Counter.dev Selfhost 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 | Counter.dev Selfhost | Umami |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 78 · Good | 99 · Excellent |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,009 | ★ 38,981 |
| First released | 2020 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
What are Counter.dev Selfhost and Umami?
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
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
Counter.dev Selfhost vs Umami: key differences
Counter.dev Selfhost is written in JavaScript, while Umami is built with TypeScript. Counter.dev Selfhost is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Umami. Umami has the considerably larger community, at 38,981 GitHub stars versus 1,009.
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 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 Counter.dev Selfhost 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 Counter.dev Selfhost and Umami free and open-source?
Yes. Counter.dev Selfhost is licensed under MIT and Umami under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Counter.dev Selfhost and Umami with Docker?
Counter.dev Selfhost: yes. Umami: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Counter.dev Selfhost or Umami?
Counter.dev Selfhost 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.