9 best open source web analytics tools
OpenPanel Team
11/10/2024
In today's data-driven world, understanding your website's performance is crucial for making informed decisions. While Google Analytics dominates the market, many developers and businesses are turning to open source web analytics tools for better privacy, data ownership, and customization.
Open source web analytics solutions offer several advantages over proprietary alternatives:
- Complete data ownership - Your analytics data stays on your servers
- Privacy compliance - Many are GDPR/CCPA compliant by design
- No vendor lock-in - You can modify and extend the code as needed
- Cost control - Self-host for free or choose affordable hosted options
- Transparency - Open source code means you know exactly what's being tracked
In this comprehensive guide, we've evaluated 9 of the best open source web analytics tools available today. Each tool has been assessed based on features, pricing, ease of use, and community support. Whether you need simple pageview tracking or advanced product analytics, there's an open source solution that fits your needs.
OpenPanel
Summary
OpenPanel is an open-source, privacy-friendly web and product analytics platform. It combines the power of Mixpanel with the simplicity of Plausible. You get real-time event tracking, customizable charts, an overview dashboard with instant insights, individual user and session views, and plenty of SDKs. It uses cookie-free tracking and is GDPR compliant. You can self-host it for free or use the hosted Cloud service with a 30-day free trial.
- Homepage: https://openpanel.dev
- GitHub: https://github.com/Openpanel-dev/openpanel
- License: AGPL-3.0
- Rating: 5/5
- Discount: 30% off (first 3 months): Use discount code GOOGLE
Pricing
OpenPanel Cloud has a 30-day free trial with no credit card required. After the trial, you choose the tier matching your monthly event volume. If you outgrow your tier you simply upgrade. Self-hosting is free (you provide your own infrastructure).
| Events per Month | Price (USD/month) | Annual Price (10× monthly) |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 5 000 | $2.50 | $25 |
| Up to 10 000 | $5 | $50 |
| Up to 100 000 | $20 | $200 |
| Up to 250 000 | $30 | $300 |
| Up to 500 000 | $50 | $500 |
| Up to 1 000 000 | $90 | $900 |
| Up to 2 500 000 | $180 | $1 800 |
| Up to 5 000 000 | $250 | $2 500 |
| Up to 10 000 000 | $400 | $4 000 |
| > 10 000 000 | Contact sales | Contact sales |
All Cloud plans include unlimited websites, unlimited dashboards, unlimited team members, email & Discord support, and 5 years of data retention.
Pros
- Open-source and self-hostable so you control your data
- Combines web and product analytics in one platform
- Real-time tracking and instant insights, no delays
- Cookie-free, GDPR/CCPA compliant by design
- Generous free trial and usage-based pricing
Cons
- Cloud costs grow as event volume increases
- Self-hosting requires server setup and maintenance
- Project is still early-stage with a smaller community
- Lacks some advanced features like session replay or heatmaps
FAQ
Alternative to OpenPanel
Plausible Analytics
- Open-source, privacy-focused web analytics with flat pricing
- Lightweight, cookie-free tracking and simple dashboards
- Predictable monthly cost starting at $9 for 10 000 pageviews
- Ideal if you need core web metrics without product analytics
PostHog
Summary
PostHog is an open-source platform for product analytics. You can track events, watch session replays, roll out feature flags, run A/B tests, track errors, send surveys, and more—all in one place. You can self-host it or use their cloud service. All users get a generous free tier every month.
- Homepage: https://posthog.com
- Github: https://github.com/PostHog/posthog
- License: MIT
- Rating: 4/5
Pricing
PostHog offers a generous free tier that includes 1 million events per month, along with 5,000 session recordings, 1 million feature flag requests, 100,000 error events, and 250 survey responses. This free tier covers 1 project with community support and 1 year of data retention.
Beyond the free limits, PostHog operates on a pay-as-you-go model. Product analytics costs $0.00005 per event, session replay is $0.005 per recording, feature flags are $0.0001 per request, error tracking is $0.00037 per event, surveys are $0.20 per response, and data pipelines cost $0.000062 per event. The pay-as-you-go plan includes 6 projects, email support, and 7 years of data retention.
| Plan | Price | Monthly Free Limits | Support | Projects | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free forever | $0 | See free tier details above | Community forum | 1 | 1 year |
| Pay-as-you-go | $0 + usage rates | First free limits then usage-based billing | 6 | 7 years |
Pros
- Open-source and self-host friendly so you keep full data control
- All-in-one suite: analytics, replays, flags, experiments, errors, surveys
- Generous monthly free tier for smaller sites or dev testing
Cons
- Usage-based pricing can be hard to predict as you grow
- Managing a self-hosted instance takes extra ops work and maintenance
- Self-hosting vs cloud is not 1-to-1
- Enterprise support and advanced add-ons can get costly
FAQ
Plausible
Summary
Plausible is an open-source, privacy-friendly web analytics tool. It tracks pageviews and custom events without cookies or personal data. You get real-time reports, goals, custom events, email or Slack reports, and GDPR/CCPA compliance. You can self-host for free or use their cloud service.
- Homepage: https://plausible.io
- Github: https://github.com/plausible/analytics
- License: AGPL v3
- Rating: 4/5
Pricing
Plausible offers traffic-based plans you can bill monthly or yearly (2 months free on annual). All plans include unlimited data retention, unlimited team members, Google Analytics import, and core features.
| Plan | Pageviews per Month | Price (Monthly) | Price (Yearly) | Sites | Team Members | Data Retention |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Up to 10 000 | $9 | $90 | 1 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Growth | Up to 100 000 | $14 | $140 | 3 | 3 | Unlimited |
| Business | Up to 200 000 | $19 | $190 | 10 | 10 | Unlimited |
| Enterprise | 200 001+ | Custom | Custom | 10+ | 10+ | Unlimited |
Pros
- Designed for privacy, with no cookies or personal data tracking
- Simple, intuitive dashboard and easy setup
- Open source, with free self-host option and transparent pricing
Cons
- No free tier beyond self-hosting
- Costs can rise quickly as traffic grows
- Fewer advanced features (like funnels or session replay) than some competitors
FAQ
Alternative to Plausible
Umami
- Umami is almost a 1-to-1 alternative to Plausible. A great web analytics tool
OpenPanel
- Similar to both Umami and Plausible but also adds product analytics to the mix
Matomo
Summary
Matomo (formerly Piwik) is an open-source web analytics platform. You can track web and mobile visits, build charts, create dashboards, set goals, run A/B tests, record sessions, view heatmaps, and more. You own all your data and can choose to self-host for free or use Matomo Cloud for hosting and support.
- Homepage: https://matomo.org
- Github: https://github.com/matomo-org/matomo
- License: GNU GPL v3
- Rating: 4/5
Pricing
Matomo offers two main options:
| Plan | Price | Hits per Month | Billing | Support | Websites | Team Members | Data Retention |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-Premise | €0 | Unlimited | Self-host (download) | Free community support or paid subscriptions | Unlimited | Unlimited | Forever |
| Cloud (50 k) | €29/month or €290/year (2 months free) | Up to 50 000 | Monthly or annual | Email support & Customer Success Manager | 30 | 30 | 24 months |
- For more hits or custom allowances (100 k, 300 k, 1 M, etc.), contact sales for enterprise pricing.
Pros
- You fully own your data and stay GDPR/CCPA compliant
- Rich feature set: dashboards, A/B tests, heatmaps, session recordings, funnels
- Free self-hosted option with no limits on hits or users
Cons
- Managing self-hosting requires server setup and maintenance
- Cloud costs can rise sharply as traffic grows beyond base tiers
- Many advanced plugins incur extra annual fees
FAQ
Alternative to Matomo
Fathom Analytics
- Privacy-focused, simple analytics with no cookies or personal data
- Flat monthly pricing (starts at $14/month) for unlimited pageviews
- Easy setup with minimal interface for core metrics
Fathom
Summary
Fathom is a simple, privacy-focused web analytics tool. It tracks pageviews and events without cookies or personal data. You get real-time reports, unlimited data retention, unlimited sites, and simple dashboards. You can use Fathom's hosted service with a free trial or self-host with their Docker image (self-hosting requires a license).
- Homepage: https://usefathom.com
- Github: Unsure (no public repo for core analytics)
- License: Proprietary (self-host license available)
- Rating: 4/5
Pricing
Fathom bills by monthly data points (pageviews + events). You pay for the tier you need and can move up at any time. All plans include unlimited sites, data retention, email reports, exports, and support.
| Plan | Data Points / Month | Price (Monthly) | Price (Yearly, 17% off) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Up to 100 000 | $15 | $150/yr |
| Growth | Up to 200 000 | $25 | $250/yr |
| Business | Up to 500 000 | $45 | $450/yr |
| Scale | Up to 1 000 000 | $60 | $600/yr |
| Scale+ | Up to 2 000 000 | $100 | $1 000/yr |
| Enterprise Small | Up to 5 000 000 | $140 | $1 400/yr |
| Enterprise Medium | Up to 10 000 000 | $200 | $2 000/yr |
| Enterprise Large | Up to 15 000 000 | $290 | $2 900/yr |
| Enterprise X-Large | Up to 20 000 000 | $380 | $3 800/yr |
| Enterprise Custom¹ | Over 25 000 000 | Contact sales | Contact sales |
¹ For volumes above 25 million data points, contact sales.
Pros
- No cookies or personal data collection by design
- Real-time, simple dashboard with core metrics only
- Unlimited sites and data retention on every plan
- Self-host option lets you run it on your own infrastructure
Cons
- Proprietary platform (core code is not open source)
- Costs rise linearly as traffic grows
- Lacks advanced features like funnels or session replay
FAQ
Alternative to Fathom
Simple Analytics
- Privacy-first, cookie-free analytics under a flat fee model
- Tracks pageviews only with a focus on simplicity
- No free tier but predictable pricing by site count
- Clean dashboard and easy setup with no code changes
Umami
Summary
Umami is an open-source, privacy-friendly web analytics tool. It tracks pageviews and basic events without cookies or personal data. The lightweight script (~2 KB) loads fast and is GDPR/CCPA compliant by default. You can self-host it for free or use Umami Cloud with usage-based pricing.
- Homepage: https://umami.is
- GitHub: https://github.com/umami-software/umami
- License: MIT
- Rating: 4/5
Pricing
Self-hosted Umami is free with unlimited sites and events, managed by you with community support.
Umami Cloud is free for the first 1 million events per month. Beyond that, you pay $0.00002 per additional event. You get unlimited websites, unlimited team members, 5 years of data retention, and email support.
| Plan | Price | Monthly Free Limits | Support | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-host | $0 | Unlimited events & sites | Community forum | Unlimited |
| Cloud | $0 + $0.00002 per event over 1 M | 1 000 000 events | Email support | 5 years |
Pros
- Fully open-source and self-hosted option gives you data control
- Privacy-first design with no cookies or personal data collection
- Very lightweight tracking script that won't slow your site
Cons
- Limited to basic metrics; no session replay, funnels, or heatmaps
- Running your own server means more maintenance and updates
- Cloud costs can add up if you exceed free event limits significantly
FAQ
Alternative to Umami
GoatCounter
- Open-source, privacy-focused analytics with simple pageview and event tracking
- Self-host for free or use hosted plans starting at €5/month
- Lightweight script, no cookies required, GDPR compliant
- Very simple setup and predictable flat pricing
Ackee
Summary
Ackee is an open-source, self-hosted web analytics tool that focuses on privacy and simplicity. It runs on your own server with Node.js and MongoDB, tracks pageviews and custom events without cookies or personal data, and presents stats in a minimal interface. It uses a GraphQL API and keeps all tracked data anonymized by default.
- Homepage: https://ackee.electerious.com
- Github: https://github.com/electerious/Ackee
- License: MIT
- Rating: 4/5
Pricing
Ackee itself is completely free to self-host. You download the code, run it on your server, and there are no limits on sites, pageviews, team members, or data retention.
Note: There is no official Ackee-hosted service. Some third-party providers (for example Elestio) offer managed Ackee hosting on a credits-or-hourly basis, but pricing and terms vary by provider.
Pros
- Fully open-source and free to self-host so you control all your data
- Privacy-first design: no cookies, anonymized tracking, GDPR/CCPA compliant
- Lightweight and minimal UI with fast load times
- GraphQL API allows custom integrations and flexible querying
Cons
- Limited to basic metrics (no funnels, session replay, or heatmaps)
- Requires server setup, maintenance, and security updates
- No official hosted offering—managed hosting depends on third parties
- Minimal feature set may not suit advanced analytics needs
FAQ
Alternative to Ackee
GoatCounter
- Open-source and privacy-focused, with GDPR-compliant, cookie-free tracking
- Self-host free or use hosted plans starting at €5/month
- Simple pageview and basic event metrics, predictable flat pricing
Pirsch
Summary
Pirsch is a drop-in, server-side, no-cookie, privacy-focused web analytics solution built in Go. It generates anonymized visitor fingerprints, works even with ad blockers, and is GDPR, CCPA, and PECR compliant. You can use the hosted SaaS offering or self-host under an enterprise license.
- Homepage: https://pirsch.io
- GitHub: https://github.com/pirsch-analytics/pirsch
- License: AGPL-3.0
- Rating: 4/5
Pricing
Pirsch offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card required. After that, plans are usage-based on monthly pageviews:
| Plan | Monthly Price | Annual Price (2 mo. free) | Pageviews Included | Websites | Members | Data Retention |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $6 | $60 | Up to 10 000 | Up to 50 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Plus (Best Value) | $12 | $120 | Custom¹ | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom |
¹ Plus plan adds funnels, A/B testing, custom domains/themes, white-labeling, priority support, and event goals.
You pay per pageview tier; if you exceed your included pageviews, you move up to the next tier or contact sales for enterprise licensing.
Pros
- Fully privacy-focused with no cookies and anonymized data by default
- Server-side tracking works around ad blockers and gives full data ownership
- Lightweight Go library and multiple SDKs (JS, PHP, Laravel, etc.)
- Hosted in the EU on German servers (Hetzner)
Cons
- Core self-host requires an enterprise license and setup support
- Usage tiers can get costly as traffic grows beyond small sites
- Hosted plans have feature gaps vs. self-host (e.g., custom integrations)
- No built-in session replay or heatmaps
FAQ
Alternative to Pirsch
Plausible Analytics
- Open-source, cookie-free web analytics with a flat pricing model
- Simple dashboard, real-time data, and GDPR/CCPA compliance
- Self-host for free or use hosted plans starting at $9/month for 10 000 pageviews
Swetrix
Summary
Swetrix is an open-source, cookieless web analytics platform that focuses on privacy and ease of use. You can track pageviews, custom events, user flows, performance metrics, and more—all without showing cookie banners. You can self-host for free or use the hosted service with a 14-day trial.
- Homepage: https://swetrix.com
- GitHub: https://github.com/Swetrix/swetrix
- License: AGPL-3.0
- Rating: 4/5
Pricing
Swetrix offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. After that, you pick a plan based on monthly events. If you need more than 10 million events, you contact sales.
| Plan | Events per Month | Price (USD/month) |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Up to 10 000 | $5 |
| Growth | Up to 100 000 | $15 |
| Pro | Up to 200 000 | $25 |
| Business | Up to 500 000 | $45 |
| Premium | Up to 1 000 000 | $59 |
| Enterprise Small | Up to 2 000 000 | $84 |
| Enterprise Medium | Up to 5 000 000 | $110 |
| Enterprise Large | Up to 10 000 000 | $150 |
| Enterprise X-Large | Over 10 000 000 | Contact sales |
Pros
- Fully open source and self-hostable so you keep full control of your data
- Cookie-free tracking that is GDPR/CCPA compliant by design
- Clean, simple dashboard with user flows, alerts, exports, and performance monitoring
- No limits on sites or data exports in any plan
Cons
- Hosted plans use usage-based tiers, so costs rise with traffic
- Self-hosting requires setup, maintenance, and hosting infrastructure
- Lacks advanced features like session replay or heatmaps
- Smaller community compared to older analytics platforms
FAQ
Alternative to Swetrix
Plausible Analytics
- Open-source, privacy-first web analytics with flat pricing
- Tracks pageviews and goals with no cookies required
- Self-host for free or start hosted plans at $9/month for 10 000 pageviews
- Simple setup and predictable costs
