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A cookieless analytics platform
you can self-host

Cookieless analytics measures website traffic and behavior without setting persistent identification cookies in visitors’ browsers. UXWizz combines cookieless traffic analytics, goals, heatmaps, and session recordings in a self-hosted platform that stores data in your own database.
  • ✓ Track traffic, campaigns, events, goals, and visitor journeys
  • ✓ Use heatmaps and session recordings without visitor identification cookies
  • ✓ Keep analytics data in a MySQL-compatible database you control
  • ✓ Choose your own server, region, retention policy, and privacy settings
  • ✓ Avoid sending visitor behavior into a third-party analytics cloud
  • ✓ Install once and track multiple websites without usage-based fees
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Self-hosted analytics developed since 2012
Cookieless analytics, explained

Measure website behavior without persistent cookie identifiers

Traditional analytics often places a persistent identifier in a browser so later visits can be connected to the same device. Cookieless analytics removes that cookie-based identity layer. It can still measure pageviews, referrers, campaigns, events, goals, and activity inside a current session, but it must use a different method to organize the data.

UXWizz uses a session token stored in sessionStorage to connect activity during the current browser session. The token is not a long-lived visitor cookie. Tracking requests are sent to the UXWizz installation selected by the website owner, and the resulting analytics data is stored in that owner’s database.

What happens during a visit?

When a visitor opens a tracked page, UXWizz creates or reuses the current session token from sessionStorage. Page activity can then be connected inside that browser session. A server-side client record stores the traffic source, browser and device information, approximate location, pages, events, and other enabled data.

The tracker can send clicks, scroll activity, mouse movement, page changes, custom events, tags, JavaScript errors, and recording data when those features are enabled. Website owners decide which pages and fields to exclude, whether to show a tracking-consent prompt, whether to respect Do Not Track, and which recording mode to use.

How are IP addresses handled?

UXWizz can store the visitor IP address or, when IP hashing is enabled, store a SHA-256-derived value based on the IP address and browser User-Agent. Hashing reduces direct exposure but does not automatically make every collected data point anonymous. The appropriate configuration depends on the website, captured events, jurisdiction, and business purpose.

What cookieless changes—and what it does not

  • Removed: a persistent visitor-identification cookie used to recognize the same browser across later visits.
  • Preserved: useful current-session analytics, including traffic sources, navigation, events, goals, heatmaps, and recordings.
  • Still required: transparent notices, careful field masking, data minimization, retention choices, and a jurisdiction-specific consent assessment.
  • Not guaranteed: perfect cross-device identity, identical unique-visitor counts between tools, automatic anonymity, or automatic legal compliance.

Cookieless analytics beyond basic pageview counters

Traffic Analytics

Measure sessions, pageviews, landing pages, referrers, search traffic, UTM campaigns, countries, browsers, and devices.

Goals and Events

Track signups, purchases, form submissions, button clicks, custom events, and the sessions that produced them.

Heatmaps

Aggregate clicks, mouse movement, and scroll depth to see which parts of a page attract attention or cause friction.

Session Recordings

Replay enabled sessions to investigate broken journeys, confusing interfaces, errors, and missed conversion opportunities.

Segments and Ask AI

Compare useful visitor groups or ask questions about data stored in your own analytics database.

Self-Hosted Control

Choose the server location, database access, backups, retention, deletion process, and privacy configuration.

Platform evaluation

Cookie-based analytics, minimalist cookieless tools, and UXWizz

“Cookieless” describes one technical property, not a complete product category. Some cookieless tools intentionally provide only aggregate pageviews. Others use rotating hashes, server-side identifiers, browser storage, or more detailed event streams. Compare the actual mechanism, data destination, features, and privacy controls—not the label alone.

Common differences between analytics approaches
Question Traditional cookie-based analytics Minimal cookieless analytics UXWizz
Persistent browser identifier Commonly stored in a first-party cookie Usually none; exact method varies No visitor identification cookie
Current-session identification Cookie or another configured identifier Aggregate request data or short-lived identifier sessionStorage token for the current session
Cross-session recognition Commonly supported through a persistent identifier Often limited or intentionally removed No persistent cookie identity; server-side data and settings may still support analysis
Data destination Depends on provider; often a vendor cloud Cloud or self-hosted, depending on product Your self-hosted UXWizz installation and database
Traffic and event reporting Usually broad Usually focused on core traffic metrics Traffic, campaigns, events, goals, tags, and segments
Heatmaps and session recordings Product-dependent Often omitted, but available in some products Built into the same platform
Self-hosting Provider-dependent Available in some products Core deployment model
Data retention and control Defined by provider plan and settings Defined by provider or self-hosted setup Controlled through your infrastructure and UXWizz settings
Privacy and consent assessment Required for the actual configuration and jurisdiction Still required; cookieless is not automatic compliance Still required; owner controls configuration and captured data

The table describes common patterns, not universal rules. A cookieless tool may still process personal data, use browser storage, or require consent. Review the exact implementation and obtain qualified advice for your jurisdiction.

Make an informed choice

Tradeoffs of cookieless tracking

Cookieless tracking reduces dependence on persistent browser identifiers, but it is not a magic replacement for every attribution or identity use case. A useful platform should explain what changes instead of promising perfect measurement with no privacy responsibility.

Less persistent identity, less cross-session certainty

Without a long-lived visitor cookie, a platform cannot rely on that cookie to say that two visits days apart came from the same browser. Unique-visitor, returning-visitor, retention, and multi-day attribution numbers can therefore differ from cookie-based systems. Server-side fields or configured application identifiers may add context, but they introduce separate privacy questions.

This is often an acceptable trade for teams that care more about current-session behavior, acquisition sources, conversions, usability problems, and aggregate trends than persistent individual profiles.

Behavior analytics requires careful configuration

Session recordings and heatmaps provide more detail than a basic pageview counter. That detail is valuable for diagnosing checkout bugs, confusing forms, dead clicks, layout problems, and failed conversion paths. It also means website owners must exclude sensitive pages and fields, mask inputs, minimize captured data, and choose a suitable retention period.

UXWizz provides tracking and privacy settings, but the website owner remains responsible for deciding what should be collected and what notices or consent mechanisms are required.

Self-hosting changes who controls the data

With UXWizz, analytics data does not need to be sent into another analytics company’s shared cloud. You choose the hosting provider or internal server, database access, geographic location, backup process, retention policy, and deletion workflow. This can reduce third-party exposure and make operational control clearer.

Self-hosting does not by itself create compliance. Security updates, server access, lawful purpose, transparency, data-subject requests, and regional rules still matter. Learn more on the GDPR-friendly analytics page.

Who benefits most?

  • Privacy-focused businesses: keep visitor behavior data on infrastructure they select.
  • Agencies: manage multiple client websites and offer controlled analytics access without per-site subscriptions.
  • Startups and SaaS teams: connect traffic, events, goals, errors, and recordings without assembling several analytics vendors.
  • Publishers and content sites: understand acquisition and engagement while reducing persistent identifier use.
  • WordPress and PHP teams: install a PHP and MySQL-compatible analytics stack on familiar infrastructure.
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From evaluation to real data

Start with a transparent cookieless analytics setup

1. Install UXWizz where you want the data to live

Deploy UXWizz on a compatible PHP and MySQL server, shared host, VPS, dedicated server, or internal infrastructure. Your chosen hosting location becomes the location of the analytics database; UXWizz does not promise a fixed EU or US region.

2. Configure tracking and privacy controls

Add the tracking snippet, enable only the data and recording features needed for your purpose, review input masking and ignored elements, decide whether to hash IP addresses, set retention limits, and configure Do Not Track or consent behavior.

3. Validate the real implementation

Inspect browser storage and network requests, confirm that sensitive fields are excluded, test opt-out behavior, document the chosen configuration, and update the website privacy notice. A live technical check is more reliable than assuming every product using the word “cookieless” behaves the same way.

4. Use quantitative and qualitative evidence together

Start with traffic, campaign, event, and goal reports. When a number needs explanation, open the relevant segment, heatmap, error, or session recording. This connects what happened with why it happened without forcing the team to send the data to separate analytics and behavior-tracking vendors. Teams replacing GA4 can also review the self-hosted Google Analytics alternative comparison.

Technical and regulatory sources

Technical details reviewed by Cristian Buleandră, UXWizz founder and developer. This page provides product information, not legal advice.

Cookieless Analytics Platform FAQ

What is a cookieless analytics platform? +
A cookieless analytics platform measures website traffic or behavior without placing persistent visitor-identification cookies in the browser. Implementations differ: some collect only aggregate pageviews, while others use short-lived session identifiers, server-side data, events, heatmaps, or recordings.
Does UXWizz set cookies on tracked visitors? +
The UXWizz visitor tracker does not set visitor identification cookies. The separate administrator dashboard uses login cookies for authenticated dashboard users.
How does UXWizz identify the current session without cookies? +
UXWizz stores a random current-session token in browser sessionStorage. It also uses sessionStorage as temporary cache for page and recording data before that data is sent to the self-hosted UXWizz server.
Does UXWizz use localStorage? +
Yes. Depending on configuration and enabled features, localStorage can store opt-out or consent preferences, cache data, and A/B-test assignments. It is not the main identifier used to connect activity within the current visitor session.
Does cookieless analytics remove the need for consent? +
Not automatically. Consent and notice requirements depend on the jurisdiction, storage and access technologies, collected data, purpose, and configuration. Cookieless does not mean storage-free, anonymous, or automatically compliant. Obtain qualified advice for your use case.
Can cookieless analytics include heatmaps and session recordings? +
Yes. UXWizz can collect heatmap and session-recording data without visitor identification cookies. Because these features capture detailed behavior, website owners should mask sensitive inputs, exclude unsuitable pages, minimize collected data, and choose an appropriate retention policy.
Where does UXWizz store analytics data? +
UXWizz stores analytics data in the MySQL-compatible database connected to your self-hosted installation. You choose the server, hosting provider, geographic location, database access, backup process, and retention configuration.
What is lost when persistent analytics cookies are removed? +
The platform cannot rely on a long-lived cookie to recognize the same browser across later visits. Returning-visitor, unique-visitor, retention, and multi-day attribution numbers may therefore differ from cookie-based systems, while current-session traffic and behavior analysis remains available.

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Started more than 13 years ago, UXWizz has been continuously improved by listening to thousands of customers just like you.

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XCS developer avatar Cristian Buleandră — Founder
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