The 30-second answer
Fathom ($15/mo) has the most polished, simplest analytics dashboard on the market — if you only want visitor counts and traffic sources, it is beautiful. Dashly ($10/mo) matches that simplicity but adds revenue attribution, bot filtering, session replays, and AI search detection. Fathom is $5/mo more expensive and does less. If you are a founder who wants the cleanest possible dashboard and nothing else, Fathom is great. If you want that same clean dashboard plus the SaaS features Fathom leaves out, Dashly is the better value at $10/mo.
Why people compare Fathom and Dashly
Both are cookieless, privacy-first, and built by indie founders. Both have a clean one-page dashboard. Both are GDPR compliant without a consent banner. The comparison is natural — they sit in the same category. The divergence is on two axes: price (Fathom is $15/mo, Dashly is $10/mo) and feature depth (Fathom is deliberately minimal, Dashly adds the SaaS layer). If you are choosing between them, the question is whether you will ever need revenue attribution, bot filtering, or session replays. If yes, Fathom alone is not enough and you will need a second tool. If no, Fathom's polish is real and worth paying for.
What Fathom does well
Fathom's dashboard is the gold standard for simple analytics. It is the tool I would show to someone who has never used analytics before and wants to understand what a clean dashboard looks like. The UI is fast, the typography is beautiful, and everything is on one page. Fathom also has daily email digests (a feature Dashly does not match), EU and Canada hosting options for strict data residency requirements, and unlimited custom events. The team is well-regarded and the product is stable. For a founder who wants analytics to be a 30-second daily habit, Fathom nails the experience.
See which channels actually make money. Connect Stripe, filter bots, and track AI search traffic — all cookieless.
Try Dashly free →What Fathom does not do
Fathom is deliberately minimal — more so than Plausible. No revenue attribution — no Stripe, LemonSqueezy, or Polar integration. You see traffic but not which traffic makes money. No bot filtering — bots inflate your numbers and Fathom counts them all. No funnels — you cannot see where visitors drop off. No session replays. No AI search detection — ChatGPT and Perplexity visits land as Direct. No Search Console integration. Fathom's philosophy is "do less, do it well" — and they execute on that philosophy. But if you are running a SaaS, "do less" means "cannot answer your business questions."
What Dashly adds that Fathom does not
Dashly matches Fathom on the basics (cookieless, one-page dashboard, GDPR compliant) and adds the SaaS layer: revenue attribution via Stripe, bot filtering at collection time, session replays, funnels, and AI search detection. At $10/mo versus Fathom's $15/mo, you get more features for less money. The tradeoff is polish: Fathom's dashboard is slightly more refined, and Fathom has daily email digests and EU hosting that Dashly does not. If those matter to you, Fathom is justifiable. If revenue attribution and bot filtering matter more, Dashly is the clear pick.
Feature comparison: Fathom vs Dashly
| Feature | Fathom ($15/mo) | Dashly ($10/mo) |
|---|---|---|
| Cookieless / no consent banner | Yes | Yes |
| Dashboard polish | Excellent | Very good |
| Bot filtering | No | Yes (3 layers) |
| Revenue attribution (Stripe) | No | Yes (automatic) |
| Funnels | No | Yes |
| Session replays | No | Yes (privacy-safe) |
| AI search traffic detection | No | Yes |
| Daily email digests | Yes | No |
| EU / Canada hosting | Yes | No |
| Unlimited custom events | Yes | Yes |
| Setup time | 2 min | 2 min |
Pricing: Fathom is $5/mo more for less
Fathom starts at $15/mo for 100K pageviews. Dashly starts at $10/mo for 5M events. For a typical SaaS site, Dashly is $5/mo cheaper and includes more features. Fathom's pricing is justified by its polish and its EU/Canada hosting options — if data residency is a hard requirement for you, Fathom may be worth the premium. But if you are choosing on features per dollar, Dashly offers more for less. The question is whether Fathom's dashboard polish and email digests are worth $5/mo and the loss of revenue attribution, bot filtering, and session replays. For most SaaS founders, they are not.
Who should pick Fathom
Pick Fathom if you want the absolute most polished analytics dashboard and you do not need revenue attribution, bot filtering, or session replays. Pick it if daily email digests are part of your workflow (they are genuinely useful). Pick it if EU or Canada data residency is a hard requirement for your customers or legal team. Pick it if you are a content creator or blogger who values simplicity above all else. Fathom is a well-built product with a clear philosophy, and if that philosophy matches your needs, it is a good choice.
Who should pick Dashly
Pick Dashly if you want Fathom's simplicity but also need to connect Stripe and see which traffic source makes money. Pick it if bot filtering matters (53% of web traffic is bots in 2026 — your Fathom numbers are inflated). Pick it if you want session replays to see what visitors did before they bought. Pick it if AI search traffic (ChatGPT, Perplexity) is a growing channel and you need it attributed, not dumped into Direct. Pick it if you want funnels, replays, and revenue in one tool at $10/mo instead of $15/mo for less. Dashly is built for the SaaS founder who wants simple analytics that still answer business questions.
The honest take
Fathom's dashboard is better than Dashly's. I will not pretend otherwise — the polish is real and I respect it. But Fathom is $5/mo more expensive and does less. If you are a blogger, Fathom is a great choice. If you are a SaaS founder who bills through Stripe, the question is not "which dashboard is prettier" — it is "which tool tells me where my money comes from." Fathom cannot answer that. Dashly can, for $5/mo less. That is the comparison.
FAQ
Is Dashly better than Fathom?
For SaaS founders who need revenue attribution, bot filtering, and session replays, yes — and Dashly is $5/mo cheaper. For bloggers and content creators who want the most polished dashboard and do not need SaaS features, Fathom is excellent.
Does Fathom have revenue attribution?
No. Fathom does not connect to Stripe or any payment processor. You can see traffic sources but not which sources drive revenue. Dashly includes automatic Stripe revenue attribution at $10/mo.
Does Fathom filter bots?
No. Fathom counts all traffic including bots and AI crawlers. Dashly filters bots at collection time using three layers: user-agent matching, behavioral analysis, and IP filtering.
Why is Fathom $15/mo when Dashly is $10/mo?
Fathom charges a premium for its dashboard polish, daily email digests, and EU/Canada hosting options. Dashly is $5/mo less and includes more features (revenue attribution, bot filtering, session replays). If Fathom polish and hosting options matter to you, the premium is justifiable. If features per dollar matter more, Dashly is the better value.
Does Fathom have session replays?
No. Fathom does not have session replays. You can see traffic sources but not what visitors did on your site. Dashly includes privacy-safe session replays that exclude page text, form values, and media.