Umami
Free, open source, self-hosted web analytics with a clean interface.
My Experience
Umami is the best fully free analytics option if you're comfortable self-hosting. Install it on any VPS with a PostgreSQL database and you've got a clean, privacy-focused analytics dashboard that costs nothing to run.
The interface is well-designed and shows the essentials — pageviews, visitors, referrers, devices, and countries. It's not as feature-rich as Plausible, but for most indie projects, it covers everything you need.
Setup is straightforward with Docker. I run Umami alongside my apps on a small Hetzner VPS and it barely uses any resources. For $0/month, it's hard to complain.
Pros
- +Completely free and open source — self-host forever
- +Clean, modern dashboard that's easy to read
- +Privacy-focused, no cookies required
- +Lightweight script with minimal performance impact
Cons
- −Requires self-hosting — needs a server with PostgreSQL
- −No official hosted option (community hosting exists)
- −Fewer features than mature alternatives
- −Setup requires some technical knowledge
Best For
Developers comfortable with self-hosting who want a free, privacy-focused analytics solution.
