Why I Created PrivateStater

The Story

I created the PrivateStater SaaS for two reasons.

First, I used to use Google Analytics and reCAPTCHA for my projects. But as you all know, Google doesn't protect privacy at all, and reCAPTCHA becomes very expensive once you exceed a certain usage limit.

So, for the past two years, I stopped using analytics and used hCaptcha for CAPTCHAs. The problem was, without analytics, it was hard to know if I had any users, and hCaptcha had many feature limitations unless I upgraded to a paid plan, and its puzzles were also very difficult.

Second, a blog I frequent was using Google Analytics. (Presumably because other privacy-friendly alternatives are paid.)

For these reasons, I created PrivateStater.

When you're just starting a business and not making a profit, you probably don't want to pay for additional SaaS products on top of your monthly hosting fees. That goes for me and everyone else.

So, I set a generous free usage tier, and built it so that you can subscribe to small amounts as needed, to avoid getting a $49 bill (like with hCaptcha) just for going over the free limit.

Plus, analytics are unlimited and free. (This was a promise from the beta version, and it's to achieve my initial goal of reducing the number of Google Analytics users, even if just by a little.)

So, what can it do?

It supports analytics, CAPTCHA, and embedding a feedback widget.

Who should use this?

  1. Do you use Google Analytics? -> Welcome. You don't need to pay. I offer unlimited, free analytics.
  2. Do you use reCAPTCHA or hCaptcha? -> Welcome. I'll provide you with CAPTCHA at a much cheaper price.
  3. Are you using your own custom-built feedback widget? -> Compare PrivateStater with your own widget and choose the better one. And please let me know what can be improved in the PrivateStater Feedback Widget.
  4. Don't you use a CAPTCHA? -> Your website could become a playground for bots. Use PrivateStater Captcha. Welcome.
  5. Don't you run a website? -> Save this post (or the website address) to your "read it later" list for when you do run a website in the future.