Burst Statistics: sustainable and European alternative to Google Analytics

Are you looking for a European alternative to Google Analytics? Then you’ve come to the right place with the WordPress plugin Burst Statistics. It not only works easily, but is also privacy-friendly and a lot more sustainable. So in terms of privacy and low CO2 emissions, you’re in the right place.

As a website owner, you naturally want to know how well your website is doing. How many visitors you have, where they come from and which pages they visit. This often leads you to Google Analytics. Yet not everyone is a fan of this.

The drawbacks of Google Analytics: high carbon footprint and privacy questions

• Steep learning curve: this tool is so extensive, you will need some time to master it. Great tool for marketers and online entrepreneurs, but less interesting if you check your stats every once in a while.
• Less sustainable: Google Analytics’ script is loaded on every page and data is stored in a cloud. And what is stored in the cloud is also on a server somewhere, powered by electricity.
• Privacy concerns: although Google Analytics acts according to GDPR and AVG legislation, people continue to question privacy. Namely, it is not always clear on which server, i.e. where, the collected data is stored. Is it in the EU or in the U.S.?

When it comes to privacy, it’s often about the cookie banner. But is it required or not? Find out here whether you need to put a cookie banner on your website.

Burst Statistics: a European, sustainable and privacy-friendly alternative to Google Analytics

There are several other alternatives to Google Analytics, but Burst clearly stands out in terms of simplicity, privacy and sustainability:

• Easy to use: unlike Google Analytics, this is not a comprehensive platform. Burst Statistics is limited to the most necessary statistics: visitors, page views, sessions, device types, pages visited and referrers (for example, search engines such as Google or Ecosia or chatbots such as ChatGPT or Le Chat from Mistral AI). You can do all this with the free version. Want more? Then you can purchase the paid version Burst Statistics Pro.
• Privacy-friendly: Burst collects data, but only stores it locally, that is, on your own server or host. If your website is hosted within the EU, Burst is the right choice. This way, you can be sure that the data will not be resold.
• Sustainable solution: Burst not only stores data locally, but also needs fewer external scripts. Furthermore, there is a feature in Burst that ensures that this plugin does not slow down the website. This is explained in the roadmap below.
• Dutch company: Burst Statistics, the European alternative to Google Analytics, was developed by a Groningen-based BV that also created the plugins Complianz and Really Simple Security. So by using this plugin, you support the local Benelux economy.

Really Simple Security is a security plugin. Want to know more about securing your website? Then read how to create a secure WordPress website here.

How should I install Burst in WordPress?

This is the roadmap for the free version. Need more? Then consider Burst Pro. Read all about Burst Pro in the next section.

Here’s how to install Burst Statistics:

1. Log in to your website.
2. Go to WordPress dashboard > Plugins > Add new plugin.
3. Search for “Burst” or “Burst Statistics.” Prefer to download Burst yourself? Then go to the Burst website.
4. Click install.
5. Click activate.
6. Are you using a cache plugin like WP Rocket? Then don’t forget to empty the cache.
7. Now, if all goes well, you’ll see the word “Statistics” appear in the left bar of your dashboard. Click on this and you will be taken to Burst!
8. Check if it works: on your cell phone, visit the website and under “dashboard” of Burst, see if you see the number 1 appear under “current” (or a higher number if there were already other visitors). Is that the case? Then it’s working.
9. Now we are going to set Burst further. Now go to settings > general.
10. Check “Enable turbo mode” to keep your page speed high. Now Burst’s script is no longer loaded in the header (upper part of the website), but in the footer (lower part of the website). Attention: does a visitor leave before the page is fully loaded? Then that visitor does not count.
11. Check “Enable Cookieless Tracking,” Burst will now not set cookies.
12. Check “Honor ‘Do Not Track’ requests,” that way you will definitely stay in order in terms of privacy.
13. Enter your email address for a periodic statistics report of your website. You choose whether you want to receive it weekly or monthly.
14. Go to settings > goals, if you want to actively work on your marketing. Here’s how to set goals in Burst.
15. Go to settings > advanced, this way you can exclude yourself. This is where you enter your own IP address. You can do that for both your fixed computer and your phone. This way, your own visits are not counted and you get a more objective report.
16. Want to make your site even faster? Then check “Merge tracking settings and scripts,” which will merge scripts.
17. Are you using a cache plugin? If so, don’t forget to clear the cache.

What do I need: Burst Analytics or Burst Pro?

Burst Analytics is the free version of Burst. You can already see a lot with that, such as:

• How often your web pages are visited
• What devices your visitors use (desktop, tablet, mobile or other)
• What websites your visitors are coming from (for example, search engines like Ecosia or chatbots like Le Chat from Mistral AI)
• Set one marketing goal

But would you like to see more? Like:

• Which country your website visitors come from
• Setting multiple marketing goals

How do I install Burst Pro in WordPress?

This can be done in two ways:

Way 1: download Burst Pro directly

Choose this way if you don’t already have the free Burst Statistics plugin.

1. Buy Burst Pro
2. Download Burst Pro
3. Go to dashboard > plugins > add plugin > upload plugin
4. Install the plugin
5. Activate the license (your license can be found in your Burst Statistics account)

Way 2: Download Burst Pro from Burst Statistics.

Choose this way if you do use the free Burst Statistics plugin.

1. Go to dashboard > statistics > upgrade to pro
2. You will be directed to Burst’s website and choose the Burst Pro plan that suits you
3. Give Burst Pro permission to replace the Burst Statistics plugin. Attention: normally you keep your statistics! Is that not the case? Then contact Burst’s support department.

How do I use Burst?

For some time now, I have stopped using Google Analytics. After all, this platform offered me too many options that I didn’t use. By working only with Burst, I find what I need right away. I am also now confident that the privacy of my customers and website visitors is respected. That’s because Burst stores data locally and is GDPR/AVG compliant.

As a sustainable web designer and photographer, I use Burst for the following purposes:

• Removing outdated content (“Death of content strategy”): every now and then I need to remove old blogs that are no longer relevant to the direction of my business. For that, I need the statistics to see if they are frequently visited and if I need to set up a 301 redirect. By the way, a 301 redirect is the redirecting of deleted content to another web page.
• Adjusting my business focus: As I focus more on sustainability, privacy and digital sovereignty, I want articles that deal with these topics to be highly findable. With Burst, I track which articles get the most visits so I can optimize my strategy.
• Checking where my visitors are coming from: for a sustainable entrepreneur, it is not only important to be easily findable in Google, but also in Ecosia. In fact, the German search engine has a focus on environmentally friendly content and donates part of its profits to tree-planting projects.

For now, I don’t need additional data. It suits my sustainable and minimalist approach.

Conclusion

Burst is the European, privacy-friendly and sustainable alternative to Google Analytics. The plugin works simply, stores data only locally and loads fewer external scripts. Furthermore, Burst shows fewer results than Google Analytics. Very convenient for website owners. That makes Burst a good solution for people or organizations that value privacy and sustainability.

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Article updated February 19, 2026.