GoatCounter Alternative
Love GoatCounter's simplicity and privacy focus? OpenPanel adds deeper product analytics - user identification, funnels, retention analysis, and mobile SDKs - while staying open source and cookie-free.
- Open-source
- Privacy-first
- Product Analytics
- Lightweight
OpenPanel vs GoatCounter: Which is right for you?
Both are privacy-focused open source analytics tools. GoatCounter is ultra-minimal for simple web stats. OpenPanel adds product analytics for user behavior tracking.
Choose OpenPanel if...
SaaS products needing user-level analytics and retention tracking
Mobile app developers needing native iOS, Android, React Native SDKs
Teams needing funnel analysis and conversion tracking
Choose GoatCounter if...
Personal blogs and small sites wanting simple stats
Developers wanting the simplest possible self-hosting (single binary + SQLite)
Privacy maximalists who want zero user identification
Key differences at a glance
Here's how OpenPanel and GoatCounter compare on key factors.
| Feature | OpenPanel | GoatCounter |
|---|---|---|
| User Identification | Yes - Track individual users | No - Anonymous aggregate only |
| Funnel Analysis | Yes - Visual funnel builder | No - Not available |
| Mobile SDKs | iOS, Android, React Native | Web only (JavaScript + tracking pixel) |
| Open Source License | MIT License | EUPL 1.2 (copyleft) |
| Free Hosted Service | 10,000 events/month | Unlimited (reasonable use) |
| Page Views & Visitors | ||
| Traffic Sources & Referrers | ||
| Geographic Data | GoatCounter shows country-level location data | |
| Device & Browser | ||
| Screen Size | ||
| UTM Campaign Tracking | GoatCounter supports utm_campaign, utm_source parameters | |
| Real-Time Dashboard | GoatCounter updates statistics every 10 seconds | |
| Session Tracking | GoatCounter uses rotating 4-hour salted hash for sessions | |
| Custom Event Tracking | GoatCounter supports events via data-goatcounter-click attribute | |
| Funnel Analysis | GoatCounter focuses on simple metrics without funnels | |
| Retention Analysis | GoatCounter doesn't track user retention over time | |
| User Profiles | GoatCounter intentionally doesn't track individual users | |
| Cohort Analysis | GoatCounter provides aggregate statistics only | |
| User Path/Journey Analysis | GoatCounter doesn't track user journeys | |
| User Identification | GoatCounter uses anonymous hashing, no persistent user IDs | |
| A/B Testing | GoatCounter is analytics-only, no experimentation | |
| Custom Properties on Events | GoatCounter supports title and referrer on events | |
| Public Dashboards | GoatCounter has unique public stats sharing feature | |
| CLI Dashboard | GoatCounter has terminal-based dashboard command | |
| Email Reports | GoatCounter doesn't have automated email reports | |
| Tracking Pixel (No-JS) | GoatCounter supports JavaScript-free tracking via 1x1 GIF | |
| Log File Import | GoatCounter can import nginx, Apache, Caddy, CloudFront logs | |
| Cookie-Free by Default | ||
| GDPR Compliant | GoatCounter designed to not require GDPR consent notices | |
| No Personal Data Storage | GoatCounter uses rotating 4-hour salted hashes for anonymization | |
| Self-Hosting Option | ||
| Data Export | GoatCounter supports CSV export and full API access | |
| Bot Filtering | GoatCounter ignores bots that identify themselves | |
| JavaScript/Browser | ||
| iOS SDK | ||
| Android SDK | ||
| React Native SDK | ||
| Server-Side API | GoatCounter has backend integration API | |
| REST API | GoatCounter has comprehensive /api/v0 endpoints | |
| Cloud Hosted | ||
| Docker Support | GoatCounter available on DockerHub at arp242/goatcounter | |
| Single Binary Deployment | GoatCounter is a ~7MB statically compiled binary | |
| SQLite Support | GoatCounter can run on simple SQLite database | |
| PostgreSQL Support | GoatCounter supports PostgreSQL for larger sites | |
| Built-in TLS/ACME | GoatCounter includes automatic Let's Encrypt certificates |
Feature comparison
Both are open source and privacy-focused, but with different depths of capabilities.
Page Views & Visitors
Traffic Sources & Referrers
Geographic Data
Device & Browser
Screen Size
UTM Campaign Tracking
Real-Time Dashboard
Session Tracking
Technical comparison
For developers evaluating analytics tools, here's the technical breakdown.
| Feature | OpenPanel | GoatCounter |
|---|---|---|
| SDK Size | 2.3 KB (gzipped) | ~3.5 KB |
| Platforms |
|
|
| Open Source | Yes - MIT License | Yes - EUPL 1.2 (copyleft)OpenPanel uses MIT license. GoatCounter uses EUPL 1.2 (copyleft). GoatCounter has 5,200+ GitHub stars. |
| Self Hosting | Docker (simple single-container setup) | Single binary (~7MB) or Docker. SQLite or PostgreSQL. Built-in ACME/TLS support. |
| Database | ClickHouse | SQLite (default, recommended for most) or PostgreSQL (for load balancing) |
| Data Retention | Unlimited (self-hosted), configurable (cloud) | Unlimited (self-hosted), unlimited (hosted free) |
| Language | TypeScript/Node.js | Go (Golang) |
| Performance | ClickHouse optimized for analytics queries | ~800 hits/second on $5/month VPS. 99.9% requests answered within ~2ms. |
Pricing comparison
GoatCounter is donation-supported. OpenPanel offers both free cloud and self-hosting.
OpenPanel
Event-based, transparent
Simple pricing with 10,000 free events per month.
All features included at every tier.
Self-host for free with unlimited events.
GoatCounter
Donation-supported or free self-hosting
Hosted: Free for reasonable public usage (personal sites, small-to-medium businesses).
Self-hosted: Completely free.
Donations encouraged via GitHub Sponsors for sustainability.
Not designed for high-volume enterprise use cases.
Migrating from GoatCounter to OpenPanel
Both use lightweight scripts and simple event tracking, making migration straightforward.
Install OpenPanel SDK
Add the OpenPanel SDK to your application. Both use lightweight scripts (GoatCounter ~3.5KB, OpenPanel ~2.3KB gzipped), making the transition easy.
Map Custom Events
GoatCounter click events using data-goatcounter-click attribute translate to OpenPanel's op.track() calls. Map your event names and any custom properties.
Add User Identification (New)
Unlike GoatCounter which uses anonymous hashing, OpenPanel supports user identification. Add op.identify() calls to unlock user profiles, retention analysis, and cohort features.
Set Up Funnels and Analytics (New)
GoatCounter doesn't have funnels or retention analysis. Set up these features in OpenPanel to gain deeper product insights you couldn't get before.
Remove GoatCounter Script
Once verified, remove the GoatCounter tracking script. Both are cookie-free so no consent flow changes are needed.
SDK Compatibility
Both use simple event tracking approaches.
Historical Data Import
GoatCounter intentionally anonymizes data. Most teams start fresh with OpenPanel.
Where OpenPanel is a better fit than GoatCounter
Choose OpenPanel when you need product analytics beyond simple web stats.
SaaS Products Needing User Identification
GoatCounter uses anonymous hashing by design. If you need to track logged-in users, understand individual customer journeys, or analyze user-level retention, OpenPanel provides these capabilities while still respecting privacy.
Mobile App Analytics
GoatCounter is designed for web analytics with JavaScript and tracking pixels only. OpenPanel provides native iOS, Android, and React Native SDKs with full product analytics capabilities.
Teams Needing Funnel Analysis
GoatCounter focuses on simple metrics like page views, visitors, and referrers without conversion funnels. If you need to track user conversion paths and identify drop-offs, OpenPanel's funnel analysis provides these insights.
Products Requiring Retention Analysis
GoatCounter doesn't track user retention over time. If you need to understand how many users return after signup or measure engagement over weeks and months, OpenPanel's retention analysis delivers these metrics.
High-Volume Analytics at Scale
GoatCounter is an indie project optimized for personal sites and small-to-medium businesses. For enterprise-scale analytics with millions of events, OpenPanel's ClickHouse backend is designed for high-volume workloads.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about switching from GoatCounter to OpenPanel.
Related resources
Explore more comparisons and guides to help you choose the right analytics tool
Other comparisons
Ready to make the switch?
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