GoatCounter vs Vince 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
Vince Analytics
Self-hosted, privacy-friendly web analytics in one binary
| Feature | GoatCounter | Vince Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 85 · Excellent | 42 · Fair |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | EUPL-1.2 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,997 | ★ 2,015 |
| First released | 2019 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
What are GoatCounter and Vince 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
Vince Analytics
Vince is a self-hosted, privacy-friendly alternative to Google Analytics packaged as a single small binary. It focuses on low resource usage and a simple Plausible-style dashboard.
- Single small binary
- Privacy-friendly tracking
- Plausible-style dashboard
- Low resource usage
GoatCounter vs Vince Analytics: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Licensing differs — EUPL-1.2 for GoatCounter versus AGPL-3.0 for Vince Analytics. GoatCounter is the more established project (first released 2019), while Vince Analytics arrived in 2023. GoatCounter has the considerably larger community, at 5,997 GitHub stars versus 2,015.
Why pick each one
Choose GoatCounter if…
- Extremely easy to run
- Very lightweight
- Privacy-friendly
Watch out for
- Basic reporting depth
- Small project
Choose Vince Analytics if…
- Trivial to deploy
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Younger project
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is GoatCounter or Vince Analytics 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 Vince Analytics free and open-source?
Yes. GoatCounter is licensed under EUPL-1.2 and Vince Analytics under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GoatCounter and Vince Analytics with Docker?
GoatCounter: yes. Vince Analytics: yes.