GoatCounter vs Shynet

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted web analytics options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureGoatCounterShynet
CategoryWeb AnalyticsWeb Analytics
LicenseEUPL-1.2Apache-2.0
LanguageGoPython
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM128 MB512 MB
Deploymentbinary, dockerdocker
GitHub stars★ 5,864★ 3,145
First released20192020
ReplacesGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Analytics

Why pick each one

Choose GoatCounter if…

  • Extremely easy to run
  • Very lightweight
  • Privacy-friendly
GoatCounter details

Choose Shynet if…

  • Strong privacy
  • Works without JS
  • Detailed sessions
Shynet details

Frequently asked questions

Is GoatCounter or Shynet 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 Shynet free and open-source?

Yes. GoatCounter is licensed under EUPL-1.2 and Shynet under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run GoatCounter and Shynet with Docker?

GoatCounter: yes. Shynet: yes.

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