GoatCounter vs Plausible Analytics: which one to choose in 2026?
Both are open source alternatives to Google Analytics. We compare license, tech stack and features to help you decide which fits your team best.
| GoatCounter | Plausible Analytics | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | EUPL-1.2 | AGPL-3.0 |
| GitHub stars | 5k | 21k |
| Tech stack | Go, SQLite | Elixir, Phoenix, ClickHouse, PostgreSQL |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
Plausible Analytics has more GitHub stars, which usually indicates a larger community (not necessarily that it's the best option for your use case).
GoatCounter
Ultra-lightweight web analytics in a single binary, an alternative to Google Analytics.
Pros
- The lightest deployment in the whole category
Things to consider
- Not built for complex product analytics
Plausible Analytics
Cookie-free web analytics, an alternative to Google Analytics.
Pros
- Privacy by design
- Far simpler to read than GA4
Things to consider
- Requires ClickHouse, somewhat heavier to self-host
- Less analytical depth than GA4 for complex ecommerce
Key features
GoatCounter
- Single binary, no external dependencies
- Simple visits and referrers dashboard
- No cookies or fingerprinting
Plausible Analytics
- Under-1KB script, doesn't slow down your site
- No cookies or consent banner needed
- Single-page dashboard
- Imports historical data from Google Analytics