Comprehensive side-by-side technical comparison between Umami and Plausible Analytics.
The Quick Verdict: Which One Should You Choose?
Choose Umami if you want an ultra-simple Node.js/Next.js stack that shares existing PostgreSQL or MySQL instances with minimal setup.
Choose Plausible if you process tens of millions of monthly pageviews and benefit from ClickHouse analytical compression and Elixir concurrency.
Technical Specification & Architecture Matrix
| Feature / Metric | Umami | Plausible Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Software Category | analytics | analytics |
| Deployment Model | Self-Hosted / Private Cloud | Self-Hosted / Private Cloud |
| Licensing & IP Rights | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Pricing & Seat Model | $0 / Unlimited Users (FOSS) | $0 / Unlimited Users (FOSS) |
| GitHub Community Stars | ★ 39,332 | ★ 29,377 |
| Primary Tech Stack | Next.js, React, Tailwind, Prisma | Elixir, PostgreSQL, ClickHouse |
| Self-Hosting Difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Hardware & RAM Footprint | 1 GB - 2 GB RAM (Hetzner CX22 / $4/mo) | 1 GB - 2 GB RAM (Hetzner CX22 / $4/mo) |
| Detailed Inspect Page | Inspect Umami Stack → | Inspect Plausible Analytics Stack → |
Key Advantages & Trade-offs
Umami Analysis
- ✓100% data sovereignty & on-premises privacy with no third-party data mining.
- ✓Zero per-seat licensing fees; scale unlimited team members on private VPS.
- ✓Full inspection and custom modification of source code (MIT license).
- ✗Requires basic Linux or Docker server administration and automated backup scheduling.
- ✗Community support via GitHub issues and Discord rather than formal enterprise SLA.
Plausible Analytics Analysis
- ✓100% data sovereignty & on-premises privacy with no third-party data mining.
- ✓Zero per-seat licensing fees; scale unlimited team members on private VPS.
- ✓Full inspection and custom modification of source code (AGPL-3.0 license).
- ✗Requires basic Linux or Docker server administration and automated backup scheduling.
- ✗Community support via GitHub issues and Discord rather than formal enterprise SLA.
Production Docker Compose Configurations
version: "3.8"
services:
umami:
image: ghcr.io/umami-software/umami:postgresql-latest
container_name: umami
ports:
- "${PORT:-3000}:3000"
environment:
DATABASE_URL: postgresql://umami:${DB_PASSWORD:-umami_pwd}@db:5432/umami
DATABASE_TYPE: postgresql
APP_SECRET: "${APP_SECRET:-umami_matrix_secret_key}"
depends_on:
- db
restart: unless-stopped
db:
image: postgres:15-alpine
container_name: umami-db
environment:
POSTGRES_DB: umami
POSTGRES_USER: umami
POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD:-umami_pwd}
volumes:
- umami-db-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
restart: unless-stopped
volumes:
umami-db-data:version: '3.8'
services:
plausible:
image: plausible/analytics:latest
restart: unless-stopped
ports:
- "${PORT:-8000}:8000"
environment:
- BASE_URL=http://localhost:${PORT:-8000}
- SECRET_KEY_BASE=${SECRET_KEY_BASE:-generate_a_random_64_char_secret_key_here}
- DATABASE_URL=postgres://plausible:${DB_PASSWORD:-plausible_pass}@db:5432/plausible
depends_on:
- db
db:
image: postgres:15-alpine
restart: unless-stopped
environment:
- POSTGRES_USER=plausible
- POSTGRES_PASSWORD=${DB_PASSWORD:-plausible_pass}
- POSTGRES_DB=plausible
volumes:
- plausible_pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data
volumes:
plausible_pgdata:Related Head-to-Head Software Battles
Umami vs Plausible Analytics: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary difference between Umami and Plausible Analytics?
Umami is a self-hosted open-source software (MIT licensed) focused on Simple, fast, privacy-focused alternative to Google Analytics. In contrast, Plausible Analytics is a self-hosted open-source solution (AGPL-3.0 licensed) focused on Simple, open-source, lightweight web analytics without cookies.
How much money can a 25-person team save by choosing Umami?
Commercial per-seat SaaS tools typically charge $10–$40/user/month ($3,000–$12,000/year for 25 seats). Self-hosting open-source software on a private VPS (typically $10–$25/month on Hetzner or DigitalOcean) reduces recurring software expenses by up to 95%.
What are the production server hardware requirements for self-hosting?
For Umami, recommended baseline memory is 1 GB - 2 GB RAM (Hetzner CX22 / $4/mo). For Plausible Analytics, recommended memory is 1 GB - 2 GB RAM (Hetzner CX22 / $4/mo). Both can be provisioned using modern Docker Compose configurations.
Is data export and migration supported between Umami and Plausible Analytics?
Yes. Open-source solutions prioritize data portability with standard SQL database dumps, JSON/CSV exports, or native markdown files, ensuring zero vendor lock-in.