GoatCounter is a web analytics platform that offers a privacy-friendly alternative to services such as Google Analytics and Matomo. It is designed to be easy to use while still providing useful visitor statistics, campaign tracking, referrer information, and other site metrics.
The software can be self-hosted on Linux and supports both small and larger deployments with SQLite or PostgreSQL.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Privacy-aware analytics that do not track users with unique identifiers.
- Lightweight tracking with a small JavaScript snippet and a no-JavaScript tracking pixel option.
- Supports JavaScript integration, backend middleware integration, and log file import.
- Keeps statistics such as browser information, location, screen size, referring sites, and campaigns.
- Can be self-hosted with SQLite or PostgreSQL.
- Provides data export and an accessible interface that works well with assistive technology.
Website: github.com/arp242/goatcounter
Support:
Developer: Martin Tournoij
License: European Union Public Licence 1.2
GoatCounter is written in Go. Learn Go with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Related Software
| Analytics Software | |
|---|---|
| Plausible | Privacy-friendly web analytics alternative |
| Matomo | Web analytics platform available in 48 languages |
| GoAccess | Real-time web log analyzer and interactive viewer |
| Umami | Privacy-focused alternative to Google Analytics |
| Open Web Analytics | Add web analytics using simple Javascript, PHP, or REST based APIs |
| AWStats | Advanced web, streaming, ftp or mail server statistics, graphically |
| W3Perl | Logfile analyser based on logfiles parsing |
| Shynet | Modern, privacy-friendly, and cookie-free web analytics |
| Tianji | Website analytics, uptime monitor and server status |
Read our verdict in the software roundup.
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