Plausible vs Umami: which privacy-friendly analytics to choose
Plausible and Umami are the two names that come up first when people look for a lightweight, privacy-friendly alternative to Google Analytics. Both are open source, both skip cookies, both fit the key numbers on one screen. The differences are in how you run them and what's included.
At a glance
| Plausible | Umami | |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | AGPL | MIT |
| Main way to use it | Paid hosted service (with a free trial) | Self-hosted for free |
| Self-hosting | Community Edition | Yes — the primary option |
| Hosted option | Plausible Cloud, EU-hosted | Umami Cloud |
| Cookies | None | None |
| Strengths | Polished hosted product, Search Console integration, GA import, email reports | Flexibility, permissive licence, advanced reports such as funnels and retention |
Features and pricing change, so check both sites before deciding.
Hosting: the real difference
Plausible is first of all a hosted product: you pay a subscription and never think about servers. A free self-hosted Community Edition exists, but the company's focus is the cloud.
Umami is first of all self-hosted software: you run it on your own server with a database. A hosted cloud version is available for those who don't want to maintain it.
If you don't want to manage a server, that alone often decides the question.
Licence
Umami's MIT licence lets you do almost anything with the code. Plausible's AGPL requires that modified versions offered as a network service publish their changes. For most website owners this doesn't matter; for companies building on top of the code, it can.
Features
Both cover the essentials: visitors, page views, sources, UTM campaigns, pages, devices, countries and custom events. Plausible adds a polished set of integrations and email reports; Umami offers advanced reports and plenty of customisation when self-hosted.
Who each one suits
- Plausible — teams that want a ready, maintained, EU-hosted service and are fine with a subscription.
- Umami — developers who are comfortable self-hosting and want maximum control at minimum cost.
A third option
If you want a hosted, cookie-free dashboard without a subscription or a server, LightMetrica is free to use. It also tracks calls, messenger clicks and downloads automatically, groups AI-assistant traffic separately and writes a weekly AI Smart Report with recommendations. Detailed comparisons: LightMetrica vs Plausible and LightMetrica vs Umami.
FAQ
Is Umami or Plausible better for GDPR? Both avoid cookies and personal data by design, which makes compliance easier. Whether you still need consent depends on your setup and jurisdiction — this isn't legal advice.
Which one is cheaper? Self-hosted Umami costs only your server. Plausible Cloud is a paid subscription, while its Community Edition is free to self-host.
Can I switch between them later? Yes, but historical data doesn't transfer automatically. Running both for a while makes the switch smoother.
Try LightMetrica — free
Lightweight, independent, cookie-free analytics: the counter installs in a minute — on its own or next to your current tools. Every week — an AI-powered Smart Report: what changed and what to do next.