Pirsch alternatives: 6 open-source picks
Pirsch costs $6/mo — $72 a year. These 6 alternatives replace it for $0, led by Umami, Plausible Community Edition and Rybbit. All 6 are open source. License, stars and last commit checked by hand on 2026-08-29. No trials, no crippled tiers.
Cookieless page views and custom events with a compact dashboard and no hosted meter.
licenseMIT
runsyour machine or their cloud
installCreate an Umami Cloud account or deploy the Node application with Docker Compose and PostgreSQL
dataA self-hosted deployment stores analytics and account data in PostgreSQL; Umami Cloud stores it in Umami's managed service
the catch vs PirschIt has less emphasis on server-side collection and a less compact API workflow than Pirsch, while self-hosting adds operations.
setupNone for hosted signup; self-hosting requires Docker or Node hosting and a PostgreSQL database
facts verified 2026-08-10
Simple cookieless traffic and goals; the Community Edition keeps the dashboard deliberately narrow.
licenseAGPL-3.0+
runsyour server
installDeploy the Community Edition with the official Docker Compose installer
dataAccount and configuration records live in PostgreSQL and analytics events live in ClickHouse on the user's server
the catch vs PirschIt covers page views and goals, but self-hosting is heavier and its server-side collection and API story is less polished than Pirsch's.
setupDocker Compose, roughly 2 GB of RAM, a domain with DNS and TLS, and backups for PostgreSQL and ClickHouse
facts verified 2026-08-10
A broader cookieless dashboard with events, goals and funnels, still deployable from Compose.
licenseAGPL-3.0
runsyour machine or their cloud
installUse the hosted service or deploy the free self-hosted edition with Docker Compose
dataThe self-hosted stack uses PostgreSQL for application data, ClickHouse for analytics and Redis for queues and cache; hosted data lives in Rybbit's cloud
the catch vs PirschIt is newer and considerably busier, with a heavier stack and a less mature compact dashboard and API than Pirsch.
setupThe indefinitely free path is self-hosting, which requires Docker Compose, a domain, secrets and enough resources for three data services
facts verified 2026-08-10
The tiny option: page views, paths and referrers without a product-management department.
runsyour machine or their cloud
installCreate a hosted account or run the single static binary or Docker image
dataA self-hosted instance uses SQLite by default or PostgreSQL; the hosted service stores analytics on GoatCounter's infrastructure and supports JSON and CSV exports
the catch vs PirschIts custom-event, conversion, API and integration capabilities are shallower than Pirsch's.
setupNone for hosted use; self-hosting needs a reachable binary or container plus a public URL and TLS
facts verified 2026-08-10
All-in-one product analytics with session replay, feature flags, experiments, and surveys
licenseMIT (+EE)
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
The veteran GA alternative: full-fat web analytics, heatmaps, no data sampling, and the data stays on your server.
licenseGPL-3.0
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
What each one is, in full: Umami · Plausible Community Edition · PostHog · Matomo
last updated 2026-08-29 · no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
how to choose a Pirsch alternative
Most proven
Umami, with 38,073 GitHub stars — the largest community of the 6, which usually means more answers when something breaks.
Works on your phone
Rybbit has a mobile app on iOS and Android.
Needs real ops to self-host
PostHog is capable but expects someone to run a server, updates and backups. Budget for that before choosing it.
what you give up by leaving Pirsch
- hosted reliability, privacy operations, APIs, email reports, and scale
- identity stitching
- session replay
- warehouse connectors
- high-volume global ingestion and support
None of the picks above covers all of it. The full verdict says which gaps matter.
Pirsch alternatives at a glance
| tool | license | running it | platforms | stars | active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Umami | MIT | docker to self-host | web, self-hosted | 38,073 | 2026-08 |
| Plausible Community Edition | AGPL-3.0+ | docker to self-host | web, self-hosted | 28,377 | 2026-08 |
| Rybbit | AGPL-3.0 | docker to self-host | web, ios, android, self-hosted | 12,600 | 2026-08 |
| GoatCounter | open source | docker to self-host | web, self-hosted | 5,800 | 2026-08 |
| PostHog | MIT (+EE) | self-host, real ops | self-hosted, web | 30,000 | 2026-08 |
| Matomo | GPL-3.0 | docker to self-host | self-hosted, web | 20,000 | 2026-08 |
why people still pay for Pirsch
People still pay for Pirsch because teams pay because analytics must keep collecting and remain trustworthy while the product changes underneath it. The recurring cost buys event schemas, bot filtering, identity, late data, retention, query cost, privacy, backups, and always-on ingestion, not just the visible interface. If none of that applies to you, any pick above saves $72 a year.
questions about switching from Pirsch
Is there an open-source alternative to Pirsch?
Yes: Umami, Plausible Community Edition, Rybbit and 3 more. Every tool on this page is open source: no trials, no crippled tiers.
Can open source really replace Pirsch?
Our verdict is YES. Umami (38k stars), PostHog (30k stars), Plausible Community Edition (28k stars) are mature open-source replacements for Pirsch — self-host with docker and stop paying $6/mo. The full verdict, and what you give up by switching, is at caniopensourceit.online/pirsch.
What is the most popular open-source Pirsch alternative?
By GitHub stars, Umami (38,073). PostHog is next with 30,000.
