GoatCounter vs PostHog
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
PostHog
Open-source product analytics platform
| Feature | GoatCounter | PostHog |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 85 · Excellent | 99 · Excellent |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | EUPL-1.2 | MIT |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,997 | ★ 39,909 |
| First released | 2019 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude |
What are GoatCounter and PostHog?
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
PostHog
PostHog is an open-source product analytics platform with event tracking, session replay, feature flags, and A/B testing. It targets product teams wanting an all-in-one analytics suite. It is deployed via Docker or Kubernetes.
- Product analytics and funnels
- Session replay
- Feature flags and experiments
- Self-hostable all-in-one
GoatCounter vs PostHog: key differences
GoatCounter is written in Go, while PostHog is built with Python. Licensing differs — EUPL-1.2 for GoatCounter versus MIT for PostHog. GoatCounter is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for PostHog. PostHog has the considerably larger community, at 39,909 GitHub stars versus 5,997.
Why pick each one
Choose GoatCounter if…
- Extremely easy to run
- Very lightweight
- Privacy-friendly
Watch out for
- Basic reporting depth
- Small project
Choose PostHog if…
- Comprehensive product suite
- Session replay included
- Open-core model
Watch out for
- Heavy to self-host
- Self-host edition is scaled down
Frequently asked questions
Is GoatCounter or PostHog better?
Neither is universally better. PostHog has the larger community, while GoatCounter is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are GoatCounter and PostHog free and open-source?
Yes. GoatCounter is licensed under EUPL-1.2 and PostHog under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GoatCounter and PostHog with Docker?
GoatCounter: yes. PostHog: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, GoatCounter or PostHog?
GoatCounter has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for PostHog. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.