By @markbowley
Since 2021, I’ve been using Fathom Analytics to get simple data and insights from all my websites. I struggled for years with Google Analytics (GA), and just couldn’t get on with the overcomplicated, unintuitive interface.
Using Fathom also means that in most cases, I don’t have to display those annoying cooke notices. Don’t you hate them? GA is largely responsible for their need in most cases, but there are no cookies with Fathom.
These two reasons alone are enough to show you how much more pleasant Fathom is to get simple insights.
But let’s dive a bit deeper, and go into some of the wider benfits to switching away from Google.
Google closed it’s Universal Analytics in June 2023, causing big headaches across the globe. It’s successor, GA4, is even harder to use. Getting the information you need or finding anything is nearly impossible unles you’re an expert.
By contrast, I find Fathom is a pleasure to use. It's so much simpler and easier to understand than GA. Even putting analytics aside, it’s one of my favourite apps to use. I just don’t have to think so much when I use it, which should be the goal with any app. The most important data I need is front-and-centre, not buried in complex, unecessary options.
This is a big problem with Google. It tracks, stores and monetises personal information about your website visitors. Why? It’s because their business model is simple: offer free tools to mine information, to feed the core business – advertising. GA was even ruled illigal in the EU, due to it’s lack of compliance with basic privacy (one reason they’ve shut down Universal Analytics and are forcing everyone onto GA4 – which is compliant, but a beast to use).
Fathom on the other hand, is a polar opposite. It’s business model is privacy by design**.** It doesn’t store or use any personal data.
They’re independent, and intentionally so – they’ve turned down venture capital in order to stay unbeholden to stakeholders. Does that make them risky? No, they’ve been profitable from the start (3+ years) and continue to grow (1000s of of customers).
To add a little icing on that cake, they even donate to planet causes – giving 1% to the Rainforest Trust and 1% to Stripe’s carbon removal program.
Fathom on the other hand, is a polar opposite
You don’t need to take my word for it with all this gushing enthusiasm. Fathom boast some well-known tech customers, who’ve chosen to be very unlike ‘big tech’ and protect your privacy. Companies like IBM, GitHub, Buffer and Fastmail to name a few.