GoatCounter vs Open Web Analytics
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
Open Web Analytics
Self-hosted web analytics with click and heatmap tracking
| Feature | GoatCounter | Open Web Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 85 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | EUPL-1.2 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Go | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,997 | ★ 2,690 |
| First released | 2019 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
What are GoatCounter and Open Web Analytics?
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
Open Web Analytics
Open Web Analytics (OWA) is a long-standing self-hosted web analytics framework that tracks visitors, click streams, and heatmaps. It can be embedded in WordPress and MediaWiki.
- Click stream tracking
- Heatmaps
- WordPress integration
- Visitor profiles
GoatCounter vs Open Web Analytics: key differences
GoatCounter is written in Go, while Open Web Analytics is built with PHP. Licensing differs — EUPL-1.2 for GoatCounter versus GPL-2.0 for Open Web Analytics. GoatCounter is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Open Web Analytics. Open Web Analytics is the more established project (first released 2008), while GoatCounter arrived in 2019. GoatCounter has the considerably larger community, at 5,997 GitHub stars versus 2,690.
Why pick each one
Choose GoatCounter if…
- Extremely easy to run
- Very lightweight
- Privacy-friendly
Watch out for
- Basic reporting depth
- Small project
Choose Open Web Analytics if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is GoatCounter or Open Web Analytics better?
GoatCounter is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Open Web Analytics if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are GoatCounter and Open Web Analytics free and open-source?
Yes. GoatCounter is licensed under EUPL-1.2 and Open Web Analytics under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GoatCounter and Open Web Analytics with Docker?
GoatCounter: yes. Open Web Analytics: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, GoatCounter or Open Web Analytics?
GoatCounter has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Open Web Analytics. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.