Pirsch Analytics vs Wide Angle Analytics

Compare Pirsch Analytics and Wide Angle Analytics on capabilities, jurisdiction, assurance, and fit for European buyers.

Both listed as alternatives to: Fathom Analytics, Google Analytics, Matomo

Pirsch Analytics

Germany· Web Analytics

Needs review

Shortlist Pirsch when you want German-operated, cookie-free web analytics with funnels/events, agency white-label, and a public DPA—hosted on Hetzner per vendor docs. Skip when you need free full-product self-host, session replay/heatmaps, or a stack with zero US-group subprocessors; consider Plausible or Simple Analytics instead.

Cookie-free hashingOpen-source core (AGPL)Hetzner DE hosting (claimed)Server-side trackingAgency white-labelPublic DPA/AVV

View listing Visit Website

Wide Angle Analytics

Germany· Web Analytics

Needs review

Do not shortlist Wide Angle for new multi-year analytics: the vendor is winding the product down by end of August 2026. Existing customers should migrate using the promised data snapshot. For new EU privacy-analytics shortlists prefer Plausible, Pirsch, Simple Analytics, or Piwik PRO; keep Matomo-class stacks when self-host control is mandatory.

Cookieless by defaultGerman GmbH (Berlin)OVHcloud FR/DE hostingSaaS only (no self-host)EOL Aug 2026

View listing Visit Website

Highlighted rows differ between the two products.

Pirsch Analytics vs Wide Angle Analytics: Snapshot
Feature	Pirsch Analytics	Wide Angle Analytics
Country of origin	Germany	Germany
Category	Web Analytics	Web Analytics
Open source	Yes	No
Self-hosted	No	No
Headquarters	Germany	Germany
Legal entity	Emvi Software GmbH (Nickelstraße 1b, 33378 Rheda-Wiedenbrück; HRB 11575, AG Gütersloh)	Input Objects GmbH, Scharnhorststraße 24, 10115 Berlin, Germany
Governing law	Germany / EU GDPR	Not listed
US parent / control	No known US parent	No known US parent
CLOUD Act exposure (indicative)	Medium	Medium
Hosting / residency	Analytics: Hetzner Online GmbH, Germany (vendor claims Nuremberg/Falkenstein). Account/ops subprocessors named in privacy policy include AWS SES (Amazon Web Services EMEA), Google Workspace (Google Cloud EMEA), Stripe, Inc. (US), Intuition Machines, Inc. (US CAPTCHA), and Datev eG (DE).	Visitor analytics: OVHcloud limited to FR/DE (vendor). Account path: Paddle (payments), Brevo email/automation, Infomaniak; older vendor post notes Brevo/Sendinblue encrypted DR involving AWS/GCP. No known US corporate parent.
Summary	Cookie-free web analytics from Emvi Software GmbH in Germany: hash-based visitor IDs, open-source core, Hetzner-hosted SaaS with funnels, events, and agency white-label.	German cookieless-by-default web analytics SaaS (Input Objects GmbH, OVHcloud FR/DE). Product announced for discontinuation end of August 2026—prefer living EU peers for new deployments.
Tags	analytics web-analytics privacy gdpr saas germany cookie-free open-source server-side-tracking	analytics web-analytics privacy gdpr saas germany cookieless google-analytics-alternative end-of-life

At a glance: Pirsch Analytics vs Wide Angle Analytics
At a glance	Pirsch Analytics	Wide Angle Analytics
HQ	Rheda-Wiedenbrück, Germany	Berlin, Germany (Input Objects GmbH)
Legal entity	Emvi Software GmbH	Not listed
Category	Web analytics (SaaS)	Not listed
Open source	Core library AGPL-3.0; full SaaS commercial	No
Self-host	Enterprise on-prem option; not free CE	No
Commercial model	Usage-based (monthly page views); trial available	Event/site SaaS tiers + 14-day trial (see official pricing)
Primary hosting (claimed)	Hetzner Germany (Nuremberg/Falkenstein)	Not listed
Product launch	Not listed	November 2021
Hosting (visitor path)	Not listed	OVHcloud France & Germany (vendor-stated)
Status	Not listed	Discontinuing end of August 2026

Key capabilities: Pirsch Analytics vs Wide Angle Analytics
Key capabilities	Pirsch Analytics	Wide Angle Analytics
Cookie-free hashing	Yes	Not listed
Open-source core (AGPL)	Yes	Not listed
Hetzner DE hosting (claimed)	Yes	Not listed
Server-side tracking	Yes	Not listed
Agency white-label	Yes	Not listed
Public DPA/AVV	Yes	Not listed
Cookieless by default	Not listed	Yes
German GmbH (Berlin)	Not listed	Yes
OVHcloud FR/DE hosting	Not listed	Yes
SaaS only (no self-host)	Not listed	Yes
EOL Aug 2026	Not listed	Yes

Pirsch Analytics

Cookie-free 24-hour visitor hashing
Recognizes visitors without cookies by hashing IP, User-Agent, date, and a per-site salt into a short ID. The vendor states IPs are not stored and cross-site linkage is blocked by the salt; sessions expire after 24 hours so long-term profiles are not built. Best for sites that want aggregate traffic metrics without a dedicated analytics cookie banner—confirm ePrivacy/TTDSG fit with counsel.
Server-side and script integrations
Instrument via JS snippet, CMS plugins (e.g. WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Framer), or backend SDKs/API (Go library and other stacks). Server-side collection improves resilience when ad blockers strip client scripts. Tradeoff: backend integration costs more engineering time than a single script tag.
Funnels, events, goals, and tag segmentation
Goes past pageviews with custom events, conversion goals, multi-step funnels, session path exploration, outbound/download/404 tracking, and tags for A/B tests or channel segmentation. Webhooks and email reports push insights into existing tools. Some advanced metrics (e.g. custom event metrics, e-commerce revenue tracking) sit on higher commercial tiers—verify the live feature matrix.
Agency white-label and shared dashboards
Custom domains, themes, logos, and broader white-label options let agencies present analytics under their own brand. Public dashboards and unique access links support clients without full account sprawl; roles/teams scale collaboration. Strong fit for multi-client portfolios; less relevant for a single personal blog.
Migration imports, API, and unlimited retention (stated)
Import historical data from Google Analytics, Plausible, or Fathom; export CSV; use the REST API and SDKs for custom pipelines. Pricing docs state unlimited data retention across Standard, Plus, and Enterprise. Limits are usage-based on monthly page views (events and a share of session extensions count)—plan for growth, not perpetual free volume.

Wide Angle Analytics

Cookieless request-based sessions with daily rotating salt
Default mode hashes site + IP + User-Agent with a non-persisted daily salt (SHA-256). Same-day uniques without cookies or long-lived IDs; past sessions cannot be re-linked after salt rotation. Optional 24h cookie or canvas fingerprinting change the consent analysis.
Optional tracking modes for SPA and consent-gated detail
Enable HTTP(S)-only 24h cookies, client fingerprinting, or service-issued IDs for SPA reliability. Fingerprinting is off by default and may require consent—controllers must re-assess before enabling.
Marketer dashboards, custom events, and multi-site teams
Real-time charts for sources, pages, devices, UTM campaigns, goals, custom actions, and e-commerce revenue attribution. Higher tiers add multi-user sharing, permissions, and many sites without SQL.
CMS one-click installs and lightweight script embed
Plugins/integrations for WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Ghost, Webflow, and common JS stacks; custom sites add a script tag. Built for marketers rather than BI engineers.
OVHcloud EU regions (FR/DE) for visitor analytics path
Vendor states product hosting is limited to OVHcloud France and Germany with no end-user analytics transfer outside EU/EEA and no sale of visitor data. Account billing/email use separate subprocessors (see Trust).

Assurance & compliance: Pirsch Analytics vs Wide Angle Analytics
Assurance & compliance	Pirsch Analytics	Wide Angle Analytics
Independent security / privacy audit	Not found Open-source core allows code review; no public third-party audit PDF located in this research pass.	Not found No public independent pen-test or no-logs audit PDF found on site materials reviewed.
ISO 27001	Not found No ISO 27001 certificate or registry entry found on official trust pages reviewed.	Not found No public ISO 27001 certificate page found.
SOC 2 / SOC 3	Not found No public SOC 2/3 report referenced on official pages reviewed.	Not found No public SOC 2/3 report found.
GDPR / EU data protection	Vendor claimed German controller/processor Emvi Software GmbH; cookie-free hashing design; public DPA; German Hetzner hosting claims. Vendor also cites CCPA/PECR/Schrems II—treat as claims, confirm with counsel.	Vendor claimed German controller/processor entity; cookieless-default design; DPO named (DPO CONSULTING). Not legal advice.
US CLOUD Act exposure (indicative)	Partial EU entity / no known US parent and Hetzner DE analytics hosting, but privacy policy names AWS SES, Google Workspace, Stripe, and Intuition Machines (US-group services) for email/CAPTCHA/payments. Not legal advice.	Partial EU GmbH, no known US parent, OVH FR/DE visitor hosting; offset by Paddle and Brevo-related infrastructure (incl. encrypted AWS/GCP DR per vendor blog). Assessment row—not vendor marketing.
Data processing agreement (B2B)	Vendor claimed Downloadable English DPA and German AVV PDFs linked from docs.pirsch.io/privacy.	Vendor claimed Vendor blog/compliance materials state a signed DPA is offered; confirm current template with vendor.
EU AI Act	Not applicable Classical web analytics product; not marketed as an AI system.	Not applicable Web analytics product, not an AI system under typical AI Act product framing.

Considerations & known limitations: Pirsch Analytics vs Wide Angle Analytics
Considerations & known limitations	Pirsch Analytics	Wide Angle Analytics
US-group account/ops subprocessors	Medium Even with German analytics hosting claims, customer email, CAPTCHA, and payments involve AWS, Google, Stripe, and Intuition Machines. Sovereign or “no US cloud” policies need explicit exception handling or Enterprise architecture review.	Not listed
No public ISO/SOC or third-party audit	Medium Procurement teams that require ISO 27001 or SOC 2 evidence will need vendor questionnaires or NDA materials; public pages did not show those certs.	Not listed
Open-source core ≠ free full self-host	Low Teams assuming AGPL means free on-prem of the entire product may be surprised; full on-prem is positioned as Enterprise.	Not listed
Fingerprinting still needs legal fit review	Low Cookie-free hashing is not automatically lawful everywhere without information/consent analysis. Banner removal should be validated for your jurisdiction and tag stack.	Not listed
Page-view usage limits	Low Plans are metered on monthly page views (with events and partial session extensions counting). Hitting the cap can restrict dashboard access until upgrade or cycle reset—model traffic before cutover.	Not listed
Product end-of-life (August 2026)	Not listed	High Vendor announced discontinuation; service runs until end of August 2026 with pro-rata refunds and a vendor-prepared snapshot—not a self-service export. New deployments risk forced migration within weeks.
No self-host continuity path	Not listed	High SaaS-only design means the product cannot be retained on your infrastructure after shutdown.
Account subprocessors beyond OVH	Not listed	Medium Paddle, Brevo, Infomaniak (and historical Brevo DR via US-group clouds) affect customer-account and support data paths even if visitor analytics stay on OVH EU.
Optional fingerprinting/cookies	Not listed	Medium Non-default modes can reintroduce consent obligations; misconfiguration is a controller risk.
No public ISO/SOC/independent audit	Not listed	Medium Assurance rests on design docs, DPA, and vendor claims unless private reports are provided under NDA.

Fit

Pirsch Analytics

Best fit when

EU sites replacing Google Analytics that need pageviews, campaigns, events, and funnels without analytics cookies
Agencies needing multi-site dashboards, client access links, and white-label branding
Teams that can instrument server-side or proxy scripts for better ad-blocker resilience
Buyers who want a German GmbH, downloadable DPA, and Hetzner-Germany residency claims for analytics data
Orgs evaluating Enterprise SAML, raw data access, or on-prem/managed private deployment

Poor fit when

Teams that require a free, full-product self-hosted community edition (core library ≠ full SaaS)
Product or UX research needing session replay, heatmaps, or persistent cross-site user identity
Procurement policies that forbid any US-group subprocessor (email CAPTCHA/billing still touch AWS/Google/Stripe/Intuition Machines)
Heavy product-analytics / multi-product identity graphs (closer to Amplitude/Mixpanel class tools)

Consider instead when

When: You need a free full-stack self-hosted analytics product with AGPL community edition
Consider: Plausible Analytics (CE) or other open full products in your shortlist
Pirsch open-sources the tracking core; on-prem of the full product is Enterprise-scoped.
When: You want the simplest possible privacy-first metrics with a Dutch vendor
Consider: Simple Analytics
Fewer advanced funnel/white-label features; different packaging tradeoffs.
When: You need heatmaps or session replay more than classical web analytics
Consider: Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity, or EU UX-analytics peers
Expect heavier consent and data-minimization review.
When: You must stay inside Google’s advertising and BigQuery measurement ecosystem
Consider: Google Analytics / Google Tag Manager stack
Opposite privacy and transfer posture—only if legal review accepts it.

Wide Angle Analytics

Best fit when

Existing Wide Angle customers completing migration before the announced August 2026 shutdown
Historical evaluation of cookieless, marketer-oriented EU SaaS analytics design (daily-salted sessions, OVH FR/DE)
Teams that needed multi-site CMS installs and shared reports without running Matomo themselves (while service remained live)
Controllers comparing default cookieless vs optional fingerprint/cookie modes on a single product

Poor fit when

Any new production deployment expected to outlive August 2026
Buyers requiring open-source self-host continuity (use Plausible CE, Matomo, or similar)
Product analytics, session replay, heatmaps, or ad-tech attribution platforms
Orgs that need public ISO 27001 / SOC 2 certificates without requesting private packs
Free forever hosted analytics

Consider instead when

When: You need a living cookieless EU SaaS analytics product
Consider: Plausible Analytics, Pirsch Analytics, or Simple Analytics
All remain active EU-oriented peers in this directory category.
When: You need self-host or deep plugin/on-prem control
Consider: Matomo (self-host or hosted peers) or Piwik PRO
Wide Angle never offered self-host and is shutting down.
When: You accept US ad-stack analytics for free depth
Consider: Google Analytics (GA4)
Different jurisdiction, cookie/consent model, and product surface—not a like-for-like privacy swap.

Open questions for due diligence

Pirsch Analytics

Can Enterprise on-prem exclude AWS SES / Google Workspace / Stripe / CAPTCHA US-group dependencies for the customer’s deployment?
Is any ISO 27001, SOC 2, or independent penetration-test summary available under NDA?
Exact data centers, backup locations, and encryption-key custody for multi-tenant SaaS—beyond marketing Hetzner claims?
Which feature flags on Standard vs Plus vs Enterprise apply to funnels, A/B tags, e-commerce metrics, and white-label depth at contract time?

Wide Angle Analytics

Exact cutover date/time and timezone for service stop after August 2026?
When and in what open format is each tenant's data snapshot delivered?
Current signed subprocessor list and SCCs under the active DPA (vs 2022 blog / iubenda summary)?
Any residual access window or deletion certificate after EOL?
Are private security assessments available under NDA before remaining term ends?