Plausible vs Umami: Which Should You Use?


Compare Plausible Analytics and Umami.
| Dimension | Plausible Analytics | Umami | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| License | AGPL-3.0 (LICENSE.md, 2026-10-21) | MIT (LICENSE, 2026-10-21) | Official LICENSE files |
| Price (software) | free self-host; cloud sold separately | free self-host; cloud sold separately | READMEs |
| Current release (this check) | v3.2.1 (2026-05-15) | v3.4.0 (2026-09-17) | GitHub Releases |
| Community snapshot (2026-10-21) | 29,577 stars / 1,913 forks; last push 2026-10-20 | 39,493 stars / 8,357 forks; last push 2026-10-20 | GitHub API |
| Stack | Elixir / Phoenix | TypeScript | GitHub language fields |
| Cookies (project claim) | cookie-free (README / description) | no cookies (description) | GitHub README / description; not independently audited |
| Quality vs GA4 | Not independently tested | Not independently tested | n/a |
When to choose which
- AGPL cookie-free dashboard: Plausible — Copied license and README labels. We did not audit the script.
- MIT TypeScript self-host: Umami — Copied license and language. We did not run a Docker bake-off.
- Full PHP analytics suite: Matomo — Different stack. See the Google Analytics hub (GPL-3.0, 5.14.1).
Read the entity pages for the full sourced tables: Plausible and Umami. Both are listed on Google Analytics alternatives. Versus the commercial product: Plausible vs Google Analytics. Related full-stack row: Matomo.
Key differences
Plausible is AGPL-3.0 and Elixir. Umami is MIT and TypeScript. Both READMEs describe cookie-free / no-cookie privacy-first dashboards — those are project claims, not a forkalt script audit. Star counts are not quality.
See also Zapier alternatives if the job is automation rather than analytics, and Dev & Coding.
FAQ
Is Umami better than Plausible?
We have no sourced benchmark that says so. The sourced differences are license and stack.
Can I use both?
Yes, on different sites. Read AGPL-3.0 if you will offer Plausible as a service. Not legal advice.
What about Matomo?
Matomo is the GPL-3.0 PHP/MySQL option on Google Analytics alternatives (21,964 stars, 5.14.1).
Sources & verification
- https://github.com/plausible/analytics
- https://github.com/umami-software/umami
- https://github.com/matomo-org/matomo
License notes are not legal advice. Read the original LICENSE. Trademark & disclaimer.