Technical Verdict & Decision Factors

Umami and Plausible are privacy-focused web analytics tools operating without cookies. Umami is built on a TypeScript stack, offering greater flexibility for event tracking and a freemium model. Plausible uses Elixir, prioritizes a minimal load footprint (sub-1 KB), and emphasizes regulatory compliance via European hosting under the AGPL-3.0 license.

Scale-ups & Agile Teams

Choose Umami if

Umami is ideal for developers needing complex event tracking in web or product applications that require a free self-hosted option or a flexible SaaS plan.

Get started with Umami (opens in a new tab)
Enterprise & Compliance

Choose Plausible Analytics if

Plausible is optimal for organizations focused on web performance (Core Web Vitals) and strict European privacy compliance that prefer a plug-and-play solution without event customization.

Get started with Plausible Analytics (opens in a new tab)

Key Differentiators

  • Umami offers more flexible custom event tracking and a SaaS freemium model.
  • Plausible excels with an ultralight script load (<1 KB) optimizing Core Web Vitals.
  • License difference: MIT (Umami) vs. AGPL-3.0 (Plausible) impacting commercial redistribution.
  • Headquarters: US (Umami) subject to Cloud Act, vs. Estonia (Plausible) with strict GDPR focus.
Weights 40% DX, 40% Fair Pricing, 20% PerformanceRecommended winner for this scenario:Umami (7.1/10)
Umami7.1/10
Plausible Analytics7.1/10
Weights 45% Security & Governance, 35% Reliability, 20% DXRecommended winner for this scenario:Umami (7.5/10)
Umami7.5/10
Plausible Analytics7.5/10
Weights 55% Data Portability, 25% Fair Pricing, 20% SecurityRecommended winner for this scenario:Umami (4.7/10)
Umami4.7/10
Plausible Analytics4.7/10

Side-by-Side Feature Comparison

Umami vs Plausible Analytics
Datasheet
UmamiFreemium
Commercial Model & Pricing
Base PriceFree TierContact Sales
Pricing ModelFreemiumPaid
Score4.5/5.0(1 review)4.5/5.0(1 review)
VerifiedVerifiedVerified tool: Audited technical attributesVerifiedVerified tool: Audited technical attributes
Core Features Matrix
Specific Capabilities for Web Analytics & Privacy
Cookieless (Native GDPR)CompatibleCompatible
Built-in Session ReplayNot availableNot available
Feature Flags / ExperimentationNot availableNot available
Direct SQL/ClickHouse ExportCompatibleNot available
Unlimited Event RetentionNot availableNot available
Enterprise Architecture & Security (7 Universals)
REST & GraphQL APICompatibleCompatible
SSO / SAML AuthenticationNot availableNot available
Self-Hosted OptionCompatibleCompatible
Full Data ExportCompatibleCompatible
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)CompatibleCompatible
Custom Domains & SSLCompatibleCompatible
Immutable Audit LogsNot availableNot available
Architecture & Verified Specs
Compliance & Data Sovereignty
Audited Certifications
GDPR
GDPR
SSO (SAML) AvailabilityNot availableNot available
Legal Headquarters & JurisdictionUSEE
Subject to US CLOUD ActSubject (US Extraterritorial)Immune (EU Sovereignty)
Data ResidencyEU, US, SELF_HOSTEDEU, SELF_HOSTED
Open Source Telemetry & Code Sovereignty
GitHub Stars 39.8k 29.7k
Latest Commit / VitalityOct 28, 2026Oct 30, 2026
SPDX LicenseMITAGPL-3.0
Primary LanguageTypeScriptElixir
Minimum RAM RequiredCloud ManagedCloud Managed
Visit WebsiteTry Umami (opens in a new tab)Try Plausible Analytics (opens in a new tab)

Last technical review:

Technical Scorecard Comparison
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Technical Scorecard Comparison: Umami vs Plausible Analytics

Umami88/100
Plausible Analytics88/100
DX & Tech Documentation
Umami
90
Plausible Analytics
90
Pricing Fairness+10 pts Umami
Umami
95
Plausible Analytics
85
Security & Governance+7 pts Plausible Analytics
Umami
85
Plausible Analytics
92
Data Portability & Sovereignty+2 pts Umami
Umami
90
Plausible Analytics
88
Performance & Reliability+5 pts Plausible Analytics
Umami
80
Plausible Analytics
85

Time to Value & Fit by Segment: Umami vs Plausible Analytics

Umami

Time-to-Value:< 1 hour (Immediate)
Curve:Low (Intuitive)

Near-instantaneous deployment with minimal technical friction.

Plausible Analytics

Time-to-Value:< 1 hour (Immediate)
Curve:Low (Intuitive)

Near-instantaneous deployment with minimal technical friction.

Segment Fit Comparison

Startup & Agile Teams1 to 50 members
Umami
90%
Plausible Analytics
90%
Mid-Market & Scaleup50 to 500 members
Umami
80%
Plausible Analytics
80%
Corporate Enterprise500+ members
Umami
70%
Plausible Analytics
60%
Pricing & Licensing Breakdown
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Billing Clauses & SSO Tax: Umami vs Plausible Analytics

Umami

No SSO Documented

Does not document enterprise SAML or OIDC single sign-on support.

Free:Free tier available for self-hosting with unlimited usage or limited plans on Umami Cloud.

Plausible Analytics

No SSO Documented

Does not document enterprise SAML or OIDC single sign-on support.

Free:Free trial available for 30 days, no permanent free tier.
  • Pricing scales directly with monthly pageviews across your sites.
TCO & Savings CalculatorTCO 1-3Y
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Indie / Solo (1 active user)

Solo developer or independent technical founder.

Umami

Base Monthly Cost:$15/month
12-Month Investment:$153/year
36 Months (3 years):$459

Plausible Analytics

Most Cost-Effective
Base Monthly Cost:$12/month
12-Month Investment:$122/year
36 Months (3 years):$366
Estimated Financial Differential

Plausible Analytics: $31 USD/year ($93 USD 36 Months (3 years)).

Startup (10 active users)

Agile engineering team in validation and early traction stage.

Umami

Base Monthly Cost:$150/month
12-Month Investment:$1,530/year
36 Months (3 years):$4,590

Plausible Analytics

Most Cost-Effective
Base Monthly Cost:$120/month
12-Month Investment:$1,224/year
36 Months (3 years):$3,672
Estimated Financial Differential

Plausible Analytics: $306 USD/year ($918 USD 36 Months (3 years)).

Growth (25 active users)

Scaling company with team governance and granular access control requirements.

Umami

Base Monthly Cost:$375/month
12-Month Investment:$3,825/year
36 Months (3 years):$11,475

Plausible Analytics

Most Cost-Effective
Base Monthly Cost:$300/month
12-Month Investment:$3,060/year
36 Months (3 years):$9,180
Estimated Financial Differential

Plausible Analytics: $765 USD/year ($2,295 USD 36 Months (3 years)).

Scaleup (100 active users)

Established organization with enterprise security policies and mandatory SAML/SSO.

Umami

Base Monthly Cost:$1,500/month
12-Month Investment:$15,300/year
36 Months (3 years):$45,900

Plausible Analytics

Most Cost-Effective
Base Monthly Cost:$1,200/month
12-Month Investment:$12,240/year
36 Months (3 years):$36,720
Estimated Financial Differential

Plausible Analytics: $3,060 USD/year ($9,180 USD 36 Months (3 years)).

Usage Billing PredictabilityWhat usage costs as you scale
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Prototype / MVP (10 GB)

Comparative projection for Storage & Compute (GB)

Umami

Most Cost-Effective
Overage penalty:+$1/mo
Estimated Monthly Invoice:$16/mo
Low Risk

Plausible Analytics

Overage penalty:$0
Estimated Monthly Invoice:$20/mo
Low Risk

Base Production (50 GB)

Comparative projection for Storage & Compute (GB)

Umami

Most Cost-Effective
Overage penalty:+$8/mo
Estimated Monthly Invoice:$23/mo
Moderate Risk

Plausible Analytics

Overage penalty:+$26/mo
Estimated Monthly Invoice:$46/mo
Moderate Risk

Active Growth (250 GB)

Comparative projection for Storage & Compute (GB)

Umami

Most Cost-Effective
Overage penalty:+$44/mo
Estimated Monthly Invoice:$59/mo
High Risk

Plausible Analytics

Overage penalty:+$341/mo
Estimated Monthly Invoice:$361/mo
Critical Risk

Large Scale (1.000 GB (1 TB))

Comparative projection for Storage & Compute (GB)

Umami

Most Cost-Effective
Overage penalty:+$179/mo
Estimated Monthly Invoice:$194/mo
Critical Risk

Plausible Analytics

Overage penalty:+$1741/mo
Estimated Monthly Invoice:$1,761/mo
Critical Risk
Bidirectional Migration Friction Index (MFI)
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Bidirectional Migration Friction Index (MFI)

UmamiPlausible Analytics
Smooth Migration

Migration friction: Umami to Plausible Analytics

15/100

Agile transition with low operational risk and native export/API support.

Critical Factors Evaluated

  • +15 ptsTransition from a free or freemium model to a mandatory paid tier in Plausible Analytics.
Plausible AnalyticsUmami
Smooth Migration

Migration friction: Plausible Analytics to Umami

0/100

Agile transition with low operational risk and native export/API support.

Critical Factors Evaluated

Smooth path: native export support, ingestion API, and authentication parity.

Migration & Portability VerdictUmami · Δ 15 pts

Migrating from Umami to Plausible Analytics has significantly lower friction (15/100) than the reverse path (0/100). {from} provides easier data liberation and lower exit costs.

Technical Transition Playbook: Umami to Plausible AnalyticsCLI Runbook
4-stage execution protocol to switch dependencies with zero data loss and verifiable rollback.
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01

Data Extraction & Baseline Snapshot

Full export of Umami datasets in audited formats (CSV, JSON, SQL). Secure an immutable snapshot prior to cutover.

pg_dump
02

Schema Mapping & Contract Validation

Normalize entity identifiers, timestamps, and event payloads between Umami APIs and destination schema in Plausible Analytics.

# Schema mapping & validation
npx tsx scripts/map-migration.ts --source=umami --target=plausible-analytics
03

Dual-Ingestion Period (Dual-Writing)

Simultaneous telemetry dispatch to Umami and Plausible Analytics for 72 hours to contrast volume, integrity, and latency without downtime.

export TELEMETRY_PRIMARY="plausible-analytics"
export TELEMETRY_SECONDARY="umami"
04

Decommissioning & Rollback Safety

De-instrument Umami SDK, archive snapshot in cold S3 storage, and confirm zero ongoing billing.

# Check decommission
curl -I "https://umami.is/"

Architecture Decision Record for CTOs & Tech Leads

Production-ready technical document for Notion, Confluence, or Pull Requests

Select recommended tool:
Community Sentiment & Commercial Terms
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Technical Reputation of Umami

79/100 Technical Trust

Frequent Praises in Production

  • Open-source self-hostable architecture with no license restrictions.
  • Cookie-free data collection model that simplifies GDPR compliance.
  • Unified interface for real-time web and product analytics.

Reported Production Frictions

  • Fewer advanced heatmap features compared to proprietary suites.
  • Advanced event tracking requires manual JavaScript snippet insertion.
Commercial Treatment & Vendor Lock-in:Self-Service in Dashboard

Cancellation flow is autonomous via billing portal or subscription settings.

Technical Reputation of Plausible Analytics

85/100 Technical Trust

Frequent Praises in Production

  • Ultra-lightweight tracking script under 1 KB that does not block rendering.
  • Strict GDPR compliance without requiring cookie consent banners.
  • Open-source self-hosted model for complete data control.

Reported Production Frictions

  • No permanent free tier for hosted commercial usage.
  • Lacks advanced session-level behavior analytics or heatmaps.
Commercial Treatment & Vendor Lock-in:Self-Service in Dashboard

Cancellation flow is autonomous via billing portal or subscription settings.

Frequently Asked Questions: Umami vs Plausible Analytics

What are the key differences between Umami and Plausible Analytics?

Umami and Plausible are privacy-focused web analytics tools operating without cookies. Umami is built on a TypeScript stack, offering greater flexibility for event tracking and a freemium model. Plausible uses Elixir, prioritizes a minimal load footprint (sub-1 KB), and emphasizes regulatory compliance via European hosting under the AGPL-3.0 license.

How do Umami and Plausible Analytics pricing compare?

Umami starts at 0.00/mo under freemium tier, while Plausible Analytics starts at 0/mo with paid billing.

When should you choose Umami over Plausible Analytics?

If your priority is Open-source web and product analytics platform focused on privacy., Umami is the optimal choice; for Lightweight and privacy-friendly cookie-free Google Analytics alternative, Plausible Analytics provides superior benefits.

Explore more alternatives