Plausible vs Tianji
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted web analytics options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Plausible
Lightweight, privacy-friendly website analytics
VS
Tianji
Insight hub combining analytics, uptime, and server status
| Feature | Plausible | Tianji |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 96 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Elixir | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 29,197 | ★ 3,100 |
| First released | 2019 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
What are Plausible and Tianji?
Plausible
Plausible is a lightweight, open-source, privacy-friendly web analytics tool that needs no cookies and is GDPR compliant. It targets site owners who want simple, ethical analytics. It is deployed via Docker.
- Cookie-free and GDPR compliant
- Tiny tracking script
- Clean single-page dashboard
- Goal and funnel tracking
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
Plausible vs Tianji: key differences
Plausible is written in Elixir, while Tianji is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Plausible versus Apache-2.0 for Tianji. Tianji is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Plausible. Plausible is the more established project (first released 2019), while Tianji arrived in 2023. Plausible has the considerably larger community, at 29,197 GitHub stars versus 3,100.
Why pick each one
Choose Plausible if…
- Privacy-friendly by design
- Simple and fast
- Lightweight script
Watch out for
- Self-host needs Postgres and ClickHouse
- Fewer deep reports than Matomo
Choose Tianji if…
- Multiple tools in one
- Clean interface
Watch out for
- Jack-of-all-trades scope
- Younger project
Frequently asked questions
Is Plausible or Tianji better?
Neither is universally better. Plausible has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Plausible and Tianji free and open-source?
Yes. Plausible is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Tianji under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Plausible and Tianji with Docker?
Plausible: yes. Tianji: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Plausible or Tianji?
Tianji has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Plausible. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.