Ledger / web analytics
Self-hosted alternatives to Google Analytics
Read 2026-11-14 · 6 projects · 3 pass
We read the repository pages of 6 projects that people put forward as a replacement for Google Analytics (web analytics). 3 pass all three checks: umami-software/umami, matomo-org/matomo, electerious/Ackee. Left out of that list: PostHog/posthog (open source plus separately licensed parts); plausible/analytics (open source plus separately licensed parts); arp242/goatcounter (open-source license with added terms).
| Project | License as read | License · Live · Active | Stars | Latest release / last push |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| umami-software/umamiTypeScript | MIT | licliveactive | 40,139 | v3.5.0 2026-11-12 pushed 2026-11-14 |
What it says it is Umami is a privacy-first web and product analytics platform. Traffic, campaigns, behavior, conversions, and revenue in one place. No cookies, no surveillance, self-hosted or in the cloud. Install In the repository: Dockerfile, compose file README mentions cookie, privacy, PostgreSQL | ||||
| matomo-org/matomoPHP | GPL-3.0 | licliveactive | 22,026 | 5.14.2 2026-10-22 pushed 2026-11-13 |
What it says it is Empowering People Ethically 🚀 — Matomo is hiring! Join us → https://matomo.org/jobs Matomo is the leading open-source alternative to Google Analytics, giving you complete control and built-in privacy. Easily collect, visualise, and analyse data from websites & apps. Star us on GitHub ⭐️ – Pull Requests welcome! Install In the repository: Dockerfile, compose file README mentions privacy, MySQL, real-time, Google Analytics | ||||
| electerious/AckeeJavaScript | MIT | licliveactive | 4,727 | v3.7.1 2026-10-23 pushed 2026-10-23 |
What it says it is Self-hosted, Node.js based analytics tool for those who care about privacy. Install In the repository: Dockerfile, compose file README mentions cookie, privacy, Google Analytics | ||||
| PostHog/posthogPython | MIT plus an ee/ directory under a separate license | x licliveactive | 40,776 | desktop-v0.61.1040 2026-11-14 pushed 2026-11-14 |
What it says it is :hedgehog: PostHog is the leading platform for building self-driving products. Our developer tools – AI observability, analytics, session replay, flags, experiments, error tracking, logs, and more – capture all the context agents need to diagnose problems, uncover opportunities, and ship fixes. Steer it all from Slack, web, desktop, or the MCP. Install In the repository: Dockerfile, compose file README mentions session replay | ||||
| plausible/analyticsElixir | AGPL-3.0 plus an extra/ directory with no rights granted | x licliveactive | 29,844 | v3.2.1 2026-05-15 release is old; active counts the push pushed 2026-11-13 |
What it says it is Open source, privacy-first web analytics. Lightweight, cookie-free Google Analytics alternative. Self-hosted or cloud. Install In the repository: Dockerfile README mentions cookie, GDPR, privacy, funnel, real-time, Google Analytics | ||||
| arp242/goatcounterGo | modified EUPL-1.2 | x licliveactive | 6,160 | v2.7.0 2025-12-15 release is old; active counts the push pushed 2026-09-27 |
What it says it is Easy web analytics. No tracking of personal data. Install In the repository: Dockerfile, compose file README mentions cookie, GDPR, privacy, PostgreSQL, Google Analytics | ||||
Checks per row: lic = one open-source license across the whole repository (a commercial option on request is allowed), live = not archived, active = a release or push within 90 days of 2026-11-14. A red x marks a failed check. Full definitions and limits: method.
Why 3 of 6 did not pass
- PostHog/posthog · MIT plus an ee/ directory under a separate license
The license file says: “All content that resides under the "ee/" directory of this repository, if that directory exists, is licensed under the license defined in "ee/LICENSE".” Repository - plausible/analytics · AGPL-3.0 plus an extra/ directory with no rights granted
The license file (extra/COPYING.txt) says: “This repository is provided for informational purposes only, and no rights to use, distribute or otherwise exploit this software are granted to you.” Repository - arp242/goatcounter · modified EUPL-1.2
The license file says: “GoatCounter is licensed under a slightly modified version of European Union Public License (EUPL) 1.2” Repository
How they differ
Mentioned in some READMEs and not others
- cookie: umami-software/umami, electerious/Ackee, plausible/analytics, arp242/goatcounter
- GDPR: plausible/analytics, arp242/goatcounter
- privacy: umami-software/umami, matomo-org/matomo, electerious/Ackee, plausible/analytics, arp242/goatcounter
- funnel: plausible/analytics
- session replay: PostHog/posthog
- PostgreSQL: umami-software/umami, arp242/goatcounter
- MySQL: matomo-org/matomo
- real-time: matomo-org/matomo, plausible/analytics
- Google Analytics: matomo-org/matomo, electerious/Ackee, plausible/analytics, arp242/goatcounter
Main language
- TypeScript: umami-software/umami
- PHP: matomo-org/matomo
- JavaScript: electerious/Ackee
- Python: PostHog/posthog
- Elixir: plausible/analytics
- Go: arp242/goatcounter
Install files
- In the repository: Dockerfile, compose file: umami-software/umami, matomo-org/matomo, electerious/Ackee, PostHog/posthog, arp242/goatcounter
- In the repository: Dockerfile: plausible/analytics
From each README (first part) and file tree as read; a missing mention only means the README does not use the word.
Where people asked for this
- Umami is a simple, fast, privacy-focused alternative to Google Analytics 348 points, 168 comments
- Show HN: Vince – A self hosted alternative to Google Analytics 283 points, 86 comments
Thread titles and counts as collected 2026-11-09. The original product: Google Analytics.