TelemetryDeck

What is TelemetryDeck?

TelemetryDeck is a privacy-first, lightweight analytics platform focused primarily on mobile app developers and indie software makers.
It provides real-time insights into how apps are used — without tracking individual users or collecting personal data — ensuring full GDPR and privacy law compliance from the ground up.

Unlike traditional app analytics solutions, TelemetryDeck offers a minimalist approach: developers can gather meaningful usage statistics without compromising user trust or adding heavy SDKs.

Key Features

• Privacy-first telemetry: No personal information, IP addresses, or device IDs collected or stored.

• Lightweight SDKs: Tiny SDKs for iOS, macOS, and other platforms (Swift, JavaScript, and more).

• Real-time analytics: Live data updates for user interactions, session counts, and screen views.

• Custom signals: Send lightweight custom events (“signals”) for any interaction you care about.

• App-focused insights: Track app versions, OS versions, screen names, session durations, and usage frequency.

• Anonymized data aggregation: No cookies, no persistent identifiers, full user anonymity.

• Hosted in Germany: Full EU data sovereignty and GDPR compliance.

• API access: For fetching analytics data into your own dashboards or tools.

• Dashboard sharing: Share read-only dashboards with collaborators or stakeholders.

Technical Foundation

• Backend: Built with scalable, modern architecture designed to process millions of small telemetry signals efficiently.

• Hosting: European (Germany-based) servers with a strong emphasis on data protection.

• Data processing: Aggregated and anonymized instantly; telemetry signals are stripped of personally identifiable information.

• Integration: SDKs for Swift (iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS), JavaScript for web use, and custom API integration for other platforms.

Use Cases

• Indie developers: Wanting lightweight insights into app usage without expensive, intrusive analytics.

• Mobile app teams: Especially iOS/macOS developers who prioritize user privacy.

• SaaS tools: Tracking in-app behaviors (like feature adoption) without heavy tracking overhead.

• Privacy-focused apps: Companies marketing themselves based on ethical data practices.

• Web developers: Using TelemetryDeck via JavaScript to monitor site usage with similar lightweight principles.

Pricing

TelemetryDeck offers a generous free tier plus simple, scalable paid plans:

• Free plan: Suitable for small apps, side projects, or testing.

• Paid plans: Based on the number of signals per month and the number of apps tracked.

• Unlimited team members across all plans.

• Discounts available for indie developers and small startups.

Main pricing factors:

• Number of telemetry signals per month

• Level of support and data retention needed

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• True privacy-first design: no user fingerprinting or hidden identifiers

• Very small SDK size and fast integration

• Real-time data updates

• Clear, beautiful dashboards designed for developers

• Highly affordable for indie developers

• EU-based hosting with strict GDPR compliance

• Developer-friendly (custom signals, API access)

Cons:

• Limited to lightweight analytics; not intended for deep marketing or cohort analysis

• Focused primarily on app usage — not full website or ecommerce tracking

• Requires developers to define and send useful custom signals for richer insights

• Advanced segmentation or funnel analysis features are relatively basic

How It Differs From Alternatives

• Versus Google Firebase Analytics: TelemetryDeck is simpler, far more privacy-respecting, and does not track individual users or require complicated setup — but Firebase offers deeper marketing and monetization insights.

• Versus Mixpanel or Amplitude: Those tools provide deep user journey tracking, retention analysis, and predictive analytics but collect much more personal data; TelemetryDeck remains lightweight and fully anonymous.

• Versus Plausible or Simple Analytics: Those platforms are web-focused; TelemetryDeck is built for app developers first.

• Versus App Store Connect Analytics: TelemetryDeck provides more flexible custom event tracking and faster real-time updates than Apple's native analytics, but does not include financial or crash data.

Typical Metrics You Can Track

• Active users (daily, weekly, monthly)

• Session counts and session lengths

• App version distribution

• Operating system breakdowns

• Most viewed screens

• Navigation flows (via custom signals)

• Specific feature usage (e.g., button clicks, feature toggles)

• Custom-defined events and funnels (through signal logic)

Best Practices for Using TelemetryDeck

• Plan your signals carefully: Think about which user actions are meaningful and create custom telemetry signals accordingly.

• Track app versions: Monitor how different app releases perform and detect regressions in usage patterns.

• Use dashboards for product feedback: Watch for trends in how features are adopted without relying on invasive tracking.

• Integrate with your CI/CD: Automate telemetry setup across app versions for clean analytics when releasing updates.

• Combine with crash reporting: TelemetryDeck focuses on usage, so complement it with tools like Sentry for crash tracking if needed.