Fathom Lite 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 | Fathom Lite | Swetrix |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 57 · Fair | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,019 | ★ 1,202 |
| First released | 2018 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
What are Fathom Lite and Swetrix?
Fathom Lite
Fathom Lite is the open-source edition of Fathom Analytics, providing simple, privacy-focused website analytics. It targets users who want a lightweight self-hosted analytics tool. It is deployed as a single binary or via Docker.
- Simple privacy-focused analytics
- Single-binary deployment
- No cookies
- Lightweight dashboard
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
Fathom Lite vs Swetrix: key differences
Fathom Lite is written in Go, while Swetrix is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Fathom Lite versus AGPL-3.0 for Swetrix. Fathom Lite is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Swetrix. Fathom Lite is the more established project (first released 2018), while Swetrix arrived in 2021. Fathom Lite has the considerably larger community, at 8,019 GitHub stars versus 1,202.
Why pick each one
Choose Fathom Lite if…
- Very easy to run
- Privacy-friendly
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Lite edition no longer actively developed
- 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 Fathom Lite or Swetrix better?
Fathom Lite 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 Fathom Lite and Swetrix free and open-source?
Yes. Fathom Lite is licensed under MIT and Swetrix under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Fathom Lite and Swetrix with Docker?
Fathom Lite: yes. Swetrix: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Fathom Lite or Swetrix?
Fathom Lite has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Swetrix. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.