GoatCounter vs Umami
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
Umami
Simple, fast, privacy-focused web analytics
| Feature | GoatCounter | Umami |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,997 | ★ 38,981 |
| First released | 2019 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
What are GoatCounter and Umami?
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
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
GoatCounter vs Umami: key differences
GoatCounter is written in Go, while Umami is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — EUPL-1.2 for GoatCounter versus MIT for Umami. GoatCounter 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 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 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 GoatCounter 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 GoatCounter and Umami free and open-source?
Yes. GoatCounter is licensed under EUPL-1.2 and Umami under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GoatCounter and Umami with Docker?
GoatCounter: yes. Umami: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, GoatCounter or Umami?
GoatCounter 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.