Druid vs Fathom Lite
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?
Druid
Distributed, column-oriented, real-time analytics data store
VS
Fathom Lite
Simple, open-source website analytics
| Feature | Druid | Fathom Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Java | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | binary, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,042 | ★ 8,013 |
| First released | 2026 | 2018 |
| Replaces | — | Google Analytics |
Why pick each one
Choose Druid if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 14k GitHub stars
- Written in Java
Frequently asked questions
Is Druid or Fathom Lite better?
Neither is universally better. Druid has the larger community, while Fathom Lite is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Druid and Fathom Lite free and open-source?
Yes. Druid is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Fathom Lite under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Druid and Fathom Lite with Docker?
Druid: yes. Fathom Lite: yes.