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Marketing · head to head

Plausible vs RescueTime

Plausible logo

Plausible

Marketing

Simple, privacy-friendly analytics

From
$9/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
RescueTime logo

RescueTime

Technology

Take back control of your time

From
$12/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Plausible there is no free tier, only a 30 day trial; RescueTime no free tier since 2023, making it costly for individual experimentation
  • They diverge on capability: Plausible covers Page view tracking, RescueTime covers Automatic time tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Plausible and RescueTime actually diverge.

Attributes where Plausible and RescueTime differ
AttributePlausibleRescueTime
Starting price$9/month$12/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWebWindows, macOS, Android, Web
CategoryMarketingTechnology
Founded20182006

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Plausible

  • Page view tracking
  • Goal tracking
  • Real-time analytics
  • Outbound link click tracking
  • No cookies
  • Web support
  • 20+ languages language support

Only in RescueTime

  • Automatic time tracking
  • Productivity scoring
  • Detailed categorization
  • FocusTime blocking
  • Goal setting
  • Alerts & notifications
  • Offline time entry
  • API access

Both cover

  • Privacy-focused
  • Cloud deployment

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Plausible

  • Privacy-focused web analytics without cookies or personal datanot RescueTime
  • A Google Analytics replacement that needs no consent bannernot RescueTime
  • Self-hosted analytics on your own infrastructurenot RescueTime
  • EU-hosted measurement for data residency requirementsnot RescueTime

RescueTime

  • Personal productivity trackingnot Plausible
  • Time auditnot Plausible
  • Focus improvementnot Plausible
  • Work-life balancenot Plausible
  • Team productivity analysisnot Plausible

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Plausible

  • There is no free tier, only a 30 day trial
  • Paid plans are metered on monthly pageviews, so a traffic spike moves you up a plan
  • Self-hosting is possible but means running and updating the service yourself
  • Deliberately simple, so there are no user-level profiles or funnel-by-individual reports the way a cookie-based analytics tool provides

RescueTime

  • No free tier since 2023, making it costly for individual experimentation
  • Limited iOS support compared to competitors that offer full mobile app access
  • Requires integration via categories and rules rather than direct app detection on some platforms

Pricing, plan by plan

Plausible

$9/month
  • Starter$9/month
    • Up to 10k monthly pageviews
    • 1 site
    • 3 years data retention
  • Growth$14/month
    • Up to 3 sites
    • Up to 3 team members
  • Business$19/month
    • Up to 10 sites
    • Up to 10 team members
    • 5 years data retention
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • 10+ sites
    • Custom pricing

RescueTime

$12/month
  • Standard$12/month
    • Automatic time tracking
    • Focus Time
    • Idle time monitoring
  • Team$6/month
    • All Standard features
    • Team analytics
    • Cross-device tracking

Which should you pick?

Choose Plausible if

  • You need page view tracking.
  • You also want goal tracking.
Plausible review

Choose RescueTime if

  • You need automatic time tracking.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want productivity scoring.
RescueTime review

Questions people ask

Is Plausible or RescueTime better?
Neither clearly leads. Plausible starts at $9/month and RescueTime at $12/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Plausible or RescueTime?
Plausible starts at $9/month and RescueTime at $12/month.
Does Plausible or RescueTime run on more platforms?
Plausible runs on Web. RescueTime runs on Windows, macOS, Android, Web.
What is Plausible best used for?
Plausible is most often used for privacy-focused web analytics without cookies or personal data, a google analytics replacement that needs no consent banner, self-hosted analytics on your own infrastructure, eu-hosted measurement for data residency requirements. Of those, privacy-focused web analytics without cookies or personal data and a google analytics replacement that needs no consent banner are not what RescueTime is typically brought in for.
What can Plausible do that RescueTime cannot?
Plausible covers Page view tracking, Goal tracking, Real-time analytics, Outbound link click tracking. RescueTime covers Automatic time tracking, Productivity scoring, Detailed categorization, FocusTime blocking. Both handle Privacy-focused, Cloud deployment.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Plausible: How much does Plausible Analytics cost?

Plausible offers plans starting at $9/month for the Starter tier, $14/month for Growth, and $19/month for Business. Enterprise pricing is custom. All plans include a 30-day free trial without requiring a credit card.

Source
RescueTime: Does RescueTime still have a free tier?

No. RescueTime discontinued its free tier in 2023. The service now requires a paid subscription starting at $12 per month or $78 per year.

Source
Plausible: Is there a free version of Plausible?

Plausible does not offer a free plan; however, all paid plans include a 30-day free trial with full access to features.

Source
RescueTime: What platforms does RescueTime support?

RescueTime supports Windows, macOS, Android, and web. iOS support is limited to passive features like calendar sync and mobile summary emails.

Source
Plausible: What is the difference between Plausible's pricing tiers?

The Starter plan covers up to 10k monthly pageviews for 1 site. Growth adds up to 3 sites and 3 team members. Business expands to 10 sites, 10 team members, and includes advanced features like API access and 5 years data retention.

Source
RescueTime: What are the key productivity features in RescueTime?

RescueTime offers automatic time tracking, Focus Time for blocking distractions, idle time monitoring, goal-setting with reminders, and in 2026 adds AI-Based Focus Sessions with real-time alerts to detect poor focus patterns.

Source
RescueTime: Is there a team plan for RescueTime?

Yes. The team plan costs $6 per user per month when billed annually, with a minimum of 3 users required.

Source
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