3 open source alternatives to Google Analytics
Google's free website and app analytics. Here are the open source projects real teams use instead — ranked by fit, with honest pros and cons for each.
What people don't love about Google Analytics
- Cookie consent and GDPR complexity.
- GA4 migration was rough.
- Data shared with Google.
Current Google Analytics pricing (for reference): Free (GA4); Analytics 360 enterprise-priced.
Quick comparison
| Alternative | Best for | License | Self-host | Hosted cloud? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Plausible Lightweight, privacy-first Google Analytics alternative. |
Cookie-free, lightweight analytics with a clean dashboard. | AGPL-3.0 | ★★☆☆☆ | Yes |
|
Umami Self-hosted privacy-focused analytics. |
Self-hosted privacy-friendly analytics with multi-site support. | MIT | ★★☆☆☆ | Yes |
|
Matomo Full-featured open source web analytics. |
When you need GA-level reporting without Google. | GPL-3.0 | ★★★☆☆ | Yes |
1. Plausible — Cookie-free, lightweight analytics with a clean dashboard.
Lightweight, privacy-first Google Analytics alternative.
Strengths
- No cookies — no consent banner needed.
- Tiny script, fast page loads.
- Clean, simple dashboard.
Weaknesses
- Lighter feature set than GA4 (no funnels in free tier).
- Retention limits on cloud tier.
- Some goal-tracking requires plan upgrade.
Plausible homepage · Source on GitHub · Google Analytics vs Plausible →
2. Umami — Self-hosted privacy-friendly analytics with multi-site support.
Self-hosted privacy-focused analytics.
Strengths
- Easy docker deploy with Postgres/MySQL.
- Clean UI and fast dashboard.
- Multi-website support out of the box.
Weaknesses
- Less detailed than Matomo for heavy analysis.
- Smaller integration ecosystem.
- No built-in alerting.
Umami homepage · Source on GitHub · Google Analytics vs Umami →
3. Matomo — When you need GA-level reporting without Google.
Full-featured open source web analytics.
Strengths
- Feature parity with GA for most reports.
- Heatmaps, session recordings, and goal funnels available.
- Strong GDPR tooling.
Weaknesses
- Heavier to self-host (PHP + DB + cron).
- Some premium features are paid plugins.
- UI can feel dense.
Matomo homepage · Source on GitHub · Google Analytics vs Matomo →
Not what you're looking for?
Browse other tools in Analytics & Product Tracking, or check out open source projects by category on the full category index.
Other SaaS in Analytics & Product Tracking
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