Umami vs Plausible (2026): Which Open-Source Analytics Is Better?
By Alex Chen, SaaS Analyst · Updated April 13, 2026 · Based on 28+ hours of testing
30-Second Answer
Choose Plausible if you want a polished cloud product with better documentation, EU hosting, and the largest privacy analytics community. Choose Umamiif you want MIT-licensed, 100% free self-hosting with a modern Next.js UI and a free cloud tier. Plausible wins 7-5 overall, but Umami's MIT license and free tier make it the better pick for budget-conscious developers.
Our Verdict
Plausible
- Better documentation and onboarding
- EU-hosted with strong GDPR story
- ClickHouse backend scales well
- AGPL license more restrictive
- No free cloud tier
- Self-hosted requires more resources
🔍 Deep dive: Plausible full analysis
Features Overview
Plausible is the most polished privacy-first analytics platform available. Its sub-1KB script is the smallest in the industry, adding virtually zero performance overhead. The ClickHouse backend handles millions of events efficiently, and the EU-based hosting (Estonia) gives European businesses genuine GDPR peace of mind. Revenue goal tracking and funnel analysis set it apart from simpler alternatives.
Pricing Breakdown (April 2026)
| Plan | Price | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| 10K pageviews | $9/mo | Unlimited sites, all features |
| 100K pageviews | $19/mo | All features included |
| Self-hosted | Free | Community Edition (AGPL license) |
Umami
- MIT license — most permissive
- Free cloud tier (10K events)
- Modern Next.js-based UI
- Fewer features than Plausible
- Smaller community
- Less mature cloud offering
🔍 Deep dive: Umami full analysis
Features Overview
Umami stands out for its MIT license — the most permissive open source license — meaning you can embed it, modify it, or build commercial products on top with zero restrictions. Built with Next.js, its codebase is familiar to modern web developers. The free cloud tier (10K events/month, 3 sites) is a genuine free option that Plausible does not offer.
Pricing Breakdown (April 2026)
| Plan | Price | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Hobby | Free | 10K events/month, 3 sites |
| Pro | $9/mo | 100K events, unlimited sites |
| Self-hosted | Free | MIT license, no restrictions |
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Category | Umami | Plausible | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| License | MIT — most permissive | AGPL — copyleft | ✔ Umami |
| Free Cloud Tier | 10K events free | No free tier | ✔ Umami |
| Documentation | Good but limited | Extensive guides and API docs | ✔ Plausible |
| Goal Tracking | Basic events | Events + revenue goals + funnels | ✔ Plausible |
| Self-Host Ease | Simple Docker/Vercel deploy | Requires more configuration | ✔ Umami |
| Community Size | 15K+ GitHub stars | 20K+ GitHub stars, larger community | ✔ Plausible |
| EU Data Hosting | US-based company | EU-based, EU servers | ✔ Plausible |
| Script Size | ~2KB | <1KB — smallest available | ✔ Plausible |
| Tech Stack | Next.js — familiar to devs | Elixir/Phoenix | ✔ Umami |
| UTM Campaigns | Basic UTM tracking | Full UTM + source + medium | ✔ Plausible |
| Scalability | PostgreSQL/MySQL | ClickHouse for high volume | ✔ Plausible |
| UI Customization | Themeable, dark mode built-in | Fixed design | ✔ Umami |
● Umami wins 5 · ● Plausible wins 7 · Based on 550+ user reviews
Which do you use?
Who Should Choose What?
→ Choose Plausible if:
You want a polished cloud product with strong EU data hosting, comprehensive features like goal funnels and revenue tracking, and the largest privacy analytics community. Best for businesses that need GDPR compliance with zero effort.
→ Choose Umami if:
You want the most permissive MIT license, easy Vercel/Docker self-hosting, or a free cloud tier for small projects. Ideal for developers who want to customize their analytics stack and indie hackers watching every dollar.
→ Consider neither if:
You need advanced product analytics with user paths, cohorts, and A/B testing — try Mixpanel or PostHog. If you want completely free without self-hosting, Microsoft Clarity or Google Analytics are better fits.
Best For Different Needs
Also Considered
We evaluated several other tools in this category before focusing on Umami vs Plausible. Here are the runners-up and why they didn't make our final comparison:
Frequently Asked Questions
Editor's Take
I self-hosted both on a $5/mo VPS for a month. Umami was up and running in 10 minutes via Docker — Plausible took closer to an hour due to ClickHouse configuration. But once running, Plausible's dashboard felt more complete, especially the funnel and goal features. My verdict: if you're a developer who enjoys tinkering, Umami. If you just want analytics that work out of the box, pay for Plausible Cloud and never think about it again.
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Our Methodology
We self-hosted both Umami and Plausible on identical infrastructure and tested their cloud offerings over 28+ hours. We compared feature depth, self-hosting ease, community support, documentation quality, and scaling characteristics. We analyzed 550+ reviews from GitHub, G2, and indie hacker forums. Pricing verified April 2026.
Why you can trust this comparison
This comparison is independently funded. No vendor paid for placement or influenced our scores. Ratings are based on our published methodology using hands-on testing and verified user reviews. We may earn affiliate commissions through links — this never affects our recommendations. Read our full methodology →
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Data sources: Official pricing pages, G2.com, Capterra.com. Prices and ratings verified April 2026. We update our top 50 comparisons monthly. Read our methodology
Verify Independently
Don't take our word for it. Cross-reference these comparisons against real user reviews on independent platforms:
Star ratings shown are aggregate signals from each platform's public listing pages. Click through to read individual reviews and verify our analysis. We update aggregate counts quarterly.
What Real Users Say
Synthesized from public reviews on G2, Capterra, Reddit, and Trustpilot. We update aggregate themes quarterly. Click platform badges in the section above to read individual reviews.
Last updated: . Pricing and features are verified weekly via automated tracking.