Pirsch vs Tianji
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted web analytics options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Tianji
Insight hub combining analytics, uptime, and server status
| Feature | Pirsch | Tianji |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,030 | ★ 3,100 |
| First released | 2020 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
What are Pirsch and Tianji?
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
Tianji
Tianji is an all-in-one insight hub that combines website analytics, uptime monitoring, and server status into a single application. It offers a unified dashboard for observing your sites and infrastructure.
- Website analytics
- Uptime monitoring
- Server status reporting
- Unified insight dashboard
Pirsch vs Tianji: key differences
Pirsch is written in Go, while Tianji is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Pirsch versus Apache-2.0 for Tianji. Pirsch is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Tianji. Pirsch is the more established project (first released 2020), while Tianji arrived in 2023. Tianji has the considerably larger community, at 3,100 GitHub stars versus 1,030.
Why pick each one
Choose Pirsch if…
- GDPR-friendly by design
- Fast and efficient
Watch out for
- Self-hosting needs assembly
- Smaller ecosystem
Choose Tianji if…
- Multiple tools in one
- Clean interface
Watch out for
- Jack-of-all-trades scope
- Younger project
Frequently asked questions
Is Pirsch or Tianji better?
Neither is universally better. Tianji has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Pirsch and Tianji free and open-source?
Yes. Pirsch is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Tianji under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pirsch and Tianji with Docker?
Pirsch: yes. Tianji: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Pirsch or Tianji?
Pirsch has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Tianji. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.