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Open Web Analytics vs Umami (2026): which should you pick?

As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Umami: it is third in our ranking of website and product analytics tools, and it grades higher too, 2.6 against 2.0.

Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA

Umami grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.

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

Free
Full detailsopenwebanalytics.com

Umami

Open-source, cookieless web and product analytics

Free plan · from $20/mo
Full detailsumami.is

Which one is for you

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

Pick Umami if

  • Fits if you want free analytics on one site or are happy to host it yourself
  • Works for a developer who wants an API and MCP access

Look elsewhere if

  • Tight if you stay on Hobby: 1 website, 100K events and no teams, API or email reports
  • Pricey if you want replays or heatmaps, which start at Business, $200 a month, and extra replays cost $0.005 each
  • Watch out: pageviews and every stored event property count as events, so heavy tagging raises the bill
  • Watch out: self-hosting means you run and update the server and change the default admin password

How we grade them

2.0GPAOpen Web AnalyticsFair2.6GPAUmamiGood
Value for money
CFree under GPLv2, but you supply the server and database, which puts it at a C.
CPro is $20 a month for 1 million events, in the middle of the analytics range. The free self-hosted version needs your own server.
Free plan and trial
BNo paid edition and no limits listed, but nothing runs until you've hosted it.
BHobby is free for 1 website, 100K events a month and 6 months of data, with community support. A 14-day trial covers Pro and Business.
Features
CVisitor and page tracking, heatmaps, session recordings and a REST API. No funnels or goals are listed.
BTraffic and campaign reports, events, funnels, retention, replays, heatmaps, revenue reporting and an API and MCP server. Hobby has no API or teams, and replays and heatmaps are Business.
Ease of use
DYou install the server, database and upgrades yourself.
CNo store rating on record. You add a script, or host the server and update it yourself.
Platforms and integrations
CWeb only, with a WordPress plugin and a PHP SDK.
BWeb only, with WordPress, Nuxt, Gatsby, Magento 2, Flutter and other integrations, plus an API and MCP server.
Best forself-hosted analytics with heatmapsopen-source analytics, hosted or self-hosted

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: Open Web Analytics and Umami. How we grade

Price against what you get

Open Web Analytics has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Umami starts at $20 a month and scores 2.7.

Umami scores higher, and starts $20 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other website and product analytics tools on the chart, none scores higher than Open Web Analytics for less, and 1 scores higher than Umami for less.

Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged

D1.0C2.0B3.0A4.0Free$0.5$2$5$20$50$200$500$2k$5kMore for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessOpen Web AnalyticsUmami

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
The full chart of website and product analytics tools, and the best at every price

Where they differ

    In commonFree planWebOpen sourceSelf-hostablePublic APIReportsWeb analyticsSession replay

    At a glance

    Open Web AnalyticsUmami
    PricingFreeFree plan
    Starts atFree$20 per month, with 1 million events included
    Free planNoneHobby plan: 100K events a month, 1 website, 6 months of data retention and community support.
    Free trialNone listed14-day free trial on the Pro and Business plans
    Web
    Made byOpen Web AnalyticsUmami Software, Inc.
    Price read fromopenwebanalytics.comumami.is
    CheckedNov 13, 2026Nov 12, 2026

    Worth knowing

    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.

    Umami

    • Hobby covers one website and 100K events a month, with no teams, API or email reports.
    • Usage counts pageviews and every stored event property as events, so heavy tagging raises the bill.
    • Replays and heatmaps start at Business ($200 a month), which includes 5,000 replays; extra replays cost $0.005 each.
    • Self-hosting means you run and update the server; the docs warn to change the default admin password.

    Key features

    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.

    Umami

    Traffic and campaign reports
    Pageviews, visitors, referrers, locations and devices on one dashboard, with UTM tracking, comparison between periods and attribution.
    Events, funnels and retention
    Custom events and properties feed goals, funnels, journeys and retention reports that show where visitors drop off or return.
    Session replays and heatmaps
    Replays and heatmaps show what visitors did on a page. On Umami Cloud they are part of the Business plan and above.
    Revenue reporting
    Values can be attached to events, and a revenue report shows which pages, campaigns and visitor segments bring in the most.
    API and MCP server
    A REST API and an official MCP server let you build your own reports or connect an AI assistant. Both are part of Pro and above.
    Cloud or self-hosted
    Run it yourself with Docker or from source, or use the hosted Umami Cloud service. Teams and boards support shared dashboards.

    Plans

    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.

    Umami

    • Hobby$0

      Umami Cloud with up to 100K events a month, 1 website, 6 months of retention and community support.

    • Pro$20

      per month for 1 million events

      Up to 20 websites, 10 team members, 2 years of retention, API and MCP access. Extra events cost $0.00003 each.

    • Business$200

      per month for 10 million events

      Unlimited sites and members, 5 years of retention, heatmaps, white-labeling and 5,000 replays. Extra events $0.00002 each.

    • EnterpriseCustom

      Adds SAML single sign-on, onboarding, an uptime SLA, custom retention, invoice billing and enterprise support.

    • Self-hosted$0

      The open-source software, which you install and run yourself from source or a Docker image.

    Common questions

    Which is cheaper, Open Web Analytics or Umami?

    As of Nov 13, 2026, Open Web Analytics is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $20 a month for Umami. Open Web Analytics is free, and Umami starts at $20 per month, with 1 million events included.

    Which has a free plan, Open Web Analytics or Umami?

    As of Nov 13, 2026, both Open Web Analytics and Umami 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.
    How we review and grade