No. 28 of 30 ยท Platform-native and free
Statcounter
The oldest tool on this list, still counting, still showing you individual visitor logs.
It has been running continuously since 1999, which makes it older than Google Analytics by six years.
The verdict
Statcounter has been running since 1999 and its survival is genuinely impressive, but the reasons to choose it today are narrow. Its distinguishing feature remains the visitor log: a chronological list of individual visits with referrer, path, location and duration, which some site owners have used daily for twenty years and are not going to give up.
It is Irish, which puts it in the EU, and its Global Stats service is a widely cited public source for browser and platform market share, which is a different product but part of why the name is familiar.
What you actually get
The free tier is the catch and it is a significant one: it keeps only the most recent log entries, so unless you pay, your history effectively does not exist. Paid plans extend the limit and the pageview allowance from around $9 a month.
The privacy model is the older kind. Cookies, individual visitor logging, and a design intent that predates the entire modern conversation, which means a consent banner in the EU and UK and a more awkward conversation than any of the cookieless tools require. Depth is limited, behaviour tooling is minimal, and the interface is dated even next to Clicky. The honest summary is that it is a tool with real longevity, a devoted small user base and no strong argument against the current generation unless the visitor log is specifically what you want.
Best for
Long-standing users who rely on the chronological visitor log and small sites that want a familiar, EU-hosted counter with a free option.
Getting it running
A script tag or a platform plugin, unchanged in approach for many years. Straightforward.
What to watch out for
The free tier keeps only recent log entries, so history requires payment. Cookies and consent obligations in the EU and UK. Limited depth and minimal behaviour tooling. The interface is dated.
Pricing and practicalities
A free tier limited to the most recent log entries, then paid plans from roughly $9 a month raising the log limit and pageview allowance. Hosted in Ireland. Read 2026-09-11.
Who should go elsewhere
Anyone starting fresh in 2026, who will get more insight and no consent banner from Absolutely Analytics or Plausible Analytics for similar money. Also not for anyone needing depth, where Matomo is free to host and far more capable.
How it compares
Against Clicky it is the older and plainer of the two visitor-log tools, and Clicky is the better product at a similar price. Against GoatCounter it is the paid, cookie-setting version of a similar level of insight.
The ten measures
Each measure is scored 0 to 10 and weighted. The overall figure is the weighted mean, and it is relative to the other 29 tools on this list rather than absolute. How this works.
What this rests on
Statcounter's own product and pricing pages, read 2026-09-11, including its documented free-tier log limit and paid plan allowances; its published company history and Global Stats service.
Desk research against the vendor's published material. Pricing tiers are described in ranges because Statcounter's published plan structure varies by pageview allowance rather than a single headline figure.
This is a desk review. I have not been given access by the vendor, I have no commercial relationship with them, and everything above is my opinion rather than a statement of fact. If something here is wrong, tell me and I will correct it.