AWStats vs PostHog
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
PostHog
Open-source product analytics platform
| Feature | AWStats | PostHog |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Perl | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 435 | ★ 37,548 |
| First released | 2025 | 2020 |
| Replaces | — | Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude |
Why pick each one
Choose AWStats if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in Perl
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is AWStats or PostHog better?
Neither is universally better. PostHog has the larger community, while AWStats is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are AWStats and PostHog free and open-source?
Yes. AWStats is licensed under GPL-3.0 and PostHog under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AWStats and PostHog with Docker?
AWStats: check the project docs for container support. PostHog: yes.