---
title: "Deploy Plausible Webflow"
description: "Cookie-free analytics for Webflow sites via custom code"
category: "Analytics"
url: https://railway.com/deploy/deploy-plausible-for-webflow-sites
---

# Deploy Plausible Webflow

Cookie-free analytics for Webflow sites via custom code

**[Deploy Plausible Webflow on Railway](https://railway.com/template/deploy-plausible-for-webflow-sites)**

Machine-readable deploy manifest (JSON, validated by TemplateCI): https://railway.com/deploy/deploy-plausible-for-webflow-sites/manifest.json

- **Creator:** onepush
- **Category:** Analytics

## Template content

### plausible

- **Image:** ghcr.io/plausible/community-edition:v3.2.1
- **Start command:** `sh -c "/entrypoint.sh db createdb && /entrypoint.sh db migrate && /entrypoint.sh run"`
- **Health check:** /api/health
- **Public domain:** Yes

### Postgres https://devicons.railway.app/i/postgresql.svg

- **Image:** ghcr.io/railwayapp-templates/postgres-ssl:18

### ClickHouse

- **Image:** clickhouse/clickhouse-server:24.12-alpine

## Documentation

# Deploy and Host self hosted Plausible Webflow (Self-Hosted Analytics for Webflow Sites) on Railway

This template runs a self-hosted Plausible Community Edition v3 instance on Railway for Webflow owners who want cookie-free form and outbound link tracking on their own servers.

## About Hosting Plausible Webflow open-source software on Railway (self hosted self-hosted Plausible CE tracking on a Webflow site template)

Self-hosting Plausible Community Edition keeps your visitor data on a server you control.

## Why Deploy Plausible Webflow, the Webflow Analyze alternative on Railway (Railway Free Trial)

Webflow Analyze is quick, but your visitor data stays in Webflow's dashboard.

Railway is a singular platform to deploy your infrastructure stack. Railway will host your infrastructure so you don't have to deal with configuration, while allowing you to vertically and horizontally scale it.

By deploying Plausible Webflow on Railway, you are one step closer to supporting a complete full-stack application with minimal burden. Host your servers, databases, AI agents, and more on Railway.

### Railway vs Other Hosting Providers and VPS for Plausible Webflow self hosting

Here is how Railway compares with the usual options for running Plausible Webflow.

| Provider | What You Get with Railway | What You Get with the Other Provider |
|---|---|---|
| DigitalOcean | Plausible, Postgres and ClickHouse from one template, with private networking and no OS patching. | A Droplet with root access, where you handle Docker, TLS and backups yourself. |
| AWS | Services pre-linked by environment variables, so no IAM, VPC or security group setup. | More networking control, but you build EC2, storage, DNS and proxying before the first pageview. |
| Hetzner | The same three services deployed for you, with public HTTPS on the Plausible domain for your Webflow snippet. | Low-cost servers with generous RAM for ClickHouse, but you own the proxy, certificates and upgrades. |

Choose based on how much server work you want to handle yourself.

## Common Use Cases for hosted Plausible Webflow

- **Tracking contact form submissions:** Point the form's post-submit redirect at a /thank-you page, then add a Pageview goal for that path in Plausible. Each completed form counts as a conversion.
- **Counting outbound link clicks:** Enable the Outbound links toggle under Default tracking to create an Outbound Link: Click goal. You can group clicks by domain to see which partners send you traffic.
- **Measuring CTA button clicks:** Give the button an ID in Webflow's Element settings, add a small script in Custom Code, then create a Custom event goal with a matching name. Publish before testing, since unpublished changes do not fire events.
- **Excluding your own visits:** Add your office IP under Site settings  Shields  IP Addresses so internal checks do not inflate the numbers. Block IPv6 too if your device uses it.
- **Keeping visitor data in-house:** Plausible stores events on your own Railway services instead of a Google-hosted script, and the script is much lighter.

## Dependencies for Plausible Webflow Docker hosted on Railway

Plausible Webflow runs as three Railway services, and the snippet you paste into Webflow only works once the `plausible` service is reachable publicly.

### Deployment Dependencies for Managed Plausible Webflow Service (Web Analytics)

The `plausible` service uses `ghcr.io/plausible/community-edition:v3.2.1` on port 8000 behind a public HTTPS domain, with a volume at `/var/lib/plausible`.

### Implementation Details for Plausible Webflow (Using Plausible official docker image)

Set `BASE_URL=https://${{RAILWAY_PUBLIC_DOMAIN}}` so the Webflow snippet points at your Railway domain. `SECRET_KEY_BASE` comes from `${{secret(64)}}` and must stay stable, and `TOTP_VAULT_KEY` encrypts two-factor secrets, so rotating it locks users out.

## How does Plausible Webflow compare against other ways to track Webflow sites without Google Analytics

Plausible is a cookie-free analytics platform, and the Plausible Webflow setup on Railway gives you a self-hosted instance you control.

### Plausible Webflow vs Webflow Analyze (Webflow built-in analytics)

- **Data location:** Plausible stores events in your own Postgres and ClickHouse services, while Webflow Analyze keeps data inside Webflow.
- **Setup:** Webflow Analyze needs no separate tag, so it wins on zero-setup simplicity.
- **Goals:** Plausible supports thank-you page goals, outbound link clicks, and custom button events.

### Plausible Webflow vs Google Analytics (GA4)

- **Consent:** GA4 uses cookies, so EU sites usually need a consent banner, while Plausible sets no cookies.
- **Script weight:** Plausible's script is much lighter and its dashboard is simpler.
- **Depth:** GA4 wins on attribution, audiences, and ads linking, which Plausible Community Edition does not match.

### Plausible Webflow vs Fathom (Fathom Analytics)

- **Hosting model:** Fathom is closed-source SaaS with no self-hosted option, while Plausible Community Edition runs in your own Railway project under AGPL-3.0.
- **Maintenance:** Fathom handles upgrades for you, while Plausible CE needs you to bump the image tag and read release notes.
- **Support:** Fathom offers paid vendor support, while Plausible CE relies on community support.

### Plausible Webflow vs Umami (self-hosted open-source analytics)

- **License:** Umami is MIT-licensed and Plausible CE is AGPL-3.0, so redistribution terms differ.
- **Stack:** Umami v3 supports PostgreSQL only, while Plausible adds ClickHouse for event volume, which means one more service to run.
- **Hosting:** Umami Cloud has a free tier, which Plausible does not, so cost depends on whether you self-host either one.

## How to use Plausible Webflow (the OSS web analytics platform)?

Get one Webflow site reporting first, then add goals. Check the Plausible dashboard after each step.

1. Add your site in your Railway Plausible instance.
2. Copy the snippet from Site Settings  General  Site Installation.
3. In Webflow, open Site settings  Custom Code and paste the snippet into Head Code:

```html

```

4. Click Save Changes, then Publish. Unpublished changes do not fire events.
5. Load the live Webflow site and confirm the visit in the Plausible dashboard.
6. For form submissions, create a /thank-you page, set the form's redirect to /thank-you, then add a Pageview goal for /thank-you in Plausible.
7. Enable the Outbound links toggle under Default tracking to create the Outbound Link: Click goal.
8. To exclude your own visits, go to Site settings  Shields  IP Addresses and block your current IP, including IPv6 if your device uses it.

## How to self host Plausible Webflow on other VPS Services (Plausible self hosting guide)

Use this path if you want the same Plausible CE v3.2.1 instance on a plain VPS. Your Webflow head snippet works the same either way, since it only needs the public URL.

### Clone the Repository

Pull the release tag so you get the matching compose file.

```bash
git clone -b v3.2.1 --single-branch https://github.com/plausible/community-edition plausible-ce
cd plausible-ce
```

### Install Dependencies

You need Docker with the Compose plugin and a CPU with SSE 4.2 or NEON support, since ClickHouse requires it. Give the box at least 2 GB of RAM.

### Configure Environment Variables

Create a `.env` file with your public domain and a generated secret. Keep `SECRET_KEY_BASE` stable, because changing it logs everyone out.

```bash
BASE_URL=https://your-domain
SECRET_KEY_BASE=$(openssl rand -base64 48)
```

Point DNS at the server and open ports 80 and 443 for Let's Encrypt.

### Start the Plausible Webflow Application

Bring the stack up, then open `BASE_URL` and register the first user, who becomes the owner.

```bash
docker compose up -d
```

Railway handles the domain, the private networking between Postgres and ClickHouse, and the volumes for you.

## Official Pricing of Plausible Webflow (Plausible pricing)

Plausible Community Edition is free and open source under AGPL-3.0, so the software itself costs nothing to run. Check plausible.io for current Cloud rates before you decide.

## Plausible Webflow cloud vs self hosted comparison (Pricing, features, costs, and more)

If you run a Webflow site, you can either pay Plausible Cloud to host your data or run Community Edition yourself. Start with the cost and hardware picture below.

### Monthly cost of self hosting Plausible Webflow on Railway

Railway bills by usage, so the cost depends on your traffic and how much memory ClickHouse needs. Bigger sites with more events and RAM go higher.

### System Requirements for Hosting Plausible Webflow on a VPS

Your CPU must support SSE 4.2 or NEON, which ClickHouse requires. Back up both Postgres and the ClickHouse volume, because losing either one loses data.

## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

### Do I still need Webflow Analyze if I run Plausible?

No, you don't need both.

### Why do my form submissions not show up as goals?

The most common cause is that the goal was never created or the change was never published.

### How do I track a button click in Webflow?

Give the button an ID in Webflow's Element settings, add a small script in Custom Code that sets plausible-event-name on it, and then create a Custom event goal named "Button Click" that matches the name exactly.

### Why do my goals show no data after I save?

A goal only appears on the dashboard after it has been completed at least once.

### How do I exclude my own visits by IP?

Go to Site settings, then Shields, then IP Addresses, and click Add IP Address to block your current IP.

### Does it count toward monthly pageviews when visits are excluded?

No, excluded visits are dropped before storage and do not count toward your monthly pageviews.


## Similar templates

- [Plausible WordPress](https://railway.com/deploy/deploy-plausible-for-wordpress-sites) — Cookie-free WordPress stats from your own Plausible
- [Typesense Multilingual](https://railway.com/deploy/deploy-typesense-multilingual-search) — Locale-aware multilingual search with Typesense
- [Formbricks](https://railway.com/deploy/formbricks-surveys) — Surveys, NPS and in-app feedback on your own Postgres, Hub and Cube

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