Fathom Lite vs Umami
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted web analytics options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Umami
Simple, fast, privacy-focused web analytics
| Feature | Fathom Lite | Umami |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 57 · Fair | 99 · Excellent |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,019 | ★ 38,981 |
| First released | 2018 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
What are Fathom Lite and Umami?
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
Umami
Umami is a simple, fast, privacy-focused alternative to Google Analytics that collects no personal data and uses no cookies. It targets developers and site owners wanting easy, ethical analytics. It is deployed via Docker.
- Cookie-free privacy analytics
- Clean modern dashboard
- Multi-site and multi-user
- Tiny tracking script
Fathom Lite vs Umami: key differences
Fathom Lite is written in Go, while Umami is built with TypeScript. Fathom Lite is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Umami. Fathom Lite is the more established project (first released 2018), while Umami arrived in 2020. Umami has the considerably larger community, at 38,981 GitHub stars versus 8,019.
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 Umami if…
- Very easy to self-host
- Privacy-friendly
- Clean interface
Watch out for
- Fewer features than Matomo
- Requires a database
Frequently asked questions
Is Fathom Lite or Umami better?
Neither is universally better. Umami has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Fathom Lite and Umami free and open-source?
Yes. Fathom Lite is licensed under MIT and Umami under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Fathom Lite and Umami with Docker?
Fathom Lite: yes. Umami: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Fathom Lite or Umami?
Fathom Lite has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Umami. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.