausible is for teams who want a simple, ethical counter. Grain is for teams who want an AI analyst that investigates the numbers for you.

The 30-second honest answer
Pick Plausible if you want

A simple, fast, open-source counter with beautiful dashboards and bulletproof privacy defaults.

Pick Grain if you want

Behavior intelligence: heatmaps, session replay, mobile, and an AI analyst that investigates why your funnels leak.

They overlap on: Cookieless tracking, EU hosting, GDPR-by-default, script-based install, modern UI.

Feature matrix

What each tool ships today. No roadmap wishes.

Capability
Plausible
Grain
Open source
Self-hosted on enterprise
Self-hostable
Enterprise only
Cloud SaaS
Cookieless tracking
Recall
GDPR out of the box
AI analyst built-in
Kai (3 tiers)
Deep Investigation
Six-phase audit
Heatmaps
Session Replay
Mobile SDK
iOS + Android
Funnels / journeys
Basic
Tracks + attribution + p-values
Custom dashboards
WordPress / WooCommerce
Community
Native, server-side
BYOK AI
n/a
OpenAI, Gemini
Pricing
From $9/mo cloud · OSS free
$29 → $299 · LTD via AppSumo

When Plausible is the better choice

  • You want a simple counter and nothing more.
  • You're running a blog, docs site, or marketing page.
  • Privacy purity matters more than investigation depth.
  • You don't need mobile or replay.

When Grain is the better choice

  • You run a SaaS or ecommerce product where funnel drop-offs cost money.
  • You want an AI analyst, not just a dashboard.
  • You need heatmaps, session replay, or mobile analytics.
  • Your WordPress or WooCommerce store needs server-side event tracking.

Run both, no commitment

Plausible and Grain scripts coexist. Run them side-by-side for 30 days and compare. Email eray@grainql.com for a 90-day Growth-tier trial.

FAQ

Is Grain open source?

No, not in the next 12 months. Self-hosting is available on enterprise tier.

Does Grain track users across sites?

No. No cross-site tracking, no fingerprinting, no third-party cookies.

Can I export my data?

Yes. CSV from every view, plus the Grain Connector (in development).