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The Open Web Analytics Insider’s Guide

Everything we know about Open Web Analytics 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.

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ToolGPANovember 2026

Open Web Analytics

The Insider’s Guide

Free self-hosted web analytics framework with heatmaps

Open Web Analytics, as pictured on openwebanalytics.com

Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among website and product analytics tools, read from Open Web Analytics’s own pages.

Made by Open Web Analytics · checked Nov 13, 2026 · toolgpa.com

2.0GPA

Contents

  1. 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
  2. 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
  3. 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
  4. 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
  5. 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
  6. 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
  7. 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from Open Web Analytics’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Open Web Analytics’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.

Part 01 · Overview

Welcome

What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first

2.0

GPA, above 18 of the 100 other website and product analytics tools we grade

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.

To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Open Web Analytics, taken from its own pages and our grades.

It's self-hosted only, WordPress needs a separate plugin, and support is a wiki and GitHub.
From our report card of Open Web Analytics
  1. 1

    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.

  2. 2

    It is free

    Open Web Analytics has no paid plan at all.

  3. 3

    It runs on Web

    Web.

  4. 4

    Visitor and page tracking

    Tracks visitors, page views, e-commerce transactions and configurable actions using a first-party JavaScript tracker.

  5. 5

    Heatmaps

    Generates click heatmaps for pages, as listed among the server's features on its GitHub page.

  6. 6

    Domstream session recordings

    Records visitor sessions in a feature called Domstream, so a visit can be replayed.

  7. 7

    A 2.0 GPA, above 18 of 100

    That is against the other website and product analytics tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.

  8. 8

    Keep it

    Open Web Analytics is free, so making your own would save you nothing.

Open Web Analytics at a glance

Pricing
Free
Free plan
It is free
Free trial
None stated
Runs on
Web
Made by
Open Web Analytics
Category
Website & Product Analytics
Our grade
2.0 GPA, fair

The report card

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.

ToolGPA report cardOpen Web AnalyticsGraded Nov 13, 2026
SubjectGradeComment
Value for moneyCFree under GPLv2, but you supply the server and database, which puts it at a C.
Free plan and trialBNo paid edition and no limits listed, but nothing runs until you've hosted it.
FeaturesCVisitor and page tracking, heatmaps, session recordings and a REST API. No funnels or goals are listed.
Ease of useDYou install the server, database and upgrades yourself.
Platforms and integrationsCWeb only, with a WordPress plugin and a PHP SDK.
Grade point averageFair, out of 4.02.0

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 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 it 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

Good to know

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.

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

Open Web Analytics is free to use.

No paid edition and no limits listed, but nothing runs until you've hosted it.
From our grade for free plan and trial

  • 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.

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

Free self-hosted web analytics framework with heatmaps. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, self-hostable, public API, reports, web analytics, session replay.

Visitor and page tracking, heatmaps, session recordings and a REST API.
From our grade for 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.

Where it runs

  • Web

What it works with

  • WordPress

Open Web Analytics is made by Open Web Analytics.

Part 04 · Standing

Where it stands

Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own

18/100

Other website and product analytics tools it is graded above

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
  • BFree plan and trialAbove 72 of 100
  • CFeaturesAbove 3 of 100
  • DEase of useAbove 0 of 100
  • CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 100

Price against what you get

Each dot is one of 74 website and product analytics tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Open Web Analytics is the marked dot.

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 AnalyticsStatCounterMicrosoft ClarityUmamiWoopraCountly

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

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.

Part 05 · Alternatives

The alternatives

The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side

Matomo, Umami, Plausible, GoatCounter and Ackee

The 5 tools Open Web Analytics is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.

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 Open Web Analytics free?

Yes. Open Web Analytics is free to use.

How much does Open Web Analytics cost?

Open Web Analytics lists one plan. Open source: $0.

What platforms does Open Web Analytics work on?

Open Web Analytics is available on Web.

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.

Does Open Web Analytics have an API?

Yes. Open Web Analytics offers a public API, according to its own site.

What does Open Web Analytics integrate with?

Open Web Analytics's listing names WordPress. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.

Who makes Open Web Analytics?

Open Web Analytics is made by a company of the same name.

What are the alternatives to Open Web Analytics?

The closest alternatives to Open Web Analytics in our directory are Matomo, Umami, Plausible, GoatCounter and Ackee.

How does Open Web Analytics compare with other 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.

Is Open Web Analytics good value for money?

ToolGPA grades Open Web Analytics C for value for money. Open Web Analytics has no paid plan.

Could I make my own version of Open Web Analytics?

Open Web Analytics is free, so making your own would save you nothing.

Where this guide comes from

The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Open Web Analytics’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. 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.

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 Open Web Analytics. Prices change, so check openwebanalytics.com before you buy.

Part 07 · About

About ToolGPA

Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

7,721

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.

  • 7,721

    tools graded

  • 95

    categories

  • 739

    price changes on record

  • 579

    apps priced in 12 countries

What else is on toolgpa.com

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, "Open Web Analytics: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/open-web-analytics

Know someone choosing between website and product analytics tools?

Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/open-web-analytics/guide

ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa

See our other guides

The best-graded website and product analytics tools after Open Web Analytics, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.

ToolGPA

Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.

Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›

Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Open Web Analytics’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. Open Web Analytics is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Open Web Analytics. Prices and plans change: check openwebanalytics.com before you buy.