Ackee vs GoatCounter: which one to choose in 2026?
Both are open source alternatives to Google Analytics. We compare license, tech stack and features to help you decide which fits your team best.
| Ackee | GoatCounter | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | MIT | EUPL-1.2 |
| GitHub stars | ~8k | ~5k |
| Tech stack | Node.js, MongoDB | Go, SQLite |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
Ackee has more GitHub stars, which usually indicates a larger community (not necessarily that it's the best option for your use case).
Ackee
Minimalist, private web analytics, an alternative to Google Analytics.
Pros
- MIT license and a very small footprint
Things to consider
- Much more basic reports than GA4
GoatCounter
Ultra-lightweight web analytics in a single binary, an alternative to Google Analytics.
Pros
- A single binary with no external dependencies, no separate database to maintain
Things to consider
- Not built for complex product analytics
Key features
Ackee
- Minimalist visits dashboard
- Custom events
- No tracking cookies
GoatCounter
- Single binary, no external dependencies
- Simple visits and referrers dashboard
- No cookies or fingerprinting
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