Pirsch Analytics

Marvin Blum launched Pirsch Analytics in 2020 from Germany as an open-source, privacy-first Google Analytics alternative. Where Plausible was Swiss and Fathom was Canadian, Pirsch was built under German data protection culture — extremely strict about GDPR compliance. The architecture was designed from scratch to collect zero personal data: no cookies, no fingerprinting, no IP storage. The open-source version could be self-hosted; the managed SaaS version was hosted on servers in Germany. Pirsch targeted European developers and businesses who needed airtight compliance with GDPR without managing their own infrastructure. It grew steadily in the European developer community, and the open-source repo gained thousands of GitHub stars. Revenue remained modest compared to Plausible or Fathom — around $3-5k/month — but it served a clear niche: privacy-obsessed European teams who wanted German-hosted, fully compliant analytics. A focused, purpose-built tool for a specific compliance requirement.