Netron vs Open Web Analytics
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?
Netron
Visualizer for neural network and machine learning models
VS
Open Web Analytics
Self-hosted web analytics with click and heatmap tracking
| Feature | Netron | Open Web Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 33,323 | ★ 2,682 |
| First released | 2026 | 2008 |
| Replaces | — | Google Analytics |
Why pick each one
Choose Netron if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Mature project with 33.3k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose Open Web Analytics if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Netron or Open Web Analytics better?
Neither is universally better. Netron has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Netron and Open Web Analytics free and open-source?
Yes. Netron is licensed under MIT and Open Web Analytics under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Netron and Open Web Analytics with Docker?
Netron: check the project docs for container support. Open Web Analytics: yes.