Umami

Overview

Umami is a lightweight, privacy-focused web analytics tool designed as a simpler alternative to Google Analytics. Umami positions itself as a modern, privacy-friendly alternative to Google Analytics , stripping away the complexity and invasive tracking that characterizes traditional analytics platforms. The platform provides website insights without tracking personal data or using cookies , making it naturally compliant with GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy regulations without requiring cookie consent banners or complicated legal implementations.

Umami gained popularity among developers because of its user-friendliness and the ability to self-host for free , giving technically capable newsletter creators complete control over their analytics data. Designed for developers, indie makers, and companies that care about GDPR compliance, Umami gives full control of website data without sacrificing functionality . The platform focuses on essential metrics like page views, visitor counts, referrers, and device types rather than attempting to track every possible user interaction or build detailed user profiles.

For newsletter creators who maintain websites alongside their email lists, Umami offers straightforward traffic insights without the bloat of enterprise analytics tools. The platform provides real-time stats, event tracking, and goals without collecting any personal data or using cookies . This simplicity appeals to creators who want to understand which content resonates without drowning in complex reports or compromising visitor privacy.

Best For

Umami works best for privacy-conscious newsletter creators with technical skills who want clean, straightforward website analytics without third-party tracking. This includes independent writers concerned about visitor privacy, creators operating in regions with strict data protection laws, developers building custom publishing platforms, and anyone uncomfortable with Google's data collection practices. The platform particularly suits creators who can handle self-hosting or are willing to work with basic metrics rather than advanced behavioral analytics.

Key Features

• Privacy-First Analytics: Umami provides insights without tracking personal data or using cookies , automatically making your analytics GDPR compliant without legal configuration. No cookies, no third-party scripts , just aggregate traffic data that respects visitor privacy. For newsletter creators, this means understanding your audience without the ethical concerns or legal complexity that come with invasive tracking tools.

• Self-Hosting Option: By self-hosting, users can operate Umami completely free , paying only for their own server costs. Self-hosting allows the analytics to communicate only with your own server , giving complete data ownership and eliminating dependence on third-party services. Self-hosted analytics bypass ad blockers better than external services because they communicate only with your own domain , providing more accurate traffic counts.

• Lightweight Implementation: Umami's tracking script is minimal and loads quickly, avoiding the performance penalties associated with heavier analytics platforms. This matters for newsletter creators who want to track traffic without slowing down their content sites or degrading the reading experience. The lightweight nature also means less server load and bandwidth consumption compared to feature-heavy alternatives.

• Essential Metrics Focus: Umami provides real-time stats, event tracking, and goals without overwhelming users with excessive data points. The platform shows page views, unique visitors, referral sources, device types, and geographic locations, covering the core metrics newsletter creators need to understand their traffic. This focused approach eliminates analysis paralysis by presenting only actionable insights.

• Open Source and Transparent: Umami is open source , allowing technically inclined creators to audit the code, customize functionality, or contribute improvements. The transparent nature of open source software provides assurance that the analytics tool isn't secretly collecting more data than advertised. For creators who value transparency and control, this openness builds trust in ways proprietary analytics platforms cannot.

Pricing

Umami offers a free-forever plan for self-hosted installations , where creators pay only for their own server hosting costs. The open source nature means technically capable creators can run Umami indefinitely without subscription fees, making it one of the most cost-effective analytics solutions available. Umami also offers a managed cloud hosting option for creators who prefer not to manage their own infrastructure, though specific pricing details for the cloud service are not prominently published. Compared to other privacy-focused analytics tools, Umami is generally cheaper , though it offers fewer advanced features and shorter data retention periods than some competitors. For budget-conscious creators with technical skills, the self-hosted option provides professional analytics at essentially no cost beyond basic server expenses.