Beam vs Fathom Analytics

Fathom Analytics is a well-built product with a clear focus on privacy, simplicity, and reliability. Like Beam, it uses no cookies, stores no PII, and is fully GDPR-compliant without requiring a consent banner. Both tools share the same core philosophy — give site owners the traffic data they need without compromising their visitors' privacy.

The main difference is pricing. Fathom's entry plan starts at $15/mo, which includes unlimited sites and 100,000 pageviews. That's a reasonable deal if you're running multiple sites, but it's a lot to pay just to see how many people visit your blog or side project. Beam's free tier covers one site up to 50,000 pageviews per month — genuinely free, no trial period, no credit card. The $5/mo Pro plan covers up to 500,000 pageviews across unlimited sites, which is a significant saving compared to Fathom's entry price.

Fathom does have some advantages: a longer track record, a custom domain feature that helps bypass ad blockers, and a 99.99% uptime guarantee. If those features matter to your use case, Fathom is worth the premium. For most site owners who just want clean, private analytics without overpaying, Beam offers the same core functionality at a much lower price point.