Druid vs Open Web Analytics
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
Open Web Analytics
Self-hosted web analytics with click and heatmap tracking
| Feature | Druid | Open Web Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Java | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,042 | ★ 2,682 |
| First released | 2026 | 2008 |
| 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
Choose Open Web Analytics if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Druid or Open Web Analytics better?
Neither is universally better. Druid has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Druid and Open Web Analytics free and open-source?
Yes. Druid is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Open Web Analytics under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Druid and Open Web Analytics with Docker?
Druid: yes. Open Web Analytics: yes.