friendly.ch

One-line Introduction

friendly.ch is a Switzerland-based, privacy-first web analytics provider positioned as a compliant alternative to Google Analytics. Operated by a Swiss team, its core selling points are that it does not collect personally identifiable information, does not require cookie banners, and is fully aligned with European privacy regulations such as GDPR. Users typically choose it because they are tired of Google Analytics’ data misuse concerns, legal risks, or complex setup, and want a lightweight, transparent, Swiss-hosted analytics tool for understanding website traffic.

Business Overview

friendly.ch provides self-hosted web analytics—in essence, a privacy-friendly visitor statistics system. It does not rely on third-party cookies and does not store visitor IP addresses; instead, it generates basic metrics such as visits, referrers, page views, and device types from aggregated data. In terms of company background, friendly.ch is operated by a Swiss company, and Switzerland is known for strict data protection laws, which naturally reinforces its privacy commitments. In the market, it is a niche but professional player among Google Analytics alternatives, similar to Plausible, Simple Analytics, or Fathom, but with a stronger emphasis on Swiss localization and compliance. Its customers are mainly European SMEs, bloggers, SaaS product developers, and website owners who want to tell visitors, “we don’t track you.” Because there is limited public information available, there is no detailed data on its history or stage of development, but based on its positioning, it focuses on privacy compliance rather than feature bloat.

Who It’s Best For

friendly.ch is best suited to the following types of users. First, website owners in Europe or serving European users, especially e-commerce sites, blogs, or service providers that need strict GDPR compliance, since Swiss law is highly compatible with the EU GDPR. Second, privacy-conscious brands or individuals, such as indie developers and content creators, who want to show visitors a transparent “zero tracking” stance. Third, small teams or budget-conscious businesses that find Google Analytics too complex, too resource-heavy, or risky in terms of data misuse; friendly.ch’s lightweight approach may be a good fit.

It is not ideal for large e-commerce or marketing teams that need deep user behavior analytics, such as heatmaps, session recordings, or funnel analysis, because its feature set leans toward basic statistics. Also, if users have no technical background or do not want to deploy anything themselves, friendly.ch may have a slightly higher setup barrier.

Key Features and Highlights

• Fully privacy-compliant: Does not collect cookies, store IP addresses, or track personally identifiable information; compliant by default with GDPR, ePrivacy, and Swiss data protection law.
• No cookie banner required: Since it does not set tracking cookies, websites do not need to show annoying cookie consent pop-ups, improving user experience.
• Swiss hosting and legal protection: All data is stored in Switzerland and governed by the Swiss Federal Data Protection Act, which is recognized alongside the EU GDPR and is even stricter in some areas.
• Lightweight embedding: Can be integrated with a simple JavaScript snippet and has minimal impact on page load speed.
• Real-time basic statistics: Provides core metrics such as visits, referrers, page views, device types, and browsers, with a clean interface and no unnecessary clutter.
• Self-hosting option: Users can host data on friendly.ch’s Swiss servers or deploy it on their own servers for greater control.

Pricing Analysis

friendly.ch does not publicly disclose its monthly pricing, and annual pricing information is also unavailable, placing it in the “opaque pricing” category among similar products. For comparison: Plausible starts at around $9/month, Simple Analytics at around $19/month, and Fathom at around $14/month. If friendly.ch is priced above these alternatives, it would be relatively expensive; if it is below $9/month, it could offer good value. However, given its Swiss background and the premium associated with privacy compliance, its actual pricing may be in the mid-to-high range. No hidden fees have been found, but there is also no clear refund guarantee, meaning users may not be able to get their money back if they are dissatisfied after paying. Potential customers should contact support before purchasing to confirm pricing and trial terms, avoiding blind payment.

How Chinese Users Can Use It

Direct access to the friendly.ch website or its analytics service from China is not very reliable. Based on the “partially available (proxy required)” label, users will likely need a VPN/proxy to load its tracking script properly or access the dashboard. As for payment methods, public information does not specify them, but Swiss merchants typically support Visa/Mastercard or PayPal; domestic Chinese payment options such as Alipay and WeChat Pay are generally unlikely to be available. Regarding invoices, Swiss companies can usually issue VAT invoices, but Chinese users should confirm whether a standard VAT invoice or pro forma invoice can be provided. It is best to clarify this in advance.

Domestic alternatives in China include Baidu Analytics, Umeng+, and 51la. These do not require a VPN/proxy and support RMB payments, but their privacy compliance is far weaker than friendly.ch. If Chinese users are targeting overseas markets and care about privacy, friendly.ch is worth trying, but they will need to solve the network access issue themselves.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• ✅ Very strong privacy compliance, backed by Swiss law; suitable for European businesses
• ✅ No cookie banner required, simplifying compliance workflows
• ✅ Lightweight and does not slow down websites
• ✅ Self-hosting option for full data control
• ✅ Clean interface and easy to get started

Cons:

• ❌ Requires a proxy for access from China; not network-friendly
• ❌ Payment methods are unclear, and Chinese users may not be able to pay directly
• ❌ No clear refund policy, increasing payment risk
• ❌ Basic feature set, lacking advanced analytics such as heatmaps and funnels
• ❌ Pricing is not transparent and requires inquiry

Comparison with Similar Products

• Plausible: Also privacy-first, open-source, and transparently priced from $9/month. It supports self-hosting, but its servers are in the EU, and access from China also typically requires a proxy. Plausible has a larger community and more complete documentation.
• Simple Analytics: Places more emphasis on a clean interface and cookie-free analytics, with pricing from around $19/month. It has fewer features and is suitable for minimalists. Chinese users will also likely need a proxy.
• Fathom: Lightweight and fast, with pricing from $14/month and a free trial, but no self-hosting option and data hosted in the United States. By comparison, friendly.ch’s Swiss hosting and legal protection are its unique advantages.

Final Recommendation

friendly.ch is suitable for website owners operating in Europe who place a very high priority on privacy compliance and do not need complex analytics. If you are a blogger or small business owner serving EU users and want to completely avoid cookie-related legal risks while accepting a streamlined but transparent tool, friendly.ch is worth considering. However, if you operate a website in mainland China or need advanced features such as heatmaps and A/B testing, it is not a great fit—network barriers and missing features will significantly affect the experience.

Before paying, it is recommended to contact support through the official website to obtain pricing and trial information, and to confirm whether the available payment methods meet your needs. If your budget is tight or you need direct access from within China, you may want to prioritize Plausible or domestic alternatives.