Open Web Analytics vs Simple Analytics comparison

Compare pricing, deployment, product fit, integrations, and capabilities side by side.

Which platform fits your needs?

Choose Open Web Analytics if

Tech-savvy users who want a free, self-hosted analytics solution

Capabilities only listed for Open Web Analytics

Self-hosted Open source Behavior analytics Heatmaps Revenue tracking Data ownership Integrations Custom reports Retention analytics

Important considerations: Community-maintained software requires self-hosting and technical upkeep; official product documentation and release communication are less active than major alternatives.

Choose Simple Analytics if

Website owners who prioritize privacy and simplicity

Capabilities only listed for Simple Analytics

Privacy-first Cookieless GDPR compliant CCPA compliant Free plan Funnels AI insights Audience insights

Important considerations: Free accounts retain only one month of history and require a public badge; paid price varies with data-point volume and extra users.

Shared capabilities

Real-time data E-commerce tracking Event tracking User segments Goals Data export

Attribute	Open Web Analytics	Simple Analytics
Overview	A GPL-licensed, self-hosted web analytics framework with pageview and event tracking, conversion goals, funnels, segmentation, click heatmaps, visitor paths, and WordPress support.	A privacy-first analytics platform built around straightforward traffic reporting, lightweight event tracking, and GDPR-friendly measurement with minimal setup.
Pricing	Free, open source	Free hobby plan with one month of history; paid self-serve pricing starts at €20/month for 100K monthly pageviews; Enterprise is custom
Deployment	Self-hosted	Vendor-hosted cloud
Best for	Tech-savvy users who want a free, self-hosted analytics solution	Website owners who prioritize privacy and simplicity
Operator	Open Web Analytics project Independent project	Simple Analytics B.V. Independent private company
Company base	Distributed organization	Amsterdam, Netherlands · European Union
Organization scale	No comparable official organization-size figure was publicly disclosed.	3 team members · operator, as of 13 Aug 2026
Recent direction	operational reliability Recent official evidence shows a focus on operational reliability.	AI-assisted analysis Recent official evidence shows a focus on AI-assisted analysis.
Key features	Self-hosted GPL software Pageview and event tracking Conversion goals and funnels Visitor segmentation Click heatmaps Visitor paths Ecommerce tracking WordPress integration	Cookieless traffic dashboard Real-time reporting Events and goals Ecommerce tracking AI-assisted analysis Automated reports Raw data export Lightweight tracking script
Important considerations	Community-maintained software requires self-hosting and technical upkeep; official product documentation and release communication are less active than major alternatives.	Free accounts retain only one month of history and require a public badge; paid price varies with data-point volume and extra users.
Integrations	WordPress	Ghost, WordPress
Fact check	We checked this information against official vendor sources on 2026-08-08.	We checked this information against official vendor sources on 2026-08-08.

Capability matrix

This matrix shows capabilities recorded in our catalog. Not listed means we have not confirmed the capability here. Check the linked vendor sources for plan, deployment, and usage limits.

Attribute	Open Web Analytics	Simple Analytics
AI insights	Not listed	Listed
Audience insights	Not listed	Listed
Behavior analytics	Listed	Not listed
CCPA compliant	Not listed	Listed
Cookieless	Not listed	Listed
Custom reports	Listed	Not listed
Data export	Listed	Listed
Data ownership	Listed	Not listed
E-commerce tracking	Listed	Listed
Event tracking	Listed	Listed
Free plan	Not listed	Listed
Funnels	Not listed	Listed
GDPR compliant	Not listed	Listed
Goals	Listed	Listed
Heatmaps	Listed	Not listed
Integrations	Listed	Not listed
Open source	Listed	Not listed
Privacy-first	Not listed	Listed
Real-time data	Listed	Listed
Retention analytics	Listed	Not listed
Revenue tracking	Listed	Not listed
Self-hosted	Listed	Not listed
User segments	Listed	Listed

Full details: Open Web Analytics Full details: Simple Analytics