Counterscale vs Swetrix
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted web analytics options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Swetrix
Privacy-focused, cookieless web analytics service
| Feature | Counterscale | Swetrix |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 80 · Excellent | 83 · 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 | ★ 1,202 |
| First released | 2024 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
What are Counterscale and Swetrix?
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
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
Counterscale vs Swetrix: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Counterscale versus AGPL-3.0 for Swetrix. Counterscale is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Swetrix. Swetrix is the more established project (first released 2021), while Counterscale arrived in 2024. Swetrix 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 Swetrix if…
- No cookie banner needed
- Detailed flow reports
Watch out for
- Needs ClickHouse and Redis
- Setup is multi-component
Frequently asked questions
Is Counterscale or Swetrix better?
Counterscale 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 Counterscale and Swetrix free and open-source?
Yes. Counterscale is licensed under MIT and Swetrix under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Counterscale and Swetrix with Docker?
Counterscale: check the project docs for container support. Swetrix: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Counterscale or Swetrix?
Counterscale has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Swetrix. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.