Counter.dev Selfhost vs Medama
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted web analytics options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Medama
Privacy-focused website analytics with no cookies
| Feature | Counter.dev Selfhost | Medama |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 78 · Good | 74 · Good |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,009 | ★ 645 |
| First released | 2020 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
What are Counter.dev Selfhost and Medama?
Counter.dev Selfhost
Counter.dev is a minimalist, privacy-respecting web analytics service that can be self-hosted. It records page visits without cookies and shows a compact stats view.
- Cookie-free analytics
- Minimal dashboard
- Easy embed
- Privacy respecting
Medama
Medama is a lightweight, privacy-focused website analytics tool that operates without cookies and complies with privacy regulations. It is designed to be fast and simple to self-host.
- Cookieless tracking
- SQLite storage
- Lightweight script
- Privacy compliant
Counter.dev Selfhost vs Medama: key differences
Counter.dev Selfhost is written in JavaScript, while Medama is built with Go. Counter.dev Selfhost is the more established project (first released 2020), while Medama arrived in 2024.
Why pick each one
Choose Counter.dev Selfhost if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1k GitHub stars)
Choose Medama if…
- Easy single-binary deploy
- Very lightweight
Watch out for
- Newer project
- Smaller feature set
Frequently asked questions
Is Counter.dev Selfhost or Medama better?
Neither is universally better. Counter.dev Selfhost has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Counter.dev Selfhost and Medama free and open-source?
Yes. Counter.dev Selfhost is licensed under MIT and Medama under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Counter.dev Selfhost and Medama with Docker?
Counter.dev Selfhost: yes. Medama: yes.