Plausible Adds Funnels Without Preconfigured Goals

On November 2, 2026, Plausible Analytics updated its Funnel Analysis tool. Users can now create conversion funnels directly from previously recorded pageviews and events without setting up separate Goals for every step in advance.

When adding a step, users can start typing the name of a page or event. Plausible suggests matching values from collected data, and the selected item can then be added to the conversion sequence.

The update simplifies the analysis of user journeys, particularly on websites that already track events but have not created separate goals for them.

Creating Funnels Directly From Pages and Events

Previously, creating a funnel in Plausible required users to first set up Goals corresponding to each stage. For example, analyzing a purchase process required separate goals for viewing a product, visiting the cart, and completing an order.

After the update, users can select pages and recorded events directly while creating a funnel. For example, an online store may want to examine the following sequence:

1. Product view — /products/*
2. Cart — /cart
3. Checkout — /checkout
4. Purchase confirmation — /checkout/order-confirmed

If Plausible already records visits to these pages, they can be used to build a funnel without first creating separate goals. This makes it faster to investigate specific user journeys and identify stages with the most significant audience drop-off.

Searching for Available Steps in the Funnel Editor

The main interface change concerns how steps are selected. When adding a new stage, users begin typing a page URL or event name. Plausible displays matching items already present in the site's statistics. After selection, the page or event becomes the next step in the funnel.

For example, a marketer can add the /pricing page, a Signup Started event, and the registration confirmation page in sequence. There is no need to create three separate goals in advance just to use these items in Funnel Analysis.

Existing Goals remain available. Users can still select them as funnel steps. Thus, the same process supports both previously configured goals and ordinary recorded user actions.

Building Funnels From Historical Data

The update is particularly useful when investigating user journeys that were not anticipated by the analytics team. For example, a company may collect data on visits to product pages, registrations, and in-app actions while using only one main goal: completed registration.

After the interface change, an analyst can create a separate funnel to evaluate the stages preceding registration by selecting existing pages and events. This reduces the analysis's dependence on a predefined list of Goals.

However, two concepts must be distinguished: using previously collected data when configuring steps and calculating conversions retrospectively for any past period. The first is explicitly supported by the November update. The ability to build a historical funnel for an arbitrary period before its creation should not be considered guaranteed: the applicability of previously collected statistics depends on Funnel Analysis calculation rules.

An event that the website never sent to Plausible also cannot be reconstructed. If a company did not previously track a button click or a successful payment, the update will not create that missing data retroactively.

Sequential, Flexible, and Strict Funnels

The November release changes how steps are selected but does not remove the existing funnel calculation modes. Plausible supports several types of sequences that differ in their rules for completing steps:

• Sequential: Steps occur in the specified order, but intermediate actions are allowed. Suitable for ordinary registration or checkout.
• Flexible: The first and last steps are required, while intermediate steps may be skipped. Suitable for purchases with several possible user journeys.
• Strict: Steps must follow directly one after another. Suitable for checking a precisely defined sequence.

For example, with a Flexible Funnel, a shopper can open a product page and proceed directly to purchase, skipping the cart or an intermediate information page. In a Sequential Funnel, the selected steps must occur in the required order, but other actions can take place between them. A Strict Funnel is suitable for checking a scenario where any departure from the prescribed sequence matters.

Flexible funnels were introduced on September 23, 2026, and strict ordering on April 14. These modes were therefore released earlier and are not part of the November 2 update.

Analyzing User Drop-Off Between Steps

Funnel Analysis displays the number of visitors who reached individual steps and the conversion rate between them. This helps identify where visitors most often stop progressing toward a target action.

For example, if many visitors open a product page but only a small share proceed to the cart, a potential problem may lie in the product offer or page interface. If visitors add products to the cart successfully but rarely complete purchases, examining checkout, payment methods, and delivery terms may take priority.

On a B2B website, teams can compare the transitions between viewing a product page, visiting the pricing page, starting to fill out a form, and submitting an inquiry.

However, low conversion at a particular stage does not automatically reveal the reason for audience loss. Diagnosis requires additional tools, such as interface analysis, session recordings, surveys, or A/B testing.

Segmenting Funnels by Traffic Source

Plausible funnels can be analyzed using dashboard filters. For example, a marketing team can compare visitors arriving through organic search, advertising campaigns, or social networks. Additional filters are available for countries, devices, and other supported parameters.

This can reveal whether user drop-off is associated with a particular segment. For example, checkout may work normally on desktop devices while mobile users more often abandon the process when entering payment details.

Segmentation is also useful for assessing advertising traffic quality. Two campaigns may attract similar numbers of visitors but differ substantially in the share of users who complete individual steps of an inquiry process.

Funnel Analysis does not, however, replace comprehensive advertising attribution. Analyzing the influence of multiple ad interactions on a conversion may require additional data and a separate measurement model.

Using Goals With Additional Parameters

Even though ordinary events can now be used, previously configured Goals remain useful for more precise analysis. In Plausible, goals can be defined with restrictions based on Custom Properties.

For example, on a SaaS company's website, a single Sign Up event may be sent when users register for different subscription plans. Adding the ordinary Sign Up event to a funnel would include all recorded versions of that event. To analyze registrations specifically for the Pro plan, however, a Goal with the plan=pro condition must be created and used as a separate step.

Plausible supports up to three property restrictions when defining such a goal. The November update therefore removes the requirement to configure Goals for typical funnels but does not make Goals unnecessary. They remain a way to define specialized conversions.

The Difference Between Funnel Analysis and User Journeys

Plausible offers two related tools for investigating user behavior. Funnel Analysis is intended to evaluate a predefined sequence of actions. The analyst decides which stages to include and then measures completion of the selected path.

User Journeys works differently. It allows users to explore the actual routes visitors take without defining the entire sequence in advance. For example, an analyst can choose a product page and examine which pages and events most often follow its view. Alternatively, the analyst can start with a completed purchase and examine the actions preceding the conversion.

User Journeys helps discover real user paths, while Funnel Analysis measures the performance of a specified sequence. Both can be used together: first explore actual journeys, then create a funnel to measure the selected scenario regularly.

User Journeys was introduced on May 27, 2026, so it should not be attributed to the November release.

Availability of the Update

Funnel Analysis is included in Plausible Analytics' Business Plan. The new page and event selection method is available in the existing funnel builder. Users do not need to switch to a separate product or install an additional script solely to select previously recorded pages.

To analyze actions not captured by standard pageview tracking, however, the corresponding events must be collected. For example, measuring clicks on particular interface elements may require Custom Events. Plausible supports automatic tracking for some standard actions.

The contents of a funnel are always limited to data actually collected on the website.

Plausible Analytics: Simplifying Conversion Analysis

Plausible Analytics is a web analytics platform focused on user privacy and on measuring website traffic, traffic sources, and conversions. The November 2, 2026 update makes it possible to create funnels directly from recorded pageviews and events.

For ecommerce companies, this simplifies the analysis of the path from a product page through checkout to purchase. For service companies, it helps study sequences from a landing page to form submission or service booking. For B2B companies, it supports analysis of registrations, product demo requests, and other lead-generation journeys.

The main change is a reduction in analytics setup requirements: users no longer need to turn every step into a separate Goal to include it in a funnel. However, the event must have actually been recorded, and separate Goals remain useful for specialized conversions with Custom Property conditions.

Sources

1. Plausible — Changelog
2. Plausible — Funnel Analysis
3. Plausible — Goal Conversions
4. Plausible — Custom Properties for Custom Events
5. Plausible — User Journeys