Cookieless web analytics, explained
Updated: · Creo Analytics, IT Systeme Flores UG
Creo Analytics counts visitors without cookies, never stores IP addresses and runs on servers in Germany. In our reading, its default mode needs no cookie banner. Eight pages explain how that works, what it cannot do, how it compares to Google Analytics, Plausible and Matomo, and who it is for.
| Cookies in the default mode | None. No cookies, no localStorage, no access to the device. |
|---|---|
| IP addresses stored | Never, in either mode. Used in memory for counting and country lookup, then discarded. |
| Visitor counting | A hash that changes daily. Across several days estimated with HyperLogLog, error below 3 %. |
| Server location | Germany, no third-country transfer. Operator: IT Systeme Flores UG (haftungsbeschränkt), Bergisch Gladbach. |
| Price after the beta | €10 (cookieless) or €25 (full) per website and month. Free during the beta, up to 5 websites, no payment method required. |
| Tracking script | About 2 KB. Honours Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control. |
Why do these pages exist?
Because the question “do I need a cookie banner for analytics?” gets a different answer in every forum thread, and many of those answers are guesses. We build a tool whose whole point is that the answer, in its default mode, is no. So we owe you the reasoning in writing, with the paragraphs of the law named and the limits spelled out.
The second reason is trust. An unproven claim on our own site would be the most embarrassing mistake we could make. Every figure on these pages comes from our own documentation. Where a statement is our legal reading rather than a court ruling, it says so.
What will you learn here?
Three things. How counting without cookies actually works, and what it cannot do: no recognising a visitor across days, no personal profiles, no ad retargeting. How Creo Analytics compares to Google Analytics 4, Plausible and Matomo on architecture, not on marketing. And whether it fits the site you run, whether that is a portfolio or twenty client websites.
We do not store your visitors. We count them. Everything on these pages follows from that one decision.
If you would rather read the manual than the argument, the documentation covers every feature, both operating modes and the consent interface for the optional “full” mode.
How does cookieless analytics work?
Creo Analytics counts a visitor with a hash that changes every day. No cookie, no localStorage, no IP address on disk. Unique visitors per day are counted exactly; across several days they are estimated with HyperLogLog, with an error below 3 %. The pages below explain the method, the legal side, and a live poll that runs on exactly this technique.
What is cookieless analytics?
How you count visitors without a cookie: a hash that rotates daily, HyperLogLog, and what you give up in return.
LearnDo you need a cookie banner for web analytics?
Not if nothing is written to or read from the device. Our reading of § 25 TDDDG and Art. 6 GDPR, and when you do need one.
LearnDo cookie banners annoy you?
A one-click poll, counted cookieless, with a live counter. What it is, and what it is not.
How does Creo Analytics compare to other tools?
Honestly, and with a date on every table. Google Analytics 4 is free and enormous, but its _ga cookie needs consent under § 25 TDDDG. Plausible is cookieless and open source, but has no heatmaps in its core. Matomo is open source and can be configured cookieless, with heatmaps as a paid add-on. Where a competitor is better, the comparison says so.
Google Analytics 4 vs Creo Analytics: what is the difference?
GA4 is free and enormous. It also sets a _ga cookie and needs consent. Where each one wins.
ComparePlausible vs Creo Analytics: what is the difference?
Both cookieless, both hosted in the EU. Plausible is open source and deliberately minimal. The differences that matter.
CompareMatomo vs Creo Analytics: what is the difference?
Matomo is open source and can be configured to run cookieless. Heatmaps cost extra. Where self-hosting wins.
Who is Creo Analytics for?
People who run a website and want one number they understand, not a cockpit. During the beta it is free for up to 5 websites, with no payment method required. Two pages walk through the two groups these pages are written for: creators with a single site, and agencies that look after several.
Web analytics for creators: no cookie banner, no Google
Portfolio, newsletter page, side project, small shop: one number you understand, and no banner for your readers.
For agenciesCreo Analytics for agencies
Up to 5 client websites in the beta, privacy text and DPA included, PDF report straight to the client.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a cookie banner for Creo Analytics?
Not in the default “cookieless” mode. It sets no cookies, uses no localStorage and does not access your visitor’s device, so in our reading § 25 TDDDG does not apply. Only the optional “full” mode, which recognises returning visitors via a first-party cookie, requires consent through a banner.
What does Creo Analytics cost?
Nothing during the beta: all features, up to 5 websites, no payment method, cancel anytime. After the beta, the cookieless mode costs €10 per website per month and the full mode €25 per website per month. A privacy-policy text module and a data processing agreement are included.
Where is the data stored?
On servers in Germany, operated by IT Systeme Flores UG (haftungsbeschränkt) from Bergisch Gladbach. There is no third-country transfer and no sharing with ad networks. IP addresses are never written to disk.
What can Creo Analytics not do?
In cookieless mode it cannot recognise a visitor from one day to the next, because the hash changes daily. It builds no personal profiles and offers no ad retargeting, in either mode. If you need returning-visitor figures or session replay, that is the full mode, and it needs consent.