Fathom Lite 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 | Fathom Lite | Tianji |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 57 · Fair | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,020 | ★ 3,100 |
| First released | 2018 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
What are Fathom Lite and Tianji?
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
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
Fathom Lite vs Tianji: key differences
Fathom Lite is written in Go, while Tianji is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Fathom Lite versus Apache-2.0 for Tianji. Fathom Lite is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Tianji. Fathom Lite is the more established project (first released 2018), while Tianji arrived in 2023. Fathom Lite has the considerably larger community, at 8,020 GitHub stars versus 3,100.
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 Tianji if…
- Multiple tools in one
- Clean interface
Watch out for
- Jack-of-all-trades scope
- Younger project
Frequently asked questions
Is Fathom Lite or Tianji better?
Fathom Lite is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Tianji if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Fathom Lite and Tianji free and open-source?
Yes. Fathom Lite is licensed under MIT and Tianji under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Fathom Lite and Tianji with Docker?
Fathom Lite: yes. Tianji: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Fathom Lite or Tianji?
Fathom Lite has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Tianji. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.