Why I Chose Simple Analytics Over Google Analytics

by v2v Team
legal privacy analytics solo-founder

I was ready to add Google Analytics to my landing page. Just drop in the tracking code, maybe throw up a cookie banner, and start understanding my users. Simple, right?

Three days of research later, I discovered I likely didn’t need cookie consent at all.

Here’s what I learned about when you actually need it—and the alternatives that let you skip the whole mess.

Disclaimer: I’m not a lawyer, and this isn’t legal advice. Privacy regulations are complex and evolving. Consult a legal professional for your specific situation.

The Assumption That Started It All

I’m building Vibe to Viable, a product to help developers ship faster. I needed two things: analytics to understand users, and Stripe integration for payments. Both use cookies. Both have GDPR and CCPA implications.

My initial plan was straightforward: implement a cookie consent banner, get user opt-in for analytics, and move on. Maybe a weekend of work with AI assistance.

That assumption was quickly proven wrong.

GDPR and CCPA treat cookies differently, but both create real obligations:

GDPR (EU users): Opt-in consent required before setting non-essential cookies. Pre-checked boxes don’t count. “Continuing to browse” doesn’t count. You need explicit user action.

CCPA (California users): Opt-out opportunity required. You can load analytics by default, but must provide a clear way to opt out and delete data.

The challenge isn’t just the banner. It’s three interconnected systems:

1. The consent banner – User-facing interface with granular controls (accept all, reject all, customize), clear cookie disclosures, and preference storage.

2. The consent database – Backend API and database to record consent decisions, timestamp events, track consent scope, maintain audit logs, and enable withdrawal.

3. The cookie scanner – Automated tool to identify all cookies on your site, detect third-party service cookies (analytics, payments, chat widgets), categorize cookies (essential vs. non-essential), and update automatically as your site changes.

That third piece surprised me. Every third-party service you integrate—Stripe, Google Analytics, chat widgets, social embeds—sets its own cookies. You’re responsible for disclosing all of them.

The CMP Discovery

This is where I learned about Consent Management Platforms. CMPs like Cookiebot, Termly, and CookieYes handle all three components.

They provide pre-built, legally compliant consent banners. They host the consent database and API. They automatically scan your site and update cookie disclosures. They stay updated as regulations evolve.

Most offer free tiers (5,000 monthly users or ~50 pages) and paid tiers starting around $10-30/month for small sites.

I started evaluating Termly because it also generates terms of service and privacy policies. But I’d already drafted those using examples from other sites and AI assistance.

Building this myself would take a couple weeks, even with AI. Then I’d be managing infrastructure, ensuring legal compliance, and maintaining it as regulations change.

A CMP looked like the obvious choice.

Then I Hit the Google Analytics Problem

Here’s where it got messy.

Google Analytics stores data in US data centers. Even with a consent banner, GA’s data handling practices may not be GDPR-compliant. European privacy regulators have declared GA illegal in several jurisdictions because of how Google transfers and processes data.

So I could implement cookie consent correctly, pay for a CMP, follow every regulation… and still potentially violate GDPR by using Google Analytics.

That’s when I started looking for alternatives.

The Escape Route: Cookieless Analytics

I found Simple Analytics—a privacy-focused, cookieless analytics platform.

No cookies means no consent requirements. No GDPR complications. No CCPA opt-out provisions.

You get less granularity than Google Analytics. No user-level tracking, no cross-session behavior analysis. But you get what matters: traffic sources, page views, referrers, geographic data (from IP, not stored cookies).

For a landing page where I just want to know if anyone’s visiting and where they’re coming from? Perfect.

Simple Analytics has a free tier that retains data for 30 days. That’s fine for my current needs.

The Stripe Exemption

The other piece of good news: Stripe cookies appear to be considered essential for site functionality.

Essential cookies—those required for core features like authentication, shopping carts, and payment processing—are exempt from consent requirements under both GDPR and CCPA.

If your only cookies are essential, you don’t need a consent banner at all. You just need to disclose them in your privacy policy.

So: cookieless analytics + essential payment cookies = no consent banner needed.

After all this research, here’s the decision framework I came up with:

You need cookie consent if:

  • You use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or similar tracking tools
  • You have marketing cookies (retargeting, ad attribution)
  • You use non-essential third-party services (chat widgets, social embeds that set cookies)
  • You serve EU users and track them across sessions

You don’t need cookie consent if:

  • You use cookieless analytics (Simple Analytics, Plausible, Fathom)
  • Your only cookies are essential (authentication, payments, shopping cart)
  • You’re US-focused and don’t use tracking cookies

The gray area:

  • You’re US-based but have some EU traffic (depends on risk tolerance and revenue exposure)
  • You’re just starting out with minimal users (regulatory risk is low, but not zero)

What I Wish I’d Known

Three days of research taught me:

  1. CMPs exist and they’re worth it. If you need cookie consent, don’t build it yourself. A couple weeks of development time vs. $10-30/month is no contest.

  2. Google Analytics has GDPR problems. Even with perfect consent implementation, you might not be compliant if you’re using GA.

  3. Cookieless alternatives are viable. For early-stage projects, Simple Analytics gives you enough data without the compliance headache.

  4. Essential cookies are exempt. Stripe, auth systems, shopping carts—these don’t require consent banners.

  5. Regulations are genuinely complex. To be absolutely certain you’re compliant, you need a lawyer. That’s expensive and not always practical for solo founders.

The Broader Lesson

Privacy regulations should be straightforward. They’re not.

There should be readily available, affordable ways to comply. There aren’t—at least not without paying for a CMP or sacrificing analytics granularity.

The best approach for solo founders? Minimize your cookie footprint. Use cookieless tools where possible. Defer cookie consent implementation until you actually need it.

When you do need it, pay for a CMP. Your time is worth more than $30/month, and regulatory risk isn’t worth the savings.

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