Umami vs GoatCounter: which free website stats tool should you pick?
checked 2026-10-08 2 entries from the Tools Atlas
By Tori, last checked 2026-10-08. Each entry below was read against its own page or licence. The verdicts are written for someone who wants to use a tool in something they sell or publish; a skip is often about a licence or a heavy setup, not about quality.
At a glance
| Name | Licence | Cost | Rules check | Atlas verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Umami | MIT | Free software. | Allowed | Use it |
| GoatCounter | EUPL-1.2 (slightly modified) | Free software. | Allowed | Use it |
One by one
Umami Use it
Counts visits without cookies, with custom events, an automatic campaign (UTM) view and an API. That turns clicks from your posts into signups and sales per campaign. It needs Postgres, so run it on a PC or small server, not a phone. MIT.
Licence. MIT. Cost. Free software.
- Source page, read 2026-10-08
GoatCounter Use it
A tiny stats tool: one program, a SQLite file and a 3.5 KB script on your pages. No cookies. It is the lighter backup if Postgres is too heavy for your machine. Releases are slow (v2.7.0 on 2025-12-15), and its page does not confirm UTM or event support, so check its documentation first. EUPL-1.2 (slightly modified), a copyleft licence: do not fork and redistribute without checking.
Licence. EUPL-1.2 (slightly modified). Cost. Free software.
- Source page, read 2026-10-08
Which to pick
You post links in many places and want to see which one brought a signup or sale: Umami, because campaign and event tracking are built in.
You only want page counts on a small machine: GoatCounter.
Do not run both. Pick one so your numbers have one source.
The consent point
No cookies does not mean no rules. Follow the consent law where your visitors are, especially on landing pages.
Questions
Is Umami free?
Yes. The software is free and MIT-licensed. You pay only for wherever you run it, and it needs a Postgres database.
Does GoatCounter use cookies?
No. It is cookie-free.
Which is lighter, Umami or GoatCounter?
GoatCounter: one program, a SQLite file and a 3.5 KB script. Umami needs Postgres.
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