GoatCounter vs Open Web Analytics (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, GoatCounter grades higher than Open Web Analytics: 2.8 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
GoatCounter grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Open Web Analytics
Free self-hosted web analytics framework with heatmaps
Which one is for you
Pick GoatCounter if
- Fits if you want visitor stats with no personal data collected
- Works for personal sites and small businesses on a budget
Look elsewhere if
- Too light for funnels, heatmaps or recordings
- Skip it if your site gets millions of pageviews a day, as the hosted service is not meant for that
- Watch out: it's funded by donations, so no support commitment is published
- Not for you if you need a paid plan with guarantees
Pick Open Web Analytics if
- Fits if you can host PHP and want analytics you control
- Works for people with several sites on one install
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to run a server and database
- Not for you if you need paid support, as it's only a wiki and GitHub
- Watch out: WordPress needs a separate plugin and other PHP apps use the SDK
- Tight if you want funnels, since none are listed
- Watch out: the site gives no company details or founding year
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAGoatCounterGood | 2.0GPAOpen Web AnalyticsFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree for personal sites and small-to-medium businesses, or free to self-host. It's donation-supported, with no paid plan. | CFree under GPLv2, but you supply the server and database, which puts it at a C. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright, with no cap a normal site would reach. Millions of pageviews a day are out of scope. | BNo paid edition and no limits listed, but nothing runs until you've hosted it. |
| Features | CPageviews, referrers, browsers, locations, screen sizes and campaigns, plus exports and an API. It does that job fully, a smaller job than most analytics tools. | CVisitor and page tracking, heatmaps, session recordings and a REST API. No funnels or goals are listed. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You sign up and add one script, or self-host. | DYou install the server, database and upgrades yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with an API and a couple of static-site tools (Gatsby, Publii). | CWeb only, with a WordPress plugin and a PHP SDK. |
| Best for | free, privacy-minded visitor stats | self-hosted analytics with heatmaps |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: GoatCounter and Open Web Analytics. How we grade
Price against what you get
GoatCounter has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Open Web Analytics has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
GoatCounter scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other website and product analytics tools on the chart, none scores higher than GoatCounter for less, and none scores higher than Open Web Analytics for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Open Web Analytics also covers reports and session replay.
At a glance
| GoatCounter | Open Web Analytics | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | GoatCounter | Open Web Analytics |
| Price read from | goatcounter.com | openwebanalytics.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
GoatCounter
- The hosted service is meant for reasonable public use; heavy traffic is pointed to self-hosting.
- Funded by donations through GitHub Sponsors, so there is no paid plan or published support commitment.
- A deliberately small feature set; the vendor presents it as a simpler alternative to Google Analytics and Matomo.
Open Web Analytics
- It is self-hosted only; there is no hosted service on the pages read, so you manage the server, database and upgrades.
- WordPress needs a separate OWA integration plugin, and other PHP apps use the PHP SDK.
- Support is through the documentation wiki and the GitHub repository; no paid support is listed.
- The site publishes no founding year or company details; the project is run on GitHub.
Key features
GoatCounter
- No personal-data tracking
- Visits are told apart without cookies or persistently stored personal data. The vendor says no GDPR notice is needed and lets you control what is collected.
- Light script
- The tracking script adds about 3.5KB to a page. A JavaScript-free tracking pixel is also offered.
- Several ways to send data
- Use the script tag, an image-based tracker, your application's middleware, or import server log files.
- Basic visitor statistics
- Reports show browser, location, screen size, referring sites and campaigns.
- Exports and an API
- All data can be exported, and the documentation lists CSV and JSON exports and a JSON API.
- Accessible interface
- The vendor lists accessibility as a high-priority feature, and says the interface works with screen readers.
Open Web Analytics
- Visitor and page tracking
- Tracks visitors, page views, e-commerce transactions and configurable actions using a first-party JavaScript tracker.
- Heatmaps
- Generates click heatmaps for pages, as listed among the server's features on its GitHub page.
- Domstream session recordings
- Records visitor sessions in a feature called Domstream, so a visit can be replayed.
- Many sites, many users
- One OWA server can track an unlimited number of websites and offers a multi-user reporting interface.
- REST API and modules
- A REST API covers administration and data access, and custom modules extend the framework.
- Cookie lifetime options
- Tracker options shorten cookie lifetimes or make them session cookies, for sites that need a shorter retention period.
Plans
GoatCounter
Hosted service$0
Free for reasonable public usage, such as a personal site or a small-to-medium business. Millions of pageviews a day are out of scope.
Self-hosted$0
Run the open source app on your own server for any purpose; you pay only for your own hosting.
Open Web Analytics
Open source$0
Free to download and self-host under GPLv2, with no paid edition listed. You supply the server and database.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, GoatCounter or Open Web Analytics?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both GoatCounter and Open Web Analytics are free to use.
Which has a free plan, GoatCounter or Open Web Analytics?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both GoatCounter and Open Web Analytics have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.