Counterscale vs Tianji
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted web analytics options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Tianji
Insight hub combining analytics, uptime, and server status
| Feature | Counterscale | Tianji |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 80 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | one-click, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,147 | ★ 3,100 |
| First released | 2024 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
What are Counterscale and Tianji?
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
Tianji
Tianji is an all-in-one insight hub that combines website analytics, uptime monitoring, and server status into a single application. It offers a unified dashboard for observing your sites and infrastructure.
- Website analytics
- Uptime monitoring
- Server status reporting
- Unified insight dashboard
Counterscale vs Tianji: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Counterscale versus Apache-2.0 for Tianji. Counterscale is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Tianji. Tianji 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 Tianji if…
- Multiple tools in one
- Clean interface
Watch out for
- Jack-of-all-trades scope
- Younger project
Frequently asked questions
Is Counterscale or Tianji better?
Neither is universally better. Tianji 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 Tianji free and open-source?
Yes. Counterscale is licensed under MIT and Tianji under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Counterscale and Tianji with Docker?
Counterscale: check the project docs for container support. Tianji: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Counterscale or Tianji?
Counterscale has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Tianji. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.