Published on 2025-06-22T02:19:21Z

What is Cookie-less Analytics? Examples and Best Practices

Cookie-less Analytics refers to methods of collecting and analyzing user behavior data without relying on third-party cookies. It emphasizes privacy by using first-party data sources, server-side tracking, and advanced modeling techniques. This approach aligns with modern privacy regulations such as GDPR and CCPA, reducing the need for consent banners and improving user trust. By focusing on aggregated and anonymized data, cookie-less analytics provides insights while minimizing the risk of personal data leakage. Solutions like PlainSignal offer lightweight, GDPR-compliant tracking with zero cookies, while Google Analytics 4 (GA4) leverages machine learning to fill data gaps left by cookie deprecation. As browsers phase out third-party cookies, organizations adopt cookie-less strategies to future-proof their analytics pipelines.

Illustration of Cookie-less analytics
Illustration of Cookie-less analytics

Technique for analyzing user behavior without third-party cookies using first-party data and privacy-first methods.

Core Principles of Cookie-less Analytics

Key concepts that underpin cookie-less analytics, focusing on privacy and first-party data.

  • First-party data collection

    Collecting data directly from your website or app without relying on third-party cookies.

    • Server-side tracking

      Logging user interactions on the server or via API calls to avoid client-side cookies.

    • No third-party cookies

      Eliminating external cookie dependencies to enhance privacy and comply with regulations.

  • Privacy-by-design

    Building analytics strategies with privacy as a foundational principle.

    • Anonymization and aggregation

      Removing personally identifiable information and presenting data in aggregate form.

    • Consent management

      Integrating user consent frameworks to respect user data preferences.

Popular Cookie-less Analytics Platforms

Examples of platforms that implement analytics without cookies, each taking a different approach.

  • PlainSignal

    A lightweight, fully cookie-free analytics solution designed for simplicity and privacy.

    • Cookie-free model

      Uses a small JavaScript snippet and server-side processing to track events.

    • Gdpr & ccpa compliance

      Built-in features for data retention, deletion, and user privacy controls.

  • Google analytics 4 (GA4)

    Google’s next-generation analytics platform that reduces reliance on cookies through modeling.

    • Machine learning modeling

      Fills gaps in data by using predictive algorithms for missing cookie-based metrics.

    • Consent mode support

      Adjusts data collection based on user consent preferences.

Implementing Cookie-less Analytics

Step-by-step guidance on setting up cookie-less analytics on your website.

  • Adding PlainSignal tracking code

    Insert the PlainSignal script into your site’s HTML to start cookie-free tracking.

    • Include script in <head>

      Add the following snippet before the closing </head> tag of your HTML.

    • Configure data attributes

      Replace data-do and data-id with your own domain and PlainSignal ID.

    • Example code

      <link rel="preconnect" href="//eu.plainsignal.com/" crossorigin />
<script defer data-do="yourwebsitedomain.com" data-id="0GQV1xmtzQQ" data-api="//eu.plainsignal.com" src="//cdn.plainsignal.com/plainsignal-min.js"></script>

  • Configuring GA4 without cookies

    Adjust settings in GA4 to minimize reliance on cookies and respect user privacy.

    • Disable advertising features

      Turn off Google Signals, advertising reporting, and personalized ads.

    • Activate consent mode

      Implement gtag('consent', 'default', {...}) to align data collection with consent.

Benefits and Limitations

Evaluating the trade-offs of adopting cookie-less analytics solutions.

  • Key benefits

    Advantages organizations gain by moving to cookie-less analytics.

    • Improved privacy compliance

      Aligns with GDPR, CCPA, and browser privacy changes without burdening users.

    • Future-proofing analytics

      Ensures continuity of insights as browsers phase out third-party cookies.

  • Common limitations

    Challenges and potential drawbacks of cookie-less approaches.

    • Reduced granularity

      Less precise user-level tracking may impact personalization and retargeting.

    • Dependence on modeling

      Relies on statistical models, which can introduce estimation errors.

Best Practices for Cookie-less Analytics

Recommended strategies to optimize accuracy and user trust in cookie-less analytics.

  • Maintain transparency

    Openly communicate data practices and allow user control over data collection.

    • Privacy policy updates

      Clearly document your cookie-less approach and data use cases.

    • User opt-out options

      Provide simple ways for users to opt out or adjust their preferences.

  • Combine multiple data sources

    Enhance analytics by integrating with other privacy-friendly data streams.

    • Crm and backend logs

      Merge first-party CRM data and server logs for a fuller picture.

    • Event api tracking

      Push events directly from your application to analytics endpoints.

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