A simpler, privacy-friendly alternative to Google Analytics
Varde tells you how many people visit your site, where they come from and what they read, without cookies. Each morning it emails you a short summary in plain English, so you don't have to dig through reports.
Varde and Google Analytics side by side
| Varde | Google Analytics | |
|---|---|---|
| Cookies | None. Nothing is stored on visitors’ devices. | Sets cookies (such as _ga) to recognise returning visitors. |
| Cookie banner | Not needed for Varde. | Usually needs visitor consent in the EU, so visitors who decline are not counted. |
| Where data is stored | Stockholm, Sweden. | Google’s infrastructure. |
| What you read | One dashboard page and a short email that says what changed. | Many reports and an explorations tool. Powerful, but takes time to learn. |
| AI summary | Daily or weekly report in plain English. | Automated insights inside the GA interface. |
| Price | Free for one site. Paid plans from $15 a month. | Free. |
Who Varde is for
Small businesses, freelancers, makers and agencies who want to know what is working on their website, and who would rather not ask visitors for cookie consent just to count them. If you installed Google Analytics once and rarely open it, Varde is built for you.
When Google Analytics is the better choice
- You run Google Ads and want conversion data to flow straight into it.
- You need advanced features such as audiences, user-level journeys or BigQuery export.
- You need a free tool at very high traffic levels.
Many sites run both for a while. Varde works alongside Google Analytics, so you can compare before you decide.
How Varde counts visitors without cookies
Each visit is counted with a hash made from a secret that rotates every day, so a visitor can be counted once per day but never followed from one day to the next. IP addresses are never stored. The security page shows exactly how it works, including the limits of the approach.
Switching takes a few minutes
Add one script tag, or use the WordPress plugin, the Next.js package or a guide for Shopify, Webflow, Framer, Wix, Squarespace, Ghost or Lovable. Varde starts counting from the moment it is installed; it does not import past Google Analytics data.