google-search-console vs fathom-analytics
Google Search Console vs Fathom Analytics — features, pricing, and which to choose for your SEO workflow in 2026.
Quick Verdict
These tools serve completely different purposes in your analytics stack, which makes this comparison unusual but important for many website owners. Google Search Console focuses exclusively on search performance data — showing how your site performs in Google's search results, what queries drive traffic, and technical SEO issues. Fathom Analytics provides general website traffic analytics with a privacy-first approach, replacing Google Analytics for basic visitor tracking.
The confusion often arises because both are called "analytics tools," but Search Console analyzes your relationship with Google search, while Fathom analyzes your overall website visitors. You're essentially choosing between search-specific insights and general traffic analytics.
Feature Comparison
Google Search Console delivers data you can't get anywhere else: exact search queries driving traffic, click-through rates from search results, average position rankings, and Google's view of your site's technical health. It shows Core Web Vitals, indexing coverage, mobile usability issues, and manual actions. The Performance report breaks down clicks, impressions, CTR, and position by query, page, country, and device. Fathom Analytics provides standard web analytics: page views, unique visitors, referral sources, device types, and geographic data. It tracks goals and events but focuses on simplicity over depth. The interface shows real-time visitors, top pages, and traffic trends without the complexity of Google Analytics. Notably, it requires no cookie banners and doesn't track personal data. The feature overlap is minimal — Search Console's "referrers" section might show some traffic sources, but it's primarily about search. Fathom might show Google as a referrer, but can't tell you which search queries drove that traffic.
Pricing Comparison
Google Search Console is completely free with no usage limits, data restrictions, or paid tiers. Google provides this data because it benefits from having webmasters fix technical issues and optimize for search. Fathom Analytics starts at $14/month for 100,000 monthly page views, scaling up to $74/month for 1 million page views. There's no free tier, but they offer a 7-day free trial. The pricing is straightforward with no hidden features behind higher tiers — you're paying for increased traffic capacity.
Best For
Google Search Console is essential if you care about organic search traffic. It's the only way to see how your content performs in Google search results, identify which pages have technical issues, and understand your search visibility. Anyone running a website that depends on search traffic needs this data, regardless of what other analytics tools they use. Fathom Analytics works best for privacy-conscious website owners who want simple traffic insights without cookies or GDPR complications. It's ideal for content creators, small businesses, and anyone who finds Google Analytics overwhelming but still wants to understand their audience and content performance.
The Verdict
Most websites need Google Search Console regardless of other analytics choices — it's the only source for search-specific data that directly impacts your SEO strategy. Fathom Analytics is a solid alternative to Google Analytics for general traffic tracking, but it doesn't replace the search insights that Search Console provides. If you're running a content site or e-commerce store, you'll likely want both tools serving their distinct purposes in your analytics stack.