Self-hosted web analytics tools are not all trying to solve the same problem.

Some are simple website counters.

Some are privacy-first Google Analytics alternatives.

Some are product analytics suites with funnels and session replay. Some combine analytics with uptime monitoring or server status.

Use this page as a map before picking a stack for a personal site, company site, product, or internal dashboard.

The Short Version

Tool Best For Deployment Shape What It Is Not
Umami Simple privacy-friendly website analytics Web app plus database A full product analytics suite
Tianji Website analytics plus uptime and server status Web app plus PostgreSQL A minimalist analytics-only tool
Medama Lightweight cookie-free analytics Go backend, React dashboard, SQLite A large multi-database product suite
Swetrix Richer privacy-focused analytics Backend, frontend, MySQL, ClickHouse The smallest deployment
Vince Focused self-hosted web analytics Small service with Docker path A broad monitoring platform
Rybbit Web and product analytics Client, backend, ClickHouse, Postgres, Redis A tiny single-purpose tracker
Liwan Lightweight privacy-first analytics Rust service with small tracker A product analytics suite

Choosing One

If You Need… Start With
A clean Google Analytics replacement for a website Umami
Website analytics plus uptime checks Tianji
A small cookie-free tracker with a simple backend Medama or Liwan
Product analytics features like funnels or journeys Rybbit
A richer analytics suite with ClickHouse Swetrix
A focused analytics service with a small operational story Vince
A general BI dashboard over databases and APIs Chartbrew, Rill, WrenAI, or Malloy

Umami

Umami is the straightforward privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative.

Use Umami when you want:

  • simple website traffic analytics
  • a familiar dashboard
  • cookie-free tracking
  • Docker deployment
  • easy integration with static sites

Useful links:

Tianji

Tianji combines website analytics with operations-style monitoring.

Use Tianji when you want:

  • website analytics
  • uptime monitoring
  • server status
  • one dashboard for a small web presence
  • fewer separate tools to maintain

Useful links:

Medama

Medama is a lightweight privacy-first analytics option.

Use Medama when you want:

  • a small cookie-free tracker
  • SQLite-backed storage
  • a Go API server
  • a React dashboard
  • a simpler operational footprint than multi-database stacks

Useful links:

Swetrix

Swetrix is a heavier privacy-focused analytics stack.

Use Swetrix when you want:

  • a broader analytics platform
  • MySQL and ClickHouse based storage
  • richer event analytics
  • a more complete product direction than a tiny tracker

Useful links:

Vince

Vince is a focused self-hosted analytics option.

Use Vince when you want:

  • a self-hosted analytics dashboard
  • a focused Plausible-compatible direction
  • Docker deployment
  • a smaller alternative to larger analytics suites

Useful links:

Rybbit

Rybbit targets both web analytics and product analytics.

Use Rybbit when you want:

  • website analytics
  • custom events
  • funnels
  • journeys
  • goals
  • session replay
  • public dashboards

Useful links:

Liwan

Liwan is a lightweight privacy-first web analytics tool written in Rust.

Use Liwan when you want:

  • a small tracking script
  • privacy-first analytics
  • a focused web analytics tool
  • a Rust-based implementation
  • a simpler option than product analytics suites

Useful links:

Web Analytics vs BI

Web analytics tools answer questions like:

  • How many people visited this site?
  • Which pages performed best?
  • Where did traffic come from?
  • What devices, countries, or browsers are common?
  • Which events or funnels happened inside the product?

BI tools answer broader data questions:

  • What happened across databases, APIs, spreadsheets, and internal systems?
  • Which metrics should teams track?
  • How should SQL models be reused?
  • How do we build dashboards from operational data?

If your primary data source is a website tracking script, start here.

If your primary data source is a database, API, warehouse, DuckDB file, CSV, or semantic model, use the BI tools guide.