Open Web Analytics review (2026): is it any good?
Free self-hosted web analytics framework with heatmaps
Open Web Analytics report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for self-hosted analytics with heatmaps
Open Web Analytics is a free PHP analytics server that adds heatmaps and session recordings and tracks many sites from one install. It's self-hosted only, WordPress needs a separate plugin, and support is a wiki and GitHub.
Who Open Web Analytics is for
- Fits if you can host PHP and want analytics you control
- Works for people with several sites on one install
Who Open Web Analytics is not for
- 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
Why Open Web Analytics gets a 2.0
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyFree under GPLv2, but you supply the server and database, which puts it at a C.
- BFree plan and trialNo paid edition and no limits listed, but nothing runs until you've hosted it.
- CFeaturesVisitor and page tracking, heatmaps, session recordings and a REST API. No funnels or goals are listed.
- DEase of useYou install the server, database and upgrades yourself.
- CPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, with a WordPress plugin and a PHP SDK.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Open Web Analytics's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/open-web-analytics#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/open-web-analytics.svg" alt="Open Web Analytics: 2.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Open Web Analytics stands among website and product analytics tools
Open Web Analytics's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 18 of the 100 other website and product analytics tools we grade, and level with 10.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 72 of 100) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Open Web Analytics has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 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 101 website and product analytics tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Open Web Analytics’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 11 of 100, level with 54
- BFree plan and trialAbove 72 of 100, level with 22
- CFeaturesAbove 3 of 100, level with 48
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 100, level with 5
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 100, level with 31
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 74 website and product analytics tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Open Web Analytics, or make your own?
Keep it
Open Web Analytics is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 72 of the 100 other website and product analytics tools grade higher.
What you could make
- Reports: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- A tracking script and a database that counts every visit.
- Recordings of what each visitor did on your pages.
- It plugs into other products, WordPress among them, and has an API.
What this rests on. Open Web Analytics’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.
What is Open Web Analytics?
Open Web Analytics (OWA) is a free, open-source web analytics server written in PHP and licensed under GPLv2. You run it yourself, add its JavaScript tracker to your pages, and view reports in its own dashboard. It can also record heatmaps and session recordings, and tracks any number of sites from one install.
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
Open Web Analytics pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Open Web Analytics is free to use.
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | $0 | Free to download and self-host under GPLv2, with no paid edition listed. You supply the server and database. |
Read from openwebanalytics.com on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Open Web Analytics before you buy.
Works with
Open Web Analytics alternatives
- Open Web Analytics vs Matomo
Free plan · from $26/mo
- Open Web Analytics vs Umami
Free plan · from $20/mo
- Open Web Analytics vs Plausible
Free plan · from $7.50/mo
Common questions
Does Open Web Analytics have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Open Web Analytics is listed for Web.
Does Open Web Analytics have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Open Web Analytics is listed for Web.
Is Open Web Analytics open source?
Yes. Open Web Analytics is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.
Does Open Web Analytics have an API?
Yes. Open Web Analytics offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.