Ackee vs Rybbit
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
Rybbit
Open-source, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative
| Feature | Ackee | Rybbit |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 89 · Excellent | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,709 | ★ 13,058 |
| First released | 2018 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics, Mixpanel |
What are Ackee and Rybbit?
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
Rybbit
Rybbit is an open-source and privacy-friendly web and product analytics platform. It is cookieless, GDPR compliant, and offers an intuitive dashboard for tracking traffic and user behavior.
- Cookieless and GDPR compliant
- Real-time dashboard
- Funnels and user journeys
- Web and product analytics
Ackee vs Rybbit: key differences
Ackee is written in JavaScript, while Rybbit is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Ackee versus AGPL-3.0 for Rybbit. Ackee is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Rybbit. Ackee is the more established project (first released 2018), while Rybbit arrived in 2024. Rybbit has the considerably larger community, at 13,058 GitHub stars versus 4,709.
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 Rybbit if…
- Modern intuitive UI
- Combines web and product analytics
Watch out for
- Newer project
- Requires ClickHouse
Frequently asked questions
Is Ackee or Rybbit better?
Neither is universally better. Rybbit has the larger community, while Ackee is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ackee and Rybbit free and open-source?
Yes. Ackee is licensed under MIT and Rybbit under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ackee and Rybbit with Docker?
Ackee: yes. Rybbit: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Ackee or Rybbit?
Ackee has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Rybbit. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.