The GoatCounter Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about GoatCounter in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
GoatCounter
The Insider’s Guide
Open source web analytics, free and donation-supported
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among website and product analytics tools, read from GoatCounter’s own pages.
Made by GoatCounter · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from GoatCounter’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on GoatCounter’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.8
GPA, above 49 of the 58 other website and product analytics tools we grade
GoatCounter is an open source web analytics tool offered as a free, donation-supported hosted service or as an app you host yourself. It counts visits without unique identifiers, adds about 3.5KB to a page, and can also take data from a tracking pixel, middleware or log files.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about GoatCounter, taken from its own pages and our grades.
The feature set is deliberately small, and heavy traffic gets pointed to self-hosting.
- 1
Best for free, privacy-minded visitor stats
GoatCounter is open-source web analytics with a free hosted service and a self-hosted version, and it doesn't track personal data.
- 2
It is free
GoatCounter has no paid plan at all.
- 3
It runs on Web
Web.
- 4
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.
- 5
Light script
The tracking script adds about 3.5KB to a page. A JavaScript-free tracking pixel is also offered.
- 6
Several ways to send data
Use the script tag, an image-based tracker, your application's middleware, or import server log files.
- 7
A 2.8 GPA, above 49 of 58
That is against the other website and product analytics tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
GoatCounter is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
GoatCounter at a glance
- Pricing
- Free
- Free plan
- It is free
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- GoatCounter
- Category
- Website & Product Analytics
- Our grade
- 2.8 GPA, good
The report card
Best for free, privacy-minded visitor stats
GoatCounter is open-source web analytics with a free hosted service and a self-hosted version, and it doesn't track personal data. It's free for reasonable public use. The feature set is deliberately small, and heavy traffic gets pointed to self-hosting.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | Free for personal sites and small-to-medium businesses, or free to self-host. It's donation-supported, with no paid plan. |
| Free plan and trial | A | Free outright, with no cap a normal site would reach. Millions of pageviews a day are out of scope. |
| Features | C | Pageviews, referrers, browsers, locations, screen sizes and campaigns, plus exports and an API. It does that job fully, a smaller job than most analytics tools. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record. You sign up and add one script, or self-host. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Web only, with an API and a couple of static-site tools (Gatsby, Publii). |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who GoatCounter is for
- Fits if you want visitor stats with no personal data collected
- Works for personal sites and small businesses on a budget
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- Personal sites and blogs that want counts without a consent notice
- People who prefer to read the code and host their own analytics
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Free
No paid plan at all
GoatCounter is free to use.
Free for personal sites and small-to-medium businesses, or free to self-host.
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.
Read from goatcounter.com on Nov 12, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Open source web analytics, free and donation-supported. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, self-hostable, public API, web analytics.
Pageviews, referrers, browsers, locations, screen sizes and campaigns, plus exports and an API.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Gatsby
- Publii
GoatCounter is made by GoatCounter.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
49/58
Other website and product analytics tools it is graded above
GoatCounter's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 49 of the 58 other website and product analytics tools we grade, and level with 3.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 55 of 58) and worst on platforms and integrations (C, above 0).
GoatCounter has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 59 website and product analytics tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. GoatCounter’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 50 of 58
- AFree plan and trialAbove 55 of 58
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 58
- CEase of useAbove 3 of 58
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 58
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 38 website and product analytics tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. GoatCounter is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
GoatCounter is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 49 of the 58 other website and product analytics tools we grade.
What you could not
- A tracking script and a database that counts every visit.
- It plugs into other products, Gatsby and Publii among them, and has an API.
What this rests on. GoatCounter’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Umami, Plausible, Ackee, Counter.dev and Koko Analytics
The 5 tools GoatCounter is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.6GPA
Umami
Free plan · from $20/mo
Open-source, cookieless web and product analytics.
- Umami also covers reports and session replay.
- 2.4GPA
Plausible
Free plan · from $7.50/mo
Cookie-free, privacy-first website analytics made and hosted in the EU.
- 2.0GPA
Ackee
Free
Self-hosted, cookie-free analytics you run on your own server.
- 2.4GPA
Counter.dev
Free
Free, open-source, cookie-free web analytics for small sites.
- GoatCounter is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Counter.dev also covers reports.
- 2.6GPA
Koko Analytics
Free plan · from €59/yr
Privacy-friendly analytics plugin for WordPress.
- GoatCounter is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Koko Analytics also covers reports.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is GoatCounter free?
Yes. GoatCounter is free to use.
How much does GoatCounter cost?
GoatCounter lists 2 plans. Hosted service: $0.
What platforms does GoatCounter work on?
GoatCounter is available on Web.
Does GoatCounter have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. GoatCounter is listed for Web.
Does GoatCounter have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. GoatCounter is listed for Web.
Is GoatCounter open source?
Yes. GoatCounter is open source, according to its own site.
Does GoatCounter have an API?
Yes. GoatCounter offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does GoatCounter integrate with?
GoatCounter's listing names Gatsby and Publii. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes GoatCounter?
GoatCounter is made by a company of the same name.
What are the alternatives to GoatCounter?
The closest alternatives to GoatCounter in our directory are Umami, Plausible, Ackee, Counter.dev and Koko Analytics.
How does GoatCounter compare with other website and product analytics tools?
GoatCounter's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 49 of the 58 other website and product analytics tools we grade, and level with 3.
Is GoatCounter good value for money?
ToolGPA grades GoatCounter A for value for money. GoatCounter has no paid plan.
Could I make my own version of GoatCounter?
GoatCounter is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from GoatCounter’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from GoatCounter's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by GoatCounter. Prices change, so check goatcounter.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- GoatCounter, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/goatcounter
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "GoatCounter: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/goatcounter
Know someone choosing between website and product analytics tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/goatcounter/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded website and product analytics tools after GoatCounter, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Website & Product Analytics Insider's GuideEvery one of the 59 website and product analytics tools we grade, compared
- Google Analytics Insider's GuideGoogle's free website and app analytics, with a paid 360 tier3.4 GPA
- Microsoft Clarity Insider's GuideFree session recordings and heatmaps from Microsoft, no traffic cap3.2 GPA
- PostHog Insider's GuideOpen-source product analytics with replays, flags and surveys3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what GoatCounter’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. GoatCounter is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by GoatCounter. Prices and plans change: check goatcounter.com before you buy.