Ackee vs Open Web Analytics
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted web analytics options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Ackee
Self-hosted, privacy-focused analytics tool
VS
Open Web Analytics
Self-hosted web analytics with click and heatmap tracking
| Feature | Ackee | Open Web Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 89 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,709 | ★ 2,690 |
| First released | 2018 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
What are Ackee and Open Web Analytics?
Ackee
Ackee is a self-hosted, Node-based analytics tool that tracks website visitors while respecting privacy and avoiding cookies. It targets developers wanting minimal, ethical analytics. It is deployed via Docker.
- Privacy-focused tracking
- GraphQL API
- Clean minimal dashboard
- No cookies used
Open Web Analytics
Open Web Analytics (OWA) is a long-standing self-hosted web analytics framework that tracks visitors, click streams, and heatmaps. It can be embedded in WordPress and MediaWiki.
- Click stream tracking
- Heatmaps
- WordPress integration
- Visitor profiles
Ackee vs Open Web Analytics: key differences
Ackee is written in JavaScript, while Open Web Analytics is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for Ackee versus GPL-2.0 for Open Web Analytics. Ackee is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Open Web Analytics. Open Web Analytics is the more established project (first released 2008), while Ackee arrived in 2018.
Why pick each one
Choose Ackee if…
- Lightweight and private
- Easy to deploy
- Nice minimal UI
Watch out for
- Limited reporting depth
- Needs MongoDB
Choose Open Web Analytics if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Ackee or Open Web Analytics better?
Ackee is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Open Web Analytics if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Ackee and Open Web Analytics free and open-source?
Yes. Ackee is licensed under MIT and Open Web Analytics under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ackee and Open Web Analytics with Docker?
Ackee: yes. Open Web Analytics: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Ackee or Open Web Analytics?
Ackee has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Open Web Analytics. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.