# Open Web Analytics review (2026): is it any good? > Free self-hosted web analytics framework with heatmaps Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. 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. - **Category:** Website & Product Analytics - **Made by:** Open Web Analytics - **Website:** https://www.openwebanalytics.com - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you don't want to run a server and database. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, Open Web Analytics is free to use. - **Pricing model:** 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 https://www.openwebanalytics.com/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Open Web Analytics before buying. ## 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. ## Good for - Developers who want to host their own analytics - PHP and WordPress sites that need a first-party tracker - Teams that want heatmaps without a per-session bill ## 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.0 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. 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. - **Value for money: C.** Free under GPLv2, but you supply the server and database, which puts it at a C. - **Free plan and trial: B.** No paid edition and no limits listed, but nothing runs until you've hosted it. - **Features: C.** Visitor and page tracking, heatmaps, session recordings and a REST API. No funnels or goals are listed. - **Ease of use: D.** You install the server, database and upgrades yourself. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Web only, with a WordPress plugin and a PHP SDK. These are ToolGPA's own grades. 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. ## Where it 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. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/analytics ## Keep it, 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. - You could make: Reports: an app builder makes this well. - You could not: A tracking script and a database that counts every visit. - You could not: Recordings of what each visitor did on your pages. - You could not: It plugs into other products, WordPress among them, and has an API. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with WordPress **Tags:** Web analytics, Open source, Self-hostable, Session replay, Public API, Reports ## Alternatives - [Matomo](https://toolgpa.com/tools/matomo): Open-source web analytics you can host yourself or in Matomo's cloud. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/matomo-vs-open-web-analytics) - [Umami](https://toolgpa.com/tools/umami): Open-source, cookieless web and product analytics. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/open-web-analytics-vs-umami) - [Plausible](https://toolgpa.com/tools/plausible): Cookie-free, privacy-first website analytics made and hosted in the EU. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/open-web-analytics-vs-plausible) - [GoatCounter](https://toolgpa.com/tools/goatcounter): Open source web analytics, free and donation-supported. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/goatcounter-vs-open-web-analytics) - [Ackee](https://toolgpa.com/tools/ackee): Self-hosted, cookie-free analytics you run on your own server. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/ackee-vs-open-web-analytics) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://www.openwebanalytics.com/ - https://www.openwebanalytics.com/about/ - https://www.openwebanalytics.com/download/ - https://github.com/Open-Web-Analytics/Open-Web-Analytics Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/open-web-analytics Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).