GoatCounter vs Medama
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted web analytics options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
GoatCounter
Easy and privacy-friendly web analytics
VS
Medama
Privacy-focused website analytics with no cookies
| Feature | GoatCounter | Medama |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 85 · Excellent | 74 · Good |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | EUPL-1.2 | MIT |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,997 | ★ 645 |
| First released | 2019 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
What are GoatCounter and Medama?
GoatCounter
GoatCounter is an open-source web analytics platform that is easy to use and privacy-friendly, collecting no personal data. It targets small site owners and hobbyists. It is deployed as a single binary or via Docker.
- No personal data collected
- Single-binary deployment
- Works without JavaScript
- Lightweight and fast
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
GoatCounter vs Medama: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Licensing differs — EUPL-1.2 for GoatCounter versus MIT for Medama. GoatCounter is the more established project (first released 2019), while Medama arrived in 2024. GoatCounter has the considerably larger community, at 5,997 GitHub stars versus 645.
Why pick each one
Choose GoatCounter if…
- Extremely easy to run
- Very lightweight
- Privacy-friendly
Watch out for
- Basic reporting depth
- Small project
Choose Medama if…
- Easy single-binary deploy
- Very lightweight
Watch out for
- Newer project
- Smaller feature set
Frequently asked questions
Is GoatCounter or Medama better?
Neither is universally better. GoatCounter has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are GoatCounter and Medama free and open-source?
Yes. GoatCounter is licensed under EUPL-1.2 and Medama under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GoatCounter and Medama with Docker?
GoatCounter: yes. Medama: yes.