Best Open Source Web Analytics: 5 Google Analytics Alternatives You Can Deploy in One Click
Niklas KarolyFounder Nodion
In short
- Plausible, Umami, Matomo, OpenPanel and Tianji are open source alternatives to Google Analytics that run as your own instance.
- Plausible and Umami focus on simple traffic stats, Matomo covers goals and ecommerce like Google Analytics, OpenPanel adds product analytics and Tianji adds uptime monitoring.
- All five use OSI-approved licenses: AGPL-3.0 for Plausible Community Edition and OpenPanel, MIT for Umami, GPL-3.0 or later for Matomo and Apache-2.0 for Tianji.
- All five are in the one-click catalog: Nodion creates the app together with the databases it needs.
The best open source alternatives to Google Analytics are Plausible, Umami, Matomo, OpenPanel and Tianji. Each runs as your own instance, so visitor data ends up in a database you control instead of being sent to Google. They differ mostly in scope: some give you one clean page of traffic stats, others add goals, funnels, user profiles or uptime checks.
Google Analytics is the default choice, but its tag sends your visitors' page views to Google, and according to Google's documentation it sets first-party cookies such as _ga, which lasts two years by default. Here is how the five tools in the Nodion one-click catalog compare, and which one fits which job.
At a glance
| Tool | Best for | License | Runs with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plausible | Simple, privacy-first traffic stats on one page | AGPL-3.0 (Community Edition) | PostgreSQL, ClickHouse |
| Umami | Lightweight site stats on a small instance | MIT | PostgreSQL |
| Matomo | A full Google Analytics replacement with goals and ecommerce | GPL-3.0 or later | MySQL, volume |
| OpenPanel | Product analytics: funnels, cohorts, user profiles | AGPL-3.0 | PostgreSQL, ClickHouse, Valkey |
| Tianji | Analytics plus uptime monitoring and status pages | Apache-2.0 | PostgreSQL |
How we picked
- Covers web analytics: page views and visitors per website, viewed in a dashboard.
- Open source under an OSI-approved license. All five qualify; we checked each project's LICENSE file.
- Runs as your own instance from a container image with a standard database.
- Actively maintained with regular releases.
1. Plausible
Plausible calls itself a lightweight, cookie-free alternative to Google Analytics. All key numbers sit on a single dashboard page, so nobody needs training to read them. According to its README, it stores no IP addresses and uses no cookies or persistent identifiers. Its data policy explains that unique visitors are counted with a daily identifier whose salt is rotated every 24 hours.
License: Plausible Community Edition, the version you run yourself, is AGPL-3.0 or later. The tracking script that goes on your site is MIT. Some features of Plausible's paid cloud, such as marketing funnels and ecommerce revenue goals, are not part of the Community Edition. License file.
On Nodion: the preset runs the Community Edition image with a PostgreSQL database for general data and a ClickHouse database for the analytics events, sets the app URL as BASE_URL and generates SECRET_KEY_BASE. Plausible needs at least 2 GB of memory. On first open you create the owner account; there is no default password.
2. Umami
Umami is the lightest option here: a Node.js app with a PostgreSQL database. Its README describes it as privacy-first analytics for traffic, campaigns, behavior, conversions and revenue, with no cookies. Visitors are identified with an anonymous session identifier, so someone who switches device or browser shows up as a new visitor.
License: MIT. License file.
On Nodion: one web process with PostgreSQL and a generated APP_SECRET. It runs with as little as 0.5 GB of memory. Sign in with the username admin and the password umami and change the password right after the first deploy, before you share the URL: these defaults are public, so whoever logs in first controls the instance.
3. Matomo
Matomo is the closest thing to a complete Google Analytics replacement. Its README lists ecommerce tracking, goals, campaigns, custom segments, geolocation, real-time visits and email reports, and features come as plugins you can turn on or off. It is written in PHP and stores its data in MySQL or MariaDB.
Unlike the others, Matomo's default tracking code sets first-party cookies. You can disable them, and Matomo documents a cookieless setup.
License: GPL-3.0 or later. License file.
On Nodion: the preset runs the official Matomo image with a MySQL database and a 10 GB volume for Matomo's files, and needs at least 2 GB of memory. On first open, the setup wizard asks you to confirm the database settings and create the superuser with your own username and password.
4. OpenPanel
OpenPanel combines web analytics with product analytics in the style of Mixpanel: funnels, cohorts, user profiles and session history, real-time dashboards and event-based alerts. SDKs cover web, mobile and server-side tracking, which makes it a fit for SaaS products that want to follow users through the app, not just count page views. Its README describes tracking as cookieless by default.
License: AGPL-3.0. License file.
On Nodion: the preset runs three processes (dashboard, API and worker) with PostgreSQL, ClickHouse for events and Valkey, wires the dashboard and API URLs and generates the cookie secret. OpenPanel needs at least 2 GB of memory. On first open you create your account; registration turns off after the first user.
5. Tianji
Tianji puts website analytics, uptime monitoring, server status and status pages into one app. If you would otherwise run an analytics tool and a separate uptime checker, it saves you one deployment. Its website says it does not track users' activity with cookies.
License: Apache-2.0. License file.
On Nodion: one web process with PostgreSQL, the app URL as PUBLIC_URL, a generated JWT_SECRET, secure login cookies and Tianji's anonymous telemetry turned off. It needs at least 1 GB of memory. Sign in with admin / admin and change the password right after the first deploy, before you share the URL, because these defaults are public; registration stays off unless you turn it on.
Cookies and consent: read the fine print
"No cookies" is a common promise in this category, and it is a real difference to Google Analytics. It does not automatically mean you can drop a consent banner. In the EU, the ePrivacy rule covers storing or reading information on a visitor's device, not only cookies, and the EDPB's guidelines on its technical scope also look at techniques such as pixel tracking and tracking based on IP addresses.
What the vendors say about their own tools:
- Umami answers "Do I need to display a cookie notice?" in its FAQ with no, because its tracking code uses no cookies.
- Plausible states in its data policy, written for its cloud service, that you do not need cookie banners for analytics.
- OpenPanel says on its GDPR page that no banner is needed for product analytics.
- Matomo is more cautious: its guidance describes a narrow configuration that may run without consent in some countries, and recommends treating JavaScript tracking as requiring consent.
Cookieless also does not mean "no personal data": if a tool builds user profiles or stores identifiable events, as product analytics such as OpenPanel can, the GDPR's other duties still apply. Your configuration, the other scripts on your site and where your visitors live all play a role. This is not legal advice: check with whoever handles privacy for you.
How to choose
- You want simple traffic stats that everyone on the team can read: Plausible.
- You want the smallest footprint and an MIT license: Umami.
- You need goals, ecommerce and segments like in Google Analytics: Matomo.
- You build a product and want funnels and user profiles: OpenPanel.
- You want analytics and uptime checks in one tool: Tianji.
Each of them runs on Nodion as your own instance in the region you pick, with its managed databases created for you. Browse all apps in the one-click catalog.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best open source alternative to Google Analytics?
For simple traffic stats, Plausible or Umami. If you need goals, ecommerce tracking and segments like in Google Analytics, Matomo is the most complete open source replacement.
Do open source analytics tools need a cookie banner?
It depends on the tool, your configuration and the law that applies to your visitors. Umami, Plausible (for its cloud service) and OpenPanel make no-banner claims for their own setups, while Matomo recommends treating JavaScript tracking as requiring consent. Your configuration and the national rules that apply to your visitors still need a review, and cookieless tracking can still process personal data. Check with whoever handles privacy for you.
Is Plausible open source?
Yes. Plausible Community Edition, the version you run yourself, is licensed under AGPL-3.0 or later, and its tracking script is MIT. Some features of Plausible's paid cloud, such as marketing funnels, are not part of the Community Edition.
What do these analytics tools need to run?
Plausible needs PostgreSQL and ClickHouse, Umami and Tianji need PostgreSQL, Matomo needs MySQL and a volume, and OpenPanel needs PostgreSQL, ClickHouse and Valkey. On Nodion the one-click preset creates these for you.