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 | |
|---|---|
| Matomo | Web analytics platform available in 48 languages |
| GoAccess | Real-time web log analyzer and interactive viewer |
| Umami | Privacy-focused alternative to Google Analytics |
| Rybbit | Another privacy-friendly alternative to Google Analytics |
| Openpanel | Web and product analytics with funnels, cohorts and session replay |
| Open Web Analytics | Add web analytics using simple Javascript, PHP, or REST based APIs |
| Plausible | Privacy-friendly web analytics alternative |
| Shynet | Modern, privacy-friendly, and cookie-free web analytics |
| GoatCounter | Web analytics platform that offers a privacy-friendly alternative |
| W3Perl | Logfile analyser based on logfiles parsing |
| Tianji | Website analytics, uptime monitor and server status |
| Swetrix | Privacy-first web analytics with funnels and performance monitoring |
| Medama | Lightweight self-hosted privacy-focused website analytics |
| Ackee | Useful website statistics without invasive tracking |
| AWStats | Advanced web, streaming, ftp or mail server statistics, graphically |
Read our verdict in the software roundup.
Explore our carefully curated directory of recommended free and open source software, covering every major software category.The directory forms part of our extensive collection of articles for Linux enthusiasts. It includes hundreds of detailed reviews, together with free and open source alternatives to proprietary software from companies such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk. LinuxLinks also covers interesting projects worth exploring, Linux-compatible hardware, free programming books and tutorials, and much more. Know a useful free and open source Linux application that we haven’t covered? Tell us about it using our submission form. |


Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.