We’re standing up to big tech

The story (so far)

Fathom started with a tweet and a screenshot.

We were frustrated because website analytics had never really innovated. So we sat down and drew up what we thought a dashboard could look like if we didn’t compromise simplicity and privacy.

The screenshot was shared for fun, but it spread like wildfire. Soon hundreds of people were offering to pay for the real thing. So, we built it. First, as an open-source project (which has now been downloaded millions of times). Then, as a paid and hosted product, which is the Fathom you see today.

Since that fateful tweet, we’ve grown to serve thousands of customers worldwide, become the leader in privacy-first software, and have processed billions of page views, all without ever collecting a single piece of personal visitor information.

While the design changed quite a lot since that first tweet, our commitment to never compromising those initial values has not.

Here’s to never compromising,

Paul & Jack,
Co-founders of Fathom

We're happily small tech

We don't chase Venture Capital or need investors— we're customer-funded, proudly bootstrapped, and they're the only folks we answer to. We don't put hyper-growth customer acquisition above retaining and keeping the customers we already have happy. Our most significant sales pipeline is the folks who are already paying us, telling everyone they know to give Fathom a try.

Fathom is run by Jack (developer and teacher) and Paul (designer and author). And yes, we're a small team based in Canada. Still, we've invested heavily in enterprise-grade resources to keep our servers always-online, super-fast, and extremely resilient. We also take security very seriously.

Our business model is privacy by design

Digital privacy isn't a marketing gimmick or get-rich-quick scheme for us - it's how we've operated and built our business since day one. We charge a fair price for Fathom because our business model is selling software, not data.

Our privacy officer, Rie Aleksandra Walle, oversees all things privacy, including managing the personal data inventory, privacy risk assessments and DPIAs, policies, procedures and data governance in the business. She drives privacy-related awareness and keeps us continuously up to speed on relevant regulatory changes, globally. Every customer using Fathom Analytics can trust that we don't just say we take privacy seriously, we are fully committed to it.

We pioneered the world's first "privacy-focused visits method" that's now become an industry standard. We've invested heavily in privacy law compliance and even supported amendments to existing privacy laws. Digital privacy isn't just how we market - it's how we operate.

We're sustainable by nature

We created Fathom to provide website analytics to our customers for the long haul. Fathom is and always has been happily bootstrapped, fiercely independent and entirely self-funded. As a fully profitable company (including our salaries), we're completely sustainable indefinitely (because we charge a fair price for our software).

We aren't looking for colossal cash-outs or Venture Capital infusions. We've been profitable since the start. Our customers stick around because we provide them with friendly, humane support. With decades of combined business experience, we know how to run and sustain a company.

The planet matters

We’ve donating a portion of our gross revenue to environmental charities and endeavours since Fathom began. Currently we donate 1% to the Rainforest Trust and 1% to Stripe’s carbon removal program. Our company (and everything else) cannot exist without a habitable environment.

We also created a small set of NFTs (FathomCatz) to generate donations for our local animal shelter, using an eco-friendly blockchain.

Our latest blog posts

• Building our Google Analytics Importer
• Our Google Analytics Importer (UA + GA4) is now available
• Unique Visitors in Google Analytics: All You Need To Know
• Engagement Rate in Google Analytics 4: All You Need To Know
• What Do Website Analytics Allow You to Do?

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