Pirsch vs Swetrix
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted web analytics options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Swetrix
Privacy-focused, cookieless web analytics service
| Feature | Pirsch | Swetrix |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,030 | ★ 1,202 |
| First released | 2020 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
What are Pirsch and Swetrix?
Pirsch
Pirsch is a Go library for server-side, cookie-free web analytics. The open-source repository provides the tracking and statistics code you embed in your own application; the hosted pirsch.io dashboard is a separate commercial product.
- Cookie-free tracking
- No personal data collected
- Lightweight tracking script
- Go analytics engine
Swetrix
Swetrix is an open-source, privacy-focused web analytics platform that is fully cookieless and GDPR compliant. It tracks page views, user flows, and custom events without identifying visitors.
- Cookieless tracking
- User flow analysis
- Custom events
- Performance metrics
Pirsch vs Swetrix: key differences
Pirsch is written in Go, while Swetrix is built with TypeScript. Pirsch is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Swetrix.
Why pick each one
Choose Pirsch if…
- GDPR-friendly by design
- Fast and efficient
Watch out for
- Self-hosting needs assembly
- Smaller ecosystem
Choose Swetrix if…
- No cookie banner needed
- Detailed flow reports
Watch out for
- Needs ClickHouse and Redis
- Setup is multi-component
Frequently asked questions
Is Pirsch or Swetrix better?
Neither is universally better. Swetrix has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Pirsch and Swetrix free and open-source?
Yes. Pirsch is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Swetrix under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pirsch and Swetrix with Docker?
Pirsch: yes. Swetrix: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Pirsch or Swetrix?
Pirsch has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Swetrix. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.