Ackee vs Swetrix
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
Swetrix
Privacy-focused, cookieless web analytics service
| Feature | Ackee | Swetrix |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 89 · Excellent | 83 · 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 | ★ 1,202 |
| First released | 2018 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
What are Ackee and Swetrix?
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
Swetrix
Swetrix is an open-source, privacy-focused web analytics platform that is fully cookieless and GDPR compliant. It tracks page views, user flows, and custom events without identifying visitors.
- Cookieless tracking
- User flow analysis
- Custom events
- Performance metrics
Ackee vs Swetrix: key differences
Ackee is written in JavaScript, while Swetrix is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Ackee versus AGPL-3.0 for Swetrix. Ackee is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Swetrix. Ackee is the more established project (first released 2018), while Swetrix arrived in 2021. Ackee has the considerably larger community, at 4,709 GitHub stars versus 1,202.
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 Swetrix if…
- No cookie banner needed
- Detailed flow reports
Watch out for
- Needs ClickHouse and Redis
- Setup is multi-component
Frequently asked questions
Is Ackee or Swetrix better?
Ackee is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Swetrix if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Ackee and Swetrix free and open-source?
Yes. Ackee is licensed under MIT and Swetrix under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ackee and Swetrix with Docker?
Ackee: yes. Swetrix: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Ackee or Swetrix?
Ackee has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Swetrix. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.