Pirsch costs $6/mo.
These cost $0.
4 free alternatives to Pirsch, checked for license, recent activity and real adoption. Each one tells you the catch, so you can switch with your eyes open.
Pirsch vs Free Alternatives Matrix
Quick side-by-side comparison · $0/mo vs $6/mo
| Alternative | Type | License | Where It Runs | Stars | Head-to-Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Umami | open source | MIT | Local or hosted | ★ 38k | Pirsch vs Umami → |
| Plausible Community Edition | open source | AGPL-3.0+ | Self-host | ★ 28k | Pirsch vs Plausible Community Edition → |
| Rybbit | open source | AGPL-3.0 | Local or hosted | ★ 13k | Pirsch vs Rybbit → |
| GoatCounter | open source | — | Local or hosted | ★ 5.8k | Pirsch vs GoatCounter → |
The picks
4 open source · ranked by fit
- 01
Umami
open sourceMITLocal or hosted38kaug 2026Cookieless page views and custom events with a compact dashboard and no hosted meter.
The catch vs PirschIt has less emphasis on server-side collection and a less compact API workflow than Pirsch, while self-hosting adds operations.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Create an Umami Cloud account or deploy the Node application with Docker Compose and PostgreSQL
- setup
- None for hosted signup; self-hosting requires Docker or Node hosting and a PostgreSQL database
- your data
- A self-hosted deployment stores analytics and account data in PostgreSQL; Umami Cloud stores it in Umami's managed service
- checked
- 2026-08-10
- 02
Plausible Community Edition
open sourceAGPL-3.0+Self-host28kaug 2026Simple cookieless traffic and goals; the Community Edition keeps the dashboard deliberately narrow.
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.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Deploy the Community Edition with the official Docker Compose installer
- setup
- Docker Compose, roughly 2 GB of RAM, a domain with DNS and TLS, and backups for PostgreSQL and ClickHouse
- your data
- Account and configuration records live in PostgreSQL and analytics events live in ClickHouse on the user's server
- checked
- 2026-08-10
- 03
Rybbit
open sourceAGPL-3.0Local or hosted13kaug 2026A broader cookieless dashboard with events, goals and funnels, still deployable from Compose.
The catch vs PirschIt is newer and considerably busier, with a heavier stack and a less mature compact dashboard and API than Pirsch.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- mobilewebself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Use the hosted service or deploy the free self-hosted edition with Docker Compose
- setup
- The indefinitely free path is self-hosting, which requires Docker Compose, a domain, secrets and enough resources for three data services
- your data
- The self-hosted stack uses PostgreSQL for application data, ClickHouse for analytics and Redis for queues and cache; hosted data lives in Rybbit's cloud
- checked
- 2026-08-10
- 04
GoatCounter
open sourceLocal or hosted5.8kaug 2026The tiny option: page views, paths and referrers without a product-management department.
The catch vs PirschIts custom-event, conversion, API and integration capabilities are shallower than Pirsch's.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Create a hosted account or run the single static binary or Docker image
- setup
- None for hosted use; self-hosting needs a reachable binary or container plus a public URL and TLS
- your data
- A self-hosted instance uses SQLite by default or PostgreSQL; the hosted service stores analytics on GoatCounter's infrastructure and supports JSON and CSV exports
- checked
- 2026-08-10
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers · Pirsch open-source replacements
What is the best free alternative to Pirsch?+
The top free alternative to Pirsch is Umami (open source, MIT). Cookieless page views and custom events with a compact dashboard and no hosted meter. Other popular Pirsch replacements include Plausible Community Edition, Rybbit, GoatCounter.
Can I self-host a free replacement for Pirsch?+
Yes. Of the 4 free alternatives to Pirsch, 4 can be self-hosted on your own server or local machine: Umami (MIT), Plausible Community Edition (AGPL-3.0+), Rybbit (AGPL-3.0), GoatCounter (free).
How much does switching from Pirsch to a free alternative save?+
Pirsch starts at $6/month per seat ($72/year). Switching a 5-person team to a free alternative like Umami saves $360 per year in software subscription fees.
Should I vibe-code or build my own Pirsch clone from scratch?+
Our build verdict for Pirsch is KINDA (the core, yes. the polish, no). The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For Pirsch, collect cookieless page views and custom events with compact dashboards. The hard boundary is hosted reliability, privacy operations, apis, email reports, and scale, plus data pipeline reliability and analytical depth.
What is the catch when switching from Pirsch to Umami?+
It has less emphasis on server-side collection and a less compact API workflow than Pirsch, while self-hosting adds operations.
