What is the difference between Google Analytics and Umami?

Google Analytics is best for Businesses that need comprehensive, free web analytics, while Umami is best for Developers who want free, self-hosted, privacy-first analytics. Google Analytics starts at Free and Umami starts at Free.

Is Google Analytics or Umami cheaper?

Google Analytics starts at Free and is free. Umami starts at Free and is free.

Is there a free alternative to Umami?

Both Google Analytics and Umami offer free tiers.

Google Analytics vs Umami

Google Analytics is free web analytics platform for tracking website traffic, user behavior, and conversions, while Umami is open-source, privacy-focused web analytics you can self-host. Umami is open source and can be self-hosted, giving you full control over your data. Google Analytics is built for businesses that need comprehensive, free web analytics, whereas Umami targets developers who want free, self-hosted, privacy-first analytics.

At a glance

	Google Analytics	Umami
Best for	Businesses that need comprehensive, free web analytics	Developers who want free, self-hosted, privacy-first analytics
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
Audiences	✓	—
Conversions	✓	—
Cookieless	—	✓
Custom Events	—	✓
Custom Reports	✓	—
Event Tracking	✓	—
Google Ads Link	✓	—
Open Source	—	✓
Real-Time Dashboard	—	✓
Self-Hosted	—	✓

Google Analytics

Strengths

Free for most use cases
Deep integration with Google Ads and Search Console
Comprehensive event tracking
Large community and learning resources

Weaknesses

GA4 interface is confusing and frustrating
Privacy concerns — sends data to Google
GDPR compliance requires cookie consent banners
Complex setup for accurate tracking

Try Google Analytics → Full review

Umami

Strengths

Free and open source
Easy to self-host (Docker, Vercel, Railway)
Clean, modern dashboard
Privacy-focused, no cookies

Weaknesses

Requires self-hosting for free use
Fewer features than GA or even Plausible
Limited integrations
Cloud pricing not competitive with Plausible

Try Umami → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both Google Analytics and Umami are free, so this decision comes down to features and philosophy rather than budget.

Feature gaps: Google Analytics offers Audiences, Conversions and Custom Reports that Umami lacks. Umami brings Cookieless, Custom Events and Open Source that Google Analytics does not have.

Team fit: Google Analytics is geared toward any size teams, while Umami is aimed at individual users and small setups. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Open source: Umami is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Google Analytics is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: Google Analytics's biggest strengths are: free for most use cases. deep integration with google ads and search console. Umami's biggest strengths are: free and open source. easy to self-host (docker, vercel, railway).

Watch out for: With Google Analytics, users commonly note that ga4 interface is confusing and frustrating. With Umami, the main complaint is that requires self-hosting for free use.

Choose Google Analytics if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: businesses that need comprehensive, free web analytics
You specifically need Audiences and Conversions
You care about deep integration with google ads and search console
Your team size fits the any size profile Google Analytics is designed for

Choose Umami if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: developers who want free, self-hosted, privacy-first analytics
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need Cookieless and Custom Events
You care about easy to self-host (docker, vercel, railway)
Your team size fits the individuals profile Umami is designed for