Medama vs Shynet
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted web analytics options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Medama
Archived
Privacy-focused website analytics with no cookies
VS
Shynet
Modern, privacy-friendly, detailed web analytics
| Feature | Medama | Shynet |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 73 · Good |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known in v0.6.2 | None known in v0.14.0 |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 642 | ★ 3,154 |
| First released | 2024 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
What are Medama and Shynet?
Medama
Medama is a lightweight, privacy-focused website analytics tool that operates without cookies and complies with privacy regulations. It is designed to be fast and simple to self-host.
- Cookieless tracking
- SQLite storage
- Lightweight script
- Privacy compliant
Shynet
Shynet is a modern, privacy-friendly, and detailed web analytics platform that works without cookies and even without JavaScript. It targets users wanting solid analytics with strong privacy. It is deployed via Docker.
- Works without JavaScript or cookies
- Detailed session insights
- Multiple sites and users
- Privacy-respecting
Medama vs Shynet: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Medama's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Shynet is actively maintained. Medama is written in Go, while Shynet is built with Python. Licensing differs — MIT for Medama versus Apache-2.0 for Shynet. Medama is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Shynet. Shynet is the more established project (first released 2020), while Medama arrived in 2024. Shynet has the considerably larger community, at 3,154 GitHub stars versus 642.
Why pick each one
Choose Medama if…
- Easy single-binary deploy
- Very lightweight
Watch out for
- Newer project
- Smaller feature set
Choose Shynet if…
- Strong privacy
- Works without JS
- Detailed sessions
Watch out for
- Smaller community
- Fewer integrations
Frequently asked questions
Is Medama or Shynet better?
Neither is universally better. Shynet has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Medama and Shynet free and open-source?
Yes. Medama is licensed under MIT and Shynet under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Medama and Shynet with Docker?
Medama: yes. Shynet: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Medama or Shynet?
Medama has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Shynet. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.