AWStats vs Metabase
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted web analytics options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
AWStats
Generate statistics from web, streaming, ftp or mail server logfiles
VS
Metabase
Open-source business intelligence and dashboards
| Feature | AWStats | Metabase |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Perl | Clojure |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 435 | ★ 48,597 |
| First released | 2025 | 2015 |
| Replaces | — | Tableau, Looker |
Why pick each one
Choose AWStats if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in Perl
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose Metabase if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 48.6k GitHub stars
- Written in Clojure
Frequently asked questions
Is AWStats or Metabase better?
Neither is universally better. Metabase has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are AWStats and Metabase free and open-source?
Yes. AWStats is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Metabase under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AWStats and Metabase with Docker?
AWStats: check the project docs for container support. Metabase: yes.