Counterscale vs OpenPanel
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted web analytics options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
OpenPanel
Open-source web and product analytics in one tool
| Feature | Counterscale | OpenPanel |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 80 · Excellent | 89 · Excellent |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | one-click, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,148 | ★ 7,042 |
| First released | 2024 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Mixpanel, Google Analytics |
What are Counterscale and OpenPanel?
Counterscale
Counterscale is a simple, privacy-friendly web analytics tool designed to be easy to deploy and maintain on Cloudflare Workers. It tracks page views and visitors with minimal infrastructure.
- Runs on Cloudflare Workers
- Privacy-friendly tracking
- Minimal infrastructure
- Cheap to operate
OpenPanel
OpenPanel is an open-source analytics platform that combines web analytics with product analytics, positioned as a mix of Mixpanel and Plausible. It tracks events, funnels, and user retention.
- Web and product analytics
- Funnels and retention
- Real-time event tracking
- Privacy-friendly design
Counterscale vs OpenPanel: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Counterscale versus AGPL-3.0 for OpenPanel. Counterscale is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for OpenPanel. OpenPanel has the considerably larger community, at 7,042 GitHub stars versus 2,148. OpenPanel lists first-class Docker deployment; Counterscale does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Counterscale if…
- Almost free to run
- Very easy deployment
Watch out for
- Cloudflare dependency
- Basic feature set
Choose OpenPanel if…
- Mixpanel-style features open-source
- Modern dashboard
Watch out for
- Newer project
- Multi-service deployment
Frequently asked questions
Is Counterscale or OpenPanel better?
Neither is universally better. OpenPanel has the larger community, while Counterscale is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Counterscale and OpenPanel free and open-source?
Yes. Counterscale is licensed under MIT and OpenPanel under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Counterscale and OpenPanel with Docker?
Counterscale: check the project docs for container support. OpenPanel: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Counterscale or OpenPanel?
Counterscale has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for OpenPanel. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.