Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about Signal, TS Lab's privacy-first, EU-hosted website analytics.
What is Signal, and what's it built on?
Signal is TS Lab's privacy-first website analytics service, built on Umami — a well-established, open-source analytics platform. We self-host it on our own EU infrastructure, so there's nothing proprietary or hidden under the hood.
Is Signal GDPR compliant out of the box?
Signal is built around GDPR-friendly principles by default: no cookies, no cross-site tracking, and your data never leaves the EU.
Do I need a cookie consent banner if I use Signal?
In most cases, no. Cookie-consent rules under the ePrivacy Directive are triggered by storing or reading data on a visitor's device — not by analytics itself. Since Signal sets no cookies and stores nothing on the visitor's device, it generally falls outside that requirement, and regulators such as France's CNIL have published explicit exemption criteria for this kind of anonymous, aggregate audience measurement. That said, interpretation varies by jurisdiction and isn't a blanket legal guarantee — if your legal or compliance team needs a definitive answer for your market, get in touch and we'll work through it with you.
What's the difference between Starter and Isolated?
Starter runs on a shared instance alongside other TS Lab customers — same software, same infrastructure, your data kept separate. Isolated gives you a dedicated instance and database of your own, fully segregated from everyone else.
Can I move from Starter to Isolated later?
Yes — get in touch and we'll move your data across for you.
Where exactly is my data hosted?
On TS Lab's own infrastructure, hosted with Hetzner in the EU. We don't sell or share your analytics data with any third party.
What happens to my data if I cancel?
We delete it within a week of your cancellation. We don't keep backups, so once it's gone, it's gone.
Can I export my data?
Yes. Umami, which Signal runs on, has a full API for pulling your raw pageview, session and event data at any time. There's no one-click export button in the dashboard, but the API makes it straightforward to script your own export — even AI coding tools can wire this up for you in minutes. If you'd rather not do it yourself, just ask and we'll pull an export for you.
Is there a free trial?
No. Setup is manual for now and we don't offer a free trial — we're working on a fully automated, self-serve setup.