# Umami vs. Simple Analytics: Privacy-friendly analytics with room to grow

> Umami and Simple Analytics are both cookieless and clean. Umami adds events, funnels, cohorts, replay, and heatmaps — and you can self-host it.

Feature table last verified: August 2026  
Source: https://umami.is/compare/simple-analytics

## Feature comparison

### Privacy & Compliance

| Feature | Umami | Simple Analytics |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cookie-free tracking | Yes | Yes |
| GDPR compliant | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | MIT license | Scripts only |
| Self-hosting option | Yes | No |
| EU data hosting | Your choice (self-host) | EU only |

### Analytics Features

| Feature | Umami | Simple Analytics |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Real-time dashboard | Yes | Yes |
| Custom events | Yes | Paid tiers |
| Goals & conversions | Yes | Paid tiers |
| Funnel analysis | Yes | Basic (via goals) |
| User journeys | Yes | No |
| Cohorts & retention | Yes | No |
| Segments | Yes | Filters only |
| Session replay | Yes | No |
| Heatmaps | Yes | No |
| Custom dashboards | Yes | Saved views only |
| Revenue tracking | Yes | No |
| UTM tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Email reports | Yes | Yes |

### Setup & Usability

| Feature | Umami | Simple Analytics |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Setup complexity | Single script tag | Single script tag |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
| Raw data export | Yes | Higher tiers |
| Team members | Yes | $20/mo per extra user |

### Hosting & Pricing

| Feature | Umami | Simple Analytics |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cloud free tier | Yes | Yes (30-day retention) |
| Cloud starting price | Free / $20 mo | $19/mo |
| Self-hosting cost | Free | Not available |
| Events & goals on every plan | Yes | Gated by tier |

## Simple, but not shallow

Simple Analytics lives up to its name: a clean, cookieless, one-page dashboard hosted in the EU. But simplicity has limits — no user journeys, cohorts, session replay, heatmaps, or revenue tracking, and even custom events and goals sit behind paid tiers. Umami keeps the clean dashboard while covering all of that ground — events, goals, journeys, cohorts, and revenue on every plan, with session replay and heatmaps built into the platform.

## Own your data completely

Simple Analytics hosts your data exclusively on its EU servers — a solid privacy stance, but you can't take the software with you. Umami is open source under the MIT license: self-host on your own infrastructure in any region, or use Umami Cloud and export your raw data at any time. Either way, there is no lock-in.

## A free tier without the catch

Simple Analytics' free plan keeps only 30 days of history and limits you to one user. Umami Cloud's free tier gives you real data history, and self-hosting is free forever with unlimited websites and team members. Paid Cloud plans start at $20/month — no per-seat charges.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Umami a good alternative to Simple Analytics?

Yes. Both are cookieless, privacy-first tools with clean dashboards, but Umami includes custom events, goals, funnels, cohorts, and revenue tracking on every plan — plus session replay and heatmaps — features Simple Analytics either gates behind higher tiers or does not offer.

### Can I self-host Simple Analytics?

No. Simple Analytics is a hosted-only service (only its tracking scripts are open source). Umami is fully open source under the MIT license and self-hosts with Docker and PostgreSQL, free forever.

### How do the free plans compare?

Simple Analytics’ free plan retains just 30 days of data with one user. Umami Cloud’s free tier offers real data history, and self-hosted Umami has no limits at all. Umami also doesn’t charge $20/month per extra team member.

### Does Simple Analytics have session replay or heatmaps?

No. Simple Analytics offers neither, along with no cohorts or user journeys. Umami offers all four — cohorts and journeys on every plan, with replay and heatmaps on Cloud Business plans and free when self-hosting — while remaining just as privacy-friendly.

## Further reading

- [A mega list of Google Analytics alternatives](https://umami.is/blog/a-mega-list-of-google-analytics-alternatives.md): How Umami, Simple Analytics, and others compare across the landscape.
- [Website traffic analysis guide](https://umami.is/guides/website-traffic-analysis.md): Get more out of your analytics once you switch.