Beam vs Pirsch

Where Pirsch Has the Edge

Pirsch goes deeper on conversion features. If you need to track goals, define funnels, or measure specific conversion events alongside your traffic data, Pirsch offers those capabilities in a privacy-safe way that Beam currently doesn't. The Pirsch dashboard is polished, and the product has built a loyal user base since launching in 2021.

EU data residency is a Pirsch-specific advantage for teams that need data stored within the European Union. Pirsch servers are hosted in Germany, which simplifies data processing agreements for some compliance workflows. Beam runs on Cloudflare's global edge — excellent for performance, but data routing is not EU-locked.

Where Beam Has the Edge

The clearest Beam advantage is price. Pirsch's Hobby plan starts at $6/month and covers only 10,000 monthly pageviews — a low ceiling for active sites. Beam's free tier covers 50,000 pageviews per month with no credit card required, and the Pro plan at $5/month covers 500,000 pageviews. For indie developers and small teams, the math is straightforward.

Beam is also built on Cloudflare Workers and D1 — running at Cloudflare's edge means collection latency is minimal regardless of where your visitors are located. Pirsch's EU hosting is a data residency advantage, but a latency trade-off for global audiences.

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Pirsch if: EU data residency is a hard requirement, you need goal tracking and funnels alongside traffic metrics, or you prefer Pirsch's more mature product feature set.

Choose Beam if: you want cookie-free privacy analytics at the lowest possible price (including free), you're running a content site or blog that needs traffic data without funnel complexity, or you want to get started immediately without a credit card.